Applied Biodynamics — Issue 006 (Winter 1993)

Issue 006 (Winter 1993) is organized as a method-forward issue. Its centerpiece is a detailed, cautionary, and data-collection–oriented presentation of sequential spraying kits as an applied biodynamic technique intended to “balance forces” associated with drought, flooding, and plant stress. The issue also provides explicit formulas for milk-based sprays, standardized report forms and research parameters, and a historically grounded profile of Ehrenfried Pfeiffer paired with an applied discussion of Pfeiffer’s compound biodynamic products. A separate nutrition article reinforces the issue’s broader theme: food and agriculture should be evaluated as living, organized wholes rather than as reducible chemical components.

“Sequential Spraying – Illusion, Remarkable Coincidence, or Reality?” by Hugh J. Courtney introduces the technique as originating in early summer 1988 during a severe drought, presented as an “almost accidental” development arising from the practical question of whether biodynamic preparations can measurably mitigate drought stress. Courtney explicitly frames the technique as a test of biodynamics’ validity under real conditions, stating that uncertainty about “precise preparations” led to the use of all nine preparations in a short time window.

The article then provides a narrative record of repeated applications and observed precipitation or moisture effects, while repeatedly warning that coincidence, poor record-keeping, and celestial conditions complicate causal attribution. Several “failures” are described as instructive rather than dismissible, including the use of improperly stored preparations and applications during non-preferred constellation periods producing only “technical” rain. The article also includes a comparative-style anecdote: a Leaf-period application reportedly correlated with a distinct weed population boundary at the treated field edge, which is interpreted as an unintended balancing effect rather than a simple “success” metric. Later, the article introduces the ethical and operational risks of weather-directed intentions, warning against materialistic motivation and describing the experience as producing “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” syndrome—an explicit caution against overconfidence and misuse. Throughout, the text stresses that results must be approached as a phenomenon requiring disciplined data capture and repeated evaluation.

The technique is operationally specified in “Description of a Sequential Spraying Technique Using the Biodynamic Preparations to Balance Forces of Plant Growth” (Sidebar #2), which functions as a protocol document rather than a narrative. It defines sequential spraying as applying all nine preparations over three days (or as little as 36 hours), with compost preparations #502–507 applied together via Barrel Compost (Thun recipe), and BD #500, BD #501, BD #508 applied separately.

The protocol specifies: Day One evening—Barrel Compost stirred 20 minutes and sprayed; Day Two morning near sunrise—fermented BD #508 (Kolisko method) stirred 20 minutes and sprayed; Day Two evening—BD #500 stirred one hour and sprayed; Day Three morning near sunrise—BD #501 (including an experimental BD #501(c) form) stirred one hour and sprayed. The protocol adds timing claims as hypotheses: leaf-period application is said to “dramatically enhance” soil moisture outcomes, and new/full moon timing is presented as potentially reinforcing, while also warning that “difficult” celestial periods can invert results. Importantly, the text explicitly distinguishes observed consequences from proof, labeling soil moisture improvement as possibly coincidental.

The issue provides operational adjuncts for plant-stress interventions in “The Milk Spray / The Milk & Honey Spray” (Sidebar #1), describing milk-based sprays used when plants experience insect attack or stress not relieved by Barrel Compost or other preparation sprays. The stated observable outcome is a rapid increase in beneficial insect populations sufficient to suppress prior pest surges. The formula is specified as 1 part milk to 9 parts water (1:10); honey may be added at 1:100 relative to total volume, with warmed water recommended to dissolve honey. Each mixture is stirred biodynamically for 20 minutes and sprayed as a medium-to-fine mist. The sidebar gives explicit batch ratios for five and ten gallons including milk volume and honey volume. This portion is presented as a practical field technique with explicit handling directions and an empirical claim framed as “most evident result,” not as a guaranteed mechanism.

Formal research scaffolding appears in two components. First, “Sequential Spraying Report Form” (Sidebar #3) introduces a standardized record sheet for capturing times, dates, predicted rain, weather maps, and post-sequence outcomes. Second, the issue includes “Does the Use of the Sequential Spraying Technique Actually Provide Drought Relief or Encourage Precipitation?” as Question #5 (Sidebar #4), which reframes the technique as a research question rather than a concluded claim. The background states that in over 100 applications “significant rainfall occurred in more than 90%” but emphasizes that statistics were not accurately recorded and procedures and preparation quality may have varied, so only “remarkable ‘coincidences’” can be claimed to that point. The stated research parameters require recording exact times/dates for each step and weather data before and after, with results submitted to JPI for tabulation. This explicit downgrade from certainty to data-dependent evaluation is central to the issue’s anti-pseudoscience posture: the text asserts a striking pattern while simultaneously insisting that the claim remains provisional without standardized data.

