Applied Biodynamics — Issue 043 (Winter 2003–2004)
Issue 043 (Winter 2003–2004) records biodynamic field experiences with soil, mildew, heat, frost, and compost timing, then converts them into repeatable controlled-trial designs.
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Applied Biodynamics Issue 043 (Winter 2003–2004) gathers multi-farm reports on Barrel Compound, BD 500, BD 501, BD 507, and BD 508 under soil, mildew, heat, and frost stress, then turns those uncontrolled observations into practical designs for repeatable field trials.
Anecdotes and Antidotes: observations worth testing
Mary Williams describes a Pennsylvania mountain site that began with dense yellow clay, sparse grass, poor aeration, and few visible earthworms. Over several years she applied the Thun Recipe, now called Barrel Compound, once or twice a year and used a milk-and-honey spray during drought stress. She later found abundant earthworms in disturbed sod and compost and reported much better turf.
The earthworm return is a valuable longitudinal observation, but the site also received composted material, some grass seed, and physical disturbance from snow clearing. A stronger follow-up would use matched plots and annual counts of earthworms, infiltration, bulk density, soil organic matter, ground cover, and treatment history. That design respects the experience while testing whether the change consistently follows Barrel Compound use.
At Harms Vineyard and Lavender Fields in Napa, Patricia Damery reports rain, mildew, extreme heat, raisining, and a poor fruit set. The farm had used fermented BD 508 horsetail as a ground spray. Later, 22 drops of BD 507 valerian were stirred in three gallons of water per acre, followed during continued heat by BD 500 horn manure. Damery observed the grapes plump after irrigation and spray applications and records final yield plus a winemaker’s comments on juice, color, and flavor.
The neighboring vineyard provides context but not a controlled comparison because cultivar, canopy, soil, irrigation, and management may differ. A repeatable vineyard trial uses randomized row blocks, uniform baseline management, weather and leaf-wetness records, and standardized ratings for mildew, raisining, yield, Brix, pH, acidity, and marketable fruit.
Frost, fruit, and timing
At Blueberry Hill in North Carolina, Lloyd Nelson reports BD 507 applications before and after frosts, including application timing and roughly 100°F stirring water. He observed boundaries between sprayed and unsprayed areas, survival of ripe berries after frost, and a harvest extending into November. Untreated wild blueberries nearby were damaged, but cultivar and site differences prevent a direct causal comparison.
The issue also records a lawn treated on successive mornings with BD 501 horn silica and fresh BD 508 tea before an unexpected frost. The treated lawn remained green while the neighboring lawn frosted. This is a clear observation and a useful hypothesis. A rigorous frost trial would add randomized treated and untreated blocks, canopy-temperature sensors, identical cultivars and irrigation, blinded injury scores, and marketable-yield measurements over several frost events.
Using valerian after compost is finished
Patricia Smith revisits Joe Stevens’s interpretation that BD 507 should be added after manure has become finished fertilizer rather than during active composting. Heike-Marie Eubanks reports a small cover-crop comparison and several years of follow-up cropping. Steve Storch reports stronger growth, flowering, color, earthworm activity, and frost tolerance after adding valerian to finished compost or Barrel Compound and waiting two weeks before use.
The reports are promising but sparse, and the garden plots differed in size and planting date. The most direct test uses identical compost batches: one receives BD 507 at the start, one at maturity, and one receives none. Feedstock, moisture, aeration, and turning stay constant. Measure compost temperature, respiration or maturity, nutrient analysis, structure, and odor; then apply equal amounts in randomized crop plots and record emergence, biomass, yield, quality, soil biology, and frost response.
Community and conferences
The issue closes with reports from the 2003 National Biodynamic Conference in Iowa and the Biodynamic Viticulture Conference in Virginia, plus an announcement for a preparation-making conference centered on yarrow (BD 502), potassium, and preparation-maker collaboration. These sections show JPI’s effort to connect practitioner observation with soil science, regional learning, and shared protocols.
Key Topics Covered
Earthworm and turf observations following long-term Barrel Compound use, with compost, seeding, and disturbance as alternative explanations.
BD 508, BD 507, BD 500, irrigation, mildew, heat, raisining, yield, and fruit-quality observations in grapes.
BD 507 reports before and after blueberry frost events and BD 501 plus BD 508 observations on turfgrass rust and frost.
Adding BD 507 after active composting and testing application timing directly.
Matched plots, randomized blocks, fixed measurements, temperature logging, blinded injury scoring, and multi-season records.
Repeatable Practice
- For soil and earthworms, use matched plots with the same compost and seeding program and record baseline and seasonal earthworm counts, infiltration, bulk density, organic matter, cover, and treatment history.
- For vineyard disease and heat, randomize comparable row blocks and record cultivar, canopy, irrigation, spray timing, weather, leaf wetness, mildew, raisining, yield, Brix, pH, acidity, and marketable fruit.
- For frost, randomize treated and untreated blocks of the same cultivar, log canopy and air temperature plus frost duration, blind injury scoring when possible, and measure survival, yield, fruit quality, and recovery across events.
- For compost timing, compare matched batches receiving BD 507 at the start, at maturity, or not at all; track compost maturity and then equal applications in replicated crop plots.
Explore Related Resources
- Barrel Compound Preparation and instructions
- BD 508 Horsetail Preparation and the overview
- BD 507 Valerian Preparation and overview
- BD 500 Horn Manure and instructions
- BD 501 Horn Silica
Articles
- Anecdotes and Antidotes—Biodynamics at Work
- Using Valerian the Way Steiner Indicated—An Update (P. Smith)
- Biodynamic Preparation Making Conference: February 13–15, 2004, East Troy, Wisconsin
- National BD Conference in Iowa, November 14–16, 2003
- Biodynamic Viticulture Conference
Citation
Source: Applied Biodynamics, Issue No. 43, Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Bio-Dynamics, Winter 2003–2004.
