Is it possible to prepare effective microorganisms with your own hands? This question arises for many summer residents who want to improve the quality of the harvest in their garden plot without the use of chemicals. Let's figure out how to prepare beneficial microorganisms from what you have on hand.
Do-it-yourself effective microorganisms
compost for the winter is sprinkled with leaf litter on top and covered with a simple newspaper
This compost is also used when planting seedlings in the ground - the ground is already warmed up, and overwintered microbes actively take on the processing of organic residues, without waiting for the remaining bacteria to wake up. Such a simple way to preserve beneficial microorganisms for the winter was suggested by Slashchinin Yu.I. – his memory recorded a “picture” from childhood, when his grandmother brought in fertile soil for the winter.
And he analyzed the usefulness of the peasant “rite” later, having already gained experience in rational agriculture. We adopted this reasonable solution for our vegetable garden, and every year we dump compost into the underground for wintering, where winter apples and pears are stored.
1 way
But it is best to propagate your own “home-grown” effective microorganisms and water the seedlings with an enriched solution. This type of watering is combined with fertilizing. To do this, infuse banana peels in a 2-liter jar or boil potato peelings, and after cooling, add half a glass of “live” compost and a spoonful of old jam to the nutrient solution.
A compressor from the aquarium is lowered into the solution and the suspension is bubbled for 18-24 hours. Oxygen saturation promotes instant multiplication of microbes millions of times. The cheapest, one might say primitive, compressor is suitable for this.
You need to use the solution as quickly as possible - within half an hour after turning off the air supply, aerobic bacteria will suffocate. You need to use non-chlorinated water - either settled, or melt snow from the street in advance, and later you can collect rainwater. We take water from the aquarium - it is both soft and warm - just right for “household” microbes.
Those who live in the city and can’t afford to bother with country compost can buy fermented horse compost at a garden store, and also economically brew microbes to feed seedlings - the effect will probably be the same.
2 way
The second method is more advanced, and it is no longer prepared at home, but right in the garden. To do this, you need to accumulate a compost heap right on the site. To groom and cherish it - to moisturize and protect it from the sun's rays. There will be “their own” beneficial microbes and worms.
Next year we should sow, say, marigolds right here. And when they grow up to flowering, brew from their roots the same bio-cocktail that you make from simple compost in the spring. There is no need to strain anything - either water it directly under the root with a freshly aerated solution, or spray it in the old “old-fashioned” way, dipping a simple household broom.
The advantage of such effective microorganisms, prepared with your own hands, is obvious - in your bucket you will not get “imported” microbes alien to your ecosystem, but real, local natives. They are adapted to the climate, soil and set of crops that grow on your site. No one will survive or suppress them with their inhibitors, since they “understand” how the complex of interactions is built in the microenvironment of your dacha.
The use of marigolds is, of course, conditional. They just have large seeds and are easy to plant in early summer. You can add the roots of any biodynamic plant from the plot into this infusion - nettle, dandelion, whatever. And add compost to the cocktail.
You can plant legumes on compost - then nitrogen-fixing bacteria will develop on the roots. And when you spray the garden after bubbling, spread them over all the beds. All vegetables will respond to the increase in nitrogen with brighter leaves and photosynthesis will improve. And don’t be afraid – it’s impossible to overfeed with such a cocktail; microbes do not cause the accumulation of excess salts in the soil and plants.
These are some simple ways to “grow” the soil on your site with the help of beneficial microorganisms. And so that they can live and develop, do not forget to add organic matter to the beds and maintain soil moisture. Then effective microorganisms, propagated by yourself, will be real helpers in your garden and will quickly restore soil fertility.
Hello Sergey. Why do plants get sick? Yes, because the earth is sick. We destroyed it for a long time and persistently, fertilizing it with mineral fertilizers and pesticides. They did not distinguish whether these microorganisms were good or bad and killed everything. Accordingly, harmful microorganisms remain in the soil, which also mutate. Only treatment of the earth can gradually destroy harmful microorganisms and improve the health of the earth. It all depends on the condition of the earth. The simple method you suggest will take a long time. As they say, as much as they ruin, so much to heal. You are wrong to treat EM technology this way. Indeed, there are many counterfeits in the retail chain. But as stated above, you can purchase them from the Argo company. And cook it yourself. Using it in about 3 years you can restore the fertility of the land. Well, adhering to: “do not dig, but only loosen, mulch, breed microorganisms, do not use pesticides and mineral fertilizers. use compost, not humus... Do not leave the soil bare, sow green manure when cleared, etc.
Sergey replied:
March 18, 2014 at 11:22 am
Good afternoon
Where did you read that I am against purchased EM drugs and against EM technologies? I said only one thing: I’m not going to buy ANYTHING and I won’t even take it for free, for one simple reason - they’re foreign!
You need to make infusions from your microorganisms that live in the country.
By the way, why are you sure that in ARGO you are buying what is stated in the annotation for the drug? How can you determine this?
Whereas in my infusion I MYSELF put those ingredients that help the beneficial microorganisms grow.
I repeat once again - I am NOT AGAINST store-bought EM drugs! If you and other summer residents think that this is more convenient and easier, no question, use it. I prefer to act reliably and practically!
Georgy, why do you think that the Natural Technology I use for the soil is capable of “healing” it for a long time? Just the opposite! “Native” microorganisms live, reproduce and work under the mulch. Plus the use of your Elixir (with its microorganisms), both to increase the types of bacteria and fungi in the soil and mulch, and to suppress diseases on plants. For plants it turns out 2 in 1 - beneficial microorganisms from below (in the mulch and soil) are busy preparing accessible food for plants, and from above (on the leaves) beneficial microorganisms suppress phytopathogens. Where's it even better?
If it weren’t for this infection - HUMUS - then maybe we wouldn’t have to rack our brains to create the Elixir. Because the infusion of “Nutritional Braga” coped well with sores on vegetables. But I think that God does not - everything is for the better. If I had not used humus, I would not have thought of creating my own EM-elixir. Something like that.
Georgy replied:
March 18, 2014 at 11:40
Well, firstly, you artificially created your mash, and it has a very unpleasant smell. Where in nature does this happen? Humus is rot, i.e. during processing, rotting occurs, the release of an unpleasant odor, an increase in temperature and, as a result, the death of microorganisms, especially lactic acid ones - where does this happen in nature? Therefore, I mean compost, which is formed through processing by microorganisms. Well, let's say it's like in the forest.
Sergey replied:
March 18, 2014 at 1:30 pm
In the mash I used green parts of plants, which is why ammonia was released, but in the Elixir I don’t use green parts and there is no smell. In Nature, this happens in bodies of water (for example, in a swamp), but we don’t really feel the smell, because the volumes of a reservoir and an ordinary bath are incommensurable.
I agree with you about humus! Putrefactive bacteria work inside the heap, releasing the same ammonia, and such a process does not exist in Nature!
Now about the artificial creation of Braga and Elixir.
