Establishing The Biodynamic Preparation Plants Suitable for Our Region
(The Journal of Finding Valerian by Sara Hartley)
Rudolf Steiner introduced us to the following plants: yarrow, valerian, chamomile, dandelion, and stinging nettle. They are the plants that are suggested, in fact insisted on, being used for making preparations in biodynamic agriculture. Each plant contains individual intrinsic values which when used in compost, connects earthly presence to the heavens, but also when used juntos allows for the vitalization (formation of life bearing and giving forces) of the soil in which we grow plants. At Finca Luna Nueva, we are striving to reinvigorate, vitalize, even raise the frequency of the food we are producing and consuming, as well as the land itself.
Flowers from the Talamanca Mountains
Today we have growing on this farm, all at different stages of development, each of these suggested plants. For some of them to grow we have built climate-manipulating structures to prevent rainfall from hitting the beds and on others they have been covered by shade cloth to lessen the impact from rain and sun.
This automatically raises a red flag, right?
Why are we growing plants that don’t necessarily want to be growing in this climate? We don’t!
This brings us to a HUGE conversation that is a reoccurring theme when talking about biodynamic agriculture in the tropics. The thing is, the plants (yarrow, valerian, chamomile, dandelion, and stinging nettle) were all easily accessible and abundant in German-Austrian terrain during the 1920’s when Rudolf Steiner provided the anthroposophists with his lectures on Agriculture. These above-mentioned plants still exist in Europe, and are easy enough for farmers to find in other regions where biodynamic farming is booming — North America, India, and New Zealand. They are not abundant here in San Isidro de Peñas Blancas, Costa Rica. With our ultimate goal of reducing off-farm inputs to casi nada and following biodynamic practices, this creates an economic and philosophical desafio.
What brings hope to our challenge is that what can be interpreted from Rudolf’s lecture– his encouragement to not take everything he said word for word and for those who are following the principles, to construe their own practices that seem best for the integrity of their land. SAVED!
But now we have the daunting task of finding these plants, ones that could be called “analogs” of the originally prescribed plants for the farms in Central America. Why is this so daunting? Because where would you start to look for them? How does one find a replacement for a plant that not only holds specific pattern/formation and structure by minerals, affinities to the celestial and heavenly bodies, but also influential energetic forces incapable of being seen by the naked eye (or most people). We cannot just take another plant that looks like dandelion and expect it to contribute in the same way. This is a shaman’s job! The only way to truly know if we’ve hit the bull’s eye is if (this is no joke!) the plants speak to us!
In the meantime, our biodynamic consultant Matias has suggested to attempt to grow the European varieties of these plants and locate related species growing in Costa Rica for the rewarding exercise of observation. Perhaps through the expression of growth of these plants we will receive messages suggesting what the next step is.
Fortunately, we have a fantastic variety of native stinging nettles growing prolifically on the property. So check off stinging nettle. And just recently, after speaking to friend who is an ethnobotanist about the situation, I was led into a neat direction for learning more about the valerian plant.
Why and how do we use valerian in biodynamics? We press the blossoms of the plant and use a dilution of the extract. Valerian is a plant that influences the concentration of phosphorus and stimulates phosphate processes in the soil. This leads to the mobilization of phosphate-activating bacteria in the soil (we like good bacteria!!), which are required for plants to photosynthesize. The use of this valerian also brings Saturn’s influence of warmth to whatever substance or earthly matter to which it is added. After inoculating our compost piles with all other plant preparations, valerian is sprayed over the entire top layer, with the intention that it will act as a warming, soothing blanket-type layer to protect the energetic activity inside the compost piles during transformation process. Tranquilla!
Three weeks ago we introduced this new plant to the biodynamic garden, a species of valerian known as Valeriana Prionophylla. From research thus far and what we at Luna Nueva know, valerian does not grow wild at 300 meters (where we are). It was necessary to search for this plant elsewhere and transplant with the clearest intentions for acclimation to a completely different climate and elevation. This is where my friend Tin comes into the story.
Las Vueltas Lodge
The Gathering.
