Questions & Answers
413 questions from farmers and gardeners since 2018, with 831 written answers. Search here and you also get the moment it was answered live on Office Hours.
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60 questions about “LAB”
Super LAB
Drake Weinert L4 · provisional Combining different microbes, again, is not novel. Folks have been selling EM1 which is a combination of Lactos, Yeasts, and Purple Bacterias for decades. This is also a very powerful combination, and when you combine independently very powerful microbes…LAB does not separate - troubleshooting
dagoofman it just sounds like your jar was to small to allow proper separation of the curd and whey i personally use 1/2 gal of milk in a 1 gal jar just to leave enough head room the curd expands a lot ..... and getting a lil curd in the final solution i don't think…LAB gone bad
dagoofman iv had some green & white molds but never like a black mold would recommend carefully removing the curd from the whey then smell the whey ....is it rotten ..bad juju ...does it smell fine .. should be ok trust your nose it will tell u if its bad or not the…LAB problems
jay.buhrt Rainbow, Did you add 10x the milk to the volume of rice water you let ferment 7 days before? What kind of milk did you use. Did you leave it ferment in a cool/dark place? What is the temp in the room you let your culture sit?LAB collection: barley, Oat?
dagoofman I would have to say yes being that LAB lives on everything and everywhere and that the starch collection will still attract the LAB from the air and that by propagating in the milk u should still get a LAB only full spectrum solution afterwards One of the…Adding LAB to FPJ
suze Sure you could, but you run the risk of wetting the sugar and decreasing its osmotic drawing power. You want the sugar to be dry. Also, adding liquid is generally discouraged when making any of the sugar based solutions UNTILL AFTER fermentation is complete…How long can LAB last in fridge - without sugar mixed in?
Drake Weinert L4 · provisional From what I have empirical evidence for, it lasts about 3 months in the fridge without supersaturation. With super saturation in the fridge it can last many years. The smell and taste are the best tell tales without a microscope. If you do have a microscope…Best rice for making labs
suze I assume any variety of WHITE/POLISHED rice would be good for LAB, however I have not tested every variety to compare if they are equal in their quality and amount of starch. I can however, vouch for jasmine, basmati, and calrose as these varieties I have…LAB Alcohol Tolerate
max_cloutier We use lactobacillus (Plantarum mostly, which is pretty common in the wild) a lot in sour beer brewing and the lacto does not seem to be bothered much by anything under 5% ... around 10% growth is starting to get impaired but some strains can survive 12-16%…Frozen LAB
From the KNF library The library says nothing about freezing LAB, so it cannot say whether a frozen culture is ruined. • The Student's Manual says you may store the whey in the refrigerator to arrest the fermentation (Student's Manual, Basic Course, p. 18). • Cho advises keeping…LAB
Drake Weinert L4 · provisional The recipe provided by Master Cho is designed to create as diverse of a family of LAB as possible. Closed ferments limit the diversity.Does LABS need refrigeration
dagoofman no - if super saturated it can be stored in a cool dark place all KNF solutions are shelf stable - if unsaturated with brown sugar then yes store in fridge KNF is about global natural farming and not all places have access to refrigeration so Master Cho…Lab for cattle
From the KNF library The LAB fact sheet says LAB culture is used for livestock production as well as plants. (Student's Manual, Basic Course, p. 13) The dilution it gives is for plants: 1:1,000 in water. (Student's Manual, Basic Course, p. 15) The manual lists OHN as an aid to…LAB Diversity
Drake Weinert L4 · provisional Somewhat counter productive when you weigh cost to benefit. KNF Police also known as lactic acid bacteria are almost omnipresent in the environments within the Milky Way. Their diversity is based on multiplying with each other in the starch rich collection…LAB smelly after separation
suze Different collections of LAB can certainly taste very different. From sweet-ish to bitter to sour to very mild and neutral tasting. "Sour" for me seems to be the most frequent flavor I end up with. As long as it's not a bad sour I think you're fine.…Kefir vs LAB
Drake Weinert L4 · provisional I just looked up kefir on wikipedia, and it says that "The kefir grains initiating the fermentation are initially created by auto-aggregations of Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens and Kazachstania turicensis, where multiple biofilm producers cause the surfaces to…LABS from colostrum milk
Drake Weinert L4 · provisional I would not recommend it. Colostrum is full of all kinds of things that are not vital to the KNF Protector process. It's not that you can't, but that it would have much more float to the top that isn't the proteins sinking to the bottom in the serum that you…Does lab go bad?
dagoofman All KNF solutions can go bad this is why its taught ( The nose knows! ) if it smells bad then it has gone bad ...LAB has one of the shortest shelf life's in KNF its only recommended to store it for about 1 year if not refrigerated ...i make LAB a few times a…LAB Machine
Drake Weinert L4 · provisional I have no idea how to get a hold of them.I found dark green/black on top of my lab. It is in its second phase with the milk added to rice wash. Its 36 hrs since milk was add.
