Mon 20 Feb 2006
Never ones to miss out on a useful technology we at The Kitchen Garden Company have begun to investigate the world of Bokashi. Although it has been around for a number of years we
were surprised we hadn’t heard about it sooner. We learned about it thanks to the Wiggly Wiggler Podcast from the UK.
Bokashi is both a product and a method. Simply, Bokashi is wheat bran which has been inocculated with molasses, water and Efficient Microbes–a blend of yeasts and bacteria which are helpful rather than harmful. These microbes are both aerobic and anaerobic and can stimulate soil vitality and improve digestion in livestock.
This fermented wheat bran is then used in a composting bucket to pickle and preserve the organic matter you place inside. This differs from normal composting methods in that you don’t need to include paper and other fiberous matter, and that you can compost meats and fish, and other things you wouldn’t normally use due to vermin and odors.
You begin by placing a layer of bokashi on the drain grate of a specialized bucket. The drain allows liquids which will turn rancid quickly to be drained away.
You then place in your kitchen, office canteen, or restaurant waste, alternating layers with more bokashi.
As the bokashi is wetted by the organic matter, it pickles it and keeps the whole lot from souring.
By keeping the top layer of the contents sealed off from the air, you help the anaerobic process until the bucket is filled.
Once the bucket is filled, it is sealed up and allowed to fement for two weeks. Ideally you would be working on filling a second bucket during this time.
As the bucket sits you must use the spigot to drain away the liquid every 48 hours. The liquid can be diluted with water and used as a plant fertilizer or poured down the drain–especially helpful if you have a septic tank.
Once the two weeks if over you are ready to bury your compost. Dig a trench in the garden, or place directly into your compost pile. You won’t be able to plant directly on top of the site for at least a month, but if you place the bokashi compost down the center of two rows it will feed the rows as the matter decomposes.
When the contents of the bucket are tipped into the hole in the ground, be sure to sprinkle some more bokashi over the top. Then cover with soil.
Why use bokashi? For several reasons. Mainly, with bokashi and a bucket fermenter you can turn more kitchen waste in to useable compost. Things like meat scrapes, bones, and fish which normally aren’t composted become viable materials. Secondly, the time frame. Rich organic compost and bioactive soil can be achieved within a month and a half rather than 3 or more months of turning a compost pile.
In addition, infusing your soil with beneficial microbes you can combat putrid soil conditions and many of the fungi and bugs which thirve in less than ideal situations.
But wait, that’s not all. . . .The wheat bran bokashi can be used as an animal feed. We’ve just begun to feed it to our chickens with the hopeful results that their excrement will smell less, and break down quicker in the soil. It should also help keep the chickens digestive tracks working smoothly and lead to less health problems which should make them better laying hens–not to mention possible resistence to avian flu. It certainly hasn’t seemed to hurt them any. We’ll keep you informed of how it’s going.
Click here for a full set of photos.
Technorati Tags: bokashi, ems, efficient microbes, gardening, compost, chicken health, bioactive soil, avian flu
Popularity: 44% [?]
May 2nd, 2006 at 3:19 pm
Hi! I was happy to find your site with so much helpful info about composting with EM. I’ve been interested in using an anaerobic kitchen composter for years but don’t like the idea of having to pay for bokashi and the EM solution all the time. Do you know where I might find a recipe(inc. proportions)to make it myself? Thanks for your time(and your website!)
Lahna
May 4th, 2006 at 3:24 pm
Lahana,
Actually the cost of the Bokashi and the EM are minimal–especially for the home situation.
First off you can make your own Bokashi. You do have to buy EM, Wheat Bran and Molasses. However, the amount you buy and the amount you can make are great value for money.
I bought a 25# bag of wheat bran at a pet food store for $17–probably could be bought cheaper from a proper feed store. The EM cost around $19 and the molasses, which has to be organic, I picked up a huge bottle at my local co-op for $4. Now for that expense you can make 25#+ of bokashi and a lots of EM solution for watering plants and improving the health of gardens, septic tanks, etc.
One more thing. The original EM solution you buy can be extended and activated. You mix it with kosher salt and some molasses and water in a specific formula. Then wait. A tablespoon of EM solution can become another quart of the stuff for use just like the original. Very cost effective. Also you dilute the EM solution so much that a little goes a long way.
Email me and I can direct you to some specific information.
July 6th, 2006 at 11:34 am
[…] You can find out more about how the buckets are used here. Because the bucket, when full, takes two weeks to ferment before it is ready to bury in your garden, planter boxes or traditonal compost pile, we highly recommend having two to use in rotation. We are selling the Single Bucket Kit (with Bokashi)–either tan or black–for $54 and Two Buckets (with Bokashi) for $99, plus shipping. For more information, please contact us. Additional supplies of commercially made Bokashi Bran are also available. I am confident you will be as pleased and excited with the results of your system as we are with ours. This same system is in use around the world and is being used by several major cities like London (and here and here) to reduce the amount of waste in landfills.Technorati Tags: bokashi, kitchen waste, composting, gardening, recycling, bokashi buckets […]
August 25th, 2006 at 11:15 am
I have the bucket system, and my first batch was successful. I am very pleased w/ the function and ease of the system. I am now getting very excited about the system, and I am interested in cooping w/ a local restaurant on a larger scale to make more of the “compost”. I am curious, can I use the liquid from my system, add molasis and water, and make more of the EM or is there more to it than that?
