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This post series covers the many ways you can build fertility, create soil, cycle nutrients and take responsibility for โwasteโ streams on your property. These systems all integrate with one another to increase resilience, improve nutrition (for soil and humans) and save dollars. The posts are written from our own experience and are geared towards the DIYer, though options are provided for ready-to-go purchased systems as well. Check the link tree below or at the bottom of the post to explore the rest of the series!
Fermented Plant Juice (FPJ) is a fermented extract of the saps and chlorophylls of specific types of plants. It is enzymatically rich and full of lactic acid producing bacteria and yeast that can help to invigorate plant and animal growth (a probiotic).
FPJ is simple to make with typical home kitchen equipment and ingredients. The plants to be used in making the FPJ should be foraged locally (ideally on-site, or as nearby as possible to maximize the effectiveness of the indigenous microorganisms in your context).
Fermented plant juices are used the world over to boost soil and crop health. The methods and recommendations laid out in this blog post come from the Natural Farming Method, pioneered by Dr. Cho – Han Kyu of South Korea during the early 1960’s. His natural farming methods have since spread across the globe, as they are replicable in any location and can be prepared using what is available locally (what he calls indigenous inputs) instead of proprietary ingredients only found or made in one corner of the globe.
Dr. Cho’s Natural Farming Method is based on Nutrient Cycle Theory, which is based on understanding plant physiology and the changing needs of plant as they pass through different stages of growth (just as humans do). Nutrient Cycle Theory (NCT) guides the farmer or gardener on what to apply, when to apply it and how much in order that developing plants get what they need, when they need it in sufficient but not excessive quantities (excess nutrients are environmental pollutants and can lead to disease).
For example, during vegetative growth (equivalent to teenage years in humans), plants will consume carbohydrates (Carbon) derived from photosynthesis and convert this to nitrogen-rich bodies as they reach their mature size. At the onset of flowering (sexual maturity) plants require more phosphorous, or as Dr. Cho would say, plants crave more “sour foods” (phosphorous rich ferments) during this time. During the reproductive stage (like pregnancy in humans), plants require additional potassium in order to develop proper fruit color. By creating various fermented plant juice mixtures, along with harvesting, cultivating and applying Indigenous Micro-Organisms (IMOs), we can feed the soil that will feed the plant exactly what it needs when it needs it to fully express it’s innate intelligence.
What Is NOT Natural Farming | What Is Natural Farming | Benefits Of Natural Farming |
Use of imported or artificial (lab-raised) microorganisms. | Uses “indigenous” microorganisms of IMOs. | Safe, cheap, easy to make and very effective. Strengthens the crops without being affected by all kinds of weather. |
Use of chemical fertilizers. | Use of Nutritive Cycle Theory. | Nurtures and strengthens the crop in a natural way. |
Mechanical tillage (conventional farming with deep ploughing. | No-till / Biological tillage via bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, earthworms, crustaceans and other soil macrofauna. | Soil clusters that are lumped into aggregates are fostered, which improves aeration (soil breathability(, drainage and moisture retention, creating ever-improving habitat for soil micro- and macro-organisms. |
Annual arduous tillage, energy intensive, high labor and cost. | Grass mulching as remedy for weeds (using brown rice vinegar). | Holds moisture, provides habitat for microbial community, and keeps soil covered preventing erosion. Use of natural inputs helps to dwarf weeds. |
Expensive state-of-the-art technology needed treatment facilities in livestock management. | The use of microbes (IMOs) for simple, cost effective livestock health management. | All wastes are recycled on-site and made use of, reducing costs. Livestock housing is at once a waste treatment facility, fertilizer producer and feed mixer. |
Planting monocultures at high density. | Polycultures with plant layering and healthy spacing. | Higher yields due to emphasis on the formless nutrients of sunlight and air. |
Use of pesticides to kill pests. | Use of natural inputs to “distract” the pests from fruit crops (Fermented Plant/Fruit Juice). | Pest attractants are placed away from the fruits to divert the pests. It is cheaper and focuses on co-existence and co-relation with pests. |
To make a potent fermented plant juice that will invigorate your crop plants, look for plants that exhibit the following characteristics:
NOTE: FPJ can also be made from thinned out fruits. These young, immature fruits contain high amounts of giberellins, which when used a feedstock for making FPJ can help to enhance foliage thickness and create more robust fruit. FPJs made from the actual target crop plants themselves help to further the growth of that crop – for example, pruned lateral buds or branches of tomatoes used as an FPJ input will help tomatoes flourish. Similarly for cucurbits (squash, melons, cucumbers etc) and sweet potatoes according to Dr. Cho.
Different FPJ mixes can be used at or during different growth stages of the target plants according to their needs and the characteristics of the plants used in creating the FPJ.
Typical recommended FPJ application concentrations are between 1:800 and 1:1000 when diluted with clean, non-chlorinated water.
FPJs can be applied via foliar sprays or root drench. We like to add small bits of concentrated FPJ to our compost tea brews as well, which we also apply via foliar spray or soil drench. See our post on DIY Compost Tea post for specific recommendations on application via foliar spray, root drench and irrigation line injection.
FPJ can be kept for up to one year in a refrigerator and up to 30 days if stored at room temperature.
Create a resilient on-site nutrient cycling ecosystem on your farm or homestead – learn how this system integrates with the many others to save you money and create a synergistic integration of nutrient cycling systems!
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