Applied Biodynamics archive

Applied Biodynamics — Issue 101 (Autumn 2021)

Issue 101 reports neighboring-farm collaboration, an approximately 30,000-pound apple crop, positive stirring observations, Tree Paste and yarrow formulas, and biodynamic orchard practice.

Published by The Josephine Porter Institute Download PDF
Featured archival image for Applied Biodynamics — Issue 101 (Autumn 2021)

Applied Biodynamics, Issue 101 (Autumn 2021) presents collaborative farm stewardship, a full-season Pacific Northwest orchard program, positive stirring observations, Tree Paste and yarrow formulas, and the enduring work of Spikenard Honeybee Sanctuary co-founder Vivian Struve-Hauk.

Read or download the complete Issue 101 PDF

Positive Work Reported in This Issue

Emily Sepulveda’s “News From the Farm: No Fences, Good Neighbors” describes JPI, Riverstone Organic Farm, and Spikenard Farm Honeybee Sanctuary as cooperating organs within one valley. The neighbors share equipment, pasture, pollinators, manure, knowledge, and preparation plants. Spikenard supplies valerian blossoms and grows chamomile for JPI, while Riverstone’s fields and animals contribute to the wider farm organism.

Marjory House’s “Biodynamic Orcharding in the Pacific Northwest” draws on more than twenty years of observation and a four-year conversion to biodynamic management. Her seasonal work includes vigorous winter pruning and tool sanitation, fermented BD 508 before extended rain, Tree Paste before spring leaf emergence, summer drip irrigation, diverse ground covers, well-prepared compost, and BD 501 near ripening.

House records a strong orchard result: about 30,000 pounds of apples from two acres carrying 450 dwarf trees. She also manages more than 400 trees off the farm. The account connects each practice with weather, disease pressure, tree vigor, even ripening, and cider-fruit quality, presenting attentive biodynamic management as a living, season-long process.

The orchard article includes a positive microscopic stirring comparison. House reports that longer hand-stirred sprays showed higher beneficial fungal counts, while machine-stirred sprays showed higher beneficial bacterial counts. She favors hand stirring for BD 508 when beneficial fungal activity is the goal.

House’s large Tree Paste batch combines 3 gallons fresh horsetail, 3 gallons fresh nettle, 50 pounds bentonite clay, 5 gallons fresh cow manure, 4 gallons fermented BD 508, and rainwater for the desired consistency. Mixed by hand, it covers approximately 75 to 100 trees. Thicker paste is used on wounds; a sprayable batch is diluted and finely strained. The source recommends using the fresh mixture within a week.

Abigail Porter’s yarrow profile gives a garden extract using 200 grams fresh or 20 grams dried yarrow in one liter of water. The loosely covered mixture is placed in sunlight and stirred every few days. After about two weeks, or when foaming stops, it is strained and diluted into 9 liters of water for soil and young-plant applications. Porter presents yarrow as supporting neighboring plants, soil, beneficial insects, young plants, and garden resilience.

Stewart Lundy’s “Yarrow: A Plant for Wounded People and Wounded Earth” connects Achillea millefolium with BD 502, compost vitality, sulfur and potassium processes, and the restoration of living systems. The issue closes by honoring Vivian Struve-Hauk, whose organizational gifts, beauty, functionality, and service to honeybees helped bring Spikenard Farm Honeybee Sanctuary into lasting form.

Articles in This Issue

  • “News From the Farm: No Fences, Good Neighbors” — Emily Sepulveda
  • “Biodynamic Orcharding in the Pacific Northwest” — Marjory House
  • “Heal Yourself, Heal Your Garden, Part 4: Yarrow” — Abigail Porter
  • “Yarrow: A Plant for Wounded People and Wounded Earth” — Stewart Lundy
  • “In Memoriam: Vivian Struve-Hauk”

Key Topics Covered

  • JPI, Riverstone, and Spikenard as a cooperative farm organism
  • Shared equipment, pasture, pollinators, manure, and preparation plants
  • A four-year orchard conversion and full-season biodynamic program
  • An approximately 30,000-pound apple crop from two acres and 450 dwarf trees
  • Positive microscopic observations from hand- and machine-stirred sprays
  • Exact Tree Paste ingredients, mixing, coverage, and fresh-use guidance
  • Fermented yarrow extract with defined weights and dilution
  • Yarrow, BD 502, compost vitality, and farm healing

Related JPI Resources

Citation

Applied Biodynamics, Issue 101, Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics, Autumn 2021.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a practical biodynamic preparation program for established fruit trees?

For established, bearing-age fruit trees, use a soil-and-bark sequence: spray Prepared 500 on moist soil from the trunk to the dripline in the latter part of the day, and apply Tree Paste to trunks and major limbs after pruning in a dry-weather late-fall or late-winter window. Use BD 501 only after BD 500 has been applied and roots are well established. JPI's current tree directions place BD 501 after blossoms and before leaf growth, as an early-morning fine mist; avoid frost risk and impending rain. Follow each preparation's current directions: https://www.jpibiodynamics.org/pages/bd-500-horn-manure-instructions , https://www.jpibiodynamics.org/pages/tree-paste-instructions , and https://www.jpibiodynamics.org/pages/bd-501-horn-silica-instructions
What positive result did the hand-versus-machine stirring comparison show?

Marjory House reports that microscopic examination showed higher beneficial fungal counts in the longer hand-stirred sprays and higher beneficial bacterial counts in the machine-stirred sprays. She therefore favors hand stirring for BD 508 when beneficial fungal activity is the goal.
What Tree Paste formula does Marjory House use?

The large batch combines 3 gallons fresh horsetail, 3 gallons fresh nettle, 50 pounds bentonite clay, 5 gallons fresh cow manure, 4 gallons fermented BD 508, and rainwater to the desired consistency. Mixed by hand, it covers about 75 to 100 trees; use thicker paste on wounds and use the fresh batch within a week.
How is the fermented yarrow garden extract prepared?

Place 200 grams fresh or 20 grams dried yarrow in one liter of water in a non-reactive container. Cover loosely, place in sunlight, and stir every few days. After about two weeks, or when foaming stops, strain and dilute into 9 liters of water. Apply to soil and young plants every 15 to 20 days and record plant and disease response.

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