Ep. 361 Monty Waldin on Biodynamic Wine | Teas Decoctions and Essential Oils

Italian wine podcast. Chinchin with Italian wine people. Hello. Welcome to the Italian wine podcast. I'm your host, Monte Walden. In recent years, I've noticed increasing interest in ideas such as organic wines, so called natural wines, and biodynamic wines. I'll read for you some excerpts from my book Biodynamic wine and follow-up with some commentary on the topics covered for those interested in acquiring the full Biodynamic wine text. It's available from my publisher, infinite ideas. Who right now is offering a discount fifteen percent through July thirty first twenty twenty to get the discount use the code, which is bio fifteen off at infinite ideas dot com. That's bio, which is a b I o one five o f f. One of the perks of biodynamic viticulture includes the ability to prepare cost effective treatments from readily available wild plants that have adapted to local conditions. This week, we take a look at some more plant teas, decoctions, manures, essential oils, and other alternative treatments. Plant teas, decoctions, liquid manures, oils, and other alternative treatments. The use of teas, liquid manures, extracts, and essential oils based either on wild plants, or composted matter, is widespread in pioddermic pitticulture and is becoming more common in general, wine growing too. This results from a greater understanding of the beneficial role the microorganisms such as yeasts, fungi, and bacteria. Which these sprays contain can play in keeping vines healthy by colonizing both the riser sphere or the root zone and filosphere the leaf surface. Plant and manure based sprays can help reduce or eliminate reliance on antifungal treatments based on sulfur, for OADin, for example, and copper for downy mildew, which, although approved in organics as contact sprays, can have adverse effects, on soil and vineyard biota. Such plant and manure based sprays are generally easy, quick, cost effective, and even fun to prepare. Since the raw materials can often be gathered wired locally, or grown on the estate. This suits wine growers working towards the biodynamic goal of turning the vineyard into a self sustaining living organism. Locally gathered plants adapted to local conditions are more effective at preventing or even curing diseases or imbalances specific to that locality. Commercially produced bacterial or fungal compost cultures are now widely available, but apart from being expensive to buy, may adversely affect the balance of existing local microfauna and microflora whose main stimuli should be the biodynamic call manure five hundred. And the compost preparations five zero two to five zero seven. Plant teas and infusions. Wild plants have been used in medicine for thousands of years. Note, however, that whereas plant based remedies for treating humans and animals are often made from the plant roots, for example, dandelion or Valarian. It is generally the flowers and shoots and leaves or even the bark, which are used for treating crops or for treating compost with the six biodynamic compost preparations, numbers five zero two to five zero seven. Plant teas are made by pouring freshly boiled water over fresh or dried flowers and herbs and letting the mixture infuse before it is drained, so just like making normal tea. Masseration times tend to be short. Usually less than twenty minutes or the time it takes the water to cool. This is because the subtle light airy qualities that flowers like chamomile, dandelion, Valerio, and yarrow possess are said to be inhibited by excess heat or overly extractive macerations. Although woodier aromatic flowering plants, like rosemary, for example, may be left to infuse for up to twenty four hours. Camomile tea. Camomile is a popular tea amongst biodynamic wine growers. It is made from the flowers of the same strain of chamomile used in the biodynamic compost preparation number five zero three, and it's picked in exactly the same way. Chamomile is rich in sulfur. So blending its tea with the sulfur sprays used against OIDium is said to make them more effective. Camel miles calcium and potash content also help stimulate healing processes in vine shoots and leaves damaged by hail or by pruning. So the idea was that chamomile helps clear blockages. Danny Lion tee. Dandelion roots are used in remedies to treat humans, notably to relieve skin ailments. For crops, however, the flowers are used and are picked in the same way as for the dandelion compost preparation number five zero six. Dandelion contains many nutrients including calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium, and silicon. Dandelion's silica is especially useful in strengthening and tightening vine leaves against fungal parasites in wet years or when full moon and lunar perigee coincide. It is recommended as a preventative spray at the start of the vine's vegetative cycle after the first two or three leaves have appeared. It can be used alone for what combined with small quantities of copper and sulfur vineyard sprays in spring. Stinging nettle tea, the most frequently used and arguably most effective tea used on biodynamic vineyards is made from the shoots and leaves of stinging nettles. These can be picked in spring or until mid summer, exactly as for the stinging nettle compost preparation number five zero four. Stinging nettles multiple beneficial effects include increasing resistance to pests and diseases, aiding photosynthesis and stimulating growth by providing a long list of trace elements, including iron, potassium, sodium, sulfur, calcium, chromium, silicon, cobalt, zinc, magnesium, and manganese. Countless French, hydrodynamic wine growers, say stinging nettle alleviates chlorosis, leaf yellowing, caused when iron and manganese become blocked