Four Jobs Microbes Do in Soil, and Why Local Ones Win
Dr. Hoon Park, Not stated in this recording · USA (Hawaiʻi)
Part of the full session video: this talk runs from 1:12:43 to 1:26:07. Times below are the video's.
Dr. Hoon Park, under a tent on the skill-share lawn, explains why Microbes (IMO) matter in soil. He says your own local microbes outlast lab-made ones like EM, and goes through four jobs they do: decomposition, catalysis, revitalization (bringing earthworms) and disease suppression. He ends with charcoal as a home for IMO-4, Master Cho's tree seedlings in the Mongolian desert, and his main point: look at the roots and revive the soil.
What they found
Why do microorganisms matter in the soil, and why use your own local ones?
A lecture, not a trial. Park explains that plants can't take in fertilizer (chemical NPK or organic, like chicken manure) until microbes break it down, compares local Microbes (IMO) with lab-made EM, lists four functions of IMO, and gives examples secondhand: David Wong's basil on Oʻahu, Alika's disease estimate, and Master Cho's desert seedlings in Mongolia (about 100 seedlings, four bean-sized pieces of charcoal around each, with IMO-4; morning dew the only water described). Details of these examples such as dates, places, and how results were measured: not stated.
- IMO in the soil — Your own indigenous microorganisms, collected where you farm. Rates not given.
- Charcoal with IMO-4 at planting (Master Cho, Mongolia) — Four bean-sized pieces of charcoal around each tree seedling, plus IMO-4; the charcoal catches morning dew and houses the microbes.
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Basil to first harvest in 3–4 months instead of about 6
At David Wong's farm on Oʻahu, after using IMO; cutting went from every two months to every month, "and quality is very good". Told secondhand, no data shown.
▶ 1:17:35 As spoken
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Earthworms dig to seven feet; a tractor tills about 7 inches
Worms that IMO helps bring back dig for moisture "seven feet", versus about 20 cm (7 inches) for a $30,000 tractor or tiller.
▶ 1:19:35 As spoken
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About 30% less disease after spreading IMO
Alika's estimate as Park remembers it; Alika said he was "not 100% accurate".
▶ 1:20:54 As spoken
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IMO-4 holds about 90–95% moisture
"If I remember correct". He says this lets it work in drought. Cho's own figure is 65–70% (see Cho check).
▶ 1:22:03 As spoken
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97% of desert seedlings survived with charcoal and IMO-4
Master Cho's Mongolian desert planting, about 100 seedlings, as Park tells it.
▶ 1:23:21 As spoken
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Often the problem is the roots, not disease on top
When a plant looks bad, Master Cho pulls it out to look at the root system first.
▶ 1:25:31 As spoken
- A lecture: every result is secondhand (David Wong, Alika, Master Cho) and from memory, with no data shown.
- No comparison groups are described for the basil, the disease estimate or the desert seedlings.
- Park flags his own uncertainty on the IMO-4 moisture figure and Alika's 30%.
- The recording starts mid-lesson; whatever came before it is cut.
- Plants can't use fertilizer until it's broken down; microbes do that work.
- Collect your microbes where you farm: they are adapted to your weather and soil.
- Watch for earthworms; they till deeper than any tractor.
- Charcoal holds water and gives microbes a home; it pairs well with IMO-4.
- When a plant struggles, pull one and look at the roots before blaming a disease up top.
Next to Master Cho's teaching
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Agrees
Four functions of IMO: decomposition, catalysis, revitalization, disease suppression Park's list matches Cho's book point for point, including bacteria and fungi first, then nematodes and earthworms, as the soil comes back to life.
Cho, Natural Farming Agricultural Materials (Recipe), p. 8
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Agrees
Use your own local microbes rather than lab-made EM Cho agrees and goes further: Natural Farming rejects foreign and lab-made microorganisms, and only local ones adapt with the same strength. Park is milder: "EM is okay. It works good."
Cho, Janong Natural Farming (2003), p. 89
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Differs
IMO-4 has about 90–95% moisture Cho makes and keeps IMO-4 at 65–70% moisture and tops it up with OHN before use. Park hedged the figure ("if I remember correct"); go with Cho's 65–70%.
