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Tomato Blight Protectors, IMO Baths, Jadam Microbe Solution

Drake opens with an I Ching reading on "Gathering Together," then recaps teaching Korean Natural Farming to the Fat Farm Apprentice Mentorship Program on Maui, where students made KNF food from guava, honohono grass, and banana flowers, and finished with a batch of "disgustingly cheap" microbes made from indigenous soil, boiled potato, and salt.

A viewer with Lyme disease asks about healing with microbes; Drake points to IMO baths, burying in a fermenting pile that heats to 115-120°F, and three videos on his channel under "human health," including Uncle David Wong's story. FoxDog asks whether ferment liquids like sauerkraut or tofu whey can substitute for Master Cho's LAB recipe; Drake explains the starch-water-and-milk method collects a broader lactobacillus family than salt-based ferments, though narrower cultures still work.

Andrew from Poland asks about tomato blight. Drake recommends KNF protectors mixed with a little soap, sprayed early and often at a stronger 1:700 to 1:500 dilution, plus a story about a Hawaiʻi kalo (taro) farmer whose lactobacillus sprays kept his patch blight-free even with contaminated irrigation water flowing down from neighbors upstream. He also answers a Montana viewer on how important it is to match KNF inputs to the plant's exact growth stage.

The back half covers Jadam's "disgustingly cheap" microbe solution: water, rich indigenous soil, one cup of boiled potato starch, and sea salt, diluted roughly 1:10 and used only while it's actively bubbling. Once it stops bubbling and starts smelling like rot, it has gone anaerobic and should be tossed.

Questions answered

  • 5:48 What did the Maui apprentice workshop cover for making KNF food? — Students made KNF food from guava, honohono grass, and banana flowers, covering all three plant growth stages.
  • 10:10 What's the quickest way to get microbes onto land with no waiting? — Mix water, rich indigenous soil, boiled potato, and salt, let it bubble a day, dilute 1:10 to 1:20, and use it immediately.
  • 13:01 Diagnosed with Lyme disease, what should I study about microbes and healing? — Drake points to IMO baths, burying in a fermenting pile around 115-120°F, and three human-health videos on his channel.
  • 21:39 What's actually happening in an IMO bath that helps the body? — It raises your body heat to cook out pathogens while sweat lets immune-building microbes into your skin.
  • 23:55 Can liquid from ferments like tofu or sauerkraut substitute for making LAB? — Yes, but Master Cho's starch-water-and-milk method collects a broader lactobacillus family than salt-heavy ferments narrow down.
  • 29:47 Can whey from cultured milk speed up making bokashi? — Yes, that should work fine in place of the usual liquid.
  • 31:18 My tomatoes have blight, what's the KNF treatment? — Use KNF protectors early and often, mixed with a little soap, since OHN won't fix blight once it's there.
  • 32:40 What if I'm missing an ingredient for a KNF recipe? — Use what you've got and keep going; you'll be a bit imbalanced until all the solutions are in rotation.
  • 34:01 How does a lactobacillus-only kalo farmer avoid blight his upstream neighbors get? — He sprays lactobacillus on his patch and stays blight-free even though contaminated water flows down to him from farms above.
  • 41:09 What protector dilution ratio should I use for active blight? — Bump the standard 1:1000 up to around 1:700 or even 1:500, applied as part of the full leaf formula.
  • 39:38 How crucial is it to use specific KNF inputs at the exact growth stage? — Drake compares it to feeding a baby, teenager, or elder food matched to their stage: skipping it still works, but timing it right brings more balance.
  • 48:31 How do you make the Jadam disgustingly cheap microbe solution? — Mix water, rich indigenous soil, one cup boiled potato starch, and sea salt, then dilute about 1:10 before spraying.
  • 57:29 How do you know when the Jadam microbe solution is ready to use? — Use it while it's actively bubbling and pulling from the barrel's edge; once bubbling stops and it smells like rot, it's gone anaerobic.

Topics: lab, imo bath, jadam, jms, protectors, blight, tomatoes, kalo, lactobacillus, bokashi, potato starch, lyme disease

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 and I Ching: Gathering Together
  2. 5:48 Maui trip: teaching the KNF book
  3. 10:10 Disgustingly cheap microbes recipe
  4. 13:01 Lyme disease and IMO baths
  5. 18:29 IMO bath video walkthrough
  6. 23:55 LAB vs. sauerkraut and kimchi liquid
  7. 31:18 Tomato blight treatment with protectors
  8. 34:01 Kalo farmer story: lactobacillus stops blight
  9. 39:00 Using KNF inputs at the right growth stage
  10. 48:31 Jadam disgustingly cheap microbe solution
  11. 57:29 Tale of two teas: aerobic vs. Jadam bubbling
  12. 1:02:48 Closing and next episode

Transcript

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

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