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IMO Collection, LAB for Pond Muck, Tar Spot and Cut Flowers

February 13, 2022 · by Drake Weinert

Dr. Drake Weinert hosts guest Cheryl Mandila, who does KNF landscaping and farming near Boise, Idaho. After the I Ching reading on decrease, they talk IMO1 collection: use Calrose rice or other white rice, never brown, because the hull blocks microbes from reaching the starch. Collection takes five to fourteen days depending on temperature. Cheryl runs four or five boxes at once to raise her odds; Drake prefers one strong box over combining parts from several.

LAB comes up again and again. Drake has not tested it on stagnant ponds directly, but points to EM balls clearing a bay in Japan and Oahu's Ala Wai Canal, once so foul people stopped swimming in it. In a month-long home trial, LAB in cut flower vases beat OHN and alcohol, keeping the water clear and stretching bloom life by about a week. For tar spot, blight, and powdery mildew on a new farm, Drake tells a caller to skip Jadam sulfur across the whole property, since it knocks out good microbes along with bad, and spray LAB instead to crowd out disease.

On yard care, Cheryl waters her lawn by hand once a week instead of running daily sprinklers, using LAB and seawater to build the soil's water-holding capacity. Weed barrier gets no love: weeds blow in on top of the bark anyway, and the plastic shreds are a hassle to dig out years later. Cheryl describes a visit to Spring Creek Farms in Humboldt, where the grower keeps two 55-gallon JADAM barrels, one mushroom and one grass, and doses a 5,000-gallon tank with about a third of each, unfiltered except for a mesh bag.

For cut flowers headed to market, Drake recommends LAB sprayed after harvest to slow decay, and phosphoric acid before harvest to sharpen bloom color and aroma; calcium and seawater late in bloom add flavor compounds. They close on seed saving through the Snake River Seed Cooperative and worm swapping to keep bloodlines strong, and Drake notes that even careful composters like Elaine Ingham only get two to five batches out of a hundred exactly right.

Questions answered

  • 4:40 How long does IMO1 collection take and should I use multiple boxes? — Five to fourteen days depending on temperature; a single strong box beats combining good parts from several boxes.
  • 16:42 Does treating soil with IMO change how much you need to water? — Yes, IMO-treated soil holds moisture better, so it needs less frequent irrigation than untreated ground.
  • 19:18 Will lactic acid bacteria (LAB) digest pond muck? — Not tested directly, but LAB and EM balls have cleared a bay in Japan and Oahu's Ala Wai Canal.
  • 20:01 Does LAB help cut flowers last longer? — In a month-long trial, LAB beat OHN and alcohol, keeping vase water clear and adding about a week of bloom life.
  • 24:07 How do you prepare land that was a tomato farm and is now sheep pasture? — Depends what's planted next: build the soil foundation, add IMOs, and sow companion crops before the main crop.
  • 29:00 How do you cut water use on a home lawn? — Spray LAB and seawater on the lawn and water by hand once a week instead of running daily sprinklers.
  • 33:39 Does weed barrier fabric actually work? — Not really. Weeds blow in on top of the bark, and the fabric breaks into plastic pieces that are hard to dig out.
  • 37:16 How does the JADAM dilution work at Spring Creek Farms? — About a third of two 55-gallon JADAM barrels, one mushroom and one grass, goes into a 5,000-gallon tank, unfiltered.
  • 42:40 What rice should I use for IMO1 collection? — Use Calrose or other white rice. Brown rice still has the hull, which blocks microbes from getting through.
  • 47:44 Should I spray Jadam sulfur on my whole farm for tar spot, blight, and powdery mildew? — No. Never spray a whole crop with anything new; sulfur knocks back good microbes too, so try LAB first.
  • 58:06 Any tips for a market garden built on goat manure? — Work IMOs into the manure and compost it first. More microbes in the mix gives better results.
  • 1:08:54 What maintenance spray keeps cut flowers blooming longer? — Spray LAB after cutting to slow decay, and use phosphoric acid before harvest to sharpen bloom color and aroma.

Topics: lab, imo, imo1, calrose rice, jadam, pond muck, tar spot, powdery mildew, cut flowers, seed saving, weed barrier, yard care

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 Intro and welcome
  2. 0:52 Special guest Cheryl Mandila
  3. 1:27 I Ching reading: 41, Decrease
  4. 3:54 Day of rest
  5. 4:40 IMO collection of soil microbes
  6. 14:28 Planting berries: IMO3/IMO4 top dress
  7. 16:42 Natural farming in Idaho: watering less with IMO
  8. 19:18 Will LAB digest pond muck?
  9. 20:01 LAB for cut flowers
  10. 22:29 Cleaning up muck: Japan and Oahu
  11. 24:07 Preparing old tomato farm and pasture land
  12. 29:00 Yard care: watering less
  13. 33:39 Weed barrier problems
  14. 37:16 Spring Creek Farms and JADAM
  15. 42:40 IMO1: use Calrose rice, not brown
  16. 47:44 Tar spot, blight, and powdery mildew
  17. 58:06 Market garden with goat manure
  18. 1:00:21 Elaine Ingham compost
  19. 1:04:30 Snake River Seed Cooperative
  20. 1:08:54 Maintenance spray for cut flowers

Transcript

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