Georgy, how else can I create an infusion? After all, the ingredients won’t jump into the bath themselves, and the water won’t pour in on its own—naturally, you need to put them there with your hands. And I add compost, which is formed from the digestion of organic mulch by microorganisms, but not from a compost heap (I don’t have one and never will), but I take it from under the mulch in the plots. Also, along with this compost, a humus layer is found when raking with a scoop, but it’s all our own, dear...
Or did you mean something else about “artificial creation”?
Georgy replied:
March 18, 2014 at 01:47 pm
What then is in the elixir, since there is no smell? Odors are also created by certain microorganisms. What do you think? What role does your elixir play as it waters the earth?
Material prepared by: Yuri Zelikovich, teacher of the Department of Geoecology and Environmental Management
EM means effective microorganisms. The transfer of agricultural farming to EM technology gives a wide range of positive effects (see figure), and negative short-term and long-term ones are excluded in principle.
Today, EM technology is the only real opportunity to solve the global food problem while simultaneously improving the environment. It seems like a miracle, but it's true. The mass introduction of EM technologies into agriculture is hampered by only one circumstance: the magnitude of the positive EM effects for a specific crop under certain cultivation conditions is not yet accurately and unambiguously predictable. Big agricultural technology, designed to provide food for billions of people, cannot afford such a risk. But in private household plots (LPH) EO preparations are already used quite widely, and here the generalized experience of small private owners can be invaluable. And for the owner himself, the use of EO preparations will provide a bountiful, environmentally friendly harvest, significant savings on agrochemicals and the ability to eventually use it only sporadically in emergency cases.
History of EV
In essence, EM technology is an ancient invention: the fermentation (fermentation) of an organic nutrient medium into dough, beer, kvass, and wine is already the effect of EM. EM agricultural technology is distinguished by the fact that its preparations use bacteria and fungi together (see below), the strains of which are carefully selected. As a result, the use of EO preparations gives an amazing effect: the soil under high-yielding crops is not depleted, but, on the contrary, reaches maximum fertility in the given climatic conditions and subsequently maintains it without the systematic application of mineral fertilizers. Plants acquire resistance to diseases and pests, which makes it possible to reduce the use of pesticides to occasional cases. In fact, EM technology creates sustainable biocenoses that do not exist in the wild, the viability of which is aimed not at survival under pressure from competitors, but at maximum agricultural production. This is what took millennia of work by researchers and experts.
The targeted development of EM drugs began in the 20s of the last century in the USSR under the leadership of N. I. Vavilov. As is known, Stalin’s secret police starved him to death in prison at the libel of the world-famous obscurantist Trofim Lysenko, and the leading expert on the topic, N.V. Timofeev-Resovsky, emigrated even earlier. In the 70s, work on EM technology was nevertheless resumed in the Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences under the leadership of I. A. Mazilkin, but during the heyday of stagnation it did not come to field experiments, but colossal material on the topic was accumulated.
At the same time, Teruo Higa became interested in EM technologies in Japan, which was chronically poor in its own food supply. The results of the Siberians' experiments were published in the open press. Dr. Higa supplemented them with his own capital developments and in the 80s he was able to begin large-scale experiments in productive areas. Their results exceeded expectations. In the 90s, Higa’s group and Russian scientists came into close contact, and mass production of EM drugs was established in the Russian Federation. Currently, research into EM technologies with a focus on large-scale agricultural technology is being conducted all over the world.
Composition and action
The composition of EO preparations includes numerous strains of lactic acid and photosynthetic bacteria, imperfect fungi from the classes of yeasts, actinomycetes and other soil-forming species; they are brought with the raw materials for preparing the concentrate, see below. In the drug concentrate, its “population” is present in the form of spores, so the concentrate in an unopened container under suitable conditions (in the dark at a temperature of +15 +25 degrees) is stored almost indefinitely.
The initiators of the awakening of EM are (in order of action sequence):
- light;
- humidity (dilution with water);
- temperature (from +(3-4) to +(25-27) degrees);
- nutritious seed (sugar);
- free oxygen;
- nutrient medium.
Once in suitable conditions (on the left in the figure), EM strains awaken sequentially and/or in groups, stimulating each other to “eat” food. Their waste products and dead EM form a loose, permeable, highly nutritious substrate for plants and soil organisms of brown or dark gray color (on the right in the figure). It differs from dense black, nitrogen-oversaturated conventional compost (far right) not only and not so much in accelerated maturation (1 week - 3 months instead of 2-3 years). And not only because in the process of preparing anaerobic EM compost (see below), phosphorus, potassium, meso- and microelements of plant nutrition are practically not leached, again, in contrast to conventional compost.
Fundamentally new compost
If we consider NPK as the main elements of plant nutrition, then the vital ones are carbon, hydrogen and oxygen CHO; Without them, organic synthesis is impossible for any living thing. Plants obtain CHO in the form of water and carbon dioxide. The latter is from atmospheric air, but not from above, but from below. In the lower 10-40 cm of air above the underlying surface, the CO2 content can exceed that at a height of more than 1.5 m by 3-15 or more times; This is why it is so harmful to sleep on the floor.
In the open air, the “lower” CO2 comes predominantly. from the soil. For normal plant life, it is extremely important not only the NPK content in the soil, but also the ratio of active carbon and nitrogen in it; so nitrogen fertilizers are still the most important, no matter how much the opponents of nitrates scream. In a soil of normal productivity the C:N ratio is approx. 11:1, and the optimal for plants is C:N=25:1. This is an adaptive factor that allows plants to constantly have a reserve of vitality at the ready. The analogy is with us - you need to eat right so that when you get up from the table, you want to eat something else, and for athletes, fighters, etc., whose occupation requires them to endure physical and emotional stress, overeating is strictly contraindicated.
Regular compost has a monstrously huge C:N=2:1. Again by analogy: it’s the same as feeding a lumberjack or a special forces soldier sweets to the point of nausea. And it will only harm him, and it will be of no use. In EM compost C:N=(30-70):1. Let’s compare it with the “average soil”, we get (41-81):2=(20.5-40.5):1. The lower value is almost optimal. Upper – the plants have eaten their fill, but not excessively: excessive growth of tops is possible, but yield losses and accumulation of nitrates in fruits are still very far away. On the contrary, there will most likely be some increase in yield due to an increase in the assimilating surface. And C:N will still be quite enough for the well-being of soil formers.
Why is that? Because this is the average C:N in a mixture of organic waste, see fig.
Low ratio means C:N<15, высокое C:N>35, very high C:N>50. And this is not accidental: after all, waste is excretions, parts or entire dead living organisms that have already optimized their composition. During the ripening process of conventional compost under the influence of random fermenters, either C or N appears in excess and volatilizes in the form of carbon dioxide and ammonia. Plant nutrition elements in the ripened mass are present in the form of both chelates and mineral salts; the ratio of both is unstable depending on the composition of the waste and the maturation of the mass. The EM drug creates a self-sufficient microbiocenosis, which actually completely processes what has already passed away into chelated forms of nutrients, most suitable for assimilation by living autotrophs. Which feed heterotrophs with the fruits of their vital activity, incl. and you and me. This is the more or less scientifically expressed idea of N. I. Vavilov and N. V. Timofeev-Resovsky.