Thanks to some wonderful new friends, Tin (who is casi finished with his masters in Ethnobotany) his partner and her family, I was invited for a weekend at their hand-built lodge and farm called Las Vueltas Lodge (located on Las Vueltas mountain, the first of the Talamanca Mountain Range). I still remember waking up that morning, taking the six, yes SIX fleece blankets off myself and looking out the window into the epitome of a fairy forest. Dripping with morning dew, the pink fox glove flowers and trees covered with grayish silver lichen, the sun peeking
Lichen-covered fence
through the greenery actually making every piece of the land covered in a silky, sparkly dew. From the front porch of the house on this mountain you can see both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts and on one particularly clear morning I was even able to see the peak of Arenal. After breakfast on the first morning Tin, his partner Satya, and I got in the car and traveled up higher on the mountain to the valerian plots that Tin has been observing over the past year.
We arrived at the first plot (at elevation 3,174 meters), where valerian was growing on the sides of a semi-heavily traveled dirt road. The plants were flowering with their plum purple stems, faded violet and white shaded blossoms. The aroma was also enchanting. These plants liked the disturbed roadsides in gravelly/lime rich and loose soil. Here we are at the top of the continental divide getting groovy with valerian.
Valerian plot at 3000 meters
After visiting the other two plots, we descended down the mountain as I clutched tightly two plastic bags filled with approximately 30 plants that we had harvested back to the lodge, where family and friends welcomed us. There I spent the rest of the weekend drinking tea, cuddling in blankets, walking through the enchanted cloud forests and truthfully, dreaming of living in a place like this forever. This place is a marvelous guesthouse to visit for anyone traveling in Costa Rica and anxious to explore the different climates of the country. The family has a profound knowledge of the biota of the mountain and conduct short and long educational nature hikes for small groups, but also can accommodate groups of up to 30 people. Visit the family’s site http://www.lasvueltas.com/ for more information.
The two plastic bags, perfuming seriously of semi-dying valerian, and I made it through the nauseating bus ride from San Jose to Ciudad Quesada and finally back to Luna Nueva. The 30 or some odd plants are in the ground…and they took! Antonio and I transplanted them with both the farm’s homemade barrel compost spray and biodynamic compost amendments. The water from one coconut was also sprinkled on top of the plants (suggested from our farm manager Harold) to add extra minerals and support the harsh transplant and change of atmosphere they were facing.
Valerian garden at Finca Luna Nueva
The plants are all prospering today, sending up new little lime green fuzzy leaves. Two are even forming flower bundles! Notes and observations will continue to be made. I visit the garden daily and open all of my senses and heart, and exercise being willing and open to the messages from the nature spirits. I think I have heard fairies giggling but so far that is all. When the messages do come, what will they be? And perhaps if I will be gone, who will be the one to receive it?
visit us from around the world to enjoy our magnificent Toucans, multicolored Tanagers, majestic birds of prey and our 51 little winged gems, the Hummingbirds, among many other bird species.
(Ramphastos swainsonii) and Yellow-eared Toucanet (Selenidera spectabilis), also Luna Nueva recorded almost half of the 32 species of Tanagers that can be seen in the country, including Scarlet-thigh Dacnis (Dacnis venusta), Bay-headed Tanager (Tangara gyrola), Crimson-collared Tanager (Ramphocelus sanguinolentus) among others, of which the vast majority can be seen from the balconies of guest rooms. There are also records of viewing of 7 of the 17 species of Parrots, Parakeet and Macaws of Costa Rica, included the rare Great Green Macaw (Ara ambiguus).
Luna Nueva’s forest is an important refuge for birds with declining populations as the case of the Olive-sided Pewee (Contopus cooperi) or the elusive Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera), which are both North American migratory species found globally threatened and seasonally common at Luna Nueva.
Although the monitoring of birds in Luna Nueva is just beginning, we expect to record at least 150 more species that inhabit the area that are yet to be officially registered in our private reserve.
At Luna Nueva Lodge, we are aware that the success of a birding experience is only possible if the person who designs, organizes and is responsible for the arrangements of the tour, is an experienced professional birder, so they understand the needs and details that make a holiday an unforgettable experience. For this reason behind every detail of your birding tour are Juan Diego Vargas & Mirna Salas, both professionals in ecotourism of the University of Costa Rica but above all, naturalists and birders of vocation. Both are experienced
in leading ecotourism projects, are co-founders of Cerulean Warbler Conservation Costa Rica, are publishers of articles on bird ecology, travel and have guided birding and nature tours around the entire country for several years. Their projects seek to incorporate innovative ideas for the proper utilization of natural resources and tourism in a responsible and environmentally sustainable manner.