August 25th, 2006 at 12:01 pm
Tom,
While it is possible to use the liquid–if you could collect enough of it–to create an EM-like solution, I wouldn’t recommend it. EM is a complex, consortium of around 60 different micro-organisms. As the bokashi bran is made, some of those microbes die to provide food for the other microbes and others die leaving their unique caracteristics and properties behind–like anti-oxidant or fermentative properties. All of this serves to change the bokashi into a unique material which has the properties of EM and more, but not the same influence as the original–if that makes sense.
As far as the liquid you collect goes–it contains many compounds and fats and “stuff”, including the EM microbes which make it a far better fertilizer or septic tank enhancer than anything else. You may have noticed that if you don’t collect it regularly–when it is available (as it not always it)–it can go rancid quickly. That is not a trait you would want to replicate in a batch of psuedo-EM.
As far as EM and bokashi goes, the good news is you can brew up an Activated EM from the mother culture and use it to make Bokashi for about $1 per gallon of bokashi. In fact, the more of it you make the cheaper it gets. Right now it takes me less than 10 minutes to make 10 pounds of the stuff, which is a little more than 7 gallons. I make it in small batches like this and stagger the batches by a week so that there is always a batch becoming ready when I need it. I use the stuff I make wet, but when it is dried out and sealed up it will last for a long time. It takes around 7 days for a batch to be ready if the temperatures are right.
What’s more is once you have the Activated EM made for making Bokashi you will find other uses for it, like adding a drop to your pet’s water bowl to help it’s digestion and keep the stink out of its waste. You can dilute the AEM and spray it over your cooktop a few minutes before cleaning it to help break down grease, and many other things.
I hope this helps. Let me known if there is anything else I can do.
August 26th, 2006 at 4:05 pm
Thank you for having this site up. I am new to composting and started using the Bokashi system about a month ago. I had lost the instructions in our move and wasn’t sure if I was doing this correctly. My only thing was not collecting the liquid every 48 hours which is sad since I do have a lot since my family loves fruit. I have a few questions though and hope you might be able to help me. 1. I have container gardens because our grounds are not suitable for “planting” and we’re renting. Can I “bury” my compost in another bucket with soil instead? 2. We don’t collect that much organic material to fill our bucket quickly as I have read with most, is that okay? It has been about a month and I am about 2/3 full in my bucket. 3. There is a mold that grows, is that normal? It is white and fluffy looking. And lastly, is there somewhere I can buy Bokashi in bulk. I hate to buy just 1 small bag and pay for all that shipping. I’d rather just by a bunch so I won’t worry about running out. Thanks for your webiste, it has been very helpful!
August 26th, 2006 at 8:46 pm
Hyun,
To answer your questions. 1) Container gardens and Bokashi work great–the Japanese in the big cities use this method. To do this you would place rocks in the bottom of your container. Then a layer of soil. Then the Bokashi compost in a layer. More soil and finally plant your items. The top layer of soil should be around 6 inches deep. You could also, like you say, use a bucket with some soil in the bottom, perhaps a few worms rescued from the ground after a rain, the bokashi, and some more soil to cover. I cannot confirm if this would work though.
2) Don’t worry about filling your bucket in a timely fashion. That’s what’s so great about Bokashi–you can take your time! A few hints to help you though. You can either use a plastic bag, or a plate to press down over the surface of the bokashi each time you add to it. This will help keep the air out of the compost until the bucket is full. If you do this each time after you add material it will help things along and you can wait quite a bit of time in-between additions. If it takes you this long to fill up the bucket, you won’t have to leave the bokashi very long to ferment once it is full–say only one week–because most of the bucket has already fermented quite some time.
3)The fuzzy white mold is actually a beneficial soil bacteria. It is fine and should be harmless. It is actually normal and part of the process, although it doesn’t always form. If the mold is any other color, or the bokashi bucket smells putrid or really stinky, than something hasn’t gone right. Either too much air has gotten to the compost or not enough bokashi bran has been used. This is rare though. Also, make sure to drain the liquid as this can go off too. It is best to do it every two days and use it, in a dilution of 1 tablespoon to a gallon of water as a fertilizer. Or put it down your drains to help keep them clear or activate the septic tank.
4)You can get 2 gallon bags of Bokashi Bran from me. Here is a link: http://kitchengardenfoods.com/products-page/
If you want to order more than one, perhaps I can make a deal on the shipping. I’d have to check it out.
Hope this helps.
August 31st, 2006 at 5:49 am
Hi, At this stage in my life, I am learning Biology and microbes. Wish I had paid more attention in school, lol. Thank you for this site, it is most interesting and helpful. I have been reading and researching EM and Bokashi and I have a question. You mentioned in passing about worms. I have just started vermiculture in my home and one thing to another, I have ended up on reasearching EM. Can I feed Bokashi to my Red Wrigglers?
Following your simple instructions, I made up a batch yesterday and would like to know if I will kill my worm farm if I did feed it to them.
What is Rock Dust? Is there a subsitute I can use? You mentioned Bentonite, I have that. But Ceramic Powder, that is a puzzle. Calcium Carbonate, that is easy to obtain as I grew mushrooms not too long ago.
What else can replace Kelp or wheat and rice bran? We have loads of rice bran since we grow our own rice. Wheat bran is difficult to obtain. I buy 10lbs of rice bran at USD2.00, eat your heart out:)
We use grinders to get juice from the sugar cane and it makes a lovely cold drink. Instead of Molasses, can we use sugar cane juice? If so in what ratio?
Thank you and God bless
Anne
I am from Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. Did I hear you say “where’s that?” Lol
August 31st, 2006 at 7:58 am
Anne,
I have known about Kuala Lumpur since I was 7 years old! My parents traveled the world a lot and that name has stuck in my head. I also love Malaysian Cuisine!
To answer your questions:
Can I feed Bokashi to my Red Wrigglers?
You can feed Bokashi to your worms. Not lots, mind you. But as you add the roughage to the worm bin, sprinkle some in each new layer. The worms will love it. I don’t have a worm bin at the moment, but I would even consider as an experiment taking some worms and growing them in the bokashi to see what happens. I know other people do it, but with out having done it myself I hesitate to recommend it.
What is Rock Dust?
Rock dust is just that. Usually found in a quarry or sold as such it is pulverized rocks, usually granites or other hard stone. It contains minerals which the microbes in the soil, EM and Bokashi love.
Is there a subsitute I can use?
Not really, but don’t worry. It isn’t necessary.
But Ceramic Powder, that is a puzzle.
Ceramic Powder is probably available in Malaysia. Not too sure. It is made in Japan. It is an EM product. They make an ceramic clay fermented with EM and it has special properties for attracting infrared light waves and refracting sunlight–both which help plants grow.
What else can replace Kelp or wheat and rice bran? We have loads of rice bran since we grow our own rice.
I have recently found rice bran which is cheaper than wheat bran, but not as cheaply as you can get it! Use the rice bran. It is perfect for bokashi. The kelp is unnecessary, although someone must sell or collect seaweed near you. It just needs to be dried and pulverized. You only need a small amount. It is useful in supplying salts and minerals to the EM microbes. Fish/shrimp paste or fish/shrimp powder can replace this.
We use grinders to get juice from the sugar cane and it makes a lovely cold drink. Instead of Molasses, can we use sugar cane juice? If so in what ratio?
“blackstrap” or dark Molasses if preferred because of it intense mineral content and for the fact that it does not have as much sugar as other forms of sugar cane liquid. The sugar cane juice probably is more water than sugar, so if you do use it, try a bit more than the molasses. But if you use the sugar cane juice you MUST add some of the extra nutrients like the kelp/fish paste, the bentonite clay, calcium carbonate, ceramic dust. Each of these amounts is a fraction of a teaspoon per batch. One warning though–sugar cane juice will lead to a less stable EM batch because it lacks the extra nutrients of the Dark Molasses-which comes from the final stages of sugar cane production. It will not last as long. Which is probably okay if you are using it to make bokashi–but be sure to watch the PH of the batch and bokashi–the acidity must be below 3.8 to make sure bad germs and pathogens cannot survive.
Hope this helps! Feel free to contact me for more information if needed.
November 10th, 2006 at 1:24 am
Hi, first of all thanks for valuable information on your website.
I am frm Kathmandu, Nepal.
I think the EM Bokashi is really good.
But when it is Prapared/fermented by anaerobically, the smell is not so good and nobody in my family prefer its smell. So it is very diffcult to prepare for me. what is its reason for such bad smell.
Another question is that, the cost of Rice/Wheat bran is Very high in Nepal so nobody want to prepare and use it. May i get another receipt instead of using such bran?
Thank you
December 13th, 2006 at 9:37 pm
Dear Sir,
I would greatly appreciate receiving the recipe for Preparing the Bokashi containing the following ingredients and their exact percentages.
a) Rice Bran or Wheat Bran
b) Oil Cake
c) Rock Dust
d) Bentonite ( Calcium or Sodium)
e) Saw Dust
f) Molasses and
g) EM
Hope to hear soon from you,
Thanking you with warm regards,
Yours Sincerely,
( Dr.B.K.Chaturvedi)
December 18th, 2006 at 9:11 am
Kishor,
Thank you for stopping by the Kitchen Garden Company website all the way from Nepal!
I am not sure why your anaerobic Bokashi would smell while it is composting. It should be a sweet/sour smell not unlike very ripe fruit. Perhaps there wasn’t enough molasses or EM in the mixture.
Rice or wheat bran isn’t the only medium for making bokashi, but they are the most common forms. Depending on your use of bokashi it can be made of several things. For feeding animals bokashi can be made from the regular cereal grains you might feed them. You can also make it from chafe from feed mills or winnowing–thereby not using the actual grains themselves.
Sawdust is a good substitue for some of the bran material–if you are looking to cut costs. Also, if you are using the bokashi to ferment kitchen food waste for farming purposes and you have access to sawdust or woodshavings used in chicken houses that too, is a good use for that material.
You may wish to try an experiment with different sorts of materials to create a bokashi which will work for you with what you have.
I hope this helps. Feel free to contact me again and I will see if I can offer any other assistance.
All the best,
Neal
December 18th, 2006 at 9:35 am
Dear Dr.B.K.Chaturvedi,
I hope I am able to answer your question.
To make bokashi with the ingredients you suggest, this would be a basic formula:
Rice/Wheat Bran–4 parts
Oil Cake– 1 part
Fish Meal or Kelp–1 part
Water–depends on the moisture of the ingredients but it wants to be about 30% of the whole–damp enough for a handful of the bokashi to hold together loosely.
EM–5% of the total water
Molasses–2% of the total water
I make small batches for personal use based on 10 pounds of bran, 30ml AEM, 30ml Molasses, 3000ml water, 4 teaspoons kelp meal, 4 teaspoons rock dust, 2 teaspoons sea salt. This works very well for a variety of applications. I almost always use it wet–never bothering to dry it out–whether feeding livestock or composting.
My additional suggestion is that you take the basic factory grown pure EM and extend it with a ratio of 1:1:20–or 1 part EM, 1 part Molasses and 20 parts water. To this you could add 1teaspoon of rock dust or em ceramic powder, 1 tsp of sea salt, 1 teaspoon of kelp meal per liter to give the activated (or extended) EM extra vigor and life–this AEM should ferment for 20-30 days before using to make the bokashi.
As to the actual bokashi–bentonite, rock dust, kelp meal, or any additional additive can be added in a ratio of around .25 parts to the whole, from a pinch to a handful depending on batch size. More won’t necessarily hurt, but it will increase the cost of the batch. It will almost always have added benefits.
I hope this helps. Please feel free to contact me for more information.
All the best,
Neal
December 22nd, 2006 at 9:57 am
“We’ve just begun to feed it to our chickens with the hopeful results that their excrement will smell less, and break down quicker in the soil. It should also help keep the chickens digestive tracks working smoothly and lead to less health problems which should make them better laying hens–not to mention possible resistence to avian flu.”
Wow! to say those things are really revealing. Possible resistance to avian flu? Someone call the Nobel Prize committee. Seriously, you should parse claims carefully with the facts lest risking discredit to the article.
December 22nd, 2006 at 10:28 am
Thomas,
Studies are currently under way in Asia leading to the conclusion that both bokashi, and Kim Chi, are both able to help animals–and indeed people–to maintain their health through avian flu outbreaks. The article does use the word “possible”, as these studies and the results are too new yield any firm conclusions.
Nevertheless, both in my own experience and in those of countless others around the globe, the heath benefits of feeding bokashi in terms of lower manure odor and ammonium amounts, quicker nitrogen dispersal and improved vitality in poultry means that “possible resistance to avian flu” is a distinct reality as these birds are at their fittest to fight off infection. In addition, the beneficial microbes in their manure are such that survivability of viruses may be decreased. Again, though these are early days and studies still need to be finished.
I am not a scientist, nor do I have the budget to carry out research. I can only rely on observation and the work of others in this developing field. I would certainly rather feed my animals bokashi, in addition to all the other biosecurity precautions, than do nothing, given that the bokashi is beneficial in so many other ways.
January 25th, 2007 at 4:32 pm
[…] Gastrocast #47 By podchef The Great Corned Beef Experiment phase two! This week’s show sees us experimenting with Bokashi, and tasting the corned beef cured in Gastrocast #42 with a tasting panel of “experts”. Got extra Corned Beef–take a look at my very first show for ideas on how to use it up. […]
January 30th, 2007 at 3:25 am
Will appreciate if someone advises me on the exact proportion and procedure to make Bokashi from Cow Manure+Coffee Pulp+Molasses+Yeast+Soil
January 31st, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Calvin,
I am unfamiliar with using the ingredients you suggest to make Bokashi. However, I am sure it will work to make a fermented compost.
I would think that it is mostly in experimentation that you will find your answer.
However here are some recommendations. As for the yeast and soil, they don’t belong in your bokashi mixture. The manure/coffee grounds will become like soil. True bokashi is fermented wheat or rice bran. Yeasts will kill the natural function of the EM solution.
So. I would thing the ratio of manure to coffee pulp–which is acidic?–should be 70%-30% for a starting place. Then you would mix a batch of extended effective microbe (EM) solution in a ration of 1 part with 1 part molasses and 1000 parts water. This should be mixed with the manure/coffee pulp in a way that produces a damp mixture–30-40% moisture, but not wet.
Ideally this “bokashi mixture” would be left to sit somewhere warm to ferment for some time undercover. If it can be tightly covered in a pile or windrow so that anaerobic activity can take place all the better. Then after a month or longer the mixture should be turned and used as compost.
This is my idea of how to do it. I am not sure. I do something similar with my chicken manure and it seems to work fine.
Hope this has helped.
February 3rd, 2007 at 11:59 pm
thanks a lot for your reply. Actually I got this from the Web Site http://www.sustainableharvest.org/bocashi.cfm
However was not sure the exact procedure.
February 6th, 2007 at 8:27 am
Calvin, thanks for the link to that article. Very interesting. It seems like it will work just fine.
The one difference between bocashi made with manure and yeast, etc and the true Japanese Bokashi is that the up to 60 different soil microbes, yeasts, fungi and microbes all have different and beneficial properties to plants and the soil. Especially soil which has been sadly neglected.