EM drugs
Currently, in almost any agricultural store you can buy many types of EM concentrates: Baikal EM, Vozrozhdenie, Vostok EM, Gumat EM, Niva EM-1, Siyanie, Slox, Tamir, Embionik-08, Emix, EM Kurunga, Emochka, etc. Simple It is also possible to prepare EO preparations with your own hands from available raw materials, see below. Baikal EM is the most popular, because It was from here that the industrial production of EO concentrates began. From the Baikal EM concentrate you can make not only a composter, but also an effective fertilizer and preventive plant protection product (PPP), non-toxic and safe. In addition, once purchased, the Baikal EM concentrate is easily “multiplied” at home, see below. However, small gardeners working on chronically depleted soils should pay no less attention to Vostok EM and its analogues in composition, see video:
Video: about the drug Vostok EM
However, all this diversity is quite clearly divided into 4 groups, because most analogues are produced by “reproduction” of 3 original compositions. The boundaries of the areas of application of groups are quite vague, but there are still:
- Baikal group - consisting of approx. 20 strains of bacteria and fungi. Universal, medium-strength products for composting, fertilizing, preparing plant protection products, and even for adding to livestock feed to improve digestion. It is based on strains of lactic acid bacteria from the stomachs of cattle, yeast, and actinomycetes.
- Vostok group – strong preparations from 60-80 strains. The role of photosynthetic bacteria and actinomycetes has been enhanced. There is an expressed focus on the reclamation of fairly permeable, highly depleted soils (sand, sandy loam, weathered carbonate soils, ordinary garden soil).
- Gumat EM group – potency below average. There are usually less than 20 strains in the composition, but there are always humates. They are focused on anaerobic composting (see below), attracting soil formers and structuring nutritious, but dense, heavy and/or unkempt soils - virgin soil, new soil, alluvial (meadow), abandoned areas overgrown with weeds.
- Homemade EO preparations from improvised means are weak, the composition is random, but they are suitable for accelerating the maturation of compost and/or saving nitrogen fertilizers.
What Baikal EM can do
The drug Baikal EM is the most tested in practice and the methodology for its use has almost developed. It does not work miracles, but it allows for at least 3 years of monoculture in the same area with an increase or at least without loss of productivity and soil fertility; The results for potatoes of 3 varieties in Central Russia are given in the table:
Anyone who has tried to plan their 6 or even 20 acres for a more or less correct turnover of crops will appreciate it. For more information about the use of the drug Baikal EM-1, see the video:
Video: about the use of Baikal EM-1
The concentrated preparation Baikal EM-1 is used to prepare the trace. compositions:
- Basic (main) EM solution, or EM preparation, for fertilizing watering and other purposes.
- EM extract to save on purchased concentrate.
- EM-5 – preventive plant protection against diseases and pests.
- EM-urgases are biofertilizers and cleaning agents made from kitchen waste.
Base solution
To prepare the basic solution of Baikal EM, you need soft, non-chlorinated water. It will come from rainwater or settled water from natural reservoirs, wells or springs with a hardness of no higher than 12-14 German degrees. You cannot dechlorinate water and reduce its hardness by boiling: there must be some dissolved oxygen in the water. As a last resort, lower a sprayer from an aquarium compressor into a container with water cooled below +15 degrees to the bottom and blow through the water at full air supply for a day or more.
The next point is nutritional seeding. It is prepared before the concentrate is added to the water. The best option is a mixture of fructose and sucrose; This is jam syrup (without berries). Molasses made from white beet sugar (pour water into a glass of sugar to the top and wait until everything is completely liquefied) is somewhat worse; molasses, made from yellowish cane sugar, is almost equivalent to fruit molasses. Bee honey contains quite a lot of lactose and contains antibiotics. If honey is used for priming, then prepare it for 3 days, adding 1/3 of the required amount of honey to the water every day. The last sweetening with honey is carried out no earlier than one day before the administration of the concentrate. The fructose primer can be introduced, stirred, and the concentrate can be added immediately. It is advisable to leave the pure sucrose seed for half an hour to an hour before introducing the concentrate. After its introduction, the solution is left in a dark, warm place overnight to mature. The rate of administration of the concentrate is 10 ml per 1 liter of water. If you purchased a branded 30 ml bottle, you need to prepare 3 liters of sweetened water, because the concentrate is not stored in an opened container. The base solution is stored for a season in a tightly closed glass container without access to air, just like a homemade concentrate, see below. For more information on how to prepare Baikal EM-1 from concentrate, see the video guide:
Video: preparing Baikal EM-1 from concentrate
Homemade Baikal
The main secret of the original Baikal EO concentrate is the composition of the herbal infusion into which EO spores are sown. As far as one can judge from available publications, it has not been completely declassified by the manufacturers. The unique natural conditions of the Baikal region are probably also important. However, it is quite possible to make a basic EM solution that acts similarly to Baikal EM with your own hands, using a proprietary concentrate as a seed. The essence of the technology is this: EMs are allowed to multiply in a herbal infusion and put their community on the brink of survival. EOs die off, leaving spores, which are the “dormant” new solution; it can be stored for a season.
Herbs for infusion
The collection of herbs for infusion can be taken as follows:
- stinging nettle (stinging, not “deaf”) in bloom (yellow catkins hanging, dusty);
- chamomile (which does not have a corolla of petals);
- valerian officinalis;
- young burdock (not yet started to flower);
- plantain;
- tansy;
- yarrow;
- red clover:
- peppermint;
- creeping wheatgrass;
- quinoa.
Chopped green herbs are used in equal proportions by volume. You can’t use all the ingredients (any 3-4 is enough), keeping the proportions. For example, if you need 30 liters of green mass and have all the herbs, take 3 liters of each; if there are only 5 - 6 liters each; There are only 3 - 10 liters each.
Equipment
The next thing to take care of is the fermentation reactor and a container with a water seal for maturation. Reactor - a new, clean plastic 20-50 liter barrel with a sealed lid; Once the need has passed, it can be washed and used for another purpose, incl. for food purposes. The gas outlet of the water seal will need to be adapted to the lid, see below.
The main condition for long-term storage of the finished composition is the complete absence of air access. During the preparation of the extract, the gases released by the ripening mass must also be removed, otherwise the container may simply burst. During the maturation of the mass, gases must also be released, preventing air from being sucked back into the reactor, otherwise the extract will suffocate with oxygen (yes, yes, anaerobic EMs work there at the 2nd and next stages of fermentation) and rot. The gases released have a faint sourish silage smell that is not exactly unpleasant, but inappropriate in residential premises, so the mass is allowed to ripen in 2 ways.