leo Toss it. You will have failures, we all do. Before I make LAB, I clean all equipment with distilled vinegar, no more funky culturesI found dark green/black on top of my lab. It is in its second phase with the milk added to rice wash. Its 36 hrs since milk was add.
gurkan.yeniceri Chuck it. Mucor mold or pencillium roqueforti started to grow.Any ideas on how to fight ganoderma
dagoofman grew up in FL so iv seen a lot of this shelf mushroom on palms and once it gets in the tree it eats the heart of the tree if u r seeing mushrooms its to late the tree is dead in 3-5 yrs its gonna fall so if its close to your home or anything where its a risk…Vegan Substitution
joelorusso I think lactose only exists in milk from mammals. Use human milk if you don’t want a cow or goat to get milked. Also, i’m pretty sure bones come from animals too.KNF Powder?
gurkan.yeniceri How are you going to measure the dilution? Wouldn't you than waste a lot of KNF inputs?Seaweed FPJ
Drake Weinert L4 · provisional Layers of mold can grow on top of KNF Food made by fermenting plant material and sometimes if they are not super saturated with sugar after the extraction of juice, they will continue to ferment and may grow a mold on top. This is a sign that the solution is…KNF for Rapid Ohia Death
Drake Weinert L4 · provisional Restoring and strengthening the indigenous soil biology around the 'ohia tree keeps the trees from being overrun by the symptoms of ROD. Other solutions made from plants from the native forest help to feed the trees as well. The key is to establish a schedule…bug problems indoors.
From the KNF library Drake's library says to start with lactic acid bacteria (LAB), the KNF Protectors. (Office Hours Feb 2026, 18:21) They are the best bet indoors. (Office Hours Ep. 25, 58:22) Pests often follow plant stress, and overdosing nutrients is a commonly overlooked…IMO4 Smell Ammonia
From the KNF library The library does not say why an IMO4 pile smells of ammonia, or whether to cover it with straw for two days. Drake's IMO4 method holds the pile at 40-50°C and 60-70% moisture, and turns it for about a week. Staying under 50°C fits that (Office Hours Ep. 57,…FAA creating pressure in jars
dagoofman yes id think more sugar to lock up the water in the FAA would stop the fermentationPre mix KNF solution
dagoofman u would not want to pre mix LAB or FAA but the base mix/maintenance spray can be pre mixed OHN FPJ BRV WCAP then added/used at 25ML/gal as the base for the spraysKNF for orchids/ vanilla
From the KNF library 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…Lacto Life
Drake Weinert L4 · provisional Salt and brown rice will change the colonies of LAB that colonize the nutrients. The white rice method of Master Cho is designed to catch a broad family of Lacto.Amino acid with placenta
From the KNF library The library says nothing about placenta. It does cover amino acid made from animal material. • Drake has made amino acid from pigs and mongoose, not only fish. (Office Hours Ep. 25, 44:34) • The base recipe is fish and sugar 1:1 by weight, then a wait of 3 to…EM-5 made with KNF inputs ?
From the KNF library The library has no recipe for EM-1 or EM-5, so it cannot say whether KNF inputs match them. Drake describes KNF protectors as lactic acid bacteria made from milk. He sprays them early and often when rust and anthracnose take hold. (Office Hours Ep. 87, 54:25)…Mossy trees
dagoofman if i remember i think drake was talking about maintenance solution and suz was also talking about it on that episode if so it is OHN,BRV,FPJ,WCAP ....LAB i would think might help alsoKNF as Medicine
Drake Weinert L4 · provisional I drink it on a regular basis. I probably should every day, but you know how life goes, kind of in spurts. I notice great benefits and no detriments.Here is a video of Master Cho talking about KNF for Human Health and Here is a video of Uncle David Wong…Disease from pruning
Drake Weinert L4 · provisional The solutions you mention of Medicine, Cleanser, and Protectors sound like a good short term solution to controlling any infection that is in the tree. In the long run, Foundation IMO is your best bet. Mix a bit of that with some oatmeal gruel to make it…ULC/KNF for pasture restoration
Drake Weinert L4 · provisional In my practice with this sort of large scale remediation, Ultra Low Cost is the way to go. You may also want to supplement with KNF Minerals aka diluted seawater because the mineral content tends to be low in exhausted land as well. This can be reconstituted…Storing FFJ and other inputs
Drake Weinert L4 · provisional The key to long term storage with KNF Food (which contain both FFJ and FPJ in the old vocabulary) and KNF Police (LAB) is to tie up the water through a process called supersaturation thus arresting the fermentation. Supersaturation in KNF means that every…Trichoderma on FAA
jay.buhrt Hi, OHN will help keep fat/lipids down, but a dash of IMO4 will really really help keep the top dissolved. I would not use LAB on top of your FAA. To make a good FFA, it takes 3-6 months… if you get it right 1:1 BS/Fish, just let it sit until it's completely…Greenish IMO4 // trichoderma // pig pen
