Organic and Biodynamic
Sustainable tea production methods that honor traditional practices while meeting modern certification standardsOrganic and Biodynamic Tea Production
The island has a number of Biodynamic / Organic producing estates which also produce a range of other organic products, such as spices and Cashew nuts. Spices were always traditionally cultivated in an Organic manner without artificial fertilizers and pesticides. However in order to comply with present day requirements for everything to be certified, certification can be obtained.
Organic Certifications
Our Colombo premises can be certified by Skal international (CU) to ECC No:20092/91 and (NOP) USDA standards for all their exports & invoicing. OR By the Demeter certification scheme of the Biodynamic Agricultural Association (BDAA) for all our imports and re-exports. OR By IMO Switzerland
International Standards
However we recently temporarily cancelled our certifications due to a lack of call for these products to be certified in sufficient quantity to be economic due to the high costs that these certifications impose on the products. As and when there is a call for certification we are able to re-certify.
The inspection process and certification is carried out by at least two different companies and it is very strictly controlled. All packing and exporting facilities are inspected and the computer trail is followed with inspections to the final importers such as our own U.K. business or clients abroad.
It is important to point out that all the estates in Sri Lanka conform to practises in the field that avoid pesticide spraying as much as possible. Only as a last resort, spot spraying is allowed and then the estates have to throw away the leaf for some 28 days before the leaf can be taken for manufacture. All estates whether under Organic certification or not look to practises that encourage and balance populations of beneficial insect species.
These beneficial practices can involve the growing of Sunflowers, to matting with grasses and provision of shaded areas to encourage the Braconid wasp (Macocentrus Hormonae). This wasp parasitizes the Tortrix moth which if unchecked leads to Tortrix attack. This has been developed since the 1960's and is fully implemented. Thus the island is to be commended for this level of control and development towards an ideal to which Western Agriculture is only now awakening.
Traditional Ancient Methods of Production
Villagers all over the island still practise a natural ancient system of production within the area around their houses. This includes a large range of products growing on trees, bushes and vines. The concept is to make use of the natural nutrients of the soil at various levels so as not to compete too much at one level.
The larger trees supply Breadfruit, Jak and the Kithul palm supplies nectar from its large flower pod for Kithul jiggery honey or Kithul Jaggery solid brown sugar. The Jak tree supplies a superb timber that resists insect attack and also the Jak fruit is used extensively in curries. Below the canopy of these trees are the spices such as pepper which grows nearer the surface of the soil on a large vine that is often trained up these larger trees.
Other spices and chillies are again closer still to the soil surface. In larger plots the villagers may cultivate fruit trees such as Avocado, Mangosteen and Mango. This system worked extremely well for centuries until modern more intensive growing were introduced with large areas of a single tree or plant.
Field Practices for Organic Production
Organic production eliminates the use of standard artificial fertilizers and requires the use of special organic fertilizer compounds. 'Poonac' a bye product from the coconut industry, plus composted cow manure and green manure composts. The above Poonac and green manure composts have been used for centuries by local communities in the production of spices, coconuts and fruit.
Traditional organic farming methods being implemented on tea estates
The compost is usually placed in a pit in the soil above the bushes at pruning and covered with a thatch of leaf and straw. The use of organic accepted sprays is allowed if needed, but ideally practices which encourage beneficial insects as above, to prey on damaging insects.
All organic estates will comply with these requirements plus a preliminary testing period with no organic production (often 2-3 years) whilst soil testing is carried out by the certifiers.
Beyond these requirements some managements are looking even further forward and Iddalgashinne is such a group. Here the management is involved in Bio dynamics. The estate has several systems under management to produce ideal materials for Organic production. Above and beyond the call of duty!
Biodynamic Production
Worm Culture (Vermiculture)
This is carried out in a large shed with beds and small concrete tanks in the floor. Compost from various sources including grass, green manure, lactating cow dung, and coconut waste is heaped into an area of high density worms. The worms create large quantities of caste material, which is collected each morning.
Vermiculture facility showing the systematic approach to worm farming
The caste material is then used in various ways. It can be put into a ball of coconut fibre and many of these are added to large drums of liquid built up from other preparations in tanks. The balls of fibre are added constantly and the mixture stirred with a paddle every week.
Worm Wash
This is where worms are kept in a number of tanks and supplied with quantities of various beneficial herbs, rather than standard green manure materials. Again the worms degrade the material and water is allowed to feed into the tanks, passing through, washing the bodies of the worms and finally percolates out of the bottom of the container.