The first (pos. A in the figure on the right) is troublesome and produces an extract of somewhat worse quality, but is suitable for residential premises and allows you to prepare the drug in small containers. It is similar to the method used to open wine bottles without a corkscrew, but in this case it uses not a hook made from a paper clip, but a thin needle from an old medical syringe with a metal cannula. If the drug is being prepared, the containers (see below) are filled similarly to large dishes, but the branded concentrate and sugar seed are dosed in drops (1 ml = 15-20 drops) or with a medical insulin syringe. The reacted starter (see below) is poured into bottles literally up to the neck. A needle is inserted under the cork (rubber, not cork!) with a bevel towards the glass and the cork is pushed into the neck until the starter flows out of the needle. The cannula of the needle, so that the ferment is not pumped into the air, is tightly plugged with a piece of a school eraser cut in advance and ground in place (the drawing eraser will not rub in). Every day, in the morning and evening, the plug is removed and the accumulated gas is released. The concentrate prepared in this way is taken instead of the branded one (see below) in a 2:1 ratio by volume.
Note: If there is only one suitable needle, it must be inserted each time between the cork and the neck to release the gas, but with the bevel towards the rubber and the tip towards the glass so that it does not dig into the cork.
According to the second method, no significant pressure of accumulating gases is created and the composition matures without interference. Supervision of the container is needed daily or less often (until the end of ripening), and the needle is suitable from a disposable syringe. The design of the installation for preparing EO concentrate in this case is quite similar to a wine fermenter with a water seal, pos. B in Fig. Use a needle to pierce the cork through so that only the very bevel with the tip protrudes, and clean it with a thin wire. Cork, as before. case, push until the needle starts to flow. Then a soft PVC tube (or from a blood transfusion kit) is pulled onto the cannula, a weight is attached to its opposite end (can be covered with plasticine) and lowered into the water seal. The end of ripening is noticeable immediately when gas evolution ceases. Concentrate from a fermenter with a water seal is used instead of the proprietary 1:1.
Preparation
You can prepare the EO extract using long “winter” and shortened “summer” methods. Winter extract can be used as a starter for traces. batches instead of branded concentrate; depending on the quality of the water and the composition of the herbal collection for infusion, up to 5-6 times. Summer extract simply provides several times more fertilizer and/or starter to accelerate the maturation of compost from the same amount of purchased concentrate.
Winter extract
To prepare the winter extract, a hole for the rubber stopper is cut out in the threaded lid using a compass drill. By the way, a tip for a wheelchair or crutch is very suitable for it (see figure on the right; sold in pharmacies). Such a plug will never fall inside, and the gas outlet needle in it will never become clogged, because exits into the cavity of the plug itself. The tip for the plug should be rubber - silicone quickly becomes unusable in an acidic environment.
Next, the barrel is filled 2/3 with chopped grass, slightly squashing, but not trampling down tightly. Then add water to cover the grass. Separately, the sugar seed (see above) is diluted in 0.5 liters of water and poured into the reactor barrel with a smooth circular motion. After 2-5 minutes, a dose of freshly prepared Baikal EM base solution is administered at the rate of 10 ml per 1 liter of mixture.
Now you need to screw the standard lid of the barrel tightly, insert a stopper into it and place the fermenter in a dark, warm room; The fermentation temperature should be kept between 16-25 degrees Celsius. Then we make a water seal (see above) and periodically visit the fermentation room. If by the end of the 2nd week the gas has not flowed, remove the hose from the needle and clean it with a thin wire. There is still no gas - alas, the batch is spoiled; most often due to bad water. 2-3 days after the end of gas evolution, we remove the plug for a short time, take a sample of the solution and check its acidity with indicator paper; should be pH=(3.3-3.6). We smell the liquid - it should smell like ripe silage. If both are yes, cool the container to 10-12 degrees and carefully pour the infusion into bottles under a cork without air, see above. We dry the sediment in the shade - it will be used as light spring organic fertilizer.
Summer accelerated
Summer extract is prepared in an amount of 20-30 l, i.e. The 50-liter barrel is half filled. Herbal mixture - from any plants, incl. garden weeds. Before placing the herbs, insert a large black garbage bag (at least 50 liters) into the container and place the herbs in it. After filling with water and seasoning with sugar and sourdough as before. In this case, the neck of the bag is twisted and wrapped. Place a wooden circle on the closed bag or, if the neck of the barrel is narrow, several sticks, and apply pressure from a couple of bricks, etc.
The container with the mixture is placed in the shade in a place where it is not colder than +25 and not hotter than +35. starting from the 3rd day, the oppression is removed daily, the neck of the bag is unscrewed and the gas is released. Be careful, turn away so you don't get splashed in your face! When the gas emission subsides, the acidity is checked at the same time. Has dropped to 3.7 and below - the solution can be bottled for storage, as before. case. The sludge is also suitable for fertilizer. The solution is used instead of the proprietary base 2:1 during the season.
Note: How else to “multiply” Baikal EM for fertilizer, see video:
Video: preparing a large amount of EM extract from one bottle of Baikal
And about the preparation of EO concentrate according to the method of Yu. I. Slashchilin:
Video: DIY EM fertilizer according to Slashchalin’s recipe
Baikal for watering
The basic solution of Baikal EM for fertilizing irrigation is used in the following. concentrations:
- For application to bare soil before winter or early spring 2-3 weeks before planting/sowing – 1:100. Application rate – 3-4 liters per 10 square meters. m;
- For fertilizing irrigation into pre-moistened soil - 1:1000 for herbaceous (including green) and 1:500 for shrubs and trees. Consumption 2-3 liters per 1 sq. m ridge or trunk circle. When watering at the root and in the holes, the consumption is 50 ml per seedling bush, 100-150 ml per young bush and 150-200 ml per adult;
- For fertilizer during rain (watering during rain has a growth stimulating effect) - 1:20 for heavy rain and 1:50 for light rain. The expense is the same. Irrigation in the rain after a thunderstorm has just died down is especially effective due to the abundance of air ions in the rain moisture;
- For fertilizing seedlings and potted plants – 1:2000. Fertilizer watering is carried out once every 1-2 weeks instead of usual.
Note: For indoor plants that are in the dormant phase, fertilizing watering is not carried out!
The amount of the drug required to prepare the required volume of working solution of a given concentration is determined from the table:
The solution must be used within a day. The frequency of watering is 2-4 weeks, depending on the weather and the condition of the plants (fertilizer watering is carried out instead of regular watering). The minimum interval between watering with EM is 1 week.
Irrigation with cultivation
Fertilizer irrigation with EM preparations can be combined with soil cultivation. On poor loose soils, Voskhod EM is more suitable for this, and on dense nutrient soils, Gumat EM is more suitable, however, in the conditions of an ordinary summer cottage or garden plot, Baikal EM and its winter extract give almost the same effect.
On poor soils
On poor permeable soils it is still warm, but after harvesting they provoke the friendly germination of weeds. Their young shoots are mowed down and nitrogen organic matter (manure, bird droppings, humus, compost) is added at 30-50 g per 1 sq. m. m and all together are buried to a depth of no more than 5-7 cm. It is impossible to dig, plow and cultivate with the formation turnover, because The leading role in this case is played by aerobic EMs. After “pulling”, sprinkle with a base solution in a concentration of 1:10 (this is where homemade summer extract comes in handy - there is a lot of it and it is cheap) and mulch with dense mulch (sawdust, chopped straw, crushed shavings) to keep the soil moist longer. If on the next a year there are problems with weeds again, the treatment is repeated; possible from year to year.
On heavy ground
On dense fertile soils occupied by biocenoses of persistent weeds, after harvesting they are mowed down along with the tops of cultivated plants. The mowing is removed for composting, burning, etc. complete destruction (!). The soil is loosened with a rake or surface cultivator to a depth of 5-7 cm and moistened to a minimum, as long as it is not dry. Then - spray watering with a base solution of 1:100, 3-4 liters per 1 sq. m. m. If after harvesting the heat lingers, the treatment is repeated every 2-3 weeks, but no later than the same 2-3 weeks before the cold weather. In the spring, all procedures are repeated when the weeds begin to sprout. Maximum in the 3rd year (if the soil is a chernozem deposit), the soil becomes well structured, freed from weeds, and the fight against them comes down to the destruction of individual specimens from the planted seeds.
EM composting
Nutrient compost is prepared using any EO preparations, incl. homemade anaerobic and aerobic methods. Aerobic EM compost is prepared faster, in 1.5-2 months. You can add it to the soil within a month in the inter-row spaces so that at least 7-10 cm of soil remains to the roots of the plants. Weed seeds, embryos of pests and human pathogens (for example, helminth eggs) “burn” in aerobic compost (see below), but up to 30% of nitrogen or more, as well as almost all phosphorus, potassium meso- and microelements are lost. Anaerobic EM compost will be ready for use. season and it requires clean raw materials, but it is a complete fertilizer, which also structures the soil.
Anaerobic EM compost
We dig a hole approx. 1x1 m depth 50-60 cm; preferably to dense underlying rock - clay, loam. On powerful humus, it is better to place it in a hole and trample a clay castle 10-15 cm thick; Any clay will do.The waste to be composted is placed in the pit, compacted tightly, in layers of 10-15 cm and sprinkled with the same layers of earth as for preparing ordinary compost. Each soil layer is watered with 2-3 liters of a base solution or homemade extract. The last layer should be earthen and be flush with the edges of the pit. After loading, the pit is covered with film with a removal of approx. 30-40 cm to the sides. The wings of the film are loaded with fragments of bricks, etc., and all together they are covered with earth on top so that a pile is formed, also 30-40 cm high. Compost from the spring loading pit will be ready in the fall for application before winter; autumn is also on track for autumn. year.
Note: For spring and delayed application, anaerobic EM compost can be left in the pit for up to 3 years, but under no circumstances should it be opened! Compost from the opened pit must be used in the current season!
Aerobic EM composting
To obtain high-quality disinfected aerobic EM compost, daily monitoring of the temperature of the compost heap is required. In the old days it was made with a wooden stake: it was stuck into the middle of the pile, taken out every day and the end felt. But the result will be much better if, instead of a stake, you insert a metal tube welded at one end: an ordinary household thermometer is lowered into it on a cord, held for 10-15 minutes, taken out and checked the temperature. Also, to obtain definitely disinfected compost, the composition of the waste for composting should include at least 20-30% of fresh cattle manure or poultry manure. But under no circumstances should you put in pig manure or, excuse me, human feces! They do not heat well, and the likelihood of spreading infection is very high!
The diameter of the aerobic compost heap is 1.2-1.5 m. The outside temperature during the formation of the heap should not be lower than +22-23 degrees. In the area under the pile, at least 5-6 wooden poles or pipe scraps are laid out along the radii with the ends inward, with the ends toward the center. A loose layer of straw or shavings 15-25 cm thick is laid on the poles/pipes. This is air drainage; Without it, you won’t be able to make good, harmless compost. Composting waste and soil are laid out on the drainage layer by layer, as before. case, but the layers are left loose, not compacted, and gradually tapered so that the heap turns out to be a conical height of 0.9-1 m. The heap is watered and after 2-4 hours, when it settles, sprinkled with a layer of earth 20-25 cm deep. The thermometer tube is inserted into the top of approx. half the height of the pile.
Temperature control begins next. day. If the pile has warmed up inside overnight by no more than 3-5 degrees above the outside temperature, it (the pile) is carefully turned, lifting the poles one by one. If it doesn’t rise to +60 in 3-4 days, quick compost doesn’t work, and the pile will have to be left to mature for at least a year. If the temperature rises above +65, the pile needs to be sprayed with water, otherwise the loss of nutrients will be excessively large. If rain is expected, stretch the film over the pile on the poles, without covering it tightly.
Note: Experienced gardeners determine the state of ripening compost using a thermometer using steam over the pile.
When the temperature inside the heap drops to +34-35 degrees, it is dug up with a pitchfork, trying not to disturb the drainage, and during digging, a basic solution of EM is added at the rate of 2-3 per cubic meter. m of settled heap; How to calculate the volume of a pyramid, see your school geometry textbook. When the temperature inside the heap drops to a level 2-3 degrees below the outside, or to +28, compost can be added to the soil.
Note: You can water the contents of the compost bin with a basic solution of EM to speed up ripening, but in this case the compost will turn out to be normal, only faster.
EM for pests and diseases
The drug Baikal EM-5 is used as a preventative against plant diseases and pests. Its composition (in order of components introduced):
- Pure soft dechlorinated water (preferably distilled) – 600 ml;
- Molasses or syrup (see above) – 100 ml;
- Table alcohol vinegar 9% - 100 ml;
- Medical grain alcohol 96% – 40 ml or 70% “for injections” – 55 ml;
- Basic solution of Baikal EM concentrate – 100 ml.
Before administration, add water up to 100 ml to a given volume of alcohol. Instead of alcohol, you can add 100 ml of Russian or Finnish 40-proof white vodka (without additives or flavorings) or English gin of the same strength. Polish 50-proof vodka is not suitable; it is not sufficiently purified from fusel oils for this purpose. Schnapps, Dutch gin and vodka bols are also not suitable - they are made not from grain, but from potatoes. Rice-based spirits (sake, Vietnamese vodka, etc.) are also unsuitable. Like whiskey, cognac, armagnac, Italian grape vodka grappa and other alcoholic drinks of fruit origin, they contain tannins.
The resulting EM-5 concentrate is poured into a liter or two 0.5 liter glass bottles, topped up with distilled water up to the top and plugged with gas outlet stoppers from a medical needle, see above. Fermentation containers are placed in a dark place with a temperature of +28-35 degrees. At the end of gas evolution (this is for 3-4 days), the gas outlets are removed. The finished concentrate is stored in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months.
For use, EM-5 concentrate is diluted immediately before use with water or an infusion of plants that have pesticide properties: leaves (feathers) of garlic, plantain walnuts, aloe vera or vera, tops of red hot pepper, carrots, yarrow herb; You can use mixtures of components in equal parts in any combination. The herbs are passed through a meat grinder, poured with warm water 2:1 by volume and infused at room temperature for 2-3 days in a sealed container in a dark place. To avoid fermentation, the finished infusion is stored in the refrigerator in the vegetable compartment (avoiding freezing).
