On another thread about mixing your own potting soil I side-tracked the intended topic and I thought it would be better to start a thread and keep the soil mixing thread intact. What is a Beneficial Indigenous Microorganism? [BIM] The best place to start would have to be with a farmer in the Philippines by the name of Gil Carandang and that link is an overview of Gil's work by The Rodale Institute. This article is written by Gil and can do a faster and better job of explaining the science behind harnessing the power of several forms of bacteria to increase yields and improve the overall health of the plant. The lacto bacillus route is probably the easiest for the average gardener to begin working with. LD
Thank you so much I came across that article and was reading it but got pulled away and power shot so I lost it, yet again LD saves the day much appreciated
I do wanna ask this though: In the second article (the one actually describing cultivation process) he describes the first steps as pouring rice wash into a plastic container and having a good 50-75% airspace from surface of wash to top of container however is the rice wash just a product of aggitating rice in water and straining, or do you include the rice too in this mix, also it doesn't mention wether the rice was cooked. In gathering the white mold from rice in the forest the rice is steamed, is that the case in cultivating lacto Bacillius? I'd also like your view on: Once cultivated and mixed with a mollasses/water mixture, the serum is said to need to be diluted. Obviously,as stated, chlorinated water can't be used. I was wondering as to wether or not my source of creek water would suffice, or would the natural microcolonies in each substance counteract and either offbalance or kill one another?
gdaddypurp21 Rice Wash as Gil calls it is simply what you described. You do not want to keep any rice while fermenting the inoculant. Creek water (or rain water) is preferred over city water even after it's been dechlorinated. This is the same science behind the stuff people put into septic tanks, i.e. anaerobic microbes breaking down matter. Same stuff that you would put into a pond to keep the water clear and also to reduce the algae pupulations. If you do not want to go through the interesting science project described in the links you could opt to buy EM-1 from EMAmerica.com They carry a number of versions (humans, livestock, agriculture, etc.) of EM-1 and the one specifically for agriculture/horticulture includes the PNSB strains. HTH LD
Syntropic Antioxidative Microbes (SAM) While this article is primarily about using beneficial probiotic microbes for humans, it still has some good solid information about how the whole thing ties in together in animals as well as plants. LD
I'm looking around already for materials to make a box for the fermentation process in vegative areas of the woods, and I was simply waiting on your reply to begin making my Lactic Acid... But just so I got my steps right I'll provide my instructions for making both in one process (1) so I don't mess up (2) as a resource for this thread.
So to start with I would wash X amount of rice in water, aggitating the rice as much as possible, then strain the wash from the rice. I would then begin steaming the rice (for the forest cultivation) and put the rice wash in a container large enough to provide 50-75% airspace from surface of rice to top of container. I would then loosely cover it and allow to ferment for 5-7 days. Back to the steamed rice: I would then pour the rice (with a wooden spoon, I'm assuming *culinary knowledge here* that stainless steel or other metal utensils especially copper would bring in some of the metals chemical components) into a 12" x 12" x 4" wooden box, cover with paper towel not allowing the towel to touch and then cover with mesh screen for animals and plastic sheet for rain. Then bury 3" down in a well vegitated area of the forest near my house and allow to ferment for 5-7 days...
