Biodynamic Winter Tree Paste
At Valentines Farm, we love giving our fruit trees the “royal treatment”. This homemade paste (our secret recipe!) has numerous benefits, including:
enhancing the life of our trees
helps to heal wounded bark and pruning cuts
strengthens the bark and prevents parasitic insects from burrowing in the tree
holds minerals and hosts beneficial bacteria, yeasts and other life forms
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The tree, in a way, is an upright extension of the earth with annual plants growing from it. Since the roots and the trunk’s inner wood are the most mineralized parts of the tree, they serve as an elevated extension of the earth. The tree paste helps to bring the earthly element onto the tree and aids its growth and overall health.
WHAT GOES INTO THE TREE PASTE?
While there are many versions and recipes out there, we’re happy to share what goes into our special paste.
At Valentines Farm, our soil is naturally high in clay, which is perfect base for our clay paste. Then we add additional kaolin or bentonite clay and mix everything with cow manure, equisetum tea, milk or whey, as well as greensand and azomite. This year we also added just a bit of peat moss and a mother culture ferment.
All the ingredients are mixed well with a shovel for about an hour for aeration and fermentation. Then we smear the paste onto the trees with rubber gloves on both the trunk and the main branches. For the twigs and the rest of the tree, we dilute the paste with rainwater, strain it, and then spray it onto the tree.
We’ve found the best time to apply the tree paste is in the Fall after leaf drop and/or Winter before bud break and after pruning.
It is also a yearly opportunity to really get to know your trees and develop a loving and respectful relationship with these noble beings on your farm. You are literally following the entire tree with your hands as you cover it with the clay-like paste. The whole trunk, each branch, and every side – much like you were sculpting the tree yourself. Once you experience it, you’ll know what I’m talking about. If done right, your trees will look like an outdoor art installation! Happy pasting!
