experienced users of EM, IBM pls chime in

[CoolAsAFan]

ok so ive been doing much reading on Effective Micro's and Beneficial Indegenous Micro's and i basically would like to "capture" and cultivate my own BIM brew.

First, i made some rice wash with organic cane sugar and burried that about 1-2" down by a flower bed in my backyard thats on the edge of our pond. i feel here i will find the most diverse micro's for no other reason then a feeling lol.

Second, i took a bunch of kitchen scraps, only semi-fresh fruits and vegs and filled up a protein poweder tub about 1/2 full of scraps and 1/4 water. added some organic cane sugar to give the fermintation process a kickstart and sat in a heated closet at ~90F.

Both rice wash and scraps were left to sit for 2 weeks.

Wish i had a camera when i did this but after 2 weeks, the rice wash mix had all kinds of different colors of bacteria growing on it. looked crazy really. The tub with kitchen scraps smelled horrid after i took the lid off, really almost made me puke lol. so i added the rice wash mix to the tub with scraps and added some mollasses and left that to sit for a week.

after that week, i smelled the tub of scraps/BIM, and it had an almost pleasant, earthy kind of smell. Does this mean im on the right track here?

i put about 1/4c of strained liquid from the tub of scraps/BIM into 4 1-gal jugs of rain h2o + about 1/8c of mollasses and FFBB (had the BB laying around not being used so threw it in) to feed the BIM. took a reading of the ph and it was ~5.5. took a reading today (3 days later) and it was < 4 so im thinking this batch is ready?

how do u guys use your AEM after done "cooking", you dilute that mix right?, im assuming i can dilute this solution with rain h20 to bring the ph up and then use it?

also, are there any tricks to killing harmful bacteria, leaving only beneficials? i believe i read keeping the BIM mix in a high heat/ light enviroment should do this, is that accurate? should i let it sit out anaerobically or aerobically?

man i hope this works out well as i have like a hundred uses for this stuff

 

[umbra]

you got it down bro. spot on. when the ph is 3.7 or below...its ready. it can go lower, so when you dilute make sure to check ph again. ( i didn't check and got mild ph fluctuation that burned tips of leaves) harmful bacteria are eliminated by competition from aem and an environment that is more supportive for aem than the other bacteria. they will never be eliminated, but held in check.

now mix ths with mycorrhaize and trichoderma...ka pow

 

[CoolAsAFan]

that burning you talked about is what im afraid of, after dilution, do you think it would be safe to use ph up? or should i just keep diluting with water until i hit my desired ph? im afraid the ph up would have some negative consequences on my BIM that took so long (but easy) to prepare lol.

 

[umbra]

just water is what i'm using. but because it can go lower than 3.7, just check dilution and when 6.0 or so, then your good. i will use up a gallon in about 2 weeks, then go 2 weeks with just molasses and water and ph adjust with fulvic acid. plants dig it. just make sure water is clorine free. it will kill em

 

[CoolAsAFan]

what kind of shelf life do you recommend once activated? what temps should it be stored at? in or out of direct light? thanks man youve helped a bunch.

 

[umbra]

once activated, shelf life is about 4 weeks. i store out of direct sunlight. i have on a shelf in my basement.

 

[nvthis]

also, are there any tricks to killing harmful bacteria, leaving only beneficials? i believe i read keeping the BIM mix in a high heat/ light enviroment should do this, is that accurate? should i let it sit out anaerobically or aerobically?

Nice thread guys... I have read that oxygen is a must. Beneficial bacteria thrive in oxygen rich environments. Bad bacteria do not. They thrive in oxygen poor environments.

Umbra, from the sounds of it you don't use oxygen? I dunno, this stuff always gets confusing. To not have the need to fool with an air pump means one less step in the process. I am all for that. But everything I read says you have to use it??? Crazy.

 

[umbra]

i do not use air. it is not necessary. it is similar to brewing beer.

 

[docfishwrinkle]

NV there are good & bad bacterias in aerobic & anerobic conditions. good ol fashion composting is aerobic & bokashi (fermentation) composting is anerobic.