Back to our rice wash: I would then strain the Rice bran that floats to the top and reserve the liquid. I would add 10 parts fresh milk to the liquid, and allow to rest another 5-7 days. Strain again and the final liquid (the serum) can be diluted and used as a foliar spray, compost activator, and so much more... Back to steamed rice: after 5-7 days a white "mold" should have acumulated and at the top. Now I would use a kitchen scale and weigh a metal bowl. I would then add the rice and weigh again and figure the difference. I would then add granulated brown sugar in weights equal to the rices mass and mix until gooey. I would then cover with a paper towel and let rest for 7 days. Then I would add small amounts of water I believe the ratio was 1:500 and mix. I would then blend in a wheat rum and blend until moist but not wet consistency. I'd then pile it on soil and cover with leaves or straw and let rest 7 days. and turn it 3-4 times during the week. I think I got all that right
My reference for the forest method : www.scribd.com/doc/11062883/how-to-cultivate-indigenous-microorganisms
gdaddypurp21 I just downloaded the PDF file from the link you posted. Thank you very much - a must read IMHO Best wishes on your project. Once you get your mother culture up and running you're halfway to start brewing Fermented Plant Extracts as well as making 'bokashi bran' LD
Thank you so much, your information is invaulable and I'm glad you jumped back on GC for this time of enlightenment -keepgrowing- gdaddy
gdaddypurp21 Down the road if you decide to make-up a mother culture that is predominantly Lactobacillus strains some ideas to kick-start the rice wash are things like miso paste, natto (blech!), soy sauce, sauerkraut juice, etc. The 'gold standard' is mesu which is a fermented bamboo shoot pickle from Northern India as well as Tibet. Hint - grow some bamboo plants. HTH LD
Awesome post, thanks for the info. Definitely want to add the ease and effectiveness of adding mycorrhizal fungi to your soil blend. I use Mykos by Xtreme Gardening due to the effectiveness and price of the product, but there's lots out there. It's just the only one I know of that has broken multiple world records. Can't remember where I read it, I think it was American Journal of Soil Science, but research has shown that organic nitrogen sources cannot be broken down by plants without he help of mycorrhizae (or specific bacteria species that are not normally present in the soil blends found on the market).
LD, I'm assuming when your talking about adding the soy sauce, natto, etc you just add to the wash nothing diffrently?
Correct and keep in mind that you're only looking to bring in the diversity of lacto b. in these fermented food items meaning that you only need to add 1/8 - 1/4 tsp. to a gallon of rice wash after the rice wash begins to show microbe activity on it's own. What you're trying to achieve is a solid base of indigenous microorganisms with the other lacto b. strains introduced to increase diversity. If you have a home-brewing store in your area you will find some of the lacto b. strains used to brew beer another good option. The specific strain used to make the Belgian Lambic beers is the Brettanomyces sp strain. I have found this to be worth seeking out. HTH LD
Thanks again; Not trying to sidetrack another thread but I'm not sure if you got the private message on forest humus?
What about yeast as a component? The culinary side of my brain just kicked in and refrenced me back to the Flieshman (sp?) brand of Active dry yeast I keep in my fridge for baking... Could that be used as a component in the fermentation or possibly another aspect of the organic world?
How do the pond enzymes play into the BIM paradigm? I read one of your posts last year where you made mention of them, and referenced EM in a subsequent post. Can these enzyme producing bacteria be utilized in our hobby effectively? I use them in a special tea I make when I re-use my soil. After re-mineralization, and adding my fresh EWC and various seed meals, I'll water in the re-fortified soil in a huge tote with this brew, cover it and let it cook for 5-6 weeks. It seems to work well for me, and virtually digests all the leftover roots. I guess my question is: does this method need to be re-worked for more optimal results? Thanks as usual for your help, chunk
chunkdaddyo Only in the sense that both a BIM and a commercial product like Microbelift PL (Walmart, farm stores, et al) use 'beneficial bacteria' - from a promotional piece from the manufacturer: The process you're using to 're-cycle' your potting soil is 'spot on' as the expression goes. I bought some Microbelift PL over a year ago and I ran it through the pond out back and as I began to read the literature it struck me that it sounded very close to the process that EM-1 uses. Or Hydrozyme (sp?) - the overpriced stuff at the grow stores. So I sent an email to the manufacturer asking them if the specific product I had purchased could be applied to plants. The answer I received was that they have contracted with a horticulture expert based in Florida and it will be he and his company's responsibility to port it over from cleaning up ponds to making plants grow healthier. I'm thinking that about the only porting will be to hire the graphic artist to create the 'brand' thingie and they're good to go. I could be wrong - anyone can be wrong about something. If you want to have these beneficial microbes then going the route of purchasing EM-1 is probably the path of least resistance. And it's certainly easy enough to apply. HTH LD
WELL hellow sir leader of your fan club with a ? On one of your older post I was reading about EM1 and I just got 1qrt in the mail last week. I would like to add it to my soil and foiler feedings. What is the best way you have found for the mix and adding it to the plant and soil.Like 1 table spoon per gallon ? Thanks.Its nice to have you BACK!