Cho, Cho Han-Kyu's Natural Farming (Theory), p. 57
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Agrees
Small pieces of charcoal plus IMO-4 at the seedling catch dew and house microbes Cho describes the same method in his own words: small pieces of biochar put on top without watering, moisture from passing clouds soaks in, then IMO-4 on the biochar so microbes live there. In this 2017 telling he places it in Tanzania (five pieces), not Mongolia (four pieces in Park's version).
2017/Advanced Cho/nutrient cycle/IMG_2876 @ 0:38:30 (translated)
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Agrees
97% survival of Master Cho's desert trees in Mongolia Cho's CGNF presentation gives the same figure: trees planted in the Gobi by the Natural Farming method grew 15–20 feet in three years with 97% survival. It doesn't say how many seedlings or describe the charcoal.
Natural-Farming-What-is-Natural-farming, p. 33–36
“So that's the guy who is the best for this condition.”
▶ 1:15:01
“The earthworm can dig down for you seven feet with no charge for the gasoline fee.”
▶ 1:20:09
“They give apartment housing for the IMO 4.”
▶ 1:23:03
“A lot of time the root system is a problem, not disease on top.”
▶ 1:25:38
“Soil is very important. We have to revive the soil.”
▶ 1:26:02
In this talk
- 1:12:43Microbes break fertilizer down so roots can use it
- 1:13:56Local microbes (IMO) vs lab microbes (EM)
- 1:16:09Jobs 1 and 2: decomposition and catalysis
- 1:17:23David Wong's basil: harvest sooner, cut more often
- 1:18:49Job 3: revitalization, earthworms dig seven feet
- 1:20:30Job 4: disease suppression
- 1:22:03IMO-4 holds moisture
- 1:22:39Charcoal as housing for IMO-4
- 1:23:14Master Cho's desert seedlings in Mongolia
- 1:25:01Pull the plant and look at the roots; revive the soil
Transcript
Transcribed and checked by hand against the recording. Click any time to play from there.
1:12:43 And when we use this soil revitalized, most important is microorganism. Microorganism is the very essential matter in the soil. When you give these nutrients as a, you know, say NPK chemical fertilizer, or you use organic fertilizer, you use what? Chicken manure? That's the organic fertilizer. Then if you give it to the ground, can they absorb right away? No. They have to breaking down. they have to decompose and the smaller particles just like we eat the meat and
1:13:34 they break down by the intestinal system finally they absorbed by the amino acid and just like that they need to have somebody who does decompose that's what the microorganism does so IMO or indigenous microorganism means it's a microorganism but indigenous means that's a local your area not outside so although there's some EM. You heard that EM? What's the EM stand for? effective microorganism do you know where they're coming from usually from the laboratory yeah it's
1:14:24 It's a microorganism, it's a good microorganism, but it's made by the laboratory specific good guys only, not the bad guys. But if it's indigenous microorganism, which means you collected your area that you're gonna farm, that particular indigenous microorganism has their bad guys, their good guys. But they have lived in your area for thousands of millions years there. They live harmoniously there. So that's the guy who is the best for this condition. That's why we want to use the indigenous microorganism, not from outside.
1:15:11 EM is okay. It works good. But when somehow they meet with this IMO, indigenous microorganism, you put this EM from outside the laboratory organism, sometimes they may fight each other. Hey, where did this guy come from? Yeah? And then if that this guy is strong of course the IMO is gonna be, we go away or something. But generally if you meet together who is gonna be win? IMO. IMO. Because I'm here, I've been here for you know zillions of years that I stay here cold weather, wind, you know.
1:15:53 So I am the winner. So if you have a choice, if you can use IMO, that's a better choice in terms of supplying microorganisms. So IMO is very, very important. I told you already, first function of the IMO is the decomposition. Decomposition means breaking down with the smaller molecules so that it can be used by the root. Okay, so that is number one. Number two function of the IMO is we call the catalysis. Catalysis means, you know, when we eat the meat, they have to breaking down, yeah?
1:16:41 If you're breaking down process, if you scientifically describe, that means they have a chemical reaction from A to the B. So when the chemical reaction happens, A from B, you have to have a catalyst. Thank you. catalyst enzyme you need. If you have a catalytic enzyme that chemical process happen really fast, fast, fast. IMO does that kind of function. So if you use IMO One example of that is David Wong's farm. They have a... what's the...
