Skipping IMO#1, Seed IMO Naming, and Moisture Ratios

Drake opens with the I Ching hexagram Meng, Youthful Folly: even fools gain wisdom by following a wise guide, step by step. He announces the next KNF class in Hawaiʻi, January 13 to 19, 2024. Then he goes on a tangent about AI, comparing neural networks to soil microbiomes and DNA as a kind of natural data transmitter.

He replays footage from Korea with Master Lee and Master Ray, mixing an IMO pile inside a greenhouse in cold weather. Wetting the leaf mold matters: too dry and microbe activity stops, too wet and it turns anaerobic. The target is 20 to 30 percent moisture.

A viewer asks if you can skip straight to IMO3 without collecting IMO1 first. Drake says you can, but you lose the specific microbes each stage selects for. Master Lee explains Korea's new naming: IMO1 always becomes IMO2, so it is really one stage, called seed IMO or SIMO. IMO3 becomes P-IMO, the propagated stage, and the soil-mixed batch once called IMO4 follows it. For activation, they use about 0.1 percent seed IMO by weight, roughly 80 grams, diluted in water.

Ben shares his Arizona IMO mix: rice bran, wheat middlings, rolled barley, and chipped mesquite tree bean pods. Watching the Korea crew turn a large pile, Drake critiques their method: they add water randomly after mixing instead of measuring it in, and a hiller machine turns the pile far faster than shoveling by hand. He says he would have used about five times the starter they did.

Questions answered

13:45 When does the next KNF class in Hawaiʻi start? — January 13 to 19, 2024, at the farm in Hawaiʻi — reach out if you want to join.
26:46 How do you collect IMOs indoors during cold winter weather? — Wet the leaf mold and mycelium mix well, since letting it dry out stops microbe activity, mirroring how Stonemason does it indoors in Indiana.
28:55 When is your KNF class, Cheryl asks? — January 13 to 19, 2024 — same dates as before, just now in 2024.
31:04 What moisture percentage do you want for an IMO unit? — About 20 to 30 percent water — dry stuff stalls microbe activity, but too wet turns the pile mushy and anaerobic.
33:47 Can you make IMO#3 and IMO#4 straight from leaf mold, without collecting IMO#1 first? — You can, but skipping the collection step means missing the specific microbes each stage selects for on the way.
39:36 What do you actually call IMO3 now, and what happens to the old IMO4? — IMO3 is the P-IMO, or propagated IMO; the batch mixed with soil, once called IMO4, comes right after.
43:39 Why call it 'seed IMO' instead of IMO#1 and IMO#2? — Master Lee says IMO1 always turns into IMO2 anyway, so it's really one stage — the finished batch is just called SIMO, the seed IMO.
45:12 How full should the rice box be inside the collection jar? — Match your rice box size to your jar so the box fills about two-thirds of it, adjusting rice volume as needed.
48:33 What ratio of seed IMO goes into the water for activation? — About 0.1 percent, roughly 80 grams of seed IMO per batch — a bit more never hurts.
51:00 What's the difference between the clean OHN and the one with debris? — The filtered, clean Oriental Herbal Nutrient works for drip irrigation; the one with debris is only good for foliar spray or IMO piles.
52:39 What ingredients is Ben using for his IMO pile in Arizona? — Rice bran, wheat middlings, rolled barley, and chipped mesquite tree bean pods.
56:17 Why use a hiller instead of a cement mixer to turn IMO piles? — A cement mixer is a pain to reload each time; the hiller runs through a loaded pile like butter.
58:30 How much IMO starter should you use for a big pile like the one in Korea? — Drake says he'd have used about five times the starter they added, mixed in properly instead of sprayed on after.

Topics: imo, seed imo, ohn, imo3, imo4, moisture, rotohiller, hawaii, mesquite, foliar spray

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.

Skipping IMO#1, Seed IMO Naming, and Moisture Ratios

Questions answered

In this episode

Transcript