# Applied Biodynamics — Issue No. 109 (Autumn 2023) **By JPI Admin** · 2025-12-31 [**Download Issue 109 PDF**](https://go.jpibd.org/ab-109) Issue 109 shows biodynamics adapting confidently to very different conditions: preparation quality work at JPI, sodium-rich dry tropical soils in Baja California Sur, small-scale Barrel Compound stirring, and protected winter cropping in Pennsylvania. Across the issue, observation becomes practical through chromatography, rhizoboxes, soil tests, field records, and seasonal comparison. Ben Nommay’s **“News From the Farm”** describes JPI’s preparation-quality program. A horn-manure chromatogram dated August 3, 2023 used 1.5 grams of the 2022–2023 preparation in 150 milliliters of 0.5% sodium hydroxide; the image continued developing for several days. Rhizoboxes provide a transparent window on roots, including a bean comparison between stirred and unstirred water. Together these methods extend direct sensory evaluation with repeatable image-forming and below-ground records. Mike Biltonen’s **“JPI—Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: President’s Report”** connects JPI’s lineage to its present farm organism. On-farm cattle now supply manure for [BD 500](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-500) and [Barrel Compound](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bc); burial sites and preparation-herb gardens are being developed; Pfeiffer products are refined through archival study and contemporary scientific insight; and on-farm research examines preparation effects. José Aviña and Stewart Lundy’s **“Biodynamics in the Dry Tropics of Baja California Sur in Mexico”** reads plant form as a guide to farming where annual rainfall is about 250 millimeters and sodium is abundant. Palms reveal how native life manages salt and creates biomass. For light, exposed soil, shade, mulch, compost, biochar, and clay improve water retention; native salt-tolerant vegetation can provide protection and useful compost material. Soil tests, plant gestures, and crop response guide the use of potassium-bearing ash and other balancing measures. In **“Introducing Ben Nommay, JPI’s New Farm Manager,”** Lundy records a practical small-garden method: mix one tablespoon of Barrel Compound with one-half gallon of water in a jar, hold the jar horizontally, and shake it smoothly back and forth to form the alternating vortex before sprinkling it over the garden. Frequent small applications can accompany repeated bed turnover, while long-term photographs and soil observations show how the whole system develops. Suzanne O’Rourke’s **“Favored Child”** records a child’s intimate attention to plants and elemental life. Her companion article, **“Winter Crops,”** offers a Zone 6 protocol: use row cover below 32°F, add lidded cold frames, and layer row cover inside the frame on severe nights. Favor southern or western exposure, avoid northern exposure, and dress the soil with [biodynamic compost](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-502-507-set). Direct-sown crops include spinach, arugula, mizuna, turnips, radish, mustard greens, mâche, tatsoi, endive, escarole, chicory, land cress, lettuce, and chard; celery, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, bok choy, and collards are suggested as transplants. ## Articles - News From the Farm — Ben Nommay - JPI—Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: President’s Report — Mike Biltonen - Biodynamics in the Dry Tropics of Baja California Sur in Mexico — José Aviña and Stewart Lundy - Introducing Ben Nommay, JPI’s New Farm Manager — Stewart Lundy - Favored Child — Suzanne O’Rourke - Winter Crops — Suzanne O’Rourke ## Key Topics Covered - Chromatography as multi-day preparation quality control - Documented horn-manure sample weight, solution volume, and concentration - Rhizobox comparison of bean roots under stirred and unstirred water - On-farm cattle integration for BD 500 and Barrel Compound - Preparation burial sites, herb gardens, and Pfeiffer product refinement - Biodynamic adaptation to about 250 millimeters of annual rainfall - Plant gestures in sodium-rich dry tropical soils - Shade, mulch, compost, biochar, and clay for water retention - Potassium-bearing ash guided by soil tests and crop form - One-tablespoon, one-half-gallon Barrel Compound jar method - Zone 6 row cover and layered cold-frame protection - Direct-sown and transplanted winter crop selections ## Repeatable Practice 1. For chromatography, label the preparation batch and record sample weight, solution volume, concentration, date, paper, reagents, timing, and room conditions. 2. Photograph each chromatogram under the same light at regular intervals for at least five days so development can be compared. 3. For a rhizobox trial, use the same bean seed, medium, box dimensions, planting depth, water volume, and schedule; change only stirred versus unstirred water. 4. Trace or photograph roots against a scale on fixed dates, then compare emergence, primary-root length, branching, root density, and shoot growth. 5. For winter crops, record exposure, protection layer, minimum temperature, soil preparation, emergence, harvest weight, and winter survival by crop. ## Explore Related Resources - [BD 500 Horn Manure](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-500), [guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-bd-500), and [application instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-bd-500) - [Barrel Compound](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bc), [guide](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-bc), and [application instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-bc) - [Pfeiffer Compost Starter](https://go.jpibd.org/product-pfeiffer-compost), [overview](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-pfeiffer-compost), and [application instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-pfeiffer-compost) - [Pfeiffer Field & Garden Spray](https://go.jpibd.org/product-pfeiffer-spray), [overview](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-pfeiffer-spray), and [application instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-pfeiffer-spray) - [BD 502–507 Compost Preparation Set](https://go.jpibd.org/product-bd-502-507-set) and [compost-preparation instructions](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-bd-502-507) - [Making and Using Biodynamic Preparations](https://go.jpibd.org/instructions-preparations) - [How Biodynamic Planting Calendars Work](https://go.jpibd.org/guide-calendar) and the [Stella Natura Planting Calendar](https://go.jpibd.org/calendar-stella) - [Rudolf Steiner’s Agriculture Course](https://go.jpibd.org/book-agriculture-course) ## Citation _Applied Biodynamics_, Issue No. 109, Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics, Autumn 2023. **Tags:** Applied Biodynamics Archive, Barrel Compound, Crop and Garden Practice, Research Methods, Soil Health --- > Source: [The Josephine Porter Institute](https://www.jpibiodynamics.org/blogs/applied-biodynamics/applied-biodynamics-issue-no-109-autumn-2023)