Plants are regularly sprayed with Baikal EM-5 1-2 times a week from the beginning of bud break. Preventive dilution of the concentrate 1:500. The application rate is controlled visually: until a continuous film of moisture appears on the leaves. When the first signs of disease or pests appear, the concentration is increased to 1:300 and spraying is carried out daily. It doesn’t help - the concentration is increased to 1:100 and 2-3 treatments are carried out. The effect is not visible - well, it's time to use pesticides.
Note: herbal infusion can be added to the water of the spray solution in any proportion.
What is EM Urgas?
Urgas EO or EO liquid is a specific product of EO composting kitchen waste, which cannot be obtained in any other way; It is a concentrate of waste products of essential oils, but does not contain their spores. The shelf life of EM urgasy in tightly closed containers is over 3 years. Urgasu EM is added to the soil as a liquid fertilizer instead of a base solution diluted 1:1000 (1 ml per 1 liter of water for potted crops or 1 tbsp per bucket of water for greenhouses and open ground). Irrigation of aerobic EM compost after burnout of EM urgasa significantly increases its nutritional value and somewhat (by about a week) accelerates the maturation of the heap. Concentrated Urgasa EO can be poured into clogged sewers to clean, remove plaque inside pipes, plumbing fixtures, etc. Diluted 1:10-1:100 - add to water for washing especially heavily soiled items.
Schemes for obtaining and using EM urgasy are shown in Fig. An EM container for this can be made from a plastic bucket with a tight lid, a water tap, an insert for washing and a garbage bag with 5-6 punctured holes. The container must be kept in a non-residential area at a temperature not lower than +15 degrees, because When reloaded, the smell it emits is quite noticeable.
Before loading into the container, the waste is crushed into pieces of 2-3 cm. The crushed waste is placed in layers of the same thickness into the container. Each layer is sprayed from a spray bottle with a basic solution of Baikal EM or any other EM preparation. After spraying, the neck of the bag is twisted, wrapped, tightened with an elastic band, and pressed with pressure on a wooden or plastic mug. EM Urgas is drained approx. once a week as it accumulates. Urgas EM is stored in a tightly closed, gas-tight, chemically inert container (plastic bottles can be used). For more information on preparing EO preparations from kitchen waste, see the video selection:
Video: DIY EM preparations from kitchen waste
About EM without seed
The germs of effective microorganisms for the preparation of agricultural preparations are found in many types of agricultural products. Activating and propagating them on suitable nutrient media at home is not difficult. The resulting preparations are suitable for the same purposes as branded ones, except for use as plant protection products and obtaining EM urgasy. However, the species composition of “improvised” EOs is limited to 1-2-4 strains, which, of course, are not cultivated pure on special equipment. As a result, completely homemade EO preparations are significantly less effective than industrially produced ones. Therefore, in conclusion, we simply give video recipes on how to prepare EO preparations with your own hands from improvised means at home:
Video: simple recipes for EM preparations using improvised means
Recently, more and more gardeners and gardeners are thinking about organic farming. However, given the current state of the environment, not a single crop will produce a good harvest without enriching the soil and fertilizing the plants. But there is a way out - these are nutritious elixirs and growth stimulants that you can prepare with your own hands from available natural materials.
With the arrival of autumn, you can observe how unwisely valuable organic material is destroyed - fallen leaves, branches, garden tops. But instead of burning or throwing into trash cans, all this can become an excellent material for obtaining nutritious garden elixirs. 
This garden elixir is rich in many microelements, including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, which are essential for plants. Experienced summer residents have long known about the beneficial effects of ash and feed their plants with it when planting, because the good development of the crop depends on nitrogen, potassium strengthens the plant and enhances its protective properties, and phosphorus improves the quality of the crop.
Important! Although organic additives are a natural and useful material, they should be applied in a standardized manner and taking into account the type of crops planted. For example, ash is contraindicated for hydrangeas, since this flower loves acidic soils.
The wonderful effect that ash has on potatoes has long been noted, protecting it from disease and rot and giving a noticeable increase in yield. And half a bucket of ash per season for each grape bush allows you to strengthen its wood and safely survive the winter. In addition, at the initial stage, ash copes well with caterpillars, slugs, and aphids. The main thing is not to miss the moment and not allow the pests to multiply too much. 
Properly prepared, it contains a maximum of microelements and nutrients needed by plants. It adds the necessary fertilizers to the soil and normalizes its acidity. When preparing compost, the following rule should be observed: the compost must have good oxygen saturation, and this is possible if it matures in a heap and not in a hole. Otherwise, silage will be formed with high acidity and a sour odor. Compost has a beneficial effect not only on the growth and development of vegetables and fruits, but also on the yield, taste and shelf life of fruit crops.
Herbal tea
One type of garden elixir - herbal tea - is prepared from common garden weeds, which are infused in water. To prepare this fertilizer, you can use the most common plants - dandelion, nettle, comfrey, clover, shepherd's purse and even lawn grass after cutting. If you add strong-smelling plants, for example, wormwood, tansy, tomato shoots or garlic tops, the infusion will also acquire insecticidal properties. And many pests will avoid your area. 
To prepare “herbal tea,” you can use a 200-liter barrel (preferably plastic), into which you place the weeds and fill them with water in a ratio of approximately 1:1. Cover the barrel with a lid or film with holes, place it in a sunny place and stir the solution once a day with a long stick. In one to two weeks, the herbal tea will be ready. Readiness is determined by the fact that the solution stops foaming and acquires a persistent unpleasant odor and a yellow-greenish color. Herbal tea is not used in its pure form; its aqueous solution is used, where one part of tea is 10 parts of water.
When watering plants with this solution, the soil is saturated with additional organic matter containing many microorganisms and bacteria, and becomes more vibrant and fertile. An infusion containing thick plant sediment that is not used until the end of the season can be used to water raspberry or currant bushes, or be used to flavor compost. Experienced gardeners have noted that the constant use of herbal tea allows you to grow any vegetables without manure and other fertilizers.
Important! When planting plants for preparing herbal tea, you should not take disease-affected or poisonous specimens. Because the substances and enzymes released from them will enter the soil and young plants and can cause great harm.
What is EM
EM preparations are effective microorganisms, which are enzyme fungi, lactic acid and photosynthetic bacteria, yeast and actinomycetes. 
Their task:
- improving the soil, improving its structure, preparing for the spring season;
- restoration of humus, increasing the content of beneficial microorganisms, accelerating the decomposition of organic matter;
- help in protecting plants from various diseases and pests;
- increasing productivity and improving the taste of vegetables and fruits.
Later, at temperatures above +15°C, microorganisms and beneficial bacteria awaken, which can be fed with natural organic matter: compost, manure, last year’s leaf litter. In a couple of weeks, the microorganisms will take root in the soil, distribute evenly in the top layer, improve soil performance, and then the seedlings can be planted. The effect of using EM depends on the initial soil quality, climate, irrigation regime and other factors. And if some summer residents talk about positive changes only in the next season, others notice them after 2-3 weeks.
