So I bought some EM-1 from teraganix about a month ago and tried making some AEM. Well now 4 weeks later my mix still hasn't hit the right PH and has been sitting still at about a 4.2. I know I did everything right as far as mixing and my ingredients are concerned. My one question is since this EM-1 has PNSB should I be adding light? Right now I have a mix sitting in a 2 liter bottle in a cabinet that is nice and cozy warm for the microbes. I also have a small 8 oz mason jar with some alfalfa, kelp, nettle and comfrey with some em-1. However think I added to many goodies as the mix is just sludge and no liquid lol. Thanks a bunch for any info on what may be going awry , cause I sure hate to waste any growing supplies thanks a bunch guys DG
I had the same thing happen to a FPE, I forget what type at the moment. I was advised to just use it. I did and it worked fine. I do not know what pnsb is. Em1 has some yeast in it, maybe that explains the high ph finish? Lately I have just used water for my FPE, but rarely check ph, even though I probably should. You can also use lacto b for fermenting plants. All this is still pretty new to me so don't mistake me for an expert, lol. MIW
My first guess, as to the not quite perfect ph, is that your container is not airtight, thus not totally anaerobic. Just a guess though. MIW, the pnsb is a specialized fungal inoculate. LD has mentioned it a few times.
PNSB is purple non sulfur bacteria they are proteobacteria that are phototrophic and are said to help produce energy through photosynthesis. Wee I am using a 2 liter and I know its airtight because when i went to burp it today I could barely open it up and when I did it popped more violently than if I were to drop a 2 liter full of soda. All that keep replaying in my head was the fear of getting it all over the place. Thanks to Chunkdaddys post about his nice encounter of an exploding FPE. HAHA! I think the first go round I may have had to much of an air gap. I made a quart of product and placed it in a 1 gallon jug. I think thats what may have caused the issue. This new batch has already reached a bit below the ph of 4 and it hardly has much of an air gap at all. Little tip kiddos.. DO NOT USE A VESSEL THAT IS TO BIG! lol. or else you will be fermenting until your grandkids pop out kids lol.
DG Ambient temperatures can and generally do effect fermentation times. Warmer is faster but not necessarily better from what I've read and understand. Patience - you'll be there soon enough. RE: PNSB To maximize the cultivation of these specific bacteria strains you do want light. Using a white paint bucket vs. a darker color will accomplish this. IOW you don't have to use clear or anything like that to get that process moving in the right direction. To date, I have never found any EM product ('flavor') that does not contain the 2 specific PNSB strains so you don't have to buy this one over that one or anything like that. You're fine - patience redux. LD
Great to know thanks LD. Was really hoping you chimed in on this Ya I changed my vessel up and the quantity and so far the ph has dropped a full point since I made the recipe. I think I may add some light a few hours out of the day but not a full 24/7 that just seems like an overkill imho.