Applied Biodynamics — Issue 089 (Spring/Summer 2016)

ssue 089 presents a decisive maturation phase in North American biodynamics, marked by institutional coordination, practitioner-led experimentation, and increasing methodological clarity. Central to the issue is the Fellowship of Preparation Makers meeting in California, which focused on perceiving and maintaining quality in biodynamic preparations—particularly BD #500—through shared standards, comparative observation, and picture-forming methods. These gatherings function not only as educational forums but as mechanisms for inter-regional calibration of preparation practices.

Complementing this qualitative work, the issue includes several applied experiments and protocols demonstrating biodynamics in practice. A student research project examining the use of BD #500 during seeding and transplanting reports higher germination rates and improved stress resilience under heat conditions, offering clearly defined controls, measurements, and outcomes. Additional articles elaborate the practical and theoretical distinctions between BD #501 (horn silica) and BD #508 (horsetail), emphasizing their different effects on light utilization, moisture regulation, and plant structure.

A substantial portion of the issue is devoted to sequential spray protocols, originally developed to moderate drought and excessive moisture. These protocols outline precise timing, preparation order, dilution, and observational criteria, framing biodynamic spraying as an adaptive, site-responsive practice rather than a fixed prescription. The issue further situates these practices within broader agricultural and cultural contexts, including conferences at Harvard Divinity School and reflections on the social organism of biodynamics.

Throughout, the issue emphasizes disciplined observation, repetition over multiple seasons, and the integration of qualitative and quantitative assessment tools—such as germination counts, plant morphology, and chromatography—to refine biodynamic practice.

Articles

• Fellowship of the Preparation Makers Holds Meeting in California, “Making Visible Formative Forces within Substance” and Harvard Divinity School “The Spirit of  Sustainable Agriculture (H. Francis)  
• JPI 2015 Year in Review (P. Frazier)  
• “The Most Distant Reaches of the Universe” – Biodynamic  Practice April Through September (K. Davis-Brown) Silica:  FAQ-BD #501(Horn Silica) and BD #508 (Equisetum): When  to use and how to make (P. Frazier)  
• Anecdotes: Horn Silica (A. Porter)  
• On Stirring BD #501 (K. Davis-Brown)  
• Using Horn Manure (BD #500) When Seeding & Transplanting, A Pfeiffer Student Research Project (C. St. John)  
• Sequential Spray of Biodynamic Preparations to Balance Weather Extremes (A. Porter)  
• New: Sequential Spray Kits 

Key Topics Covered

• Preparation maker coordination and quality observation
• Seasonal biodynamic practice April through September
• Distinction between BD 501 and BD 508 use and making
• Stirring methods for horn silica
• Field research on BD 500 during seeding and transplanting
• Sequential spray protocols for weather extremes
  
• Institutional activity and annual review at JPI

Citation

Applied Biodynamics, Issue 089, Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics, Spring/Summer 2016.