on alkaline soils. Valarian tea. Valarian tea is made either by infusing Valarian flowers in freshly boiled water or as a concentrate in exactly the same way as the biodynamic compost preparation five zero seven, which is the Valerian preparation. Just as humans take Valerian tea as a sedative, Wine growers can spray vines with valerian tea as a carnative after the stress of pruning. It can also be used to de stress vines hit by hail, sprayed either on its own or added to any anti downy military treatments. If these are also being used, perhaps combined with a few drops of Anica. Valarian warmth forces may also stimulate great ripening. And flavor development if sprayed in the weeks before harvest, possibly in combination with five zero one. So that would really normally happen only in a cool year if if Propling is looking really slow and the weather's closing in. Combining Valerian tea with the first all manure five hundred or prepared all manure five hundred, when this is being sprayed on the soil around butt break may also mitigate against frost. In this case, add the valerian liquid at the very start of dynamization. So if you're gonna use the whole manure and the valerian together, the valerian tea and the whole manure, you gotta stir them together. Yarrow tea. Yarrow tea is made from Yarrow flowers, which are picked as for the compost preparation number five zero two. The T's main role is to make sulfur sprays against Oidium more effective by activating potassium or light processes in the vines, revitalizing them in the same way that people who are feeling run down, drink yarrity in the morning as a pick me up. Some growers claim yarrity can make the subsequent wine less susceptible to oxidation. This is quite important if you're thinking about making natural wine, you know, the less oxidation you have, the less reliance you can have on soft foam, the cleaner one is gonna taste. Yarrow's other role is to help cane ripening if sprayed around liaison. Adding some stinging nettles to macerate with the yellow flowers produces a tea capable of regulating both fungal diseases and insects. Compost teas. Compost teas are made by aerating finished composting water. Ariation activates beneficial microorganisms and helps them multiply. Compost teas improve soil biology when sprayed on the soil and as foliar sprays, they aid disease suppression and nutrient uptake in crops. Compost teas need the right balance of nutrients and the right range and populations of beneficial microorganisms. The base for the kind of fungal dominated composties, which are favored in wine growing, should be made from well aged, meaning six to eighteen months decomposition, of woody compost, from carbon rich wood chips, and chipped vine prunings, or woody weeds, like gawson broom, Plus, Peter Proctor's cow pat bit preparation, which contain the biodynamic compost preparations, the six of them, which is five zero two to five zero seven. Also, hay, steeped in liquid manure slurry. Also seaweed, seaweed tea, vermicastes, and vermic liquids, as well as molasses, basalt, and limes. Once mature, The fermented compost is mixed in good quality water, ideally very slightly acidic with no chlorine till you decass it. And then aerated, aeration can last up to twenty four hours and is necessary because most beneficial bacteria fungi, protozoa, and nematodes are aerobic. Fifty percent of the carbohydrates produced in crop leaves end up in the root system. It makes sense, therefore, For any food that plants produce as exudates from their roots or leaves, which is intended specifically for soil bacteria and fungi, is accessed only by beneficial, disease, suppressive organisms rather than disease causing ones. Once safely in situ, beneficial organisms perform what is called niche occupation. Meaning, they take the space disease causing organisms would otherwise occupy, and they take their food too. They can even predate disease causing organisms. Proteaser fee on bacterial disease organisms, for example. They produce compounds that inhibit their growth. Beneficial bacteria and fungi play key roles in protecting crops above ground. While below ground where bacteria in funghi, protozoa and nematodes also play vital roles. Plant decoctions. Decctions are made by placing shoots, leaves, flowers, or bark of the chosen plant in cold water, then bringing the mixture to the boil. And if necessary, then leaving it to simmer before filtering off the concentrate and diluting this to between one to five or one to twenty before applying it to the vineyard. Dec options involve longer, hotter, and more extractive macerations than fatigues and infusions and are suited to extract the calcium from Oak Park, the Salasin from Willow or the silica from common horsetail. The Oak Park decoction is derived from the bark of the same strain of oak gathered in the same way as for the biodynamic compost preparation five zero five. Oak Park decoction can be used to complement the common horsetail five zero eight decoction. Raining in excess, quotes, moon forces, which make fines grow vigorously enough to attract fungal diseases like rot and mildew, especially around full moon. Oakbark has high levels of both calcium, about seventy percent of the ash is is calcium, on the one hand, and tannin on the other. The reason why quotes Tannbark was widely used in tanneries. Tanic acid has insecticidal properties, while calcium protects against fungal growth. The oak bark decoction is seen by some growers, as creating grapes with hardier, more, quotes, tannic skins, tightening them to make them more resilient against fungal attack. Over use of this decoction, however, may cause a severe blockage in plant growth. Willow decoction is made from the shoots, leaves all bark of the white or common or European Willow tree. It's