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LAB Preservation, Acidic Soil pH, and BMW Crystal Brewers

April 19, 2026 · by Drake Weinert

Drake explains how to preserve LAB from turning to vinegar using supersaturation: stir in sugar until it stops dissolving and a fine sugar ring settles at the bottom, which locks up the water microbes need. Stored cool and steady, LAB keeps three to six months and FPJ (can food) keeps six months to years.

On acidic tropical soil pH, Drake says stop chasing pH numbers. Feed indigenous microorganisms, cultured IMO 1 through 4, can food, minerals, and maintenance solution, and match mulch breakdown speed to plant growth speed, wood for trees, grass for lettuce. The microbes will raise or lower pH in the root zone as needed.

He also answers how long unsaturated LAB lasts in the fridge (use it within a month; cold just slows the bacteria down, it does not preserve them), whether he actually drinks BMW, bacterial mineral water (yes, though Master Cho never endorsed drinking IMO solutions), and walks through an old video of an airlift crystal-and-mineral BMW brewer built from a trash can, hosing, and a repurposed water jug.

Gear notes: he runs a 100-watt AP100 air pump for his airlift tube, a 40-watt AP40 works for smaller setups, FAA dosing stays constant regardless of ferment time unlike OHN which gets reduced, and he recommends building brewers with take-apart unions so biofilm can be brushed out.

Questions answered

  • 16:02 What ways are there to preserve LAB to prevent it from going to vinegar? — Add sugar and stir until it stops dissolving and a fine sugar ring settles at the bottom, tying up the water so microbes cannot turn it to acetic acid.
  • 22:59 What KNF solutions help raise pH in acidic tropical soils? — Stop chasing pH directly. Build soil biology with indigenous microorganisms, IMO, and matched mulch, and the microbes will manage pH in the root zone.
  • 31:35 Can unsaturated LAB last a month in the fridge? — Lactobacillus is hard to kill, but cold just slows it down rather than preserving it, so use unsaturated LAB within a month.
  • 35:08 Why do fungi and weeds grow fine in my acidic soil (pH 4.5)? — Indigenous microbes are already adapted to your local acidic conditions, so IMOs cultured from your own site work best with your plants.
  • 39:38 Have you ever drunk your BMW (bacterial mineral water)? — Yes, many times, though Master Cho never recommended drinking IMO solutions since you do not fully know what is in them.
  • 40:58 Can I make a home drinking water setup using only LAB and yeast instead of IMO? — That is safer than IMO but probably less effective, since IMO does most of the work in a full bacterial mineral water system.
  • 52:34 Should FAA be underdosed based on how long it fermented, like OHN? — No, FAA dosing stays the same regardless of ferment time; only OHN and medicine solutions get reduced as they ferment longer.
  • 53:20 How buff does an air pump need to be for an airlift crystal brewer? — Drake runs a 100-watt AP100 for his larger tube, though a 40-watt AP40 can handle smaller setups; match wattage to tube diameter.
  • 57:51 How do you keep an airlift or BMW brewer easy to clean? — Build it with take-apart unions and joints instead of gluing everything solid, so you can get a brush inside and stop biofilm from building up.

Topics: lab, imo, bmw, fpj, faa, ph, supersaturation, indigenous microorganisms, air pump, acidic soil, crystal compost tea, mulch

KNF Office Hours is a free live Q&A every Sunday at 9 AM HST. Bring your question to pureknf.org/learn/questions or join live.

In this episode

  1. 0:00 Cold open
  2. 1:44 I Ching: Obstruction
  3. 6:42 Q&A opens, website teaser
  4. 8:01 New pureknf.org website tour
  5. 11:55 Membership pricing and feedback
  6. 16:02 Preserving LAB with supersaturation
  7. 22:59 Raising pH in acidic soils
  8. 31:35 Unsaturated LAB shelf life in the fridge
  9. 35:08 Indigenous microbes and acidic soil
  10. 39:38 Bacterial mineral water and crystal brewer
  11. 44:46 Watching the crew drink BMW
  12. 52:34 FAA dosing vs OHN dosing
  13. 53:20 Air pump sizing for airlift brewers
  14. 57:51 Designing brewers for easy cleaning
  15. 59:34 Peptides in KNF, coming soon
  16. 1:00:10 Maui trip announcement
  17. 1:01:15 Closing prayer

Transcript

Auto-transcribed with Whisper. Click any timestamp to play from there.

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