[Posted with the permission of Cheryl from News Leaf Journal, Biodynamic Agriculture Australia, Summer edition, No.69. by Cheryl Kemp, Biodynamic Consultant.]
Making Insect Peppers
Cheryl Kemp Dip.BD Ag.NZ Biodynamic Consultant.
In the Agriculture Lectures (Spiritual Foundations for the Renewal of Agriculture;R.Steiner) Steiner gives the time of February to July as the optimal time to make insect peppers. This is of course the Northern hemispheres spring and summer, and it is rather inconvenient for us in the Southern Hemisphere to have to wait a year, collect and save the insects, hoping they survive till the correct time to burn comes around. Some of our members have made the peppers of the insects at the time when they are active - over the southern spring and summer, and have had great success.
So I offer these suggestions that have evolved in our experience.
For Buffalo Fly and Fruit Fly, Sheep Blowfly ( Lucilia cuprina), White Butterfly and caterpillars etc.
Collect a number of insects - say half a cup. Best to burn at the Moon in an air sign (Aquarius, Libra and Gemini) if they are more flying insect such as butterflies, as they lay their eggs on leaves still in the air. Earthly insects, eg Flies and grubs, that often have a larval and pupae stage in the soil or dung, best burnt at Moon in a root sign (Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn). It helps if you can collect the eggs or larval stages as well and burn together. With White Butterflies- collect caterpillars and eggs under the leaves as well.
Methods for burning: You need a nice hot fire. For insects, a small tin, like a Baked Bean tin, well cleaned without the plastic lining. Place in a fire and cook the insects till just a black ash (if it goes to white ash, it has gone too far and high temperature incineration destroys signature frequencies.) Then tip the ash from the insects into a mortar and pestle and grind for 10 mins. You only need about 1 teaspoonful.
To Potentise Peppers:
When forces are separated from substances, they become more potent. This technique is used in homoeopathic medicines. It is also a good way to make a little go a long way. The potency of the substance is not determined by the gross amount of substance present, it is determined by the number of times it has been ground, diluted and succussed according to the homeopathic potentising method.
Mix and stir ash in a mortar and pestle about 5 mins, till smooth.
1. Take one teaspoonful of this peppered ash and add to 90 mls water in a 200 ml clean jar with lid on securely.
2. Succuss for 2 minutes - this is the 1st potency 1x Say as you succuss, this is the 1st potency.
Succussion means to hit the bottom of the jar on your palm so the water is shaken in a long vortex. Do slow rhythmical hits watching the movement of the water.
(Note: make a list of the number of potencies to be done and cross off as you go, so you don't get lost! Eg 1x 2x 3x 4x 5x 6x 7x 8x 9x 10x)
* Take 10 mls of this liquid and place in the next jar of 90 mls water.1:9,
Succuss 1 minute. You can discard the first lot. 2nd potency 2x Say - this is the 2nd potency.
3. Repeat. (Say this is the 3rd potency - 3x)
4. Repeat (Say this is the 4th potency -4x)
5. Repeat (Say this is the 5th potency 5x)
6. Repeat (Say this is the 6th potency 6x) Continue in the same way
7.Save the 8x potency and label bottle. This is your store supply to make more next time.
Continue to 9th potency - 9x. Save this lot and label and date bottle.
Take 10mls of the 9x and potentise to 10x *- Save this lot and label and date the bottle. This 8x, 9x and 10x potency of the peppers will keep until you need it. Store in the sealed jar in a cool place well labelled, this is your potentised pepper for weed, insect or animal.
The 9x potency is the anti-regeneration forces and the 10x is the anti-fertility or anti-germination forces.
When ready to use add 10 drops to any amount of water in your spray tank and drench spray onto the affected ground forming a border around the area to be protected from animals or whole affected area for weeds and insects. It does not need to be stirred again.
If you are peppering water insects, sprinkle around the waters edge.
For Buffalo Fly or Flystrike, it is best to treat the soils and dung. Do these for 3 consecutive months or you can also put the potenised peppers in the drinking water each day.(Use 9x potency from the last quarter of Moon, New Moon to first quarter, then change to 10x at first quarter, full moon and continue to the last quarter) Just 10 drops per trough. Succuss the bottle before applying to the water.
When to Spray:
Spray the 9x potency out at New Moon and the 10x potency out at Full Moon.
For cicadas/locusts I would apply to the ground 3 months before they are due to hatch. Follow up if they are becoming a pest around the district. To
prevent next years hatchings, spray at the time when they would normally be laying eggs for next season, so that the soil is not conducive for laying eggs. Spray separately; do not mix with other sprays.
You can either spray out in water using your spray nozzle to drench the soil, or to save water, time and fuel, put the potentised pepper in your Field Broadcaster, or use the Prue Instruments Mark 4 box, or the Iris diagram. If these last 3 methods are new to you, contact the office for more information or:
Prue Instruments: Contact Peter Ruehmkorff on 02 47512904 or email prueinstruments@tpg.com.au
Field Broadcasters: Lloyd Charles 02 69553225 email lcharles@iinet.net.au
Iris Diagram : Contact Cheryl Kemp 02 66575306 email bdlady@aapt.net.au
* This idea of 9x (for anti-regeneration) and 10x (for regermination/anti-regermination) potencies for weeds comes from Greg Willis, GW Agriculture via BDNow email site.
[NB - these are posted on Considera too with the permission of Greg]
I am trialling this idea for weeds and insects and offer it as a suggestion. Others may prefer to dowse for their own potency for their land.
Cheryl Kemp is now operating her own private Biodynamic Consultancy, contact her on:
Email:bdlady@aapt.net.au phone/fax: 02 66575306