# Applied Biodynamics — Issue No. 104 (Summer 2022) **By JPI Admin** · 2026-08-10 **Applied Biodynamics, Issue 104 (Summer 2022)** opens with JPI’s return to live workshops and a season of energetic growth on the farm. Mike Biltonen reports on the orcharding and ashing-and-peppering workshops, improvements to the [preparation storage](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-preparations) and Pfeiffer rooms, and the next stage of JPI’s research program. Planned rhizobox comparisons will make root development visible over time, while chromatography and sensitive crystallization add complementary ways to document how plants and soils respond to biodynamic treatments. [**Download Issue 104 PDF**](https://go.jpibd.org/ab-104) Stewart Lundy’s summer garden notes offer a compact set of repeatable practices for maintaining balance through heat, humidity, excess rain, and slow ripening. The article covers afternoon shade, fermented weed water, sprouted-barley “moon water,” [Barrel Compound](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bc) for brassicas, [BD 501 or 501g](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-501) when cool and cloudy weather delays ripening, and weekly [_Equisetum arvense_ (BD 508)](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-508) tea when wet conditions favor fungal pressure. Mary Maruca’s interview with Stewart Lundy traces Perennial Roots Farm from an initial [Pfeiffer Field and Garden Spray](https://go.jpibd.org/product-pfeiffer-spray) comparison plot to a fifty-acre whole-farm organism. The conversation shows rotational grazing, ruminants, manure cycles, hedgerows, earthworms, soil-profile observation, and chromatography working together as an integrated practice. It also records practical pokeweed decoction and species-specific pest-pepper protocols that lend themselves to matched plots, consistent preparation, and careful field records. The issue closes by honoring people who have carried this work forward. Teresa O’Shaughnessy recognizes Bill McCranie’s service as he steps down from the JPI board, and Mike Biltonen remembers orchardist, author, and biodynamic teacher Michael Phillips, whose books and Holistic Orchard Network continue to guide growers. ## Articles in This Issue - From the Editor — Mary Maruca - News From the Farm—It’s Summer and Life is Happening! — Mike Biltonen - Summer Practice for a Biodynamic Garden — Stewart Lundy - Perennial Roots Farm: An Interview with Stewart Lundy — Mary Maruca - Moving On—Bill McCranie Steps Down from JPI Board — Teresa O’Shaughnessy - In Memoriam: Michael Phillips — Mike Biltonen ## Key Topics Covered - Resumption of JPI’s live workshops and farm-based teaching - Preparation-storage, water-system, and Pfeiffer-room improvements - Rhizobox comparisons for observing root development over time - Chromatography and sensitive crystallization for documenting plant and soil response - Summer fertility support using fermented weeds, sprouted barley, and Barrel Compound - BD 501 for ripening support and BD 508 for wet-season balance - Matched comparison plots as a practical path from small trials to whole-farm application - Livestock integration, rotational grazing, and the farm organism - Pokeweed decoction and species-specific pest-pepper protocols - Mentorship, board service, and continuity of biodynamic community knowledge ## Repeatable Practice in This Issue - For rhizobox work, keep seed, soil, water, and light conditions consistent; photograph roots at regular intervals and record biomass, soil condition, and crop quality. - Apply one primary summer practice at a time to matched beds and record weather, timing, ripening, leaf balance, fungal pressure, root development, and harvest quality. - Begin biodynamic field work with a defined comparison plot, then expand as soil profiles, roots, crop vitality, and seasonal records reveal the farm’s response. - For pokeweed decoction and pest peppering, standardize preparation and application, keep peppers species-specific, and record plant recovery, pest counts, crop damage, vigor, and yield. ## Related JPI Resources - [BD 501 Horn Silica](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-501) - [What Is BD 501 Horn Silica?](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-bd-501) - [BD 501 Application Instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-bd-501) - [BD 508 Horsetail](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-508) - [What Is BD 508 Equisetum?](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-bd-508) - [BD 508 Use Instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-bd-508) - [Barrel Compound](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bc) - [What Is Barrel Compound?](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-bc) - [Barrel Compound Instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-bc) - [Pfeiffer Field and Garden Spray](https://go.jpibd.org/product-pfeiffer-spray) - [What Is Pfeiffer Field and Garden Spray?](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-pfeiffer-spray) - [Pfeiffer Field and Garden Spray Instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-pfeiffer-spray) - [How Biodynamic Planting Calendars Work](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-calendar) - [Stella Natura Biodynamic Planting Calendar](https://go.jpibd.org/calendar-stella) - [Making and Using Biodynamic Preparations](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-preparations) ## Citation _Applied Biodynamics_, Issue 104, Josephine Porter Institute, Summer 2022. **Tags:** Applied Biodynamics Archive, Orchards and Perennials, Research Methods --- > Source: [The Josephine Porter Institute](https://www.jpibiodynamics.org/blogs/applied-biodynamics/applied-biodynamics-issue-no-104-summer-2022)