Green mold (trichoderma)
Hey Drake,
My trichoderma problem in a batch of IMO seems to have migrated to the IMO in my pigs' floor.
Any ideas on how to deal with this?
Other than removing the entire floor, I was thinking of adding more IMO4 to compete with the green mold, as well as periodically spraying the floor with liquid IMO2.
A wise man once said that farming is moving from one disaster to another. Seems he was right.
Top answer
To get the trichoderma under control in this situation, I recommend using KNF Protectors. The broad family lactic acid bacteria are adept at helping to control other pathogenic biology that gets out of control. In this case, you could dilute the KNF Protectors at around 1:100 (about 10x stronger than normally recommended) to ensure that you get a lot of them in there to correct this problem. Also including the other standard KNF Solutions recommended in the Soil Preparation Formula is also a good idea.
Another more radical approach is to use concentrated vinegar. Like a 30% concentrate sprayed in there will definitely kill most everything, but could also burn things, so I'm not recommending this, but perhaps look into it.
From the KNF library
From the KNF library
Drafted by Claude from Office Hours and the books
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Sep 2026
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3 sources
Drake's library answer to green mold on a pig pen floor is to add lactobacillus, protectors, cleanser, and medicine, and try liquid seed IMO. (Office Hours Ep. 117, 31:30) Your plan to spray liquid IMO fits that list. (Office Hours Ep. 117, 31:30)
Drake says IMO2 with green mold is still usable. Skip the batch only if you see red mold. (Office Hours Ep. 123, 43:12)
For mold on a building surface, Drake wiped LAB plus vinegar and Simple Green on a moldy roof. It kept the mold away for about a year. (Office Hours Ep. 34, 56:20)
The library does not say whether more IMO4 will crowd out the green mold. It gives no dilution or spray schedule for a pig floor.
Sources
- 43:12 Office Hours Ep. 123 (May 2024) — Root-Tip FPJ, OHN Substitutions, IMO4 Temperature Limits · “Yes for yellow, pink, blue, or green, but skip the batch if you see red mold.”
- 31:30 Office Hours Ep. 117 (Mar 2024) — Kefir vs LAB, Maltose for Old Seeds, Jadam Sulfur for Rice · “Add lactobacillus, protectors, cleanser, and medicine, and try liquid seed IMO.”
- 56:20 Office Hours Ep. 34 (Jun 2022) — Liquid IMO Tea, LAB for Powdery Mildew, Storing Seawater · “Drake wiped LAB plus vinegar and Simple Green on a moldy roof and it kept the mold away for about a year.”
