Organics

We will soon be providing Lactobacillus serum for our growers.
Interested in making your own?
Extreme Bokashi - make your own innoculant or starter..
Here's a method called Newspaper Bokashi. You start with the water you wash rice with,
ferment it with milk, give your newspaper a bath in the potion, and dry the newspaper. The
newspaper is innoculated with your microbes. You then use the bokashi bucket, layering your
kitchen scraps with the newspaper instead of bran.
http://bokashicomposting.com/
COLLECTING WILD LACTOBACILLUS
Combine 1 part rice to 2 parts water. Shake or stir vigorously. Drain. The water will be
cloudy. Lightly cover it. (Canning jar and ring to hold a coffee filter, cheesecloth or piece of
paper towel should work) Air should be able to move in and out. The liquid should fill only 1/4
to 1/2 of the jar. Need a LOT of air exposure. Place in a cool dark place for 4 - 8 days. It
should smell somewhat sour. Strain out any particles.

PURIFYING THE LACTOBACILLUS
Put the ricewater in a larger container. Add 10 parts milk or skim milk. Cover lightly,
ferment for 14 days. Most of he solids should float to the top, leaving a yellowish liquid.
Strain off the solids. This is your purified lactobacillus serum. (Don't you feel like a real
scientist now?)

INNOCULATING YOUR NEWSPAPER
Take 1 part serum, 1 part molasses and 6 parts water. Soak newspapers, then drain. Put the
newspaper in ziplock bags, squeeze air out and ferment for 10 days to 2 weeks. Remove
newspaper, separate the layers and lay them out to dry.
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NO-JUICE METHOD
Start with 2 to 3 inches of absorbent material - newspaper, sawdust, etc.

Use high-carbohydrate waste as the bottom layer. Layer no more than 1/2 inch of waste, 1
layer of newspaper, repeat.

Chopping the waste small gives a faster, more uniform end result. Press out as much air as
possible each time you add waste. Save your scraps and try to only open the bucket once a
day to add more.

Lacto Bacilli
One of the major workhorse beneficial indigenous microorganism used in natural farming is
lacto bacilli. This particular beneficial microorganism is popularly used in composting that
specifically arrest foul odors associated with anaerobic decomposition. Lactic acid bacteria
thrive and feed on the ammonia released in the decomposition normally associated with foul
odors. So if you need to decompose or ferment wastes less foul odors, lactic acid bacteria is
the specific bacteria to use. Its application in organic farming is enormous. In aquaculture,
one of the problem is related to water quality. Poor water quality stresses the fish which in
turn stunts their growth and affects their health. This is very evident specially on high density
and tank aquaculture. The ammonia produced through fish excretions pollute the water and
stress the fish. With regular addition of this beneficial microorganisms to the water, this
ammonia problem is minimized, if not fully arrested. It helps hasten or complete the
denitrification or converting wastes into forms not harmful to fish.

Spraying diluted solution of lactic acid bacteria serum to the plant and soil helps plant growth
and makes them more healthy. As it is applied to the soil or the leaves, these beneficial
bacteria aid in the decomposition process, thus allowing more food to be available and
assimilated by the plant.

Lactic acid bacteria is also known to produce enzymes and natural antibiotics aiding effective
digestion and has antibacterial properties, including control of salmonella and e. coli. To
farmers, what are observed are the general health of the plants and animals, better nutrient
assimilation, feed conversion and certain toxins eliminations.

Here’s a simple method of collecting this type of microorganism. Lactic acid bacteria can be
collected from the air. Pour rice wash (solution generated when you wash the rice with water)
on a container like plastic pot with lid. Allow air gap at least 50-75% of the container. The
key here is the air space. Cover the (not vacuum tight, allowing air still to move into the
container) container with lid loosely. Put the container in a quiet area with no direct sunlight.
Allow the rice was to ferment for at least 5-7 days. Lactic acid bacteria will gather in 5-7 days
when temperature is 20-25 degrees C. Rice bran will be separated and float in the liquid, like
a thin film, smelling sour. Strain and simply get the liquid. Put this liquid in a bigger container
and pour ten parts milk. The original liquid has been infected with different type of microbes
including lacto bacilli. And in order to get the pure lacto bacilli, saturation of milk will
eliminate the other microorganisms and the pure lacto bacilli will be left. You may use skim
or powdered milk, although fresh milk is best. In 5-7 days, carbohydrate, protein and fat will
float leaving yellow liquid (serum), which contain the lactic acid bacteria. You can dispose the
coagulated carbohydrate, protein and fat, add them to your compost pile or feed them to your
animals. The pure lactic acid bacteria serum can be stored in the refrigerator or simply add
equal amount of crude sugar (dilute with 1/3 water) or molasses. Do not use refined sugar as
they are chemically bleached and may affect the lactic acid bacteria. The sugar or molasses
will keep the lactic acid bacteria alive at room temperature. One to one ratio is suggested
although sugar, regardless of quantity is meant simply, serving as food for the bacteria to
keep them alive. Now, these lactic acid bacteria serum with sugar or molasses will be your
pure culture. To use, you can dilute this pure culture with 20 parts water. Make sure water is
not chemically treated with, like chlorine. Remember, we are dealing with live
microorganisms and chlorine can kill them. This diluted form 1:20 ratio will be your basic
lactic acid bacteria concoction. Two to four tablespoons added to water of one gallon can be
used as your basic spray and can be added to water and feeds of animals. For bigger animals,
the 2-4 tablespoons of this diluted lactic acid bacteria serum should be used without diluting it
further with water. Lactic acid bacteria serum can be applied to plant leaves to fortify
phyllosphere microbes, to soil and compost. Of course, it will help improve digestion and
nutrient assimilation for animals and other applications mentioned before. For any kind of
imbalance, be it in the soil or digestive system, lacto bacilli can be of help.

One of the popular beneficial microorganism innoculant sfrom Japan (EM) contains lactic
acid bacteria as its major component, including photosynthetic bacteria, yeasts,
actinomycetes and fermenting fungi. These are pure culture imported from Japan and can be
subcultured through the use of sugar or molasses. These other microbes can be cultured in
several ways by farmers themselves.