permaculture

[venaurafarm <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>]

On 3/22/2013 10:38 PM, Scott Pittman wrote:
> I suggest everyone go to Gil Carandang's website and read his article on
> indigenous microorganisms.  It follows old Asian wisdom of collecting
> microorganisms from under healthy plants and then multiplying those critters
> and use them as a foliar feed as well as a soil treatment.  The collection
> is done with cooked white rice in a Tupperware dish with loose lid placed
> under trees for fungal associates and in meadows for bacterial.  It is so
> simple that most people, including me, have not thought of it.
>
> My grandfather was a great one for collecting soil beneath his healthy fruit
> trees and using that to inoculate newly planted trees.

Scott:
What is the address of the website where you can read or purchase Gil's
book?

Here's one I found:

How to Cultivate Indigenous Microorganisms
http://bocashi.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/indig-microorg.pdf
Hoon Park and Michael W. DuPonte
Ocean Star Hawaii Natural Farms, LLC
CTAHR Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, Komohana 
Extension Office
Biotechnology
Aug. 2008
BIO-9
Published by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources 
(CTAHR) and issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of 
May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture. Andrew G. Hashimoto, Director/Dean, Cooperative Extension 
Service/CTAHR, University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822.
CTAHR publications can be found on the Web site: 
http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/freepubs

How to Cultivate Indigenous Microorganisms
Past trends in conventional western agriculture, including monoculture 
without crop rotation, overuse of inorganic fertilizers, and wide-scale 
applications of broad-spectrum organophosphate pesticides, have hindered 
the role of naturally occurring microorganisms in
promoting biological nitrogen fixation and decomposition of organic 
matter, microbiologically enhanced plant
nutrient uptake, and other natural soil processes that
depend on active soil microbe populations.
The current trend in U.S. agriculture, including
Hawai‘i agriculture, is toward less chemically intensive,
more biologically based practices, in the hope that they
may improve soil health and agricultural production and
be less harmful to the environment than conventional
agricultural production methods. In Asian countries,
including Korea, deliberate collection and culturing of
naturally occurring soil microorganisms has been a common agricultural 
practice for centuries, and application
of these cultures to crop soils is believed to minimize
the need for applications of inorganic soil amendments.
However, little scientific documentation of the benefits
of these practices exists. This publication outlines the
principal steps in culturing naturally occurring microorganisms in a 
process similar to one used on farms in
Korea. Those wishing to culture and utilize microorganisms in this way 
should be aware that the value of the techniques and applications 
described has not been verified in Hawai‘i by controlled experiments. 
Therefore, the practices described in this publication should be
considered as suggested, rather than recommended.
Hoon Park and Michael W. DuPonte
Ocean Star Hawaii Natural Farms, LLC
CTAHR Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, Komohana 
Extension Office

<>

Collecting microorganisms from the environment

When is the best time to collect microorganisms?
Microorganisms (microbes) may be cultured at any time
of the year; however, avoid wet, rainy seasons. Excessive
moisture in the environment promotes growth of fungi
that are less desirable for the intended uses.

How time-consuming is it to collect these
microbes?
The collection process takes approximately 4–5 days in
cooler weather (about 68°F, 20°C) and 3–4 days under
warmer conditions (> 68°F, 20°C).

Where are the best places to collect microorganisms?
Beneficial microbes are highly concentrated under undisturbed forests or 
other vegetated areas. Combining microbes collected from multiple sites 
will likely result in a more robust culture.