Drake Weinert L4 · provisional It sounds like you may not have made the IMO correctly. It is essential, especially when it comes to animals, that the IMO does not exceed 50 celsius during the fermenting process. It should smell like a rich forest floor when done properly.Pig pen IMO4
Drake Weinert L4 · provisional Yes, the IMO should still be "good". It is best practice to top dress IMO applications, but without being able to directly observe the situation, in theory the IMO will begin to inoculate and persist in the environment and spread throughout the pig pen floor…A doubt on how to ferment for FPJ
Drake Weinert L4 · provisional The sugar cap is not necessary for fermenting plant juice to make KNF Food. The sugar cap is used when fermenting fruit juice because fruit tends to have a higher concentration of sugars and moisture, so it needs the additional sugars to create osmotic…Some funky fish smell FAA
Drake Weinert L4 · provisional When making KNF Fuel, if you start with bad fish, it's like they say, bad fish. If you study a good batch of KNF Fuel you will find that it is predominantly KNF Police that are preserving the solution. This is not to say that there are not other microbes…Making it happen, natural style
“I just used stabilized LAB to make my sushi rice.... I was out of sugar. It's awesome with spicy tuna business... Love! ”
Imo 3 pile not heating up
liv2hik I'm having the same issue in Colorado in mid-April. It's been 36hours and it's not heating up. For the record, I used 50lbs of rolled oats and wood shavings with the IMO3 liquids per the manual (2x different IMO2's). The pile is outside on dirt and covered…Fertilizing blackcurrants and gooseberries small garden
dagoofman all the things u said r great theres no reason u cant add whatever u want to the soil remember gardening is never 1 way to do anything and the best way to garden is what works for u maybe your a double dig person maybe your a ruth stout it doesn't matter if…KNF L.A.B (WITH RICE BRAN)
Drake Weinert L4 · provisional To make rice bran lactic acid bacteria: add a liquid culture of lactic acid bacteria to rice bran then seal it for 2 weeks to culture. The lactic acid bacteria culture should be diluted 1:1000 into water, and then the rice bran should be moistened to 50%…Peach leaf curl Taphrina
dagoofman Spraying weekly with protectors (LAB) will help the fungus not set in ...the lacto get in the pores of the leaves and take up the space needed for the fungus to set in reducing the leaf curl and allowing the tree to grow stronger to fight off the intruders…Anaerobic decomposition?
dagoofman in Master Cho's KNF there is no anaerobic decomposition it is fermentation much like a kimchi or sauerkraut but sugar is used instead of salt ...in a KNF Food (FPJ) the sugar creates osmotic pressure to release the juices of the plant material and is done…White mold on FAA
dagoofman a lil white mold is fine as long as theres not a rotting smell or black or green mold... a lot of fermentations get a bit of white mold its mostly yeast from what i am to understand and id guess they r feeding on the oils floating on top iv noticed if i put a…IMO Theory
Drake Weinert L4 · provisional The short answer is NO. This is the safest answer because even Master Cho says not to eat KNF Microbes, he says "grow the plants with IMO, eat the plants". Reasoning being that in IMO there is a LOT of stuff, especially if you go up to IMO4 where it is mixed…White mold on Ferment Fruit Juice (mango)
Drake Weinert L4 · provisional White mold growing on top is a sign it is done. I hope you poured it off. If mold is growing after you pour it off, most likely you need to supersaturate it.Tasting fpj
dagoofman There would be many factors to look into id think comparing your diet and what nutrients u might be lacking to the plant u r fermenting and what nutrients it may hold the added microbial activity is always a plus Dr. Park says "3% of r total body weight is…Storing Humic Acid/Worm Juice
hugoflmatos I don't see why not, when supersaturating you will induce the microbes to hibernate. Try using at least the same ratio as LAB, or even more because LAB are not only super though but also super fast to multiply, and since I'm not sure how fast that microbe…KNF MINERAL C,D
Drake Weinert L4 · provisional These are proprietary solutions introduced by Master Cho's daughter Ju-Young Cho, and are not readily available anywhere due to her departure.Storing knf solutions
dagoofman Everything can be stored at room temp just keep it in a shady/cool dry spot in the roomNatural solutions for soil test help!
dagoofman compost is a very good place to start also making (IMO 4) Activated Microbes will help a lot also and using Soil Prep Formula ....start with adding a good amount of compost to the soil to bring up the plant matter and get a loamy soil to grow in ...spread the…KNF recipe ebook
Drake Weinert L4 · provisional Duplicate of this questionSaid on Office Hours
Dr. Drake on “LAB” during the live show. Each link opens the episode at that moment.
