anyone use EM Bokashi?

Latest Articles

anyone use EM Bokashi?

Downsizer Forum Index -> Grow Your Own

Author

Message

Azura Skye

Joined: 14 Jun 2005
Posts: 2199
Location: Carmarthenshire

Posted: Wed Jul 01, 09 8:54 am Post subject: anyone use EM Bokashi?

I was reading a Permaculture magazine yesterday and there was an article about Effective Micro Organisms:-

"EM is a combination of useful regenerated micro-organisms that exist freely in nature and are not manipulated in any way.
This mixture increases the natural resistance of soil, plants, water, humans, and animals.
EM considerably improves the quality and fertility of soil as well as the growth and quality of crops"

Bokashi is a mix of EM and molasses and wheatbran and when you add this powder mix to your compost it composts much faster leaving you with healthy soil in 2 weeks - apparently!

Has anyone tried it though? Is it worth buying?

Jb

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 7761
Location: 91ï¿½ N

Posted: Wed Jul 01, 09 10:00 am Post subject:

I use that but not as simply as just adding the EM to the compost.

For kitchen waste that might otherwise go to the dustbin as it would attract vermin on the compost heap that goes into a closed bin with EM added, after three / four weeks the a new bin is started. After another three / four weeks the first bin is emptied onto the compost heap by which time it has broken down enough to not be so attractive to vermin. Then it completes the normal composting process. While breaking down in the sealed bin it produces large amounts of liquid which can be diluted for use as a liquid feed for plants.

Seems to work quite well that way but I've not tried adding the EM mix direct to a compost bin.

Cab's your expert on this IIRC.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Wed Jul 01, 09 10:42 am Post subject:

Not an expert. An informed dabbler perhaps.

It works well for starting off the composting process on anything you wouldn't normally be able to compost, but the hype about the 'effective microorganisms' doesn't convince me. Works very well as JB says to start off the composting process for such things as meat, fish, cooked waste, etc; the pH falls to the point where proteins dissolve out as a rich liquour that makes a decent plant food supplement, the remaining material isn't pleasant to smell but it isn't totally sickening, and it breaks down at a reasonable speed in compost or just buried.

I've been fiddling around with using my own simpler system based on readily available bacteria, and I'm nearly at the point of sharing... Watch this space. Ain't going to change the world, but if I'm right then its less faff than buying EM bran.

Azura Skye

Joined: 14 Jun 2005
Posts: 2199
Location: Carmarthenshire

Posted: Wed Jul 01, 09 1:45 pm Post subject:
thanks guys.. sounds very interesting cab, I will indeed be watching said space. so that's why they use it in wheelie bins, thanks for explaining :) I made a wormery on the weekend, I think it's working, getting some (weak) juice out of it already. Although it is full of little flies. Anyways, suppose I'll stick to composting and worms!

Ageing Hippy

Joined: 25 Aug 2006
Posts: 31
Location: Derbyshire

Posted: Wed Jul 01, 09 4:40 pm Post subject:
Actually I feed it to the hens - it helps `firm up` the droppings. So .... you can use it for composting as well eh? Hmmmm.......

	Downsizer Forum Index -> Grow Your Own	All times are GMT
Page 1 of 1

View Latest Posts