KNF for orchids/ vanilla
Hi everyone, I was wondering if you could use KNF methods for farming vanilla or orchids? I would think that IMOs and LAB would also have a beneficial effect on orchids, but wanted to know if anybody have any experience using KNF for these species. Any advice would be much appreciated!
Cheers,
Muja (Barking Pigeon Farms)
From the KNF library
From the KNF library
Drafted by Claude from Office Hours and the books
·
Sep 2026
·
6 sources
Drake calls LAB the KNF protectors. They colonize first, so bad microbes have to fight through good ones. (Office Hours Ep. 21, 53:40) His powdery mildew advice is to spray protectors early and often, so they occupy leaf surface space before mildew can establish itself. (Office Hours Ep. 79, 44:26)
Drake's LAB steps:
- Set rice wash water out 24 to 36 hours. (Office Hours Ep. 67, 57:15)
- Mix the liquid with milk at 10:1. Keep the whey once curds and whey separate. (Office Hours Ep. 67, 57:15)
- Spray the serum diluted around 1:2000. (Office Hours Aug 2025, 31:29)
IMOs are microbes native to your area. (Unravelling the Mysteries of KNF, p. 73) To build a living soil foundation, top dress with IMO4. (Cho's Solutions, p. 11)
The library says nothing about orchids or vanilla, and holds no grower experience with either.
Sources
- 53:40 Office Hours Ep. 21 (Mar 2022) — Water-Soluble Calcium, Wood Ash, Filtering FAA · “they colonize you first so bad microbes have to fight through trillions of good ones to reach you”
- 57:15 Office Hours Ep. 67 (Mar 2023) — Mosaic Virus, Banana Bunchy Top, and Making Lactic Acid Bacteria · “Set rice wash water out 24 to 36 hours, mix the liquid with milk at a 10:1 ratio, then once curds and whey separate, keep the whey.”
- 44:26 Office Hours Ep. 79 (Jun 2023) — Seawater Dilution Ratios, Restaurant Waste for Pigs, Powdery Mildew · “Spray protectors (lactic acid bacteria) early and often so they occupy leaf surface space before mildew can establish itself.”
- 31:29 Office Hours (Aug 2025) — LAB, Bloom Formula Timing, and Bamboo-Egg Chick Feed · “spray the resulting serum diluted around 1:2000”
- p. 73 Unravelling the Mysteries of KNF · “The IMOs are naturally occurring, organic microbes that are native to the area.”
- p. 11 Cho's Solutions · “When used as a top dress amendment to establish a living soil foundation, IMO4 is best.”
