Bokashi

Our farm-made bokashi blend is a fermented compost starter and soil amendment. Bokashi, or fermented composting, has been extensively researched and sustainably implemented for centuries in farming. Bokashi fermented compost starter activates the living soil web and supports the cultivation of nutrient dense plants.

What is Fermented Composting or “Bokashi?”

Fermented Composting, also known as Bokashi or Bokashi composting, is a process that converts food waste and similar organic matter into a soil amendment which adds nutrients and improves soil texture. It differs from traditional composting methods in several respects. The most important are:

• The input matter is fermented by specialist bacteria, not decomposed.

• The fermented matter is fed directly to field or garden soil, without requiring further time to mature.

• As a result, virtually all input carbon, energy and nutrients enter the soil food web, having been neither emitted in greenhouse gases and heat nor leached out.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokashi_(horticulture))

Bokashi’s History

The practice of bokashi is believed to have its earliest roots in ancient Korea. This traditional form ferments waste directly in soil, relying on native bacteria and on careful burial for an anaerobic environment. A modernised horticultural method called Korean Natural Farming includes fermentation by indigenous micro-organisms (IM or IMO) harvested locally, but has numerous other elements too. A commercial Japanese bokashi method was developed by Teruo Higa in 1982 under the 'EM' trademark (short for Effective Microorganisms). EM became the best known form of bokashi worldwide, mainly in household use, claiming to have reached over 120 countries. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokashi_(horticulture)

How to use Bokashi  

Plant Cultivation

• Potting Soil Mix: Use at 3% total soil volume.

• Plant and Garden Care: Top dress with 1/3 Cup per square foot every 1-2 weeks.

• Mulching: add bokashi to mulch or on top of plant residue, 1 lb per 100 square feet.

• Compost Tea:  Mix ¼ cup bokashi in 1 gallon water into sock or compost tea bag. Let brew for 1 hour. Squeeze sock/bag and use liquid. Mix 1 part compost tea mixture to 4 parts water. Use immediately. Apply every 7-14 days.

• Soil Amendment: Add ¾ cup of bokashi per cubic foot of soil. 

Indoor Composting

• Food Waste Composting: 1 Tablespoon per quart of food waste. Lightly spread a layer of Bokashi into the bottom of your food waste compost bucket. Add food waste. Lightly spread a layer of bokashi on top of each layer of food waste added. Keep bin closed to maintain proper conditions for fermentation. When bin is full, top off with a layer of bokashi and close lid. Approximately two weeks later, the contents of your bokashi bucket can be buried directly into your garden, adding valuable nutrients and life to the soil.

Outdoor Composting

• Add 2 cups per week to outdoor compost piles

Our Bokashi Blend

Our made-to-order bokashi blend is produced in small batches on our farm. High quality organic matter is fermented for 14 days and slow-dried for 5-7 days before shipping. Custom bokashi blends and bulk orders are available for vegetative and blooming plants and trees or ecological restoration projects.

At Ground Culture, we are committed to reducing landfill inputs. We work with local sources to supply a variety of organic inputs for our fermentation composting process. Organic inputs used include sawdust, coffee, beer and grape waste, wheat bran, cracked oats, milled corn, rice, etc. Due to the variety of materials used in our production, our bokashi products may vary in appearance. All bokashi substrates used are free of pesticides for high quality food and medicine production.

All of our bokashi blends contain our farm-made garden char, a charcoal soil amendment produced using pyrolysis techniques. Garden char provides sequestration of CO2 in the soil, helping to retain soil moisture, increasing soil electrical conductivity and providing nutrients and living spaces for the soil food web, including microbes, nematodes and fungi.

Please note: Our bokashi blends are fermented in small batches to maintain optimal freshness. Please allow 2-3 weeks for shipping of our made-to-order bokashi.

Ingredients: Fermented organic matter, molasses, garden char

**Photo and description provided by GroundculturePDX**