The historical and institutional dimension is provided in “Ehrenfried Pfeiffer: A Profile” by Gisela Franceschelli. The profile sketches Pfeiffer’s early life, scientific interests, relationship with Steiner, and later role in biodynamic development and testing methodologies. The biography emphasizes Pfeiffer’s technical work at the Goetheanum, his studies across scientific and social disciplines under Steiner’s guidance, and his later development of qualitative testing methods such as chromatography and sensitive crystallization intended to make “formative forces” visible in patterns. The profile also notes Pfeiffer’s organizational influence in American biodynamics and frames his writings as a continuing technical resource. A Book List follows, separating biographies about Pfeiffer from Pfeiffer’s own works, and enumerating titles across biodynamics, composting, soil, nutrition, chromatography, crystallization, and formative-force studies.

Applied product-method comparison is addressed in “Dr. Pfeiffer’s BD Compost Starter and BD Field Spray” by Hugh Courtney with Chris Stearn, Ph.D. This article is explicitly structured to answer a frequently asked practitioner question: the difference between BD Compost Preparations (#502–507) and Pfeiffer’s BD Compost Starter. Stearn describes Pfeiffer’s products as a response to Steiner’s request to develop methods to get the preparations into the soil, optimized for small compost quantities and for a “hot fermentation” approach to generate stable compost quickly, and positioned as accessible for beginners. The products are described as containing selected organisms for degradation and humus formation, a vegetable enzyme base, the compost preparations, stirred BD #500, and barrel-preparation–type components. Courtney then interprets these as sophisticated “compound preparations” analogous to Barrel Compost and other compound approaches, intended to distribute compost preparations and extend their reach. The article makes two operationally relevant claims: Pfeiffer products’ effectiveness comes from both biodynamic preparation inclusion and a proprietary “rhythmicalizing/potentizing” manufacturing dynamic; and attempts to duplicate them by focusing only on “biology” while ignoring “dynamics” have not surpassed Pfeiffer’s results. Courtney also adds a caution: ease-of-use can lead users to avoid thinking biodynamically and may reduce motivation to apply BD #501 or BD #508, producing an incomplete approach. The article concludes that offering these products expands the practitioner “tool shed” while JPI continues focusing on the original preparations.

The issue’s nutrition contribution, “A Nutrition Article: Nature . . . A Great Composer” by Betsy Cashen, R.D., argues that nutrition science increasingly recognizes whole foods as more than summed isolated nutrients and uses an analogy from musical composition to explain why reconstructed nutrient mixtures lack the original food’s “organizing principle.” Cashen proposes observational “clues” for understanding a food—taste, smell, color, texture, growth conditions, element relationships, historical development, cultural role, and bodily effects—explicitly positioning these as the “text for the story” that supports an artistic conception of nutrition. The article parallels this with compost evaluation: quantitative measurement can assess components, but the real value of compost is better grasped as a living whole, again emphasizing holistic observation rather than reduction to an “ashes” analysis.

Articles

• Sequential Spraying – Illusion, Remarkable Coincidence, or Reality? (H. Courtney)
• The Milk Spray / The Milk & Honey Spray Description of a Sequential Spraying Technique
• Using the Biodynamic Preparations to Balance Forces of Plant Growth
• Sequential Spraying Report Form
• Does the Use of the Sequential Spraying Technique Actually Provide Drought Relief or Encourage Precipitation?
• Ehrenfried Pfeiffer: A Profile (G. Franceschelli) Book List (Books about and by E. Pfeiffer)
• Dr. Pfeiffer’s BD Compost Starter and BD Field Spray (H. Courtney, C. Stearn)
• A Nutrition Article: Nature . . . A Great Composer (B. Cashen)

Key Topics Covered

• Sequential spraying technique framed as testable phenomenon under drought and flood conditions
• Stepwise 36-hour to 3-day protocol applying all nine biodynamic preparations
• Explicit timing variables including Leaf period and near-sunrise applications
• Milk spray and milk-honey spray formulas with ratios, stirring times, and spray mist guidance
• Reported observational success rate claims paired with explicit data-quality caveats
• Standardized sequential spraying report form for collecting weather and timing data
• Research parameters requiring times, dates, and before/after weather data submission to JPI
• Ehrenfried Pfeiffer profile emphasizing qualitative testing methods for formative forces
• Book list of Pfeiffer biographies and technical works on biodynamics, composting, and quality testing
• Comparative explanation of Pfeiffer BD Compost Starter and BD Field Spray versus compost preparations
• Nutrition analogy of whole foods as organized compositions rather than reassembled components

Citation

Applied Bio-Dynamics, Issue 006, Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Bio-Dynamics, Winter 1993.