1:17:35 What's the plant? Basil. Basil he raised in Hawaii, I mean the Oʻahu. Used to take about six months from the very seed, first seed to first crop. And after that he cut it every two months. They cut it, basil. But after he used this IMO, it only took three months to four months to start harvesting. So it shortened the crop time. Is it beneficial or is it harmful? It's beneficial for the farmers point of view. You make money fast. So that's good. And then you cut it every two months now every month you cut it and quality is very good that's what I
1:18:27 IMO does because they have a catalytic enzyme function so you get catalysis happen fast so your chemical reaction develop fast and then so that crops comes fast so that's a good function so catalytic function catalysis decomposition That's a good benefit. Number third is a revitalization. Means that I can't remember the whole cycle but IMO will bring some other small bugs and then these small bugs bring the big bugs and after that they have the earthworm
1:19:17 comes. So earthworm is a very very good farmers aid. Do you know why? Because earthworm, if this weather is like this one and then no moisture around here or water around here, the earthworm digging down look for the moisture. How deep they can dig down seven feet. So it's a huge, how deep can you till with the tractor? No, not seven feet, 20 centimeter, yeah about seven inches. That's all you can
1:20:02 till with the you know three thousand, thirty thousand bucks tiller machine or the tractor machine, but the earthworm can dig down for you seven feet with no charge for the gasoline fee. So that's a good deal right? So IMO 4 has that kind of function, revitalization of this natural recycling all this you know the bugs of the animals number four is the suppression of the diseases, suppression of the diseases. So this is a really good one. I think Alika, he told me, I
1:20:54 still remember he put the towel. I'm not 100% accurate but I can I I definitely feel that about 30% less disease happen after we IMO spread. So IMO itself has a competitive ability to the bad germs because you are very well established in in your area so if the bad guys comes in hey this is my area so don't bother and so that's kind of a result you can see less disease in the plants so you can see those four functions itself is a very beneficial effect of the plant crop plant so if you use this IMO for the soil
1:21:50 revitalization that is a good deal. I think IMO is a very very good substitute for the fertilizer or any kind of farming practice. On top of that this IMO 4 itself has about, if I remember correct, about 90-95 percent moisture in there which means even if you don't have enough rain they can still survive there and function as in the farmer's aid so that's a very good information you know drought area you still can do the good farming with IMO 4 benefit. Before I forget, uh, you know the
1:22:41 this morning they mentioned about this charcoal. Charcoal is a very good one for the farming or any kind of farming, especially natural farming, because they provide to this IMO two things. number one they keep this moisture you know charcoal has the function of moisture holding the moisture, and number two is that they give apartment housing for the IMO 4. So I explained this morning in Mongolia desert, Mongolian desert where there's nothing growing, Master Cho experiment about hundred tree seedling to see whether they can survive, grow and he was
1:23:32 successful 97%. How can he do that? And he just used his wisdom. The IMO 4 loves that charcoal because they can live there and also their moisture is in there so they supply this moisture. So he did a small piece like the pea, you know the bean, bean size charcoal, four pieces one two three four, and then right in the center he put this seedling, the tree seed, seedling, small ones, and then, you know, even though desert
1:24:20 that every morning they have a morning dew comes down right that's the moisture and so all this morning dew goes into this small piece of the bean size of charcoal right so charcoal has a moisture holding and he put some IMO 4 there so this IMO 4 they're working over there for the plant. That's the reason why he was successful to grow the things. Of course other stuff too but very essential success factor was that you know the charcoal he used it as a IMO housing. So anyway, so IMO is a good stuff for the soil itself, so and when Master Cho goes to
1:25:11 somebody's plant then you know some flower farm things like that it doesn't look very good then first thing he does is can I pull this one out a little bit so oh yeah yeah yeah it's dying anyway then he just put in hold take the whole thing out to see how the root system working in a lot of time the root system is a problem, not disease on top. See, that's a very important thing you have to understand. We have to make the soil system strong and livable or viable so that the root system goes down really nicely to suck all the nutrients. So that's a very important concept. Soil is
1:26:02 very important. We have to revive the soil.