Extreme Bokashi - make your own innoculant

[Dirty Knees]

Thanks. I couldn't remember if it got refrigerated or if it could stay out like honey.

[BooBooBearBecky]

I have a 5 gallon jug of farm grade molasses, and I don't refrigerate mine. Nothing on the label about needing to be kept cool

On a side note...it's been a couple of days since I lifted the lid on my "science experiment" of homemade beneficial microorganism fermenting gook, and something looked really odd.... I couldn't bear to stick my bare hand in the muck to check it out so I fetched a garden trowel and gave it a stir. Hmmmm? Odd....what's that gray fuzzy stuff??? Oh dear lord...it's FUR!!!!! What the heck??? And then I fished out a lumpy thing with a tail!! It was a mouse with all of it's fur marinated clean off. Seriously, this creature was not in my fermenting bucket a 2 days ago!!!

So I guess the scientific conclusion is that my fermenting gook is pretty powerful at reducing organic matter. Bokashi ala mouse....Yeesh!!!:eek:

BooBooBearBecky

[biigblueyes]

hahaha - um, I mean, that must have been pretty upsetting (giggle)

[TheLorax]

It was a mouse with all of it's fur marinated clean off.

Bokashi ala mouse....

Ewww gross. I'm a barfer. That would have been the end of my bokashi. I can honestly say I would have closed the lid and left the bokashi ala mouse for my husband to deal with.

[Im4dabirds]

LOL! Yep, I'd say that's pretty powerful stuff! Don't get it on your hands. Hmmm, you could make a fortune if you bottled it as an organic hair remover!

[BooBooBearBecky]

Ha ha ha ha! Your comments about the hairless mouse in my fermenting gook are too funny!!!

I was going to take a photo, but the YUK factor was way toooooo high! So I'll give you a verbal description [WARNING: stop reading if you're prone to GROSS] Mr. X-Mouse looked like a wrinkled up white dumpling blob after only 1 or 2 days immersed in the bucket. It took me a minute or two to actually figure out what I was holding up by a tail. After the initial wave of GA-ROSSSS and EWWEEEEE, the scientific side of my brain kicked in and I realized that my microorganism gook had lots of potential benefits for garden and compost usage. Maybe even some potential for the dog poo I clean out of our dog kennel? I'll let you know how that turns out.

BooBooBearBecky

[Queuetue]

How are your ferments going? My newspