Bokashi In The Garden
By agriton on 13 May 2022

We get asked, a lot; “Why is Bokashi like compost only better…?”

Why Bokashi:

  • Reduce harmful emissions
  • Retain more nutrients
  • Increase organic matter
  • Pre-digest food for the soil
  • FEED THE SOIL!

Other benefits include

  • beneficial plant-friendly microbes.
  • Increases nutrient availability to your plants.
  • Produces healthier and more productive plants.
  • Reduces plant diseases.
  • bokashi microbes start working immediately.
  • Long-term benefits.
  • Better water retention.
  • increase in the growth rates of your plants.

Some Links Talking About Bokashi

Method

Option 1 – the lasagne method

To make bokashi we need roughly a 20:1 Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio

If you are finding it hard to work out carbon & nitrogen in the heap you can use this handy calculator to help you: Carbon Calculator

 To make 1 ton of organic matter into bokashi you will need:

For small to medium-sized heaps the following “lasagne” method works well.

  1. Spread the organic matter evenly to create the first layer. Approximately 30-50cm thick.
  2. Add moisture to the layer and/or additional organic matter.
  3. Apply a layer of Actiferm, Ægir, and Edasil to the layer.
  4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 until all organic matter is used.
  5. Cover the Bokashi heap to create an anaerobic environment then leave for at least 6-8 weeks.

Option 2 – Start from one side and work along creating ‘The worm’ –

Useful for small amounts when you are adding all the time. This means that you can keep adding and then after 8 weeks start using the start of the worm for your soil.

To make bokashi we need roughly a 20:1 Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio

If you are finding it hard to work out carbon & nitrogen in the heap you can use this handy calculator to help you: Carbon Calculator

To make 1 ton of organic matter into bokashi you will need:

For small to medium-sized heaps the following “worm” method works well.

  1. Mix the organic matter evenly to create the first layer. Approximately 30-50cm thick.
  2. Add moisture to the layer and/or additional organic matter.
  3. Apply a layer of Actiferm, Ægir, and Edasil to the layer.
  4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 until all organic matter is used. Working across when piling up the organic matter
  5. Keep Covering the Bokashi heap to create an anaerobic environment then leave for at least 6-8 weeks.
  6. After 8 weeks you can start using the start of the worm for the soil.

Option 3 – Aerobic composting with Actiferm

EM will speed up the composting process significantly with research showing the overall timeframe can be decreased by up to 30%, this is important as it allows you to get the compost into the soil quicker and also generate more compost over the course of a season.

The process is the same, but you will have a decrease in organic matter (Carbon Stores)

FAQ

Can I put food waste in with my garden waste?

To get the best results use a kitchen bokashi bucket with bokashi bran. When full leave it for 2 weeks and then when you are adding more garden waste add the food waste to the pile.

How wet does it need to be?

Squeeze it and compare it to a sponge. Not dripping but moist to touch. Microbes don’t have legs. They need water to move.

How long does it take?

From your final layer in the lasagne or the start of your worm, it will take 8 weeks to be good to go. The smaller the items (5cm x 5cm) the easier the microbes will travel. 10 weeks in the winter.

Why make the organic matter smaller?

The microbe penetration is important to the anaerobic system. Less oxygen in between the organic matter will create a better result. We suggest items 5cm x 5cm size. If you can not do this make sure you use a little more water.

Can you start it on the soil or does it need to be fully wrapped in plastic?

Either way is fine. If you do have a chance of using plastic on the bottom great. Another way is to use edasil or a clay source to absorb the nutrients to be used later when it is in the soil. If you can’t do either that’s fine. You will still get great soil food from this process.

What happens to N during Bokashi fermentation. While total N  (DM%) is higher, ammonia N levels and especially nitrate N levels are much lower according to your report. What am I missing?

Unfortunately, the standard analysis reports available in the UK are less than ideal. What we have seen from working with several different universities and getting more comprehensive analysis results we ALWAYS see a reduction in mineral Nitrogen and an increase in Organic Nitrogen. This is because the microbes use the mineral nitrogen to create microbial protein (roughly 16% of protein is nitrogen). We even see an increase in total N from before and after comparisons with the additional N coming from the introduction of the microbes as well as their ability to make available nitrogen we cannot always analyses.

This is a more comprehensive analysis result produced by Feed Innovation Services and you can see the shift from mineral to organic N. Report Available from Agriton.

Comments Off on Bokashi In The Garden