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Fermented Mixed Compost, Horse Manure JLF, IMO Temperature Limits

August 11, 2024 · by Drake Weinert

After the I Ching reading and a note on the monthly Pure KNF Foundation meeting with guest Evan Sharp, Drake answers a viewer with 600 pounds of horse manure who already made a barrel of JLF. He suggests adding composting worms like red wigglers to turn the leftover manure into rich compost, or working it into a fermented mixed compost (FMC), Master Cho's method of mixing roughly 10% IMO into several different materials rather than just one.

Drake walks through the leaf mold method's effects on soil: restoring microbial diversity so no single pathogen dominates, freeing up more minerals for plants, and raising soil nutrient tolerance, all without needing to understand pH or chemistry.

He then works through Young Sung's Madage book, disputing its claim that soaking leaf mold in water is "anaerobic fermentation." Using a chatbot lookup mid-stream, he argues it is actually putrefaction, since no sugar, vinegar, or alcohol is involved, unlike Master Cho's true fermentation. He also explains why IMO piles need to stay under 50°C (120°F): above that temperature, the wrong microbes take over.

The episode closes with a bonus story: Drake read about malaria-induced fever historically calming epileptic convulsions and wonders if the heat from an IMO bath, generated by microorganisms themselves, could help a friend recently diagnosed with epilepsy.

Questions answered

  • 7:21 Who's presenting at this month's Pure KNF Foundation membership meeting? — Evan Sharp of Whole Plant Services, talking about his work near Sonoma, California.
  • 38:38 I have 600 lbs of horse manure and made a barrel of JLF from it, what else can I do with the rest? — Add composting worms like red wigglers to turn it into rich compost, or use it as one input in a fermented mixed compost.
  • 41:04 How do you make a fermented mixed compost (FMC) the way Master Cho teaches? — Mix roughly 10% IMO into several different materials, not just one, and let it develop.
  • 44:19 What does the leaf mold method actually change in the soil? — It restores microbial diversity, keeps any one pathogen from dominating, and frees up more minerals for plants.
  • 48:48 What's the main principle behind making Madage farm inputs? — Minimize nutrient loss, though Drake says that ignores whether the nutrients you keep are actually usable by plants.
  • 52:58 Is JADAM's water-and-leaf-mold method really "fermentation"? — No, Drake argues it's putrefaction, since it uses no sugar, yeast, vinegar, or alcohol like true fermentation does.
  • 59:23 Why does Young Sung skip sugar, molasses, vinegar, and alcohol in his inputs? — He treats putrefaction and fermentation as the same thing, but Master Cho's sugar and vinegar do real fermentation work.
  • 1:03:26 Why keep IMO piles under 50°C (120°F)? — Above that temperature the wrong microbes take over; staying under it keeps the beneficial low-temperature microbes you want.
  • 1:07:27 What did old-school Korean IMO collection look like? — Whole villages gathered, cooked rice together, and packed it into boxes to set out in the forest and collect wild microbes.
  • 1:08:41 Could an IMO bath help with a friend's epileptic seizures? — Drake found induced fevers, like from malaria therapy, have historically calmed epileptic convulsions and thinks IMO bath heat might do something similar.

Topics: imo, fmc, jlf, fermentation, putrefaction, horse manure, worms, compost, leaf mold, madage, jadam

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 Welcome & I Ching reading: Gathering Together
  2. 6:28 Pure KNF Foundation meeting: Evan Sharp
  3. 17:44 Tangent: surveillance, privacy, elections
  4. 23:04 Madage book: intro and critique begins
  5. 30:56 YouTube ad revenue vs super chats
  6. 38:38 Q: 600 lbs horse manure, what now
  7. 41:04 Fermented mixed compost (FMC) recipe
  8. 44:19 Effects of leaf mold method on soil
  9. 48:48 Principles of making Madage inputs
  10. 52:58 Fermentation vs putrefaction, defined
  11. 59:23 Why Young Sung skips sugar and vinegar
  12. 1:03:26 Keep IMO under 50°C (120°F)
  13. 1:04:49 Old-school Korean IMO gathering, photos
  14. 1:07:27 Bonus: IMO bath and epilepsy
  15. 1:12:54 Wrap-up and membership meeting reminder

Transcript

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

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