Let's Make Bokashi Fertilizer at CAO

February 12, 2024

Let's Make Bokashi fertilizer

Today one of the students, Axel, taught us how to make Bokashi fertilizer. Bokashi is different from composting because the organic matter is fermented by bacteria anaerobically (without oxygen) in sealed barrels rather than decomposed aerobically (with oxygen).

This is part of the Mountain Microorganisms organic method, which was originally a native Japanese practice. Glen explained that this is in contrast to the more popular method of Korean National Farming, which is aerobic and involves composting. However, Glen plans to implement both methods to have a variety of microorganisms and nutrients in the soil.

Axel finishing off the preparation of a bucket of Bokashi 

Axel, helped us gather the necessary materials for the Bokashi. He is the student who manages the Bokashi production. Each student at CAO has a specialized task, but they also work a bit in all of the areas of the farm so that they can learn and gain more skills. Axel is 19 years old, and always has his reggaeton music playing while he works. As he organizes the buckets and materials needed to prepare the Bokashi, his speaker blasts music by Bad Bunny (a famous Latino, reggaeton artist). He sings along and occasionally takes a dance break, making us all laugh.

Axel instructs us how and where to gather the following ingredients needed for the Bokashi:

(reference of measurement- 5 gallons= 1 bucket)

• 1 gallon of volcanic rock powder

• 1 gallon of ashes from the kitchen

• 1 gallon of bone powder

• 5 gallons of dirt with worm castings (after the hens eat the worms)

• 5 gallons of cow manure (dry, powdery form)

• 5 gallons of MM solid

• 10 gallons of dirty rice hulls from the sheep pen (dirty with sheep urine and poop)

• 3 gallons of MM simple (liquid biol)

• ½ gallon of molasses (Molasses is an agricultural waste product obtained after making sugar)

• 2 cups of kefir (made with milk at the farm)

• 1 gallon of water

These components make up the Bokashi! We mixed together the last three ingredients (3 gallons of MM simple (liquid biol), ½ gallon of molasses, 2 cups of kefir, and one gallon of water) into a liquid mixture. Then we started layering all of the components into a large, black plastic bag inside of a metal barrel.

This is the order in which we added the ingredients into the barrel:

1. 1 bucket of dirty rice hulls

2. 5 handfuls of volcanic rock powder

3. 5 handfuls of ashes from the kitchen

4. 5 handfuls of bone powder (we were out of bone powder so we added gallinaza or chicken poop)

5. 15 handfuls of dirt with worm castings

6. 15 handfuls of cow manure

7. 15 handfuls of MM solid

8. A bowl of the liquid mixture of (MM liquid, molasses, kefir, and water)

9. Then start again with 1 bucket of dirty rice hulls

We fit about 7 rounds of this layering. The other volunteers and I decided that it felt like laying a big cake but much smellier. Then the black bag is tied up and the barrel is tightly sealed so that it can ferment. It sits for 15-30 days. They prefer to let it sit for 30 days.

CAO’s recipe for Bokashi has evolved and changed over time as they experiment to find what works best. This is the most current recipe that CAO is using now, but there are many ways to make Bokashi and there are many different organic materials that can be added.

Sustainable, organic farming is about using locally-available, organic materials. This can be materials that you can access from neighbors, local businesses, and ideally, from your own farm. When I spoke to students at CAO, they were uncertain about how to source and access some of the materials needed to make this version of Bokashi. It's important to look at local networks, materials, and resources to find a version that best meets the local context of where we live. This way we can make Bokashi fertilizer more accesible to more producers.

After learning about how to make Bokashi, I realized that I still lacked knowledge about the main ingredient which is MM Solid (remember, MM stands for Mountain Microorganisms). There is more information on that is soon to come!

Me shoveling out Bokashi to fertilizer the plants

February 22, 2024

How is Bokashi applied to Plants on the Farm?

Fertilizing with Bokashi and Mulching with the Sheep's Grass

Many days we walk through the fields, adding the Bokashi fertilizer to the plantain and lemon trees. One of the CAO students walks first and digs a hole close to the tree with the post hole digger. Then another student pushes the wheelbarrow of Bokashi fertilizer through the field to add a small bucket full of Bokashi in the hole. Then the volunteers and I follow behind, covering up the Bokashi with the dirty grass that we took out of the sheep pens in the morning. This dirty grass serves as a mulch to keep the Bokashi protected from the sun and to keep the base of the plant moist. We also add plantain leaves that have fallen and other organic matter for cover.

 Shoveling dirty grass from the sheep pen into the wheelbarrow to cover the Bokashi; Covering up the Bokashi with the sheep's grass; A wheelbarrow of Bokashi; The hole filled with a bucket of bokashi

Adding this mulch and organic matter helps in a variety of ways:

1. It retains moisture and protects the soil microorganisms from the heat of the sun.

2. It increases the water holding ability of the soil, so the water is available to the roots for a greater amount of time instead of quickly passing through the soil or over the soil.

3. It helps the soil hold onto nutrients for a much longer time to be available when plants need them. Without organic matter, nutrients can leach out of the soil into the subsoil.

Farming is a give and take relationship, and this practice of fertilizing and mulching gives back to the soil. Healthy soil creates biodiversity in the soil microorganisms and its productive capacity to create a healthy, flourishing diversity of plant and tree species. Healthy, rich soil is the base for everything!