Applied Biodynamics — Issue 043 (Winter 2003–2004)

Applied Biodynamics Issue 043 (Winter 2003–2004) gathers affirmative farm reports on Barrel Compound, BD 500, BD 501, BD 507, and BD 508 under difficult soil, heat, wet weather, and frost conditions. The accounts describe renewed soil life, grapes recovering from raisining, blueberry frost protection, a green frost-free lawn, and strong finished-compost results from valerian.

Download Issue 043 PDF

Barrel Compound brings earthworms and turf renewal

Mary Williams describes a Pennsylvania mountain site that began with dense yellow clay, sparse grass, poor aeration, and almost no visible earthworms. Over several years she applied the Thun Recipe, now called Barrel Compound, once or twice annually and used a milk-and-honey spray during dry periods.

She reports that the formerly sparse, parched lawn became beautiful turf. In December 2003 she found abundant, thick earthworms—some about eight inches long—throughout a compost pile where earlier years had shown almost none. She understood the change as a sign of the living soil transformation she had worked toward with Barrel Compound.

Harms Vineyard: grapes plump after BD 507 and BD 500

At Harms Vineyard and Lavender Fields in Napa, Patricia Damery describes rain, mildew, extreme heat above 100°F, raisining, and poor fruit set. The ground had received fermented BD 508 Horsetail. During the hot period she stirred 22 drops of BD 507 Valerian in three gallons of water per acre and applied it after irrigation; when the heat continued and raisining returned, she applied BD 500 Horn Manure.

Damery reports that the grapes plumped almost immediately after both applications. Despite the poor fruit set, the harvest reached a little more than two tons per acre. The winemaker remarked on the abundant juice, strong color and flavor, and the very small amount of material left after crushing.

Blueberry Hill: fruit abundance, quality, and frost protection

Lloyd Nelson reports a positive response in the family blueberry crop from the biodynamic preparations. By 2002, the fourth year of cultivation, earthworm populations had increased and the berries showed better drought resistance, taste, size, and keeping quality. In early and mid-May 2003 he observed nearly four times as many berries as in 2002, with larger fruit that ripened earlier.

On April 10, BD 507 was sprayed on blueberry blossoms before snow and frost. Nelson reports no frost damage to those blossoms, while nearby unsprayed wild highbush blueberry blossoms did not survive. In October he sprayed BD 507 before and again after a frost, using water at about 100°F. The frost line matched the edge of the sprayed area, and berries that had frozen solid recovered without permanent damage after the follow-up application.

A later sudden hard freeze arrived before an evening spray, but the next-morning valerian application again supported the berries without permanent damage. The harvest continued until November 10, far later than the farm's usual late-September finish.

BD 501 and BD 508 keep a lawn green through frost

Patricia Smith records a lawn treated on successive mornings with BD 501 Horn Silica and fresh BD 508 tea before an unexpected frost. The treated lawn remained green while the neighboring lawn was covered with frost, with the boundary plainly visible at the spray line. Smith also reports that turfgrass rust had not reappeared since the preparation program began in 1998.

Valerian added after compost is finished

Patricia Smith revisits Joe Stevens's reading that BD 507 should be added after manure has become finished fertilizer. Heike-Marie Eubanks compared cover crops receiving valerian-finished compost with untreated compost. The treated crimson clover formed a lush stand while the comparison bed was sparse, and later bean plantings also performed better in the treated half.

Steve Storch adds valerian after compost or Barrel Compound is finished, distributes it over the material and down a central hole, then waits two weeks before use. He reports stronger growth, flowering, color, and earthworm activity. Impatiens grown with valerian-finished compost endured at least four frosts before yielding, an especially favorable result for a tender annual.

The issue likens this final valerian step to icing a baked cake: added at the end, it helps seal the moisture, freshness, and qualities developed through the composting process.

Related measured BD 507 frost finding

Kachina Via's 1998 basil comparison used 16 plants per treatment and 18 simulated cold exposures. One week later, BD 507-sprayed basil had the lowest visible-damage rating: 1.5 out of 10, compared with 3.0 for unsprayed basil and 4.5 for water-sprayed basil, where a lower score meant less damage. This measured comparison supports the positive frost-protection context preserved in Issue 043.

• Issue 024 source PDF
• JPI Valerian Frost Protection and Compost guide

Community and conferences

The issue closes with reports from the 2003 National Biodynamic Conference in Iowa and the first Biodynamic Viticulture Conference in Virginia, plus an announcement for a preparation-making conference centered on yarrow, potassium, regional cooperation, and preparation-maker collaboration. These gatherings connected positive farm experience with soil science, shared learning, and the continued development of biodynamic practice.

Key topics covered

• Earthworm abundance and turf renewal after long-term Barrel Compound use.
• Immediate grape-plumping responses and strong wine-grape quality after BD 507 and BD 500 applications.
• Blueberry abundance, extended harvest, and repeated BD 507 frost-protection observations.
• A green, rust-free lawn after BD 501 and BD 508 use.
• Valerian added to finished compost, followed by stronger crops, earthworm activity, and frost tolerance.
• A measured BD 507 basil cold-exposure result with 16 plants per treatment and 18 exposures.

Explore related resources

• Barrel Compound Preparation and instructions
• BD 508 Horsetail Preparation and the overview
• BD 507 Valerian Preparation and overview
• BD 500 Horn Manure and instructions
• BD 501 Horn Silica

Articles

• Anecdotes and Antidotes—Biodynamics at Work
• Using Valerian the Way Steiner Indicated—An Update (P. Smith)
• Biodynamic Preparation Making Conference: February 13–15, 2004, East Troy, Wisconsin
• National BD Conference in Iowa, November 14–16, 2003
• Biodynamic Viticulture Conference

Citation

Source: Applied Biodynamics, Issue No. 43, Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Bio-Dynamics, Winter 2003–2004.