How should a biodynamic orchard transition be measured from the start?

Map the regional pest complex and on-farm inoculum; identify every variety and rootstock; photograph fixed trees and blocks; review prior fertilizer and spray records; and establish soil benchmarks for pH, organic matter, CEC, cation balance, macro- and micronutrients, structure, biology, and pathogen pressure. Repeat the same soil, tree-vigor, disease, biodiversity, fruit-quality, and yield observations every season so preparation and habitat work can be compared over time.

What is the sequential-spray order for excessive moisture and for drought?

For excessive moisture, spray Barrel Compound in the afternoon, BD 508 the next morning, BD 500 that afternoon, and BD 501 the following morning. For drought, exchange BD 508 and BD 501 so the sequence ends with BD 508: Barrel Compound afternoon, BD 501 morning, BD 500 afternoon, BD 508 morning. Record soil moisture, rainfall, crop stage, leaf condition, and recovery before and after each sequence.

What repeatable frost protocol does Issue 095 give for BD 507?

Spray BD 507 in the evening before a predicted frost and repeat the next morning when the frost has been severe. Mark treated and reference blocks and record crop or bud stage, spray time, forecast and actual minimum temperature, visible injury, recovery, fruit set, and final yield. For perennial fruit, combine this event response with Tree Paste after leaf fall and again with late-winter pruning.

Applied Biodynamics archive

Applied Biodynamics — Issue 095 (Spring/Summer 2019)

Q: How is fermented BD 508 prepared and applied in this issue?

Simmer one cup of dry horsetail in one gallon of rain or spring water for one hour. Cool in glass or glazed clay, cover loosely, and ferment in a cool, dark place for 10–14 days until the characteristic sulfurous aroma develops. Strain and store cool and dark. Dilute one part ferment in nine parts water, stir for 20 minutes, and spray the soil in the evening. One unit treats up to three acres.

<p>Issue 095 provides field-ready protocols for orchard transition, wet- and dry-weather sequential sprays, BD 508 tea, two-stage Tree Paste care, BD 507 frost response, biodiversity, and JPI’s permadynamic farm design.</p>

December 30, 2025 Published by The Josephine Porter Institute Download PDF

Issue 095 is a practical guide to biodynamic transition under changing weather. It combines a candid perennial-orchard case study with precise preparation recipes, regional farm observations, biodiversity strategies, and JPI’s whole-farm design work. Its recurring method is strong: establish a baseline, apply preparations in a clear sequence, observe biological response, and revise the farm plan over multiple seasons.

In “Rose Hill’s Transition from Conventional to Biodynamic Orchards,” Mike Biltonen follows a nearly 100-acre Hudson Valley fruit farm through its first intensive transition year. The orchard’s early vigor was followed by heavy summer rain, heat, cedar apple rust, brown rot, Marssonina leaf blotch, fruit rots, plum curculio, codling moth, apple maggot, and premature defoliation. The experience sharpened a five-part transition assessment: understand the regional pest complex; evaluate the whole orchard ecosystem; document tree, rootstock, root, fruit, and soil health; review the former fertilizer and pest-management program; and assess the farm’s overall vitality.

The Rose Hill framework is measurable. Use basic and comprehensive soil tests on a repeating schedule to track pH, organic matter, cation-exchange capacity, cation balance, macro- and micronutrients, soil structure, biology, and pathogen pressure. Map host plants and inoculum sources; remove fruit mummies and diseased debris; record variety and rootstock susceptibility; inventory pollinators, birds, beneficial insects, water flow, hedgerows, ponds, and wild areas; and photograph fixed trees and blocks. This gives BD 500, compost, biodiversity plantings, sequential sprays, and nutrition work a reliable baseline.

“Biodynamic Tools for Weather Extremes” supplies exact field methods. For excessive moisture, the sequential spray ends with the silica side: Barrel Compound in the afternoon, BD 508 the following morning, BD 500 that afternoon, and BD 501 the next morning. For drought, exchange the positions of BD 508 and BD 501 so the final spray is BD 508. An optional nourishment pair follows the same polarity: one pint milk in 3.5 gallons water in the afternoon, then one ounce honey in 3.5 gallons water the following morning, each stirred and applied in the normal biodynamic way.

The issue gives two BD 508 recipes. For fresh tea, simmer one unit—one cup or 1.5 ounces dry chopped horsetail—in one gallon of rain or spring water for 20 minutes; cool, strain, and spray straight or diluted at sunrise or in the evening. For a stored ferment, simmer one cup dry horsetail in one gallon for one hour, cool it in glass or glazed clay, cover loosely, and keep it cool, dark, and away from electrical fields for 10–14 days until the characteristic sulfurous aroma develops. Strain, store cool and dark, dilute one part ferment to nine parts water, stir for 20 minutes, and spray the soil in the evening; one unit treats up to three acres.

Tree care is organized as a two-stage annual rhythm: apply Tree Paste after leaf fall to protect bark through winter and help moderate premature warming, then apply it again with late-winter pruning to cover wounds and help delay early bud activity. During the growing season, full-strength concentrate—optionally combined with fermented BD 508—can be brushed onto cleaned borer or bark damage. A sprayable dilution can cover trunks, scaffold limbs, and canopy, while Tree Paste remains useful after hail, rodent, or deer injury.

For frost response, spray BD 507 in the evening before a predicted frost and repeat the following morning after a severe event. The issue also records a d10 BD 507 seed bath used for winter greenhouse greens at 7,000 feet in Taos, where the grower reported a 50–100% yield increase, and orchard reports in western Colorado where well-timed BD 507 protected substantial portions of fruit crops through late spring frost. The repeatable record is straightforward: bud or crop stage, forecast and actual minimum, spray time, treated and reference blocks, visible damage, recovery, fruit set, and yield.

“A Biodynamic Farm’s Response to Climate Change” emphasizes diversity and the self-contained farm organism. Stefan Hagopian’s mulberries extended market harvest, attracted birds away from other crops, produced with modest irrigation, and supplied summer fodder after green pruning. Regional survey responses add useful operating details: Winter Green Farm applies all preparations multiple times yearly across 171 acres; Singing Creek Farm uses two preparation sets in compost—one at building and another after the first turn—mixes Barrel Compound with BD 500 each spring, and adjusts BD 501 and BD 508 to heat and wetness; Avena Botanicals brings 20 years of BD 500, BD 501, compost-preparation, and Three Kings practice to 2½ acres of medicinal herbs.

“Permadynamics: JPI’s Marriage of Permaculture and Biodynamics” applies these lessons to JPI’s Floyd farm. The design integrates preparation production, research, education, and demonstrations with water catchment, swales, keyline work, composting, green building, edge habitat, diverse tree and meadow communities, animals, birds, insects, and a protected wild area. The issue closes by honoring Pierre Masson, reviewing Janisse Ray’s The Seed Underground, and presenting L. A. Rotheraine’s reflection “Humans and Seeds.”

Articles

Rose Hill’s Transition from Conventional to Biodynamic Orchards: A Work in Progress — Mike Biltonen
Biodynamic Tools for Weather Extremes — Abigail Porter
A Biodynamic Farm’s Response to Climate Change — Stefan Hagopian
Climate Change on Biodynamic Farms: Survey Responses
Permadynamics: JPI’s Marriage of Permaculture and Biodynamics — Pat Frazier
Honoring Pierre Masson
The Seed Underground — book review by Mary Maruca
Humans and Seeds — L. A. Rotheraine