# Applied Biodynamics — Issue No. 102 (Winter 2021) **By JPI Admin** · 2026-08-10 **Applied Biodynamics, Issue 102 (Winter 2021)** enters winter as a season of inward work, preparation, and renewal. Emily Sepulveda describes JPI’s autumn preparation-making cycle in concrete terms: [horn manure](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-500), [chamomile](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-503), [yarrow](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-502), [nettle](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-504), [dandelion](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-506), and [oak bark](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-505) are gathered, filled, sewn, buried, and documented before their winter transformation. The article connects this seasonal rhythm with associative economics, using advance commitments to coordinate preparation supply with the real needs of farms and gardens. [**Download Issue 102 PDF**](https://go.jpibd.org/ab-102) Abigail Porter completes her preparation-plant series with oak. In North America, JPI works with white oak, _Quercus alba_, as the source for BD 505. The article presents oak bark’s living calcium as an ordering influence that moderates overly lush, watery growth and supports resistance to disease and pests. BD 505 carries this quality into the compost pile, while oak-bark decoctions can be observed in wet conditions, around seedlings, and wherever crops benefit from stronger form and boundaries. The issue’s winter practice notes create a practical seasonal checklist. [Tree Paste](https://go.jpibd.org/product-tree-paste) belongs after leaf drop or before sap flow when temperatures are above freezing; [BD 507 valerian](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-507) supports plants around frost; the [Three Kings Preparation](https://go.jpibd.org/product-erbe-8) is ground over midnight on New Year’s Eve and applied on Epiphany; seed burial works with the Holy Nights or the coldest part of February; and winter is the time to study the coming year’s [biodynamic calendar](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-calendar). In “Ten Years: Reflections and Inspirations,” Porter surveys a decade of _Applied Biodynamics_ field learning. Her retrospective connects calendar trials, community-supported farms, large closed-loop grain and cattle operations, urban intensive growing, cooperative farm structures, seed saving, compost methods, preparation making, sequential sprays, drought resilience, and preparation retrieval timing. The archive becomes most useful when growers record exact practice, compare observations, and share results. The issue also records JPI’s organizational renewal and honors Stephen Decater, whose Live Power Community Farm joined biodynamics, draft-horse power, community, gratitude, and long-term land stewardship. Across the issue, winter is an active phase in which the next agricultural cycle is consciously prepared. ## Articles in This Issue - From the Editor — Mary Maruca - Changing Leaves, Changing Rhythms — Emily Sepulveda - President’s Report — Clay Wesson - Heal Yourself, Heal Your Garden (Part 5): Oak — Abigail Porter - Ten Years: Reflections and Inspirations — Abigail Porter - Crossing the Threshold — Stephen Decater - Make Your Plans for the 2022 Fellowship Conference in Ithaca, NY ## Key Topics Covered - JPI’s autumn preparation-making and winter burial rhythm - Associative economics for coordinating preparation production and demand - White oak, living calcium, and BD 505 compost preparation - Oak-bark decoctions for excessive moisture and plant resistance - Winter use of Tree Paste, BD 507, and Three Kings Preparation - Holy Nights seed burial and winter calendar study - Ten years of archive learning from diverse biodynamic farms and trials - Stephen Decater’s community-farm and draft-horse legacy ## Repeatable Practice in This Issue - Keep one seasonal preparation log for source materials, filling dates, quantities, burial locations, soil conditions, protection, retrieval targets, and storage. - For BD 505 and oak-bark decoction work, record materials, dilution, timing, moisture, weather, crop condition, disease expression, and harvest quality. - Plan Tree Paste, BD 507, Three Kings Preparation, seed burial, and calendar study as a single winter checklist. - Review the season’s records before spring so preparation quantities, timing, materials, and labor continue to improve through experience. ## Related JPI Resources - [Biodynamic calendars](https://go.jpibd.org/calendars) · [calendar guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-calendar) · [cosmic rhythms guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-cosmos) · [Stella Natura Planting Calendar](https://go.jpibd.org/calendar-stella) - [BD 500 Horn Manure](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-500) · [guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-bd-500) · [instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-bd-500) - [BD 502 Yarrow](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-502) · [guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-bd-502) - [BD 503 Chamomile](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-503) · [guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-bd-503) - [BD 504 Stinging Nettle](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-504) · [guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-bd-504) - [BD 505 Oak Bark](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-505) · [guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-bd-505) - [BD 506 Dandelion](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-506) · [guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-bd-506) - [BD 507 Valerian](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-507) · [guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-bd-507) - [BD 502–507 Compost Preparation Set](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-502-507-set) · [instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-bd-502-507) - [Biodynamic Tree Paste](https://go.jpibd.org/product-tree-paste) · [protocol](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-tree-paste) · [instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-tree-paste) - [Three Kings Preparation](https://go.jpibd.org/product-erbe-8) · [ritual guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-erbe-8) · [instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-erbe-8) - [Making and Using Biodynamic Preparations](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-preparations) ## Citation _Applied Biodynamics_, Issue 102, Josephine Porter Institute, Winter 2021. **Tags:** Applied Biodynamics Archive, BD 502-507 --- > Source: [The Josephine Porter Institute](https://www.jpibiodynamics.org/blogs/applied-biodynamics/applied-biodynamics-issue-no-102-winter-2021)