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Red Dirt for IMO4, Storing IMO3/IMO4, Spotting Bad KNF Ferments

May 1, 2022 · by Drake Weinert

Drake opens with how to tell KNF solutions have gone bad: off smells like acetone after the built-up gas escapes, a vinegar or heavy-alcohol taste in fermented plant juice, and heavy bubbling, which means microbes are still active instead of arrested by sugar. A caller's saplings looked dead after 2 days bare-rooted in seed soak solution — Drake says only stop watering potted trees for 2 days, don't bare-root that long, and lactobacillus can help them recover. For saplings 3 to 5 feet tall, he raises the structure (water-soluble calcium) ratio to about 1:500 in the seed soak.

IMO3 stores best thin, off the ground, in wood boxes, burlap sacks, or newspaper-lined milk crates, but it doesn't last long before moths move in. IMO4 mixed with soil keeps for a year or two if it stays dry enough. Disgustingly Cheap Microbes are ready once foam rings form on top — use them before the colony collapses — and a dirty collection container can be cleaned first with diluted lactobacillus and a little molasses for 3 to 5 days. In cold weather, bury the IMO box, insulate it with leaves, and leave it sealed for a full 14 days without peeking. A cedar box isn't required — a cleaned woven basket, like the lauhala baskets Drake uses, works fine. Brewer's spent grain can go into IMOs too, but needs extra carbohydrate like powdered potato blended back in, since the yeast already used up the sugars.

The "red dirt" in the IMO4 recipe is just poor, mineral-rich, nutrient-less soil — clay or crushed granite fines work as a substitute. It's mixed with field soil so the microbes learn to break down poor ground while picking up local biology like nematodes. Apple cider vinegar works fine in KNF recipes, and live vinegar carries more enzymes, though Drake sticks with diluted 5% white vinegar for reproduction and structure to keep cost and unwanted life down. Molasses should never replace brown sugar and shouldn't be used for preservation — its moisture activates microbes instead of arresting them. Its only real use is activating lactobacillus. Using molasses in place of sugar for fermented plant juice actually makes a fermented plant extract, a different, shorter-lived product that often just tastes like vinegar.

A plant food made from an insecticidal herb only mildly discourages pests — a concentrated, boiled-down herbal solution mixed with soap is the real insecticide. An IMO pile still active after 17 days of turning means water is getting in somewhere; once the pile hits 65% moisture at the start, add no more water and let it dry down. Four cups of rice is the practical minimum for a decent IMO harvest. For soil with too much calcium, add organic matter and humic or fulvic acid concentrates and let the IMOs balance it out.

Questions answered

  • 6:52 What are the signs KNF solutions (knfFood, protectors/LAB) have gone bad? — Bad smell like acetone after off-gassing, a vinegar or strong-alcohol taste, and heavy bubbling all mean the solution has gone bad.
  • 17:00 Saplings bare-rooted 2 days in seed soak solution look dead — what went wrong? — Don't bare-root that long; just stop watering potted saplings for two days, then add lactobacillus to help them revive.
  • 23:45 How should you store IMO3 and IMO4, and how long do they last? — Store IMO3 thin and breathable off the ground; it won't last long, but IMO4 mixed with soil stores a year or two if kept from getting too wet.
  • 26:39 How do you know Disgustingly Cheap Microbes are ready, and can a dirty container ruin the batch? — Use it once foam rings form on top, before it collapses; pre-clean a dirty container with diluted lactobacillus and a little molasses for several days.
  • 31:39 How do you set an IMO box in cold weather? — Bury it well, insulate with leaves, and leave it undisturbed and sealed for a full 14 days.
  • 36:45 What should you expect to see through a microscope in KNF ferments? — Stored solutions show little activity by design; compare soil with and without added ferment over 12 hours to see the microbial burst.
  • 39:42 Can brewer's spent grain be used in IMOs? — Yes, but blend in extra carbohydrate like powdered potato since the yeast already consumed the sugars.
  • 41:11 Does the IMO box have to be cedar? — No — a cleaned woven basket, like the lauhala baskets Drake uses, works fine.
  • 44:16 What is the "red dirt" in IMO4, and can clay substitute? — It's poor, nutrient-less mineral soil like clay or granite fines, mixed with field soil so microbes learn to convert it while gaining local biology.
  • 48:21 Does apple cider vinegar have disadvantages versus other vinegars? — No — any fruit or grain vinegar works, and live, unheated vinegar brings extra beneficial enzymes.
  • 49:49 Should molasses replace brown sugar, and what happens if you use it for plant juice? — Use brown sugar alone; molasses is only for activating lactobacillus and, used instead of sugar in plant juice, makes a shorter-lived fermented plant extract, not true FPJ.
  • 54:09 Would a plant food made from an insecticidal herb work as a pest deterrent? — It only mildly discourages pests; a concentrated boiled-down herbal solution mixed with soap is the real insecticide.
  • 57:16 IMO pile still active after 17 days of turning — too much moisture? — Yes — hit 65% moisture at the start and add no more water; ongoing activity after 17 days means water is getting in.
  • 1:01:06 What's the smallest amount of rice for a decent IMO harvest? — Four cups of rice is his practical minimum; smaller batches collect poorly.
  • 1:02:40 Soil has too much calcium — how do you fix it? — Add organic matter and humic or fulvic acid concentrates, and let the IMOs help balance it out.

Topics: lab, imo, imo4, fpj, seed soak solution, red dirt, molasses, disgustingly cheap microbes, saplings, calcium, brewer's spent grain, cedar box

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. 1:24 I Ching: Corners of the Mouth (Nourishment)
  3. 6:52 Signs KNF solutions have gone bad
  4. 11:22 HFUU class: microbial theory videos, recipe book
  5. 17:00 Transplanting saplings; seed soak solution
  6. 21:46 Structure ratio for transplants; storing knfMedicine
  7. 23:45 Storing IMO3 and IMO4
  8. 26:39 Making Disgustingly Cheap Microbes
  9. 30:31 Transporting and setting IMO box in cold weather
  10. 33:20 Fermented mixed compost with IMOs
  11. 36:45 KNF solutions under a microscope
  12. 39:42 Brewer's spent grain in IMOs
  13. 41:11 IMO box materials; collecting IMOs indoors
  14. 44:16 What is "red dirt" in IMO4
  15. 48:21 Apple vinegar; live vs. white vinegar
  16. 49:49 Molasses vs. brown sugar; plant extract vs. FPJ
  17. 54:09 Herbicides, insecticides, and knfFood
  18. 56:09 Starting in KNF; loaming up soil
  19. 57:16 IMO pile running 17 days: moisture issue
  20. 1:01:06 Rice amount, calcium, and KNFsupport site

Transcript

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