Skip to main content
← Back to Office Hours

IMO4 Degreaser, Pig Pen Biochar, Maltose Growth Stimulant

Drake opens with IMO4 breaking down oils and fats — it ate diesel out of a truck bed and works as a natural degreaser, though it should stay out of FAA (KNF Fuel) because it strips the fats needed there. He covers KNF Structure (water-soluble calcium phosphate): dry, buzzard-picked bones need no boiling, just crush and use. He warns that conventional sugarcane is often sprayed with Roundup before harvest, so use organic sugar for IMO2 and ferments, crushed fine if it's too granular.

For pests and disease, Drake favors LAB (KNF Protectors) over algae, applied weekly or semi-weekly against powdery mildew and bud rot. For a one-year-old hazelnut orchard with poor wind pollination, he recommends a beehive plus spraying KNF Structure during the two-week changeover ("puberty") period before flowering, mixed into a maintenance solution: 1:500 KNF food from unripe fruit, 1:500 cleanser, 1:1000 KNF medicine.

On the farm: pig pens don't need six inches of biochar on the bottom — mixing a five-gallon bucket into the top wood-chip layer of a 12x14 pen works fine. Crates of grapes become KNF food (equal weight brown sugar, ferment about a week) applied in the last three weeks before harvest for flavor and secondary metabolites. Seawater stores in five-gallon buckets out of direct sun and drenches at 1:30; fermented seawater doesn't keep — use it within two to three days, especially to revive plants after a heat wave. Maltose, diluted 1:500, speeds composting, helps seedling transplants, dampening-off, root rot, and livestock appetite.

Drake answers a grower in Israel on transitioning dry-climate deciduous orchards (apples, peaches, plums, almonds) to KNF by integrating IMO1 into existing spray and compost programs rather than converting all at once. He responds to Dr. Elaine Ingham's criticism that IMOs favor anaerobic pathogens, citing a Maui trial where KNF-treated tomato plants recovered faster than soil-food-web compost plants after an irrigation cutoff. For a forest project in Indonesia, he advises against burying amendments a meter deep — plant in a shallow 10-15cm cone and add fist-sized biochar chunks around each tree instead. He closes on nursery practice: liquid IMO in irrigation water, seed soaking solution, KNF Protectors at 1:1000 (or 1:700 for trouble), and 10% IMO4 mixed into potting medium.

Questions answered

  • 5:38 Can IMO4 break down lipids, fats, and oils — could it work as a soap or degreaser? — Yes — IMOs treat oils as food and devour them; sprinkle dry IMO4 on grease, but keep it out of FAA/KNF Fuel.
  • 8:44 Do you need to boil cow bones for KNF Structure if buzzards already picked them dry? — No — if the bones are already free of fat and oil, just use them as is; boiling is only needed to remove lipids.
  • 10:43 Should I use organic granular sugar for IMO2 and ferments since cane is sprayed with Roundup? — Yes, use organic sugar — Roundup before harvest is a microbicide; crush granular sugar first so it saturates properly.
  • 18:55 Can algae protect plants from powdery mildew, bud rot, and pests in one treatment? — Drake hasn't tested algae; he relies on LAB (KNF Protectors) applied weekly or semi-weekly for those problems.
  • 34:55 How do I improve pollination in a one-year-old, wind-pollinated hazelnut orchard? — Add a beehive and spray KNF Structure (water-soluble calcium phosphate) during the two-week changeover period before flowering.
  • 39:07 Did I make a mistake skipping six inches of biochar at the bottom of my pig pen? — No — just mix a five-gallon bucket of biochar into the top wood-chip layer instead, and repeat each time you add chips.
  • 41:56 I have crates of grapes — how can I use them for growing medicinal herbs? — Ferment them into KNF food with equal weight brown sugar, then apply during the last three weeks before harvest for flavor and potency.
  • 45:47 How should I store seawater? — Store it in five-gallon buckets or a cistern, out of direct sunlight; Drake drenches it at a 1:30 dilution.
  • 47:23 How long does fermented seawater store, and when should I use it? — It doesn't store well — use it within two to three days, and it's especially good for reviving plants after a heat wave.
  • 48:52 Does maltose need to be sun-dried, and what is it used for? — Sun-drying sterilizes it; diluted 1:500, maltose speeds composting, helps seedling transplants and root rot, and boosts livestock appetite.
  • 54:08 How do I transition a dry-climate deciduous orchard (apples, peaches, plums, almonds) to KNF? — Start by adding IMO1 from local forest into your existing spray or compost program rather than converting everything at once.
  • 58:52 What does Drake think of Dr. Elaine Ingham's claim that IMOs favor anaerobic pathogens? — He disagrees, citing a Maui trial where KNF-treated tomatoes recovered from an irrigation cutoff faster than soil-food-web compost plants.
  • 1:05:00 Should I bury KNF microbes a meter deep when converting soil to forest with amendments? — No — spread them on top and water in; plant in a shallow 10-15cm cone instead of a deep amended pit so roots reach out naturally.
  • 1:09:54 What's the difference in power between IMO4 and liquid IMO? — IMO4 (solid) is more powerful for soil application; liquid IMO is more convenient and cheaper for covering large acreage.
  • 1:12:50 What should I use for seed soaking, growing medium, and disease protection in a tree nursery? — Soak seeds in a microbial solution, mix 10% IMO4 into potting medium, and apply KNF Protectors at 1:1000 (1:700 if disease is bad).

Topics: imo4, lab, wca, knf structure, maltose, seawater, biochar, pig pen, hazelnut, pollination, seed soak, nursery

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
  2. 5:40 IMO4 breaks down lipids, fats, oils
  3. 7:54 KNF Fuel (FAA) — don't add IMO4
  4. 8:53 KNF Structure (WCP) — bones for calcium phosphate
  5. 10:43 Organic sugar vs. Roundup-treated cane
  6. 14:22 Meristems and FPJ (KNF Food)
  7. 17:34 Bromelain in pineapple skins
  8. 18:55 LAB (KNF Protectors) for mildew, bud rot, pests
  9. 22:18 KNF Farm trainings and website
  10. 34:55 Hazelnut pollination and changeover cycle
  11. 39:07 Pig pens and biochar
  12. 41:56 Grapes and fruit for KNF food
  13. 45:47 Seawater storage
  14. 47:23 Fermented seawater use and dilution
  15. 48:52 Maltose — sun drying and uses
  16. 54:08 Transitioning deciduous orchards to KNF
  17. 58:50 Dr. Elaine Ingham and KNF
  18. 1:05:00 Indonesia forest soil and JMS to KNF
  19. 1:09:54 IMO4 vs. liquid IMO
  20. 1:12:50 Nursery: seed soak, medium, KNF Protectors

Transcript

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

Share