Recipes for cooking EO
There are many products with active microorganisms. Let's look at the recipes for some of them.
Herbal infusion with effective microorganisms
- Fill 1/3 of a 250-liter barrel with crushed weeds and medicinal plants, such as chamomile, St. John's wort, plantain, tansy, celandine, yarrow and others.
- Pour a couple of buckets of compost and half a bucket of ash into the barrel, add water to the full volume of the barrel with a reserve for fermentation.
- Let the mixture sit for two weeks and, diluting one part of the mixture with ten parts of water, feed each bush with 1–1.5 liters.
Video: preparing organic fertilizer
For legumes
- Add a glass of sand, a tablespoon of chalk or lime to one kilogram of soil. Moisten the resulting soil, pour it into a bucket and level it.
- Pour a handful of legumes into two glasses of water, boil and cool. The nutrient solution is ready.
- Wash the pink and white tubers from the roots of 5–6 flowering pea bushes from the soil and thoroughly mash them in a container with a wooden spoon.
- Mix everything with 1/3 cup of nutrient solution and pour onto the prepared soil. Cover the bucket with a film with several holes and leave it in a warm, shaded place.
- After a week, you will get a drug with effective microorganisms. Next, you need to dry it in the shade and store it until the next season.
- When planting, roll the moistened seeds in the EM preparation and plant them in the garden bed.
Did you know? Soil is one of the largest reservoirs of biological diversity, containing almost 30% of our planet's life. Just one teaspoon of soil is home to billions of microbes. And life born in the soil has the most complex networks of relationships.
Starter for rapid digestion of manure and compost heaps
- Pour dry yeast (0.5 packs) with warm water (250 ml) with sugar (1 tbsp) and add live fermented milk drink (250 ml).
- Make a hole in the manure pile or compost and pour the mixture into it.
- Fresh manure will take about two months to rot, while compost will take a couple of weeks.
Effective microorganisms for making home compost
- Infuse kombucha with weakly brewed sweetish black tea or herbal decoction.
- Dilute it with water, taking 10 ml of tincture per liter of water.
- Water food scraps for compost or use as an organic fertilizer for seedlings and indoor flowers.
Biological method of pest control
Experienced summer residents actively use available biological materials in the fight against pests.
How to prepare a growth stimulator for plants with your own hands
To prepare growth stimulants yourself, you need to spend minimal effort and follow some rules.
This is one of the most popular plants, helping many vegetables and fruits to develop well. It has a rich vitamin and mineral composition and has a beneficial effect on plant growth. Thus, nettle contains potassium, calcium, magnesium and vitamin K, which is essential for the process of photosynthesis. To prepare a growth stimulant, you should collect healthy specimens of nettle before the seeds appear on them, dry them in a shaded and ventilated place and chop them. 
- Place crushed dry nettles in a container and add water in the amount of one liter of water per handful of nettles.
- Leave the solution for about 7–10 days, stirring every two days. To speed up fermentation, add yeast or food starter (in a ratio of 1:20).
- Adding medicinal valerian root or 10 ml of its pharmacy tincture will help eliminate the unpleasant odor.
- An effective and natural growth stimulator is ready!
Aloe
Most of us are aware of the medicinal properties of aloe, which is used in many traditional medicine recipes and cosmetics. But the valuable substances and beneficial qualities of aloe, in particular its excellent restorative properties, are ideal for stimulating plant growth. 
To independently prepare a biostimulant, take the succulent leaves of an adult plant and prepare it as follows:
- Rinse the aloe well with warm water, mash with a wooden spoon until it becomes a homogeneous paste in a metal container.
- Add clean water to the container in the following amount: for 1 liter of water, approximately 10 tablespoons of mashed aloe.
- Cover the container with a lid and leave to infuse in a cool, shaded place for about 7 days.
- At the end of the cooking time, dilute the resulting concentrate with cooled boiled water five times.
- The growth stimulator is ready.
Willow
Another excellent material that stimulates the growth of the root system of many plants is willow. Some summer residents note that its solution completely replaces the popular drug “Kornevin”. 
To prepare your own stimulant from willow, you should:
- Cut healthy green willow twigs and place them in a jar of room water.
- The appearance of roots and the intense brown color of the water will signal that the concentrate is ready.
- The remaining branches can be filled with water again, and the infusion will most likely acquire a jelly-like structure. To use the product, dilute the concentrate with water in a 1:1 ratio.
Did you know? The soil is the largest filter through which thousands of cubic kilometers of water pass annually! At the same time, the soil absorbs magnesium, potassium, calcium and other valuable substances in the water and nourishes the plants with them.
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There is a lot of talk about EM technologies, but still not everyone understands the essence of these drugs. In fact, everything is very simple.
What are EM drugs
Many people have heard about humus, but not everyone understands what it is and why it is needed. And even more so, what to do with him. Humus is an organic substance in the soil that contains a complex of organic compounds necessary for the growth and development of plants. It appears as a result of the work of microorganisms. The more there are, the higher the humus content, the
Microorganisms are found in any soil. Somewhere there are more of them, somewhere less, but they are always and everywhere. Some of them decompose organic residues, others process them into new formations, others loosen the soil, etc. The more diverse the composition, the better.
In the middle zone, most microorganisms die during the long winter. And their number is restored only by August-September. Therefore, special concentrates have been developed that contain the necessary products for such purposes and are called EM-preparations (“EM” means “effective microorganisms”). The bottles contain yeast, bacteria, and enzyme fungi. Depending on the manufacturer, the composition and degree of impact on the soil will vary.
How is processing done?
Preparations are applied to the soil in the spring, at the end of April - beginning of May (depending on climatic conditions). Microorganisms “wake up” and begin vigorous activity at temperatures above +15 degrees. As soon as the thermometer drops lower, bacteria begin to hibernate.
First, a working solution is prepared from the concentrate, which will be used to treat the soil. It is necessary to carefully study the instructions in order to correctly prepare EM preparations with your own hands from concentrates, since each manufacturer has its own method: if something is done wrong, the microorganisms will die or remain dormant.
After applying fertilizer, it is necessary to feed the microbes. They eat only organic remains, for example, they will be pleased with last year's tops, grass or foliage, compost, and manure.
It will be possible to plant seedlings and sow seeds in just a couple of weeks: during this time, the bacteria will get stronger, be evenly distributed in the soil, become part of it, and will even have time to slightly improve its quality. If you start planting earlier, there is a high probability that bacteria will mistake beneficial plants for their food. Too high concentrations can also lead to a similar effect.
How do drugs work?
- The soil structure improves.
- The percentage of beneficial microorganisms increases.
- The soil becomes healthier, there are no conditions for development. Beneficial microbes destroy harmful ones.
- The resistance of plants to the effects of adverse natural phenomena increases.
- The mineral composition of soils improves and, as a result, plant nutrition.
