Applied Biodynamics — Issue 097 (Spring/Summer 2020)
Issue 97 connects biodynamic water and stirring, preparation plants, corn trials, seed-density selection, orchard transition, and regional preparation making through clear, repeatable farm practice.
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Applied Biodynamics, Issue 97 (Spring/Summer 2020) brings together practical work with water, preparation plants, seed selection, field trials, orchard transition, and regional preparation making. Across the issue, biodynamic practice is presented as disciplined attention: prepare carefully, work with clear intention, keep the procedure consistent, and let repeated observation guide the next season.
Mike Biltonen’s “Water Biodynamically Stirred, Cosmically Imbued” treats water as both the carrier and an active participant in the preparations. The article connects clean source water, one-hour alternating vortex stirring, flow forms, careful water movement across the farm, and the farmer’s intention. Its most useful practical lesson is repeatability: use the same water source, volume, vessel, temperature, stirring duration, preparation rate, and observation schedule so that applications can be compared across fields and seasons.
Abigail Porter’s “Heal Yourself, Heal Your Garden” turns attention to dandelion and stinging nettle. Both are preparation plants, early-season allies, and valuable members of a diverse garden. The article describes their cultivation, harvest timing, culinary uses, and traditional household preparations while emphasizing unsprayed collection areas and the value of keeping these plants present within the farm organism.
The Viva La Vida articles document a corn trial shaped by seed continuity, biodynamic practice, Holy Nights work, Three Kings preparation, artistic visualization, and conscious attention to plant development. The reported 1.5-acre planting yielded about 240 bushels, with many multi-stemmed and multi-eared plants. The issue invites the next step: preserve each seed line separately, define treatments in advance, use matched plots, count ears and stalks, measure yield and moisture, record weed and disease expression, and repeat the trial over several seasons.
Stewart Lundy’s seed-density method offers an immediately repeatable kitchen-scale experiment. Seeds are first separated in plain water, then in successive salt-water steps, leaving the densest fraction for planting. Keeping every fraction labeled and germination-testing them side by side makes emergence, vigor, disease expression, and yield directly comparable.
“In Transition—Apostrophe Orchard” records a low-input perennial system built around BD 500, BD 501, BD 508, tree paste, compost, fungal allies, and increasing plant diversity. The orchard becomes a long-term field laboratory: establish a baseline for each variety and block, keep a matched comparison wherever possible, record every application and weather condition, and follow tree vigor, disease pressure, fruit set, yield, and quality year by year. The Finger Lakes prepmakers report completes the issue by showing how regional groups build skill through local materials, seasonal repetition, shared labor, and collective review.
Articles in This Issue
- “From the Editor” — Mary Maruca
- “Water Biodynamically Stirred, Cosmically Imbued” — Mike Biltonen
- “Heal Yourself, Heal Your Garden” — Abigail Porter
- “Corn Trials at Viva La Vida Foundation” — Mary Maruca
- “One Intern’s Experience at Viva La Vida” — Joe Couling
- “How Do You Choose Your Best Seeds? Seed Saving Quality and Biodynamics” — Stewart Lundy
- “In Transition—Apostrophe Orchard” — Mike Biltonen
- “New York Regional Prepmakers Group Forms” — Mike Biltonen
- “Farewell to Pat Frazier, Hello to Garett Long” — Clay Wesson
- “Did You Know?”
Key Topics Covered
- Clean source water and consistent preparation-water handling
- One-hour hand stirring through alternating vortex and chaos
- Flow forms, farm waterways, and water movement across the landscape
- Dandelion and stinging nettle as preparation plants and garden allies
- Holy Nights seed work, Three Kings preparation, and conscious intention
- Multi-season corn trials with defined treatments and measurable outcomes
- Seed-density sorting through plain-water and salt-water fractions
- Germination, vigor, disease, and yield comparisons among seed fractions
- BD 500, BD 501, BD 508, and tree paste in orchard transition
- Matched orchard blocks and long-term variety-level records
- Regional preparation making with local materials and shared review
- Farm resilience through biodiversity, soil life, and skilled observation
Repeatable Practice in This Issue
- Standardize water source, volume, temperature, vessel, stirring time, and preparation rate.
- Record application timing, weather, crop stage, photographs, and field response.
- Keep corn seed lots and treatment plots separate, labeled, and comparable.
- Retain every seed-density fraction for a side-by-side germination test.
- Track orchard applications and outcomes by variety, row, and season.
- Review preparation-making materials, dates, storage, and field results as a group.
Related JPI Resources
- Making and Using Biodynamic Preparations
- BD 500 Horn Manure
- BD 500 instructions
- BD 501 Horn Silica
- BD 508 Horsetail
- BD 506 Dandelion
- BD 504 Stinging Nettle
- Biodynamic Tree Paste
- Three Kings Preparation
- Three Kings preparation instructions
Citation
Applied Biodynamics, Issue 97, Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics, Spring/Summer 2020.
