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LAB Aeration, Sugar vs Molasses, Madag Spray Ratios

Drake starts with his "poo jacuzzi": a 55-gallon drum mixing dairy wash water, vinegar rinse, and lactobacillus with cow manure, drenched out through a 275-gallon tote and a 2-inch pipe. He answers whether LAB tea needs an air pump (LAB is facultatively anaerobic, so it grows without one, though aeration may help) and confirms mixing molasses with white sugar works fine for KNF inputs, since that's basically how brown sugar is made. He also runs homemade wetting-agent soap plus lactobacillus straight through the washing machine with no issues for his cesspool.

On tea-brewer materials, Drake says regular PVC is fine day to day since phthalates mostly leach under heat; HDPE, MDPE, copper, and glass carboys are pricier but plastic-free options. He goes off on a Victor Schauberger tangent about vortex flow forms and egg-shaped water devices.

Back to Master Cho's Madag: for 500 liters (132 gallons) of water, use roughly 3-15 liters soap, 0.5-2 liters sulfur, 3-20 liters herbs, and 10-20 liters microbes. Start sulfur at 0.5 liter for a greenhouse or 1 liter in the open field, increasing in 0.2-liter steps — persimmon, grape, and walnut are sulfur-sensitive. Soap plus herbs makes a pesticide, soap plus sulfur makes a germicide, soap plus microbes makes a fungicide, but sulfur and microbes should never be combined. Vinegar and sugar in Master Cho's recipes cut the soap's foam, so those blends need extra soap.

A real example: 500 liters water with 5 liters soap and 5 liters Jerusalem artichoke herbal solution (both 1:100), sprayed directly on aphids, killed them within 3 hours and left raisin-like husks by 24 hours. Fermented seawater is for the microbes that grow in it, while raw seawater carries the minerals, including calcium. Powdery, hydrophobic aphids still die from the soap solution, but only with soft water.

Questions answered

  • 9:37 Can LAB tea brew without an air pump? — LAB is facultatively anaerobic, so it grows fine without an air stone, though aerating it may help it grow even better.
  • 13:34 Can you mix molasses with white sugar for KNF solutions? — Yes — that's basically how brown sugar is made, combining white sugar with molasses.
  • 17:22 Any problems using wetting-agent soap as laundry detergent? — None — Drake uses his homemade soap plus lactobacillus straight in the wash; stains still need bleach or oxygen cleaner.
  • 20:36 What pipe is safe for a tea brewer given phthalate worries? — Regular PVC is fine day to day since phthalates mainly leach with heat; copper, glass, or clay cost more but avoid plastic entirely.
  • 36:54 How do I apply KNF inputs? — Follow Master Cho's formula chart — spray at 25 gallons per acre or drench at 100 gallons per acre, per the maintenance/soil/seed/leaf/bloom/fruit/harvest prescriptions.
  • 43:46 How much soap, sulfur, herbs, and microbes go into 500 liters? — Roughly 3-15 liters soap, 0.5-2 liters sulfur, 3-20 liters herbs, and 10-20 liters microbes per 500 liters (132 gallons) of water.
  • 45:21 How do you dial in the right sulfur dose? — Start at 0.5 liter for a greenhouse or 1 liter in the open field, then increase in 0.2-liter increments; persimmon, grape, and walnut are sulfur-sensitive.
  • 47:43 How do soap, sulfur, herbs, and microbes combine into treatments? — Soap plus herbs makes a pesticide, soap plus sulfur makes a germicide, and soap plus microbes makes a fungicide — never mix sulfur and microbes together.
  • 50:12 Why does the soap stop foaming in some mixes? — Vinegar and sugar or molasses in Master Cho's recipes cut the soap's foam, so those mixes need noticeably more soap.
  • 53:18 What's an example pesticide recipe and does it work? — 500 liters water with 5 liters soap and 5 liters Jerusalem artichoke solution (both 1:100) killed every aphid within 3 hours sprayed directly on them.
  • 57:39 Why doesn't the fermented seawater formula list calcium? — Fermented seawater is mainly for the microorganisms that grow in it, while raw seawater is used for its mineral content, including calcium.
  • 58:29 Does the soap solution work on powdery, hydrophobic aphids? — Yes, but only with soft water — hard water keeps the soap from wetting them.

Topics: lab, imo, madag, fermented seawater, jerusalem artichoke, aphids, sulfur, wetting agent soap, pvc, sugar, molasses, cow manure

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 & I Ching: Contemplation
  2. 6:10 Poo Jacuzzi: LAB Manure Drench System
  3. 9:37 LAB Tea: Aerobic vs Anaerobic Brewing
  4. 13:34 Mixing Sugar and Molasses for KNF
  5. 17:22 LAB Laundry Soap and Cesspool Breakdown
  6. 20:36 PVC Pipe and Phthalates for Tea Brewers
  7. 30:39 Victor Schauberger and Water Vortex Design
  8. 36:54 How to Apply KNF Inputs: Formula Chart
  9. 40:40 Madag Time Begins
  10. 43:46 Madag Ratios for 500 Liters of Water
  11. 45:21 Sulfur Increments and Sensitive Crops
  12. 47:43 Germicide, Pesticide, Fungicide Triangle
  13. 50:12 Why Vinegar and Sugar Kill Foam
  14. 53:18 Jerusalem Artichoke Aphid Pesticide Recipe
  15. 57:39 Fermented Seawater vs Raw Seawater
  16. 58:29 Powdery Aphids Need Soft Water
  17. 1:01:35 Wrap-Up and Next Episode Preview

Transcript

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