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Overheated IMO Piles, Mycorrhizae Myths, Starting With JMS

March 19, 2023 · by Drake Weinert

Drake's IMO pile got away from him. Left stacked too high for two weeks, it hit 140°F inside and split into three color layers instead of one even gray. That stratification is a sign of overheating and actinobacteria growth, which smells like asphalt. Overheated IMO shouldn't go to livestock — it strips gut microbes instead of feeding them — so Drake uses it as a cleansing spray or spreads it thin on pasture.

A viewer asked about adding forest roots to an IMO pile to capture mycorrhizae. Drake doubts it works: mycorrhizal fungi need a living plant pumping sugar exudates through the root, and dead roots can't do that. What actually grows in an IMO pile, he says, is endophytic fungi, not mycorrhizae. Root hairs coated in clinging soil are the tell for healthy, endophyte-rich roots.

On pest control, Drake says there's no real KNF technology for birds and deer — just fencing, dogs, and a rifle. JADAM's smell can push animals off, and Korean farms play recorded predator sounds to scare birds away. A sacrificial hedgerow of the deer's favorite plants can also pull them off the main crop.

For fish amino acid, keep it equal weight fish to sugar; lasagna layering is ideal but not required — dumping sugar on top still works. KNF food should be viscous, like juice concentrate. For newbies choosing between JMS and IMO, Drake says start with JMS: it's ready in 24 to 48 hours and hard to ruin, while IMO takes a minimum of four weeks and is easy to mess up without knowing it.

Questions answered

  • 17:22 What does it mean when an IMO pile splits into three color layers? — It means the pile overheated to 140°F inside and grew actinobacteria instead of staying one even gray color.
  • 23:15 Should you feed bad, overheated IMO to your chickens? — No — it strips nutrients and gut microbes from the animals instead of feeding them; use it as a cleansing spray or spread it on pasture instead.
  • 26:12 If it's not mycorrhizae, what is an IMO pile actually growing? — Likely endophytic fungi, not mycorrhizae, since there are no living roots in the pile to form that relationship.
  • 27:34 Is there a way to test if an IMO pile or compost is actually finished? — A CO2 burst rate test can confirm good respiration and a ready product, something Drake wants to try with a microcontroller CO2 monitor.
  • 31:55 What do lots of root hairs on a plant indicate? — Root hairs covered in clinging soil are a sign of healthy soil and strong endophyte activity feeding the plant.
  • 43:40 Does adding forest roots to an IMO pile capture mycorrhizae? — Probably not — mycorrhizae need a living plant pumping sugar exudates, and dead roots in a pile can't supply that.
  • 42:48 What viscosity should KNF plant food (FPJ) have? — It should be viscous like a juice concentrate; very few plants ferment gooey or stringy the way spinach does.
  • 45:37 Is there a KNF technique to protect crops from birds and deer? — No real KNF tech exists — Drake relies on fencing, dogs, and a rifle for that job.
  • 47:37 Will JADAM deter animals from the garden? — Yes, if the animal cares about stinky things, JADAM's smell will push it away.
  • 50:59 What other tricks keep deer and birds off crops? — Recorded predator sounds, like Korean farms play, and a sacrificial hedgerow of the deer's favorite plants both work.
  • 53:33 How should fish amino acid be layered, and what if you run out of room? — Keep it equal weight fish to sugar; lasagna layering is ideal but you can just dump sugar on top and it still works.
  • 1:01:00 Should a beginner start with JMS or IMO? — Start with JMS — it's done in 24 to 48 hours and hard to mess up, while IMO takes at least four weeks and is easy to ruin without realizing it.
  • 1:00:30 Can KNF be combined with deep water culture or bioponics? — Yes, Drake says KNF fits with almost any growing system, including deep water culture.
  • 1:05:05 How do you set up a hands-on class with Drake? — Email drake@pureknf.org; Airbnb stays at the farm run about $100 to $120 a night plus training time.

Topics: imo, mycorrhizae, endophytes, actinomycetes, jadam, fish amino acid, jms, carbon credits, deer, birds

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. 2:20 I Ching Reading: Grace
  3. 5:11 Community Welcome and Traditions
  4. 14:35 Regional Notes: Spain and Lost Pups
  5. 17:43 IMO Pile Overheats
  6. 20:33 Building an IMO Temperature Probe
  7. 25:45 Brassicas vs. Mycorrhizae, CO2 Burst Test
  8. 31:44 Endophytes, Root Hairs, Carbon Credits
  9. 38:32 Reaching Mr. Beast, Joe Rogan, AI vs. Nature
  10. 42:24 KNF Food Viscosity
  11. 43:40 Adding Roots to IMO for Mycorrhizae
  12. 45:55 Protecting Crops from Birds and Deer
  13. 47:37 JADAM, EU Regulations, Predator Recordings
  14. 53:07 Making Fish Amino Acid (FAA)
  15. 55:30 Drake as the Face of KNF
  16. 59:11 Mycorrhizae Recovery, Deep Water Culture
  17. 1:01:09 Start with JMS or IMO?
  18. 1:05:05 Classes, Pedro Meza, Sign-Off

Transcript

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

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