Horn manure (500) for biodiversity & farm organism
The contribution, measured
Time horizon: 1–3 seasons
How it contributes
Making 500 on the farm ties into the animal cycle and the self-sufficient farm-organism concept.
What to measure for this pairing
Why this goal matters
The “farm organism” concept is at the heart of biodynamics: the farm as a living, diverse and as-self-sufficient-as-possible whole, with animals, hedges, cover and its own sources of fertility.
It translates into functional biodiversity and ecological infrastructure — measurable in habitat area, cover diversity and beneficial presence — and into integrating animals and producing your own compost and preparations.
Goal indicators
Market & certification: Biodiversity and the farm organism are explicit requirements of Demeter certification.
How to apply the practice
- 1Dynamise the preparation in warm water for an hour.
- 2Spray onto the soil at day’s end, in coarse droplets.
- 3Favour root days and the descending calendar phase.
- 4Log rate, plot and date for certification.
Frequently asked
When is 500 applied?
Typically in the late afternoon/evening, on root days and descending-sap phases, over moist soil — a few times a year.
Can I make 500 on my own farm?
Yes — many growers bury the horns and make the preparation, which reinforces the self-sufficiency Demeter values. Ready-made preparation can also be bought.
Same practice, other goals
Same goal, other practices — Biodiversity
How GrapeFlow helps
The proof Demeter certification demands — logged by plot and date.
Biodynamic calendar
Root, leaf, flower and fruit days and the lunar phases in GrapeFlow, to plan preparation applications and work in step with the calendar.
Preparations & application log
Every application of 500, 501 and the other preparations logged by plot, date and rate — the history the Demeter audit asks for.
Electronic field notebook
All operations — compost, cover, animals, dynamisation — logged by plot, ready for certification.