Using Microorganisms to Promote Healthy Soil for Healthy Plants and Healthy Farmers, Part 4

A primer on using EM (efficient microorganisms) making your own organic fertilizer.

Read Part 3.

Making EM-V

“EM-V” is short for the vermitea treated with EM. The resulting fermented liquid has very effective anti-fungal properties and can be used instead of expensive chemical fungicides. Any farmer can easily make this with the necessary materials. The vermicast residue can be used as fertilizer and soil conditioner. You could say this empowers the soil with mighty friendly microbes.

Materials:
1 liter EMAS
5 kg. molasses
15 kg. vermicast (pure, placed inside a katsa or recycled cotton bag)
70 liters non-chlorinated water

How to Make Fermented Vermitea

1. Dilute 5 kg molasses in 70 liters of water and add 1 liter of EMAS in a plastic drum.

2. Hang the katsa bag with vermicast (tied to a stick) on the opening of the drum. Cover the mouth opening with black plastic film and seal tightly with a rubber band made from an inner tube; the band should be about an inch wide.

3. Allow to ferment for one week under shade, either under a tree or in a garage. After 7 days, the fermented vermitea can be used as a fungicide by foliar spray or directly applied on the soil.

4. If the mixture is not used up after two weeks, add 500 grams of molasses to the mixture and stir well. The molasses is food for the microbes.

5. It is best to aerate by stirring the liquid mixture. Seal the drum again. Always keep the drum
covered after getting your supply to keep away animals and prevent dirt from getting in.

Read Part 5.

This article was prepared by the Harbest Organix Department of Harbest Agribusiness Corporation, with its major reference being the EM Training Manual 2011 Edition published by the EM Kyusei Natural Farming Center, Saraburi, Thailand. Write us for guidance and a free consultation. You can reach us at the numbers given above and [email protected] or [email protected]. You can also visit our blog online at www.harbest-agri.blogspot.com.

This appeared as “Healthy Soil for Healthy Plants and Healthy Farmers” without a byline in Agriculture Monthly’s September 2015 issue.