I can see where the yeast alone will help break down the manure and lead to a quicker composting action and make for a more easy and quick to apply fertilizer.
However, it will lack the beneficial effects on the root structure and the increased uptake of nutrients which Bokashi/EM lend to plant life.
I will have to experiment with the method and ingredients outlined in the article.
Thanks again!
February 7th, 2007 at 4:51 am
Yes Neal I get your point.But you know when this pulp is left alone, it smells really very bad.Also it can’t be applied to the plants straightaway due to the high toxicity.Hence I’m in the process of exploring possibilities of treating it prior to application to the Field in a simple practical way. The Link suggests a way but not the correct procedure. Therefore trying to find out if someone has already done.
Do you know of any test that can be carried out to be sure that the product is safe for the plants.
Thanks once again
February 14th, 2007 at 3:14 pm
I live in an apartment in Seattle, WA and am very interested in Bokashi. I’m always amazed at the “extras” that get thrown out and I would like to do something to recycle as much of it as I can. This is why I think bokashi is a better choice than just straight composting, more items can be recycled without the smell and attraction of unwanted animals. But, I do have some reservations and I was hoping someone could help me out.
1) I live in an apartment and therefore do not have a garden to dump bokashi when its finished. But I do have a patio. I was thinking of getting a large container and filling it with some dirt and burying the bokashi in there. Will this work do I need to do something special? Will I have to set it up like a traditional compost and mix green items with browns or can I just mix dirt with the bokashi? Will there be any unwanted side effects, i.e. smell?
2) How much does temperature play a role in the whole process? It is kind of cold right now, mid 40’s to low 50’s(fahrenheit), and I don’t have the heat in my apartment on very often. Will this be a problem?
3) What can’t I put in Bokashi? I see lists of what can be put in but no list of what should be avoided. Does this mean anything could be put in? What about expired condiments or jellies, things of that sort?
4) Are there any good books or articles about bokashi somewhere? I’ve only been able to find personal blogs or marketing articles by retailers of bokashi.
Thank you for your help. I’m really hoping to try bokashi soon.
February 15th, 2007 at 9:09 pm
Chris,
Thanks for commenting. I’ll try to answer your questions as best I can.
1)Container gardening is a great use for bokashi–there are some special procedures to follow, but nothing too crazy. Basically you need to layer the bokashi in with the soil for the containers. I have a diagram which explains it in straight forward terms. I have not used Bokashi in containers, but as far as I know there isn’t any odor beyond the usual bokashi, slightly fermented cider vingar smell.
2)Cooler temperatures do not affect the Bokashi process–unless it gets down to freezing. In fact anything above 70 degrees and you need to take extra precautions not to accelerate the rotting of the kitchen waste mixed with the bokashi bran, before the Bokashi has a chance to work.
3)The great thing about Bokashi Composting is you can put ANYTHING in it. Now granted, you do not want to add an overt amount of liquids, and paper is a waste. But jellies, condiments, MEAT!!!, dairy, and all food scraps and vegetable waste. Bones aren’t such a good thing but they do break down.
There is a caveat with this though. The more meat, and dairy you add the more Bokashi bran you must add to increase the effect, and the cooler the process must be kept–between 50 and 70F. I frequently put all the bones, meat and vegetables from making chicken and beef stock in my bokashi buckets with no ill effect–unless I forget to compensate with extra Bokashi bran. Cheese, yoghurt, sour milk, can all be added, coffee grounds, tea bags, etc–it is a fantastic way of eliminating your kitchen waste from your garbage. Cities around the world including Tokyo and London use Bokashi Composting Systems for apartment dwellers.
4) There are some books, and plenty of articles on bokashi–unfortunately they are mostly scientific research papers, consumer’s reviews and industry product sheets. Much of the information out there is in Japanese and a further slew of information–what of it has been translated into English–is in a very hard to search database, mainly for industrial users of Bokashi–in other parts of the world there are huge bokashi compost recycling factories.
If you are interested in a specific application or use of bokashi I might be able to direct you to the source of the information, otherwise its a stab in the dark and hours of research to find what you need. I would suggest you try Bokashi Kitchen Composting and once you see how serious you are about it and how cool it is, then do some more research about how best to use it and how to spread the word.
Feel free to contact me again about EM or Bokashi. There is very little recent information on it in the US, let along the Pacific Northwest, and much of what is out there is incomplete or mistaken.
All the best,
Neal Foley
February 22nd, 2007 at 6:26 pm
Great information, thanks. I am about to start composting with bokashi and I am wondering how important the specifically designed bucket is. I understand you need 1) to keep the waste out of the liquid at the bottom, 2) have an air tight seal and keep a plate on top to reduce the air contact further and 3) a spigot at the bottom for drainage. My question is why couldn’t I use a round cooler with a drain, prop up a screen with rocks on the bottom and find a plate the same diameter. Just want to make sure I’m not missing anything by saving the $99 for the 2 buckets. If you think the bucket design is essential, would the cooler idea work for the second “transfer” bucket? Thanks in advance for your advice.
