Dirt not Soil
Top answer
From the KNF library
The library defines the two words. Dirt is inorganic, and plants cannot grow in it alone. Soil is a living medium. (KNF Demystified, p. 8)
The IMO4 outline says dirt minerals encourage advanced fungal growth that works with soil. (KNF Demystified, p. 3) Drake says the real IMO4 recipe uses propagated IMO3, red dirt, and field soil. (Office Hours Oct 2025, 24:38) So your own field soil is already in the recipe. The dirt is there for its minerals.
Cho says to collect microorganisms in your own farming region. (Cho, Recipe, p. 9) Your microbes stay indigenous to your land.
On your 17 years of work, Drake says to do IMO4 soil foundation any time you disturb the soil. After two or three seasons of natural farming, healthy soil may not need it anymore. (Office Hours Ep. 14, 11:58)
The library does not have the class 3 passage at that mark. It also does not say whether to bring in dirt from off your farm.
Sources
- 11:58 Office Hours Ep. 14 (Jan 2022) — JADAM Sulfur, Humic Acid From Compost, C90 Seawater Ratio · “Do IMO4 soil foundation any time you disturb the soil; after two or three seasons of natural farming, healthy soil may not need it anymore.”
- 24:38 Office Hours (Oct 2025) — FPJ Sinks vs Sources, IMO4 Bog Soil Myth, Bee Feed Without Sugar · “the real recipe uses propagated IMO3, red dirt, and field soil.”
- p. 8 KNF Demystified · “Notice that dirt is solely inorganic compounds, and subsequently plants can not grow in dirt alone. Soil, on the other hand, is a living medium,”
- p. 3 KNF Demystified · “Real Life Experience - dirt minerals encourage advanced fungal growth specialized in working with soil”
- p. 9 Cho, Recipe · “so it follows that one must collect microorganisms in the farming region.”
