Applied Biodynamics archive

Applied Biodynamics — Issue 100 (Summer 2021)

Issue 100 celebrates one hundred issues with positive guidance on preparation storage, vineyard-scale application, coordinated spraying, BD 508 horsetail, and BD 507 valerian.

Published by The Josephine Porter Institute Download PDF
Featured archival image for Applied Biodynamics — Issue 100 (Summer 2021)

Applied Biodynamics, Issue 100 (Summer 2021) celebrates one hundred issues of practical biodynamic exchange. It brings together JPI preparation storage, Clay Wesson’s large-vineyard application experience, the Merry Prepstirs’ coordinated spray work, Abigail Porter’s horsetail and valerian profile, and the people carrying JPI’s work forward.

Read or download the complete Issue 100 PDF

Positive Work Reported in This Issue

Mary Maruca traces Applied Biodynamics from its four-page Fall 1992 beginning to its one-hundredth issue. The publication grew as a way to keep far-flung practitioners connected with JPI and to share preparation making and use.

Larry Mabe gives a practical system for preserving the preparations’ vitality. BD 500, BD 502, BD 503, BD 504, BD 506, and Barrel Compound are kept moist but not wet, separated in breathable containers, cool, shaded, and insulated with peat. BD 501 is kept dry in glass with direct sunlight; BD 507 is kept in a tightly closed brown or amber bottle in a cool, dry place after fermentation; and dry BD 508 is kept in an opaque container. The source also states that the preparations should not be refrigerated or allowed to freeze.

Clay Wesson shows how a biodynamic vineyard can coordinate preparation work at scale while keeping attentive human participation central. His Pacific Northwest practice combines Stella Natura and Maria Thun calendar planning with weather, soil moisture, vineyard conditions, assigned team roles, suitable equipment, timely cleanup, and written records. Wesson reports that a dedicated ATV spray tank is ideal for ten or more vineyard acres and that a stirring machine and flow forms can ease the work above twenty acres.

The Merry Prepstirs contribution presents a coordinated calendar for biodynamic spraying. Its seasonal schedule aligns applications with Earth, Air, Water, and Fire constellations and keeps the positive verse “Through Elemental action / Co-Creative Force is / Molded by Love / So the Earth may be Healed” at the center of the work.

Abigail Porter’s third preparation-plant profile brings Equisetum arvense and Valeriana officinalis into a practical garden frame. Horsetail’s silica-rich form supports fresh and fermented BD 508 uses for moisture balance and plant health. Valerian blossoms are harvested to make BD 507: the blossoms are ground, their juice is pressed and fermented, and the finished preparation is used in compost and as a warmth-bearing mist around plants when frost threatens.

The issue welcomes Emily Sepulveda as JPI’s managing director and honors Gene Gollogly’s work as a publisher, connector, and generous supporter of the biodynamic community. Together, the contributions present biodynamics as a living practice strengthened through exact work, shared experience, coordinated action, and service to the Earth.

Articles in This Issue

  • From the Editor — Mary Maruca
  • News From the Farm: Storing Biodynamic Preparations — Larry Mabe
  • Committing to Biodynamics — Clay Wesson
  • Spray Schedule of the Merry Prepstirs
  • Heal Yourself, Heal Your Garden (Part 3): Equisetum and Valerian — Abigail Porter
  • Welcome to JPI’s New Managing Director
  • Remembering Gene Gollogly

Key Topics Covered

  • Applied Biodynamics reaches its one-hundredth issue
  • Moisture, light, temperature, container, and peat-insulation requirements for preparation storage
  • Vineyard-scale stirring and field-spray application
  • Calendar planning joined with weather and soil-moisture observation
  • Coordinated elemental spray scheduling
  • BD 508 horsetail use for moisture balance and plant health
  • BD 507 valerian making, compost use, and warmth-bearing frost protection
  • Leadership transition and biodynamic community continuity

Related JPI Resources

Citation

Applied Biodynamics, Issue 100, Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics, Summer 2021.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How should biodynamic preparations be stored?

Store each preparation according to its form: BD 500, BD 502–506, and Barrel Compound separately in breathable jars with peat insulation in a cool, dark, humid place; BD 501 completely dry in clear glass in a sunny place; BD 507 cool in a tightly stoppered brown-glass bottle; dry BD 508 cool and dry in paper or dark glass; and fermented BD 508 concentrate cool and dark in a glass jug. See JPI's preparation-specific storage guide: https://www.jpibiodynamics.org/blogs/articles/biodynamic-preparations-storage
What practical lessons does Issue 100 give for applying preparations across a large vineyard?

Clay Wesson’s Pacific Northwest vineyard practice combines Stella Natura and Maria Thun calendar planning with observation of weather, soil moisture, and each vineyard’s actual conditions. He reports that a dedicated ATV spray tank is ideal for ten or more acres and that a stirring machine and flow forms can ease the work above twenty acres. Clear team roles, timely cleanup, attentive operators, and written records help the work remain efficient and connected to the whole farm organism.
What are JPI’s fresh and fermented BD 508 Horsetail tea recipes?

For fresh foliar tea, boil one 1.5-ounce unit in 1 quart of water for 1 hour, cool and strain, add 2 gallons of water, stir for 20 minutes, and mist up to 1 acre. For fermented soil tea, boil the unit in 1 gallon for 1 hour, ferment 10–14 days, strain, dilute 1 part tea to 9 parts water, and use ½ gallon of tea plus 4½ gallons of water for up to 1½ acres. Current instructions: https://www.jpibiodynamics.org/pages/bd-508-horsetail-instructions
Is BD 507 made from valerian roots or flowers?

JPI makes BD 507 from juice pressed from valerian flower clusters. The flower juice, rather than valerian root, becomes the liquid member of the BD 502–507 compost set. See the current BD 507 guide: https://www.jpibiodynamics.org/pages/what-is-bd-507-valerian

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