February 22nd, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Lynne,
The bucket set isn’t essential. I took the plunge and bought two so I could evaluate them. They are convenient. They are also made with recycled plastics and have EM Ceramic Dust embeded in them. Does that make a difference? Not sure, but supposedly the EM Ceramics help the process along.
As a substitution, what a lot of people in third-world countries do, is to use two 5 Gallon Buckets. In the bottom of one–punch it full of holes. This will be the top-most bucket. Slide it into the second bucket. Fill the top bucket up with Bokashi compost like normal, sealing it off with a plate and lid. To get the liquid out, just pull the top bucket out, set it aside and pour the liquid off from the lower bucket. Replace the top bucket and repeat.
You can, of course, go ahead with the cooler idea, but one possible area of problem is with the screen–it has to be pretty fine, and Bokashi is corrosive to metal over time. The other thing is coolers are expensive and 5 Gallon Buckets are cheap or free.
Of course, if you want to spend money…buying a bucket set would be a great idea. . .but just because I sell them doesn’t me I would steer you that direction. Just so you get started using Bokashi–I’d go the 5gallon bucket route.
Enjoy.
Neal
March 28th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
Thanks for all your valuable information. I am two weeks into my first bokashi experience and everything seems to be going great. As I’m planning where to bury my first bucket’s contents, I am wondering if I should further compost (longer than the suggested 2 weeks) to avoid attracting bears. Has there been any tests done or has anyone you’ve spoken to had experience with using this method in bear country?
March 28th, 2007 at 9:11 pm
Hi, Can I use the liquid i drain from the buckets for cleaning or wiping down surfaces or are there any other household uses for it.
March 29th, 2007 at 5:54 am
Lynne–
What sort of garden do you have? If it is fenced at all to keep bears out, that would work. If you aren’t planning on using the Bokashi in a garden right away you could make a traditional compost pile and bury it in there. I’d suggest using wire hog panels, securely mounted for such a bear-country compost pile.
I don’t know of anyone who has used Bokashi in Bear Country. Normally it doesn’t seem to attract rodents, and usually it doesn’t even attract dogs. Two of my last piles, however had a significant amount of chicken bones in them and my dogs dug them up!
You can certainly leave the Bokashi longer than the two weeks, unless it is very hot. Three weeks, or 4 should be fine provided there was enough Bokashi in the mix, you continue to drain it every day or so, and it is sealed up well.
When you do bury the Bucket Contents be sure to dig a one foot deep by three or four foot hole, perhaps a bit deeper, and sprinkle some Bokashi in the bottom. Add your bucket and sprinkle more Bokashi over the top. Add your soil back over to bury. You might try it the first time on the periphery of your property–somewhere it wouldn’t matter if bears dug it up just to see if they’re attracted. You could cover up the pile with a few rocks or some wire placed on the ground and held down with rocks or earth.
At very least it would tell you if your area bears are that desperate.
Good luck and let us know how it goes!
March 29th, 2007 at 6:02 am
Bo–
The liquid from the Bucket is a powerful fertilizer–very nutrient and microbe rich. I wouldn’t use in the same way as EM for cleaning, but diluted 1:1000 makes a good tonic/fertilizer for house plants, etc.
Also, you can pour it down your drains, undiluted, to help keep them clean, and if you have a septic system it will help boost its performance. It also wouldn’t do any harm as a compost pile activator.
June 21st, 2007 at 4:29 am
I put my first load of my scraps in my bokashi bin last night, but I’m conerned it’s too dry. My scraps were a few gone-off apples and some mouldy bread - and then I added the bokashi bran over the top. It seemed like there’s very little moisture in that - do you think it will be enough for the EM to get to work on it, or should I be pouring a bit of water into it?
June 21st, 2007 at 7:57 am
Oli, Don’t add any extra water. There should be enough moisture in the apples, and bread to activate the Bokashi and pickle the scraps. As you add more scraps to the bucket, the moisture level will climb.
My most successful batches of Bokashi have been the ones without any extra moisture of any kind. As soon as you introduce moisture in excess it overloads the system. You also have to make sure to drain the liquid out more often.
Soup stock bones, sour milk, moist pulp of any kind all take extra Bokashi bran and extra attention to make sure they don’t sour the balance of the system and overload the capacity of the microbes and things can go funky without extra care.
Just be patient and the next time you add scraps take not of the condition, if it really doesn’t change and looks like no moisture had been generated, just add a damp layer of Bokashi in. I think, however, you will find that through condensation, and the natural moisture in the scraps that things will be fine.
Let me know how it goes.
July 2nd, 2007 at 7:33 am
After a week it has finally started to pour forth fluid (Mmm, it smells like cider). Thanks for your reassurance, you were quite right!
August 16th, 2007 at 7:53 am
Hello again. My first bokashi load worked well and I’m onto my second now. but I’ve tapped off the fluid and it’s all white and gloopy this time, not clear and light brown like last time round. It still smells like cider, but do you think something might be wrong?
September 30th, 2007 at 6:45 am
Neal,
Many thanks for all the time you have spent sharing your knowledge and skills with everyone.
I hope your interests in this field bring you many rewards.
Shalom
October 8th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
Hi,
I’ve been using the bokashi composter over since early this summer. During that time, I’ve used trial and error to find ways of making it work, and have developed a couple questions along the way.