botanical name is Salix Alba. The Willow grows in humid Willow bank conditions. Yet never suffers from mildew. So its main role is antifungal. So acting against downy mildew and powdery mildew and botritus. And it's a role it shares with both the common horsetail or the five zero eight spray preparation, and the oak bark decoction. But the Willow is easier to harvest than the latter because more than the bark can be used. Willow's active ingredient is Salicin. In the human body, Salicin converts into salicylic acid, the forerunner of aspirin, but without the latter's stomach irritant effect. Sally silic acid levels are highest in Willow in spring, which is when the plant material should be collected. Willow is popular amongst wine growers with great varieties highly susceptible to downy mildew, like, for example, Grenesh noir. Liquid manures. Liquid manures are made by leaving plant material to decompose and ferment in water over a period of days or weeks or even months. Typically, wine growers fill old barrels with around a hundred or two hundred liters of rainwater. Plunge as many armfuls as they can of whatever it is they are macerating in the water, normally five to ten kilos is normal, and then leave the mixture to warm in the sun. This is called passive brewing. Comfrey liquid manure. Comfrey is a popular liquid manure in organic farming and home gardening. Like Stinging nettle, comfrey is a rich source of nutrients and trace elements. Comfrey is especially good for fruit and seed filling crops because it stimulates potassium processes, aiding photosynthesis and reinforcing plant self defense mechanisms. Egee against Downy mildew in Viticulture. It distresses fines after hail, and like seaweed, can a boron deficiency at flowering. The shoots and leaves are picked at the beginning of flowering. Comfrey can also be used as a tea. Confrey is very widely used in them in home gardening or allotment gardening. Fern liquid manure. Fern makes a resinous scented liquid manure which French consultant, Michel Barber, claims can discourage attacks from grapeberry moths, and the leafhopper Victor of the fluevasson story or grapevine yellows, phytoplasmid disease. Especially when used in conjunction with essential oils. Seaweed and kelp liquid manures. Seaweed extracts are popular products in health foods stores. For their magnesium content. In the late nineteen sixties, France's first organic wine and farm consultants, Raul Le Maire and Jean Bouchier recommended that powdered calcify c algae or Litotam, Calcardium, be used as a magnesium rich soil amendment in vineyards at a rate of eighty to a hundred kilos per hectare. The Le Maer Buce method, as it became known, maintains magnesium is to bind sap what iron is to our blood. However, levels of magnesium and calcium must be balanced in soil for healthy crop growth. Seaweed is also super rich in those several dozen trace elements and salts, which can be lacking in soils, which were never part of the sea floor. Stinging nettle liquid manure. This is the most commonly used liquid manure in vineyards. It is made from the stems and leaves of sticky nettles, which are cut before or at the beginning of flowering. Its effect is similar too, but more powerful than the fresh tea version of stinging nettle. Stinging nettle liquid manure is generally sprayed on the soil or on vines as they pick me up after early spring frost. And against early season chlorosis. Wead manures. Weeds out compete cultivated crop plants, and as a result contain vital nutrients often missing from soils. Netals and dandelions, for example, are high in calcium, iron, and magnesium. Fistles are high in phosphorus as well as trace elements like zinc and manganese. Balance can be restored by macerating weeds in water to make a concentrate, then spraying this on the soil. The extract can be made from the branches, leaves, flowers and roots of whichever weed predominates. Firmints made from weeds, which spread through rhizomes and stow lawns, are supposed to be especially beneficial. Weidmanures should be made from just one weed type at a time as mixing species may interfere with the breakdown process. Essential oils. The use of essential oils of the type used in aromatherapy is increasing amongst wine growers, especially in France. The volatile aromatic compounds in essential oils can play a role in repulsing insect pests and stimulating crop resistance to fungal disease organisms. The aromatic compounds are expressed either by pressing, cold extract, or by distillation in steam. Examples of essential oils include eucalyptus used early in the season against downy mildew, Palmarosa, against fungal disease organisms, fennel and lavendin to repulse various insect vectors, garlic and fennel against the great berry moth. Essential oils of thyme or clove can even be used against frost. Sage, citronella, sylvester pine, grapefruit, and eucalyptus are other bases for essential oils used in fitter culture. And the good thing about them is only tiny volumes of raw material are needed. Thank you for following this discussion on alternative biodynamic treatments. As always, I'm your host, Monte Gordon, and I invite you to join us again next week to learn about working according to celestial rhythms. If you're interested in my book, by Dynamic Wine, my publisher, infinite ideas is currently offering fifteen percent off through July the thirty first two thousand and twenty with offer code Bio one five, o f f. Listen to the Italian wine podcast wherever you get your podcasts. We're on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, HimalIFM, and more. Don't forget to subscribe and rate the show. If you enjoy listening, please consider donating through Italianline podcast dot com. 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