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Food Canoe Setup, IMO4, and Bacterial Mineral Water (BMW)

January 26, 2025 · by Drake Weinert

Drake opens with the I Ching hexagram Biting Through, then answers Big Wes's question about alfalfa plant juice: sugar that crystallizes at the bottom of an oversaturated batch is just sugar, not extra nutrients, since the nutrients ride in the water. Scrape it out for baking, or stir and dilute it back into solution.

He walks through the Foundation's Food Canoe project, raised beds built from old roofing and used with disabled veterans. Soil setup is four steps: 15 cubic feet of garden soil, 5 gallons of mulch, 1 gallon of indigenous microorganism (IMO) dust, then a spray of KNF maintenance solution (1 teaspoon in 27 ounces of water) followed by 6 gallons of water to carry the microbes down. He calls IMO4 the "milk" for new soil, saving composted pig-pen IMO for mature crops like sugar cane, tea, squash, papaya, and inga bean. Nine weeks later the bed was thick with basil, tomatoes, lettuce, and daikon.

From footage shot in Muju, Drake explains Master Cho's bacterial mineral water (BMW): well water is pumped up and dropped about three meters onto stone, which oxygenates the water and dissolves minerals, before it collects with IMO and recirculates to mimic a waterfall-to-stream cycle. Drake's home version drops water only about a foot and a half. The output boosts minerals and microbe counts in irrigation water and deodorizes manure.

Along the way he plays a clip of Stacy on whether plants carry something like an energetic or mental state, and talks up documenting garden results with weekly photos so members can compare techniques.

Questions answered

  • 19:48 Why bother taking a photo of your garden every week? — Weekly photos from the same spot build a time-lapse record so others can see and compare what worked.
  • 20:25 Alfalfa plant juice got oversaturated and sugar settled at the bottom — is that still usable? — It's just sugar, not more nutrients — scrape it out for baking, or stir and dilute it back into the juice.
  • 23:04 Do plants have something like a mental state or energy meridians? — Stacy said she believes plants carry the same energy channels as people, and microbes help clear blockages and restore balance.
  • 30:53 What materials do you need to set up a Food Canoe raised bed? — 15 cubic feet of garden soil, 5 gallons of mulch, 1 gallon of IMO dust, KNF maintenance solution, a 27-ounce sprayer, and a 2-gallon watering can.
  • 35:34 How much KNF maintenance solution goes into the spray bottle? — One teaspoon of maintenance solution per 27 ounces of water, misted evenly over the IMO dust.
  • 37:25 Why use IMO4 instead of pig-pen manure IMO on brand-new soil? — IMO4 is tuned foundation microbes for new soil; composted pig-pen IMO is richer, best saved for mature crops like sugar cane and papaya.
  • 37:57 How much water does a new Food Canoe bed need to get properly moist? — About six gallons, checked with a finger test down to the first knuckle to confirm moisture below the surface.
  • 44:16 Is comparing Food Canoe results between growers supposed to be a competition? — It's friendly competition — comparing techniques and results to push everyone to grow better, not to flex.
  • 47:50 What tool does Master Cho use to shape his IMO piles? — A hiller blade, not a tiller — it throws soil into hills instead of tilling it fine.
  • 48:31 What is Master Cho's bacterial mineral water (BMW) and how does it work? — Well water drops about three meters onto mineral stone to oxygenate and mineralize it, then recirculates with IMO like a mini waterfall.
  • 52:49 What does BMW actually do for crops and animals? — It adds minerals and trace elements, boosts plant growth, improves fruit storability, and deodorizes manure.

Topics: imo, imo4, bmw, bacterial mineral water, food canoe, raised bed, plant juice, alfalfa, maintenance solution, master cho, veterans

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 I Ching: Biting Through
  2. 9:06 Research Committee and Documenting Results
  3. 11:18 Running Local AI on Master Cho's Knowledge
  4. 18:21 Foundation Membership Micro-Documentaries
  5. 20:25 Big Wes: Sugar in Alfalfa Plant Juice
  6. 23:04 Stacy on Plant Energy and Meridians
  7. 27:03 Food Canoe Project for Veterans
  8. 30:53 Food Canoe Soil Setup, Step by Step
  9. 36:17 Spraying and Watering In the Microbes
  10. 41:12 Four Pillars: Food, Cleanser, Medicine, Structure
  11. 44:16 Friendly Competition Between Growers
  12. 47:09 Muju Trip and Master Cho's IMO Pro Tips
  13. 48:31 Master Cho's Bacterial Mineral Water (BMW)
  14. 52:49 What BMW Does for Crops and Manure
  15. 53:30 How Master Cho Built His BMW Waterfall

Transcript

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

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