What collection supplies will I need?
Collection materials are relatively inexpensive and readily obtainable.
•
a small wooden box, 12 x 12 x 4 inches deep, preferably made of cedar 
(photo 1)
•
steamed white rice
•
white paper towels, enough to cover the wooden box
•
two to four large rubber bands
•
a sheet of clear plastic, large enough to completely
cover the wooden box
•
1⁄4-inch mesh wire screen large enough to completely
cover the wooden box

How are collection supplies assembled?
Fill the wooden box with 3 inches of steamed rice (photo
2). Cover the box with white paper towel, being careful
not to let the towel touch the rice (photo 3). There should
be an inch or so of air space between the rice the paper
towel. Use rubber bands around the top of the box to
secure the paper towel in place.
Cover the top of the box with wire screen (photo 4) to
prevent animals from tampering with the rice. Top the
wire with a sheet of clear plastic to protect the box from
rain, and place it under trees or in another secluded area.
The box should not be in direct sunlight.
Partially bury the box in the soil (photo 5). It should
be buried at least 2 inches deep for best results.
Cover the box with fallen leaves from the harvest location (photo 6). 
Anchor the plastic sheet on all sides with
small rocks to prevent it from being dislodged by wind.
Leave the box undisturbed for a minimum of 4–5
days. After that time, check to see whether the moist rice
is covered with white mold. If mold growth is sparse,
re-cover the box and wait an additional 2–3 days before
re-checking. If the mold is a color other than white (other
colors indicate growth of less effective fungi) or if rain
has entered the box, the contents should be discarded
and the process repeated.

Culturing the microorganisms
Once the desired microbes have been collected, the next
step is to increase their numbers.

What materials are necessary for culturing?

The basic supplies for microbe culturing are
•
a clean clay pot (hard-fired, glazed, or terra cotta)
•
a wooden spoon
•
white paper towels
•
rubber bands
•
a large clear bowl, big enough to hold contents of rice
mixture
•
a small food scale
•
a straw mat
•
a shovel
•
a composting thermometer
•
raw, granulated brown sugar
•
wheat mill run* or, if available, mushroom growth
medium waste.
*Wheat mill run (WMR), also called “wheat midds” or
“middlings,” is the materials remaining after flour, or
semolina, is extracted from wheat or durum during milling.
WMR generally includes ground screenings from
cleaning; remnant particles of bran, germ, and flour; and
other offal from the milling process. In Hawai‘i, the basic
source of WMR is Hawaiian Flour Mill in Honolulu (808
527-3215), a subsidiary of Pendleton Flour Mills; they
sell it by the truckload or containerload, and in pallets of
various sizes of packaged containers (60-pound bags, and
larger) to the livestock industry (for feed), garden supply
stores (for bokashi compost), and mushroom farms (for
growing medium).
How are the materials assembled to cultivate
microbes?
1)
Weigh and record the weight of the large bowl.
2)
Use the wooden spoon to move the molded rice from
the wooden box into the bowl (photos 7, 8). Weigh the
filled bowl and calculate the weight of the rice mass
by subtracting the weight of the empty bowl from the
filled bowl.
3)
Gradually add an amount of granulated brown sugar
equal to the weight of the rice mass (photo 9). Hand-
knead the sugar and rice until the material has the
consistency of gooey molasses (photo 10). Protective
gloves are suggested.
4)
Fill the clean clay pot two-thirds full with the rice/
sugar mixture (photos 11, 12). Cover it with paper
towel secured in place with rubber bands (photo 13).
5)
Store the pot in a cool area away from direct sunlight
for 7 days. This will allow the mixture to ferment.
6)
Working in a shaded area (photo 14), add a small
amount of water to the fermented rice mixture in
a 1:500 ratio. Then, slowly blend in wheat mill run
(or used mushroom medium) until mixture is of
semi-moist but not wet consistency (roughly 65–70%
moisture) (photos 15–17).
7)
Place a mound of the mixture on a soil surface and
cover it with the straw mat or leaves, protecting it from
sunlight (photo 18). Allow the microbes to propagate
for 7 days. Periodically examine the external surface
of the pile for white mold growth, monitor internal
temperature of the pile with a composting thermometer so as not to 
exceed 122°F (50°C), and turn the pile with a shovel (a minimum of three 
to four times during the week) to keep fermentation temperatures
from getting too high.
8)
When the fermentation process is finished, internal
temperature will stabilize, indicating cultivation is
finished. Your culture of naturally occurring microorganisms is now 
ready for use (photos 19, 20).

