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IMO4 Leaf Fertilizer, No-Till Carbon, Dairy Cow Bedding

Drake opens with the I Ching hexagram Shi, the Army, then answers a run of practical questions. He confirms IMO4 works as a substitute for leaf mold in disgustingly cheap fertilizer, and clarifies that leaf mold really means the thin soil layer just under the leaf litter, not the visible mycelium. He covers FAA timing (a full 14 days, no peeking), making FPJ from sprouts for extra maltose, and why tilling releases carbon like a slow fire.

On livestock: dairy cow deep-litter beds need about six feet of logs and woodchips, double the four feet used for pigs, and cows should get sprayed with lactobacillus before entering the barn. He walks through a livestock bedding presentation with photos of log-and-woodchip and coconut-husk pig pens.

Garden topics include turning a field to grass without tillage by tarping with weed mat, sweetening cherry tomatoes with a strawberry-blueberry-pumpkin FPJ, and feeding corn with a buried fish head or soaked biochar and fish amino acid. Drake also shows his automated potato bed with four moisture sensors logging every 15 minutes.

He closes on foliar feeding, about four times as effective as drenching, KNF Protectors (LAB) for stem rot, building a tracked robot lawnmower, and confirms he slaughters his own pigs and cattle.

Questions answered

  • 15:53 Can I use IMO4 instead of leaf mold for disgustingly cheap fertilizer? — Yes, totally fine — both add microbes that break the material down; IMO4 just costs more to make.
  • 18:39 What does 'leaf mold' actually mean in Master Cho's teaching? — It's not leaf litter or visible mycelium — it's the thin soil layer forming just beneath the leaves.
  • 24:41 Why does the last 14 days of FAA feel like forever? — A watched pot never boils — set it somewhere you won't look at it and let it finish.
  • 25:20 Will roots or root-feeding nematodes cause problems in disgustingly cheap food? — Don't worry about it — the two-week putrefaction builds ciliates and other life that keeps nematodes in check.
  • 26:46 Is making FPJ from lentil sprouts instead of leaf tips a good direction? — Yes — sprouts are vital and rich in maltose, one of Master Cho's solutions.
  • 28:03 Can you explain carbon sequestration in simple terms? — Plants pump sugar from sunlight into their roots, and soil microbes turn it into humus that stores far more carbon than the plant itself.
  • 35:50 Does tillage really release stored soil carbon? — Yes — tilling oxidizes the soil like a slow fire, off-gassing carbon that aerobic microbes were holding.
  • 40:45 How do you sell KNF to other farmers? — Just do it — when people see your soil, yields, and lower costs improve, they come to you.
  • 45:55 How do you turn a field into grass or cover crop without tillage? — Tarp it with weed mat for a couple weeks to cut off light, then plant into it.
  • 46:19 What made Stone Mason's cherry tomatoes as sweet as grapes? — Feeding them a strawberry, blueberry, and pumpkin FPJ boosted sweetness and nutrient density.
  • 52:08 How do you build a living bed for dairy cows? — Same deep-litter system as pigs, but with about six feet of logs and woodchips instead of four.
  • 56:03 Is foliar feeding more effective than drenching? — Yes, about four times as effective, so use more diluted solution when foliar feeding.
  • 57:05 What microbe solution helps with stem rot? — Use KNF Protectors (LAB) — nothing beats lactobacillus for stem rot.
  • 58:18 Can I build a robot to mow my grass? — Yes, I'm working on one — it needs tracks instead of wheels since wheels slip, plus collision detection.
  • 59:17 Does Drake slaughter his own animals? — Yes, including a cow with a prolapsed uterus recently, which became hamburger.

Topics: imo4, fpj, faa, lab, disgustingly cheap fertilizer, no-till, biochar, foliar feeding, stem rot, pig pen, dairy cows, carbon sequestration

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. 1:41 I Ching Reading — Shi, The Army
  3. 6:44 Inflation and rising energy costs
  4. 16:18 Cheap leaf fertilizer with IMO4 vs leaf mold
  5. 19:47 Fossil fuels, microbes, and carbon sequestration
  6. 24:30 KNF Fuel (FAA) timing
  7. 25:08 Root-feeding nematodes in cheap food
  8. 26:32 KNF Food (FPJ) from sprouts; maltose
  9. 28:03 Carbon sequestration explained
  10. 34:40 Pork as the best food
  11. 35:50 Keep soil covered; tillage releases carbon
  12. 40:45 How to sell KNF
  13. 42:00 Goofman's garden; fish under corn
  14. 45:55 Turning a field to grass without tillage
  15. 46:19 Sweetening crops with FPJ
  16. 48:20 Potato garden and moisture sensors
  17. 52:08 Living bed for dairy cows and pigs
  18. 56:03 Foliar feeding vs drenching; stem rot
  19. 59:17 Slaughtering his own animals
  20. 1:02:00 KNF hui on the island

Transcript

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

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