Using some containers less that 6 inches deep, some mushrooms have appeared in the soil among my plants. the plants seem to be growing fine, and I didn’t know if there is anything I should be worried about?
Secondly, because of this finding i’ve been looking to grow mushrooms in my apartment over the winter. Could bokashi be used as a substrate for growing mushrooms (possibly amongst or in seperate containers) from my plants? Any information would be incredibly helpful. Thanks very much!
October 16th, 2007 at 6:57 am
Hi Neal,
Just another Thank You for your help getting me started composting with Bokashi. I had a concern of composting in bear counrty but my first batch (which I let sit in buckets for over 4 weeks) so far has not attracted any rodents, dogs or bears. The bee’s did go crazy for it though. They were diving and digging into the dirt for days to get to the bokashi!
I do have one question. I caught your video and plan to make my first batch of bokashi. If you don’t lay the bokashi out to dry how long will the “bin” bokashi last?
January 15th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
[…] I have become the owner of two composting systems. One is a standard composter that will sit out in my garden area. The other is a bokashi bucket. I haven’t taken the time to unpack it here at home. The girls at work took a look at it and think I have, for sure, lost my marbles this time. I’ll try to get it started tomorrow evening. I need to get the other (a Soilsaver) set up, too, to handle the matter that has already begun to rot. Since citrus doesn’t make good compost (at least that’s what I’ve gathered), I’ll continue to pitch the orange and grapefruit peelings out next to the woods. I feel I have taken an auspicious first step to growing some of my own food! […]
January 24th, 2008 at 2:55 am
[…] “The great thing about Bokashi Composting is you can put ANYTHING in it. Now granted, you do not want to add an overt amount of liquids, and paper is a waste. But jellies, condiments, MEAT!!!, dairy, and all food scraps and vegetable waste. Bones aren’t such a good thing but they do break down.” The comments on that post are incredibly helpful, and give good insight into how bokashi works. […]
February 3rd, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Hi
Can anyone help with the specifics of container gardening as we are apartment dwellers, & have no garden to bury into ?
Secondly has anyone developed a batch brew approach to the secondry breakdown process.ie, introducing fermented bokashi to a “soil” mix in a chamber ,that can then be finally turned out into trays for growing the likes of wheat grass ?
cheers Murray
February 21st, 2008 at 7:34 am
[…] The Kitchen Garden Company » Bokashi Looks like a good description of Bokashi and how it works. […]
February 23rd, 2008 at 2:55 am
I’ve just started using my new Bokashi, which I got from Wiggly Wigglers. I am glad to have come across your site, which is perfect for a novice user like me.
February 26th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
[…] which lets you compost anything indoors, including meat and seafood. All you do is sprinkle some magic Bokashi dust (yeasts and bacteria) atop each layer of food waste as you fill the container. When it’s […]
March 18th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
Hello Neal and all,
I have been planning to make an EM Bokashi batch for a few weeks and still have some questions on this regard:
1. I have the EM bottle of one litter and it says it will only last for three months after opening. Can I make AEM and save the rest or do I have to use it all up as fast as I can and make a batch of AEM for later use? How long does AEM can be stored and in wich conditions?
2. I do not know of a place to get kelp but have other algae at home like dulce, agar agar, nori, kombu, cochayuyo, etc… will those work when making EM Bokashi and AEM?
3. After making a batch of EM Bokashi, how long can it be stored?
4. I imagine EM Bokashi could be used as cat litter (since I’m a city dweller I have to use some kind), do you have any suggestions on this matter?
5. Would you recommend the use of EM or AEM on humans?
Thanks in advance
Ximena
March 21st, 2008 at 7:59 am
Ximena,
The bottle of primary culture EM should last up to 6 months if kept in a cool, dark place and have as much air removed from the bottle as possible. You can do this by squeezing the bottle up to reduce its volume, or by transferring the liquid to a few smaller containers and sealing them with minimal air space. Try to do this gently without sloshing to reduce adding extra oxygen.
SO yes, you can make an AEM and keep the rest. You can make the AEM in as big or little a batches as needed. AEM can under proper conditions last up to a year. This of course relies on using a larger EM/Molasses ratio to water and adding extra “foods” for the microbes in terms of kelp meal, mineralized sea salts, and EM Ceramic powders. Each time you activate EM you not only extend its volume, but also its shelf life. There are also AEM formulas which have a shelf life of only days–these usually rely on using the water from rinsing rice and no molasses and have a low EM to water ratio. These formulas, known as white EM, are for cleaning and laundry applications.
You should be able to substitute nori, kombu and dulse for the kelp. Agar Agar might not work as it is a thickener. You will have to grind these seaweeds into a fine powder/granules to make them accessible to the EM, and so they won’t swell up so much in the bottle.
Bokashi can be stored indefinitely if it is properly dried and kept in an airtight condition. The commercial packages claim only 1 year, but I have used them long after that. Homemade bokashi which is stronger can last longer. However, I typically make smaller batches of bokashi and stagger them so I always have some coming on at a time when I will need some. This keeps me from having to dry it. Fresh bokashi will last up to one month if kept air-tight and in the dark. A little green mold may happen, and white mold is okay.