This again is collected and applied to the tea bushes in very small amounts, e.g. half an ounce of concentrate per acre. It is interestingly named 'worm bath water'. At Iddalgashinne they have a large drum of worms in a bed of rotting material; a can of water is suspended above the drum and gently drips into the drum, seeping down through the worms and dripping out at the bottom into a collecting receptacle.
Cow Horns
The picture below shows the cow horns taking from 1st lactating cows which are then packed with various prepared herbal or mineral mixes and then buried for 6 months before being dug up and the packed material extracted to make liquid mixes that are applied to the bushes as explained under their numbered designations.
Cow horns being prepared for biodynamic treatments
Here Cow horns (not bull horns) from 1st lactation cows only, are buried with herbal matter and allowed to remain for at least six months. The horns are reused. The degraded material is then applied to the soil around the tea bushes. There are two main preparations used in the tea. Iddalgashinne purchase the cows and the worker owners of the estate take the milk and offspring, whilst the management company lays claim to the horns and the dung produced.
Preparation 500
Here horns as above are packed with rotted manure, plus various other preparations made from selected herbs that have been prepared in their own pits. These range from 502 = Yarrow to 507 preparation from Valeria and preparations prepared in a Stag's bladder. The 500 preparation is buried from October to March.
Application Schedule: 3 times a year in June/July - October and March
Rate of application: 25 g in 13 Litres of rain or spring water / Acre
Method: Afternoon (called descending part of day) on ground. Flicked from container
Purpose: Encourages root development and vigour of the bush
Preparation 501
This preparation is applied and buried in the opposite period of the year to 500 and applied to the bush to encourage Photosynthesis. Horns are packed with various preparations including ground down Quartz crystal (Silica Dioxide) which looks like talcum powder. The horns are buried from March to September (opposite to 500) and applied twice a year - August & February.
Rate of application: 1 g in 13 Litres (3 galls) / Acre
Method: Stirred in a vortex at sunrise, sprayed 1 hour after sunrise
Purpose: Encourages light forces onto the leaves or foliage
Timing: Applied immediately after plucking when there is a 7 day gap to next plucking
Additional Preparations
Liquid Manure: Rate 4 Litres in 40 Litres. Application is 6 times a year alternating with CPP. As a foliar spray, stirring 15 minutes before application. Applied immediately after plucking and after Noon in the descending period.
CPP: This is called cow cake (Poonac). Made from waste products in the coconut industry and used as cow cake and fertilizer from the 1870's. Rate of application is 1 Kg in 40 Litres. Applied on the ground or to mulch around the bushes.
All the field work operations on the estate, such as planting out of V.P. plants, pruning and lopping are timed to the cycle of the moon, which is the Biodynamic calendar by Dr. Rudolf Steiner.
The herb garden at Iddalgashinne estate alongside preparation areas with marked preparations ready to make washes
To some, this may sound far fetched but it ties in with agricultural practice of long ago when these cycles were general practice. All the above practices are being carried out together with the other more standard requirements of 'Organic' Production.
- System 501 - Ground Silica mix packed into cow horns and buried
- 502 - Yarrow flowers packed into stag's bladders and buried
- 503 - Chamomile flowers packed and buried
- 504 - Stinging nettle packed and buried
- 505 - Oak bark
- 506 - Dandelion flowers
- 507 - Valerian flower solution
Green Teas
Prior to 1970 the island did not produce green teas but today it possesses a number of estates who specialize in Green tea production and the range of green teas being produced is growing all the time and includes Organic plus Biodynamic production.
These generally follow the Japanese and Chinese types of production. The leaf is first steamed in a box or barrel shaped container, rolled to requirement, to arrest fermentation, then rolled and steamed again. This occurs several times and then finally sent to the drier for firing. This format differs from estate to estate.
Silver Tips (Silver Needles)
Made only from the buds of a special VP clone which produces a leaf with a purple hue rather than the usual green leaf. It is normally classified as a green tea in that it is harvested and merely sun dried or heat dried. A very expensive tea as the pluckers can only harvest very small quantities in a day before the sun rises.
The cool conditions often accompanied by mist in the field before the sun rises causes the small hairs on the buds to rise and give a silvery effect.
Traditional Machinery Methods
At one particular estate that we operate with the standard traditional manufacture machinery set-up is used. The actual rolling process is not being divulged to the public but the factory operates two systems:
a) Morning leaf is steamed and kept over night for morning rolling.
b) Evening leaf is withered overnight, steamed in the morning and then rolled in the traditional sequence explained at our Tea Manufacture pages.
These notes have been sourced and written by Robert Wilson of Robert Wilson's 'Ceylon' Tea and are the opinions of him and those he has contacted in the industry. They may not be used without his express permission.