- The yield and quality of fruits increases.
- Plant growth is stimulated: they look healthier and stronger, the stems become taller and thicker.
What the result looks like
The revival of the humus layer is noticeable at first glance. Already in 1, maximum 2 summers the difference will be visible. The soil becomes brighter, darker, and feels greasy to the touch. It is because of the peculiar tone that fertile lands are called chernozems. Also, the beds become looser and lighter, and signs of pelletization appear in the soil.
Is it possible to prepare such preparations yourself?
Many people prefer to buy ready-made concentrates in specialized stores. However, there are many recipes on how to prepare EM preparations with your own hands. Weeds and hay are most often used as the basis for starter cultures. The former are improvised materials, and the latter is a source of subtillin. Homemade EM preparations, of course, are inferior in effectiveness to factory ones, since the set of strains in them is not so diverse. On the other hand, the bacteria have already “acclimated”, so it takes them less time to adapt to new conditions.
Herbal infusion
6 buckets of crushed weeds are poured into the barrel; it is advisable to add various medicinal herbs. By the way, they can also grow on the site along with weeds (chamomile, plantain, celandine, etc.). Compost is also added there - 2 buckets and ½ bucket of ash. Everything is filled with water. Infuses for 2 weeks. The finished mixture can be used as fertilizer. The concentrate must be diluted in a ratio of 1:10.
Top dressing
DIY EM preparations begin with a starter: pour warm water into a 3-liter jar, add a pinch of yeast and 5 tbsp. l. Sahara. The solution must be allowed to ferment, this takes 2-3 days. The finished mash is poured into a 200-liter barrel, add:
- a shovel of ash (you can use the remainder from burning dry grass);
- ½ bucket of manure;
- a bucket of rotten leaves or straw;
- a shovel of compost or soil from the garden;
- the same amount of sand;
- 1 liter of kefir, whey or yogurt;
- the remaining volume is topped up with water.
The mixture should sit for a week. The contents of the barrel must be stirred periodically. Use as a top dressing, dilute in a ratio of 1:2 to 1:10.
Rice water
¼ cup of rice is filled with 1 cup of water. The cereal must be mixed thoroughly. When the water turns whitish, you need to pour it into a separate cup and leave it in a warm room for 5-7 days. After this, it is filtered and milk is added. It should be 10 times more than rice water. The mixture is again infused in a warm place for 5-7 days. The resulting mass (similar to cottage cheese) is removed, and 1 tbsp is added to the remaining mixture. l. Sahara. The concentrate is ready. To use it, it must be diluted in a ratio of 1:20.
Subtillin
You can prepare EM preparations with your own hands, which have similar properties to factory-made preparations. They are used in a similar way. This is an infusion or subtillin.
To prepare it, you need to boil 150 g of rotted but not moldy hay in 1 liter of water, adding 1 tsp to the container. chalk. When boiling, most of the mushrooms die, but the spores of Bacillus subtilis remain alive. The solution must be placed in a dark, warm place. After three days, a film will appear on the surface. It is formed by rod spores. The mother culture is ready. With its help, you can prepare a solution that will be used for processing and watering plants.
Method for preparing a working preparation. On the site, put 1 kg of rotted hay in a wide container, pour it into a bucket, add 10 tablespoons of chalk or lime (they reduce the acidity level) and pour in the mother culture. The container is placed in a dark place and additionally covered to prevent direct sunlight. After 3 days, the working solution is ready and the plants can be treated.
What are solutions used for?
The use of EM preparations is not limited to feeding plants and adding them to the soil. They will be useful for other agricultural purposes.
- Pre-sowing treatment of planting material: spraying potatoes, soaking seeds, etc.
- Treatment of plants for disease prevention.
- Soil treatment for disinfection purposes.
- To speed up compost formation processes.
- For treating country toilets.
All treatments should be carried out in cloudy but not rainy weather. The fact is that microorganisms quickly die in direct sunlight, and rain will wash them into the soil. It should also be warm outside. Optimum temperature +18…+20 degrees. In cold weather, microorganisms hibernate.
Also, many manufacturers advise using diluted concentrates not only in the garden, but also in everyday life. For example, the EM-preparation “Vostok” is recommended for indoor treatment in order to prevent the appearance of an unpleasant dust odor; it also helps in the fight against house mites. Also suitable for processing furniture and household appliances.
Industrial production
EM technologies were developed at the end of the last century in Japan. Scientist Higa Tera proposed using these drugs to restore soils damaged as a result of chemical treatments with pesticides and fertilizers, as well as depleted as a result of active farming.
Currently, Russia has launched the production of various concentrates containing microorganisms. The most popular EM preparations were “Shine”, “Baikal”, “Vostok”, “Vozrozhdenie”. They are used for various purposes; many manufacturers share products for treating soil, seeds or plants.
Concentrates are produced in the form of dry mixtures, but they are more common in the form of liquids.
Preparation of an EM preparation for watering and soil treatment
Depending on the needs and purpose, industrial concentrates are diluted in different ratios. For irrigation, preparations are most often used, mixed with water as follows: 1:1000 or 1:500. For autumn and spring tillage, when there are already or no plants in the beds, a higher concentration is required: 1:100.
Each preparation has its own method of preparation, but, as a rule, only the details differ. The main points are similar. However, before use, you must read the instructions and prepare the solution in strict accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.
All concentrates are diluted in warm water at a temperature of 20-35 degrees. Then a sweet nutrient medium is added to the container. Everything is thoroughly mixed. Sweets are necessary for microorganisms to adapt to new conditions. The fact is that molasses, jam or honey are used to artificially feed bacteria. To make it easier for them to change habits, it is necessary to add one of these ingredients to the working solution. Usually the finished mixture is allowed to brew for several hours so that the microorganisms finally “wake up” and are evenly distributed in the container.
Composition of drugs
Concentrates contain various microorganisms. For example, the drug “EM-1 Baikal” includes 60 strains. All proportions are calculated so that the bacteria do not interfere with or destroy each other, but form a stable symbiosis. The main groups of microorganisms that are used in EM preparations:
- Actinomycetes - synthesize antibiotics and improve soil condition.
- Yeast is necessary for the production of antibiotics that suppress harmful microorganisms, and biologically active substances that stimulate the growth and development of plants. Yeast also synthesizes substrates necessary for the life of lactic acid bacteria.
- Lactic acid bacteria. It is well known to the average person thanks to advertising of yoghurts and other similar products. Bacteria of this type are engaged in production that suppresses the growth and development of harmful bacteria, and also accelerates the processes of decomposition of organic matter.
- Fermenting fungi decompose organic residues and convert them into accessible, easily digestible substances for plants.
- Photosynthetic bacteria. This type of microorganism is capable of completely self-sufficiency. They create nutrients from plant materials and gases. Bacteria synthesize natural sugars, amino and nucleic acids, which are necessary food for planting. Also, thanks to the enrichment of the soil with useful substances, other microorganisms also receive sufficient nutrition.
EM preparations are something that any summer resident will need.