Application
What do I do with the fermented mixture?
Dilute the final product (1 to 1 by volume) with soil and
incorporate this mixture into the surface soil as a top-
dressing for crop production, or add it to your compost
pile. This biological soil amendment is expected to enhance soil 
microorganism activity. For more information,
please contact the author (mduponte@hawaii.edu).

Acknowledgments
The project team thanks the Farm Pilot Project Coordination, Inc (FPPC) 
and the CTAHR Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Project for providing 
funding for the production of this publication. The team also thanks
Ruth Niino-DuPonte, Glenn Sako, Luisa Castro, and
Piper Selden for their constructive comments and suggestions.

References

Kyu, Cho Han. Natural farming. 2003. Janong Natural
Farming Institute, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea.

Szmanski, N., and R.A. Patterson. 2003. Effective micro-
organisms (EM) and waste management systems in
future directions for on-site systems: Best management
practice. Proceedings of the On-site ’03 Conference,
University of New England, Lanfax Laboratories
Armidale. ISBN 0-9579438-1-4 p. 347–354.

Mazzola, M. 2004. Influence of plant genotype on development of 
interactions with non-symbiotic plant beneficial soil microorganisms. 
Research Signpost: Research Developments in Agricultural and Food
Chemistry. 37:103–122.

Kirk, J.L., L.A. Beaudette, M. Hart, P. Moutoglis, J.N.
Klironomos, H. Lee, and J.T. Trevors. 2004. Methods
of studying soil microbial diversity. Journal of Microbiological Methods 
58:169–188

<>

Lots of useful links here.

http://newspaperbokashi.wordpress.com/how-to-cultivate-indigenous-microorganisms/lacto-bacilli/
Lacto Bacilli (Gil A. Carandang’s article)

Lacto Bacilli
One of the major workhorse beneficial indigenous microorganism used in 
natural farming is lacto bacilli. This particular beneficial 
microorganism is popularly used in composting to specifically arrest 
foul odors associated with anaerobic decomposition. Lactic acid bacteria 
thrive and feed on the ammonia released in the decomposition normally 
associated with foul odors. So if you need to decompose or ferment 
wastes less foul odors, lactic acid bacteria is the specific bacteria to 
use.
Its application in organic farming is enormous. In aquaculture, one of 
the problem is related to water quality. Poor water quality stresses the 
fish which in turn stunts their growth and affects their health. This is 
very evident specially on high density and tank aquaculture. The ammonia 
produced through fish excretions pollute the water and stress the fish. 
With regular addition of this beneficial microorganisms to the water, 
this ammonia problem is minimized, if not fully arrested. It helps 
hasten or complete the denitrification or converting wastes into forms 
not harmful to fish.
Spraying diluted solution of lactic acid bacteria serum to the plant and 
soil helps plant growth and makes them more healthy. As it is applied to 
the soil or the leaves, these beneficial bacteria aid in the 
decomposition process, thus allowing more food to be available and 
assimilated by the plant.
Lactic acid bacteria is also known to produce enzymes and natural 
antibiotics aiding effective digestion and has antibacterial properties, 
including control of salmonella and e. coli. To farmers, what are 
observed are the general health of the plants and animals, better 
nutrient assimilation, feed conversion and certain toxins eliminations.
[See in full  Beneficial Indigenous Microorganism (BIMs) from Gil A. 
Carandang]
One Response to “Lacto Bacilli (Gil A. Carandang’s article)”

    permaculture EM, IMO, compost tea & agriculture, lacto bacilli, Gil 
Carandang | Permaculture Blog Says:
    October 10, 2012 at 3:52 am | Reply

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http://newspaperbokashi.wordpress.com/how-to-cultivate-indigenous-microorganisms/lacto-bacilli/ 
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