Bokashi is great in cat liter. Also a drop or two of EM in your cat’s water will help with odors. You’ll still have to use a commercial liter–I like one that is made with cedar and is fairly natural. Just mix the bokashi bran in with the liter and it will help with odor. If you have a flower garden or shrubbery you can then compost this bokashi/liter mix and spread it on your borders.
As for EM/AEM and humans I cannot openly recommend it. However, EM is the basis for many commercial probiotic formulas on the market. I have used primary culture on skin sores and cuts to some effectiveness. It has always worked fine with my pigs, chickens and cattle–both EM and AEM. There are also formulas available for brewing your own AEM elixirs with various ingredients and potencies. I have found taste to be an issue and in those not accustomed to regular EM usage short-lived digestive upsets can take place. Those who tinker with AEM Elixirs often swear by them.
March 22nd, 2008 at 3:18 am
Neal,
Thank you for all the info on EM,AEM and Bokashi.
I’ll finally gather friends to get the mix going and the composting.
Greetings from Barcelona.
Ximena
March 28th, 2008 at 4:23 am
Hello, I just bought a bokashi pack with bins and bran and started to have many questions.After reading about the diet,the method, or how to bury the product, my main doubt is: When do you really know that a full bin is ready to be dropped in the garden?
Thank you.
April 7th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Hello Neal,
I recently read an article about Bokashi in the Seattle PI and wanted to know more.
I did a search and found your website which has some great info and is very helpful, but I do have a question.
As I understand it, after the food scrapes are processed, the processed food still looks more or less the same and must be buried or composted to complete the process. So my question is how long does it take to thoroughly compost the processed Bokashi.
Here is why I want to know this: Our garden is mostly established perennials and so there isn’t a lot of free area in which to bury the Bokashi. I do have compost bins which I maintain regularly. What I compost is mostly just leaves and so it takes a bit longer to compost. I tend to use the compost as top dressing so there is an appearance issue. I would want the mix to be fairly well composted for aesthetic reasons.
Also would this processed mix affect the composting process? Maybe it would even speed up the composting time.
Oh and one more question. Since you seem to live in the vicinity, do you know of any place in the greater Seattle area the sells the EM solution? or the Bokashi system themselves for that matter?
Thanks dk
April 7th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
DK,
Glad you found the site!
I missed the PI Article. I guess they didn’t think to google “Bokashi” to find the Northwest’s leading voice on it ;-}
Once you fill a bucket, you then let it sit for 2 weeks. You are right, the material does hold its original form–it’s merely pickled. Held in a state of suspension. However, the magic happens when you bury it. The Bokashi (which means “pickled”) compost then comes out of its anaerobic phase and goes into its aerobic phase. When you bury the mixture it combines with soil microbes and oxygen to rapidly break the material down. The only thing which doesn’t disappear is bones. Once the bokashi is buried it only takes a month–depending on soil structure and temperature–for it to break down into some pretty rich material.
Given your situation, there are two ways to proceed. Burying bokashi is a fantastic way to build soil–and not just in the area where you “plant” the bokashi, but by inference as the it acts as an incubation point for repopulating existing soil with beneficial soil microbes and nitrogen fixing microrhyzea. Since it tends to be very rich, you can bury the bokashi bucket loads in between existing plantings so their roots will extend towards it, improving the plants water catching and feeding abilities. By the time the compost has broken down it will have fed the plants around it and still left rich soil. In the compost pile, you can simply add the bokashi by burying it and it will still decompose, feed and activate the pile. However, you have to be careful. A typical thermophilic compost pile may get too hot and kill the very microbes you are hoping to enrich you soil with. Still, mixing bokashi bucket loads with leaf matter is a great way to enhance the breakdown of one and extend the usefulness of the other.
I know of nowhere in the Seattle area which sells Bokashi related stuff. There seems to be someone out on the peninsula who was trying to make a go of it. I used to retail EM and Bokashi Systems. However after many trials and tribulations and some soul searching I decided to give it up because of the ethics of shipping. I loved selling and demonstrating the stuff to customers, but by having the product shipped here and then shipping it on to them–all over the states–seemed crazy and needless. Since the company I deal with doesn’t do drop shipping I made the decision to drop the sales and refer people directly to them. Your price won’t be as good, but the world is a better place for not having this stuff flying all over the place. I still, however, test and trial EM, Bokashi and other formulations with beneficial microbes and I offer workshops on it. At some point in the future I would like to have the capability of making locally produced bokashi bran for commercial sale.
You can get the things you need from my supplier– http://scdworld.com
I hope that answers your questions.
Neal
April 8th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
Thanks for your reply. It is exactly what I wanted to know.
Here is the link to the PI article for you or anyone else who is interested.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/nwgardens/355605_lovejoy20.html
May 12th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Hi Neal. Thank you for all the info and video. It was really helpful.
I’m trying to make my own homemade bokashi with local ingredients to reduce cost. I’m in Malaysia and rice is more normal than wheat.
Is it possible for you to provide me with Anne Lai’s e-mail since she’s too from Malaysia. Her comment was posted long ago on the 31st August 2006 and I’m not sure if you still have her email add.
Anyways, thanks for the help!
Suriya.
May 13th, 2008 at 5:10 am
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