I have recently gotten the SCD BioAg to use for my FPE's. I was wondering what some of might have thought about using it while watering along with the Protekt, TM7, Seaweed Extract, Fish Hydrolysate and the other things we give our plants on a more regular basis. The directions for household plant use are mostly for transplant and seed starting. Wondering about the viability of it's use on a more regular basis for soil drench and foliar spraying. JaK
Yep - outstanding advice. I use some form of lactobacillus culture 1x time per week as both a foliar application (lactic acid vs. powdery mildew) and as a soil soak. Every week. Without fail. Period. Always. Forever. HTH LD
Stankie, that's a sweet idea. So essentially, I can sub the EM 1 for the SCD I have correct and follow their recipe? Thanks for that resource, dude. LD, thanks, man. Can't wait to put it to use. JaK
jakrustle, Take your SCD/EM add 3/4 cup of it, 3/4 cup molasses, teaspoon sea salt, tablespoon of rock dust, and 3 tablespoons kelp tea, and add this to a gallon of warm water. Put this in a sealed plastic container, remove all the air, try to keep it warm, and let it ferment for a week or 2. Now you made a gallon of your own SCD/EM concentrate that you can use as you would use the original.
JaK Just to clear up any questions about EM-1 or SCD Bio Ag and other EM products. At one time the parent company based in Japan would only license a single company in each country around the world to take the mother culture(s) from Tokyo and process them to create EM-1 cultures for consumers and manufacturers under their strict standards according to them at any rate. That's still pretty much how it works or is supposed to work. In the USA there was a gentleman who was a strong advocate for the operation here which at that time was called EM America which has now morphed into TerraGanix and this spokesman decided to break away and he formed SCD Probiotics which carries their own line of 'EM' cultures. But then it gets a bit more complicated because when you hit SCD Probiotics' web site and choose an item to buy and get to the shopping cart page, you'll be redirected to 1 of 2 distributors in the USA depending on which part of the country that you live in. In the Western USA you'll be dealing with Mighty Microbes Probiotic Health Solutions Bottom line is that however you get to EM-1 via TerraGanix or SCD Probiotics, you're dealing with the exact line-up of lacto strains, yeasts, enzymes, etc. - there's no measurable difference. HTH LD
LD, I went the exact path you described in finding the SCD. Was kind of wondering what was going on there. I did get mine through Mighty Microbes, through Amazon. Shipping was actually about half the price through Amazon compared to their site. I imagine that is due to the deal Amazon has with all their shippers - UPS, etc. Also, LD, I understood the use for FPE's/inoculants, but I wonder if the regular use of just the SCD, diluted per their instruction for soil soaks or foliar spraying would be at all beneficial in your eyes. Or, is its' maximum benefit in using it in a fermentation process? This is not an EM 1, it is used for getting there, correct? Thanks again for your clarification, LD. You need a big hammer to get my brain working! JaK
JaK The Amazon pricing is why I recommend the SCD Bio Ag product specifically. That and the fact that the agriculture versions of EM-1 contain a couple of the Phototrophic bacteria strains These specific bacteria strains are generally referred to as PNSB (Purple Non-Sulphur Bacteria) and are beneficial both as a foliar application as well as adding to your regular irrigation water. You do not have to ferment anything if you want to go with straight EM-1 (or the less expensive method of brewing AEM). They recommend something like 3/4 tsp. per gallon water. I apply 4x that, i.e. 1 tablespoon for foliar and double that for adding to my water. Use the straight SCD Bio Ag if that's more convenient or make the AEM brew and save a ton of money. I just bought 1 gallon of this product and the price was very fair - $25.00 but what wasn't so fair was the S&H charges - $12.50 but I did get 4 quarts (delivered) for about $9.37 each. Eh.................. LD
LD, thanks. I will definitely start using the SCD as you recommended - for foliar and watering. Along with the Protekt, Seaweed Extract and Fish Hydrolysate, TM7, they will be a part of my regular (daily, weekly, bi-weekly) feeding regimen. Thanks for the recommendation. JaK