Been studying BIM's for a while now before I attempt it and had one small question about Dr Gils article on how to make BIM's. More specifically is the Rhizobium Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria: This is what it calls for: Rhizobium Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria It says 50% lactic bateria and 50% other cultured microorganisms and then says 1 part bamboo 1 part forest organism, 1 parts specific plant organism. My question is do you have to use those exact organisms it calls for or can you use what BIM's you prefer? DG
Downgirl2182 The BIM component (Beneficial Indigenous Microorganism) is what you cultivate by capturing the lactobacillus bacteria strains floating in the air and then growing them out and it's this serum that you use to extract elements (Calcium, Phosphorus, Iron, etc.) from plants and when using specific plants (like bamboo) it causes reactions that results in other, stronger, lactobacillus colonies. And in the case of bamboo leaves and shoots (especially) a lactic acid bacteria called Pediococcus is activated which is 'the other' bacteria that he's referring to. In particular in the colonies of rhizobium and a couple of other bacteria (lactic acid bacteria). Fermented bamboo shoots contain in excess of 350 lactobacillus strains. Strains powerful enough to take over and destroy the original inoculation from a BIM or even if you were to use EM-1 for this project. Forest floor humus, depending on the trees found there, have similar reactions when inoculated with a BIM as it also results in the creation of specific lactic acid bacteria colonies. Bottom line is that most of the trees that drop their leaves in the autumn months are the best choices for the goals you want to achieve. Basically you're trying to shorten the 2 - 4 year process of nature turning fallen leaves into black leaf mold. One of the richest humus sources available. What you can do to shorten this process using BIM or EM-1 is to take a large Hefty trash bag and fill it about 1/3 full of fallen leaves and spray it with water. Try and get a few handfuls of the soil that is directly beneath the leaf pile you're working with to add additional microbes. Roll it up like a burrito and place it where it gets the most sunlight during the day as possible. After a couple of weeks open the bag and spray the leaves with your BIM and you want to hit it as hard as you can so dilute the BIM 1:1 with water. Spray the leaves and roll it back up and continue to let it sit in the sun. If you live in an area where you have cold winter wether then put it into the garage. It won't smell because you're not decomposing the material but you're using a fermenting process to break down the material. Next spring when it warms back up then put the rolled-up bags back into the sun - by about September of next year you should have black leaf mold. Remove from the bag and spread it out on a tarp and spray it with an AACT which will reintroduce aerobic microbes to the leaf mold and these are far stronger than the anaerobic lactobacillus strains and they will be consumed in a matter of a couple of days. At this point the leaf mold should smell like a meadow or an ancient forest - sweet with absolutely no hint of rotted material. That's it. This is one of the best things you can add to a potting soil - far better than any commercial compost that you might source at a garden center or online at Craigslist, etc. If you were to use the text search string "comfrey and leaf mold potting soil' that might give you some other ideas to kick around. Leaf mold is THE best material to use as the initial bedding material in a worm bin. HTH LD
DG By the way, Pediococcus strains are available at your local homebrew store as it's used to create the Lambic style beers from Belgium. It's also one of the strains used in the EM-1 concoctions. Big mystery, eh? LOL LD