Over the past 12 years, I have been experimenting with Bokashi in many different ways – from small scale to large scale, residential to commercial.
I have set up large scale Bokashi at big restaurants and have learnt many lessons along the way with this from problems that have occurred. During this process, I discovered an incredibly handy, magic trick that solves one of the major inconveniences of using Bokashi – and I’m going to reveal this to you now…
One of the difficulties of using Bokashi on a large scale or with a large family is taking off the juice. If you leave it, this juice becomes incredibly smelly and can linger in the air for days. You can smell it on yourself for days too, which can become very unpleasant!
Five years ago, I started experimenting with an absorption method for the juice, and I found the magic solution.
I calculated that the maximum volume that can easily be handled is about 100 litres at a time, so experimented with using a large bin on wheels with a flip lid.
In the bottom of this bin, I put old soil, paper or any absorbent materials like sawdust for example. The extracted juice absorbed into this material so that there was no juice to take off. It was enormously successful – so I played around a little more!
I discovered it can even be used in a 20 litre bucket, as long as you have a tight-fitting lid. When tipping the bucket into your soil, the part that has absorbed the juice can be spread out much further, as it is super potent with lots of added microbes per cm3.
In turn, you can revitalise a much bigger portion of your soil. Magic!
Just when you thought Bokashi couldn’t get any better!
This method is perfect for those with large families, or those with really busy lives who cannot / choose not to prioritise gardening, as it is quick and easy.
However, if you are wanting to restore large areas of soil to grow food, larger-scale Bokashi is your best friend.
Top tip: I hear people say they don’t have enough carbon to process their Bokashi with when it is buried, so my advice is to work smarter, not harder. When the leaves fall off the trees in autumn and winter, collect them and store them for spring and summer to use when there is less carbon around. Also, if you have pampas growing in your neck of the woods, cut it with a pair of shears, dry it out and store it for later use, as this is really beneficial! It contains a high level of phosphorus, which our soils seriously lack.
Really, it is just a matter of thinking ahead for the whole year, as opposed to the here and now.
Bokashi will:
- Improve your soil structure
- Process all your kitchen scraps
- Enable your plant roots to be stronger and longer
- Add beneficial micro-organisms to your soil
- Boost the immunity of your plants against pest and disease
- Enable more water-holding capacity in your soil, so you need less water over summer
- Improve the colour and cell structure of your plants
- Start repairing your soil to a rich well-balanced medium
This concludes my series about Bokashi. I hope you’ll agree by now that Bokashi is magic! As ever, if you have any questions about my blogs, just get in touch and I’ll do my best to help. I’d love to see just one person take up Bokashi as a result of the knowledge I have shared here. Give it a go!
Happy Bokashi-ing
Bron: https://growinspired.co.nz/the-one-magic-trick-you-need-to-know-about-bokashi-juice/