Featured archival image for Applied Biodynamics — Issue No. 104 (Summer 2022)
Applied Biodynamics archive

Applied Biodynamics — Issue No. 104 (Summer 2022)

Issue 104 combines JPI’s renewed research program with practical summer protocols, a whole-farm interview from Perennial Roots, and tributes to Bill McCranie and Michael Phillips.

Published by The Josephine Porter Institute Download PDF

Applied Biodynamics, Issue 104 (Summer 2022) opens with JPI’s return to live workshops and a season of energetic growth on the farm. Mike Biltonen reports on the orcharding and ashing-and-peppering workshops, improvements to the preparation storage and Pfeiffer rooms, and the next stage of JPI’s research program. Planned rhizobox comparisons will make root development visible over time, while chromatography and sensitive crystallization add complementary ways to document how plants and soils respond to biodynamic treatments.

Download Issue 104 PDF

Stewart Lundy’s summer garden notes offer a compact set of repeatable practices for maintaining balance through heat, humidity, excess rain, and slow ripening. The article covers afternoon shade, fermented weed water, sprouted-barley “moon water,” Barrel Compound for brassicas, BD 501 or 501g when cool and cloudy weather delays ripening, and weekly Equisetum arvense (BD 508) tea when wet conditions favor fungal pressure.

Mary Maruca’s interview with Stewart Lundy traces Perennial Roots Farm from an initial Pfeiffer Field and Garden Spray comparison plot to a fifty-acre whole-farm organism. The conversation shows rotational grazing, ruminants, manure cycles, hedgerows, earthworms, soil-profile observation, and chromatography working together as an integrated practice. It also records practical pokeweed decoction and species-specific pest-pepper protocols that lend themselves to matched plots, consistent preparation, and careful field records.

The issue closes by honoring people who have carried this work forward. Teresa O’Shaughnessy recognizes Bill McCranie’s service as he steps down from the JPI board, and Mike Biltonen remembers orchardist, author, and biodynamic teacher Michael Phillips, whose books and Holistic Orchard Network continue to guide growers.

Articles in This Issue

  • From the Editor — Mary Maruca
  • News From the Farm—It’s Summer and Life is Happening! — Mike Biltonen
  • Summer Practice for a Biodynamic Garden — Stewart Lundy
  • Perennial Roots Farm: An Interview with Stewart Lundy — Mary Maruca
  • Moving On—Bill McCranie Steps Down from JPI Board — Teresa O’Shaughnessy
  • In Memoriam: Michael Phillips — Mike Biltonen

Key Topics Covered

  • Resumption of JPI’s live workshops and farm-based teaching
  • Preparation-storage, water-system, and Pfeiffer-room improvements
  • Rhizobox comparisons for observing root development over time
  • Chromatography and sensitive crystallization for documenting plant and soil response
  • Summer fertility support using fermented weeds, sprouted barley, and Barrel Compound
  • BD 501 for ripening support and BD 508 for wet-season balance
  • Matched comparison plots as a practical path from small trials to whole-farm application
  • Livestock integration, rotational grazing, and the farm organism
  • Pokeweed decoction and species-specific pest-pepper protocols
  • Mentorship, board service, and continuity of biodynamic community knowledge

Repeatable Practice in This Issue

  • For rhizobox work, keep seed, soil, water, and light conditions consistent; photograph roots at regular intervals and record biomass, soil condition, and crop quality.
  • Apply one primary summer practice at a time to matched beds and record weather, timing, ripening, leaf balance, fungal pressure, root development, and harvest quality.
  • Begin biodynamic field work with a defined comparison plot, then expand as soil profiles, roots, crop vitality, and seasonal records reveal the farm’s response.
  • For pokeweed decoction and pest peppering, standardize preparation and application, keep peppers species-specific, and record plant recovery, pest counts, crop damage, vigor, and yield.

Related JPI Resources

Citation

Applied Biodynamics, Issue 104, Josephine Porter Institute, Summer 2022.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How is JPI structuring repeatable biodynamic research?

JPI’s rhizobox work is designed to make root development visible through time. A strong repeatable design uses matched treated and untreated groups, the same seed, soil, water, and light conditions, regular root images, and consistent measurements of biomass, soil condition, and crop quality. Replicating the comparison across several plants and seasons makes the pattern increasingly useful.
Which summer practices in Issue 104 can be repeated directly?

The issue gives clear protocols for afternoon shade, fermented weed water, sprouted-barley water, Barrel Compound, BD 501, and BD 508 tea. Apply one primary change at a time to matched beds or crop rows, record weather and application timing, and compare ripening, leaf balance, fungal pressure, root development, and harvest quality.
Why begin biodynamic work with a matched comparison plot?

A matched plot turns observation into a direct farm-scale comparison. Perennial Roots began with Pfeiffer Field and Garden Spray on a small area, documented the response, and then expanded with confidence. Keeping soil type, crop, irrigation, and cultivation comparable makes photographs, soil profiles, root observations, and yield records especially informative.
How can pokeweed decoction and pest peppering be evaluated in the field?

For pokeweed, Issue 104 records a 45-minute simmer of chopped plant material followed by cooling and application; it also describes a longer fermentation using 3.5% salt. Apply the chosen preparation consistently to matched stressed areas and record recovery, pest pressure, vigor, and yield. For pest peppering, keep each pepper species-specific, standardize preparation and application, and compare treated and untreated areas using regular pest counts and crop-damage observations.

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