IMO Feed Ratios, LAB for Wounds, Why Monoculture Works

A grower asks what to feed IMO2 besides beer spoils and kelp. Drake says brewing strips the carbs out of spent grain, so add a starch back in — a five-gallon bucket of chopped potato, about 10 percent of a hundred-pound pile. He also describes his own method: force feed or wood chips and dog food, mixed wet in a cement mixer.

A question on Angelica for the oriental herbal nutrient leads Drake to name Angelica gigas, which he buys from Mountain Rose Herbs since he can't grow enough in Hawaiʻi. He also shares a wound story: he poured undiluted lactobacillus straight onto an infected foot cut and the swelling and pain were gone in half an hour. He does not recommend putting IMO directly on a wound, but once drank a tea made from 10 percent IMO4 in Korea for an upset stomach.

On polyculture, Drake says he actually favors monoculture. He argues that IMOs watered into the soil, plus foliar sprays of fermented plant juice, trick the monoculture's biology into acting like a diverse polyculture. He also walks through IMO3 and IMO4 care: about 70 percent shade, a sheltered dirt floor, and never smothering a pile under plastic tarp. Cheryl adds her own method — leaves, branches, or straw for summer UV shade, and a tarp propped on sticks for winter airspace.

Later, Drake explains pile tech: building a central mulch pile that holds moisture and grows fungal networks, then planting crops radially around its edge instead of in rows — a method he credits for keeping his bananas free of Panama wilt symptoms his neighbors are seeing.

Questions answered

0:00 What substrate to use for IMO2 besides beer spoils and kelp? — Add a starch source like chopped potato slurry, since brewing strips carbs from beer mash and microbes need that food back.
1:36 How much potato to add per hundred pounds of substrate? — Roughly a five-gallon bucket of chopped potatoes, about 10 percent of the pile, though the exact ratio takes some trial.
4:48 What is the Latin name for the Angelica root used in OHN? — Angelica gigas is the species called for in the book; Drake sources his from Mountain Rose Herbs since he can't grow enough in Hawaiʻi.
13:38 What inputs boost flavonoids in the last four weeks of bloom? — Fermented fruit juice made with enough sugar to draw out the juice by osmosis, plus calcium and seawater.
16:26 Can lactobacillus be used topically, like in a bath? — Infuse lactobacillus into coconut oil and rub it on the skin for better absorption.
17:11 Has Drake used lacto to heal a wound? — He poured undiluted lactobacillus straight onto an infected foot cut and the swelling and pain were gone within a half hour.
18:42 How to polyculture a garden without too much competition? — Drake favors monoculture and says IMO and fermented plant juice sprays trick the monoculture's biology into acting like a polyculture.
24:22 How important is shade for making IMO3 and IMO4? — Aim for about 70 percent shade on a sheltered dirt floor, and avoid smothering the pile under a plastic tarp.
27:37 How does Cheryl cover her piles against UV and rain? — Leaves, branches, or straw in summer for UV shade, and a tarp propped with sticks for airspace in winter.
29:13 Is it OK to apply IMO directly to a wound? — No, use lactobacillus instead; Drake once drank a tea made from about 10 percent IMO4 in Korea for an upset stomach.
30:47 Can fermented mushroom compost establish fungal dominance in beds? — Yes, similar to brewery waste, though cultivated mushroom species may not be the ones that dominate once out in the field.
35:39 Who practices KNF near North Texas for local FPJ sourcing? — Drake recommends James Samudio in Fort Worth and Austin Moline down in Austin.
36:25 Can low-cost hoop houses help kids grow nutrient-dense food? — Drake runs raised-bed hoop house gardens with veterans, built from recycled tin roofing and PVC.
41:55 Does a grass area count as a dirt floor for making IMOs? — Yes, any natural floor has its own microbial zone that helps inoculate the pile.
49:11 How does pile tech work for planting around microbe piles? — Build a central mulch pile that grows fungal networks and moisture, then plant radially around its edge instead of in rows.

Topics: imo, lactobacillus, wound care, fermented plant juice, oriental herbal nutrient, angelica, monoculture, polyculture, pile tech, banana, raised beds, cannabis

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IMO Feed Ratios, LAB for Wounds, Why Monoculture Works

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