Re: Bio-Dynamic weed control

[James and Barbara Hedley]

Dear Evelyn,   You won't need to use roundup if you keep up the work on the thistle. Burn it again next burning season and cut it off with a slasher if accessible and you have a tractor or else a whipper snipper.   Pull up a good lot of the thistle with seeds and roots and all. Burn these on the next full moon in a metal container like a metal slow combustion fire or a tin or drum or whatever. Stir this ash into 100 litres of water and stir to a vortex. Then reverse this after it has run for a little and stir to a vortex going the other way. Repeat this as you would for Prep 500 for about half an hour. Then spray it out in a fine mist spray 3 days in a row over your thistle area. This is the process of peppering the thistle weed.   It will help this area if you spray it with the full range of BD preparations. You can use Prep 500 and manure concentrate with the other preps in together. If you are in Australia these can be purchased from the BDFGAA. Ring 02 6655 0566. The important thing for thistles is to also use the prep 501 but it cannot be used in isolation. You must spray out the other preps first. You can spray out the 500 and manure concentrate in the evening or any evening, and 501 the next morning or any following morning. There are ideal times for this but that is a bit complicated for this explanation. The prep 501 balances out some of what the thistle is trying to do and lessens the need for it to be there. Its all about getting the soil balanced to be happily growing plants.   It is best to use BD preps if you want to use peppering. It establishes the balance you are after more quickly. The person you would speak to on the phone will give you more detail and help with this. Try the website: www.biodynamics.net.au    Barbara ----- Original Message ----- From: Evelyn Bishop To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, December 23, 2001 4:16 PM Subject: Re: Bio-Dynamic weed control Hello! I am new to this list and am looking for environmentally friendly ways to deal with star thistle. I have burned and mowed the area last year and it has substantially reduced the amount of thistle and also delayed its growth. It grows quickly as soon as the weather turns hot. Then it is too late to burn or mow. It is way too tough to do weed-eating when it gets large. I am not familiar with BD preps or what to do with weeds in a large area. In my garden areas, I weed by hand. Although I have purchased some Round up, I am hesitant to use it in case I might want to grow anything edible in this south facing slope. It is too large an area to weed by hand, though I pull as many as I can and burn them before the burn season is over. I always prefer not to use chemicals and would like an alternate solution. Does anyone have any solutions that they might share with me? Thanks so much! Evelyn Bishop   >Subject: Re: Bio-Dynamic weed control >Date: Sun, 23 Dec 2001 09:08:19 +1100 > >Dear Merla, > >What you propose sounds good. > >We control noxious weeds here with BD but it takes a while to get the swap >over. The ash will knock it and retard its vigour the first year. Then when >you keep repeating it you will gradually win. You also need to keep knocking >the weeds physically as you are and be sure they don't seed. Some weeds >spread underground when they are cut and so it is often best to cut them >just before the seed sets. Burning them in a low fire risk time is also good >on a leo moon. > >Weeds are not easy. However they are good indicators of what is going on in >the ground. You do need to plant competing pasture and then spray it with >all the preps 500 plus 502 to 507 in a barrel compost spray. Be sure also to >use 501 also. Thistles, if purple, often show the ground needs light and is >a bit sour. > >This is just a brief summary. You could keep me going for hours on things we >have tried. There isn't a weed problem at home but I have tuned into many >properties where there is and given advice on a programme to turn it around. >Its a fascinating lead into understanding an area. Great fun trying out >brews to help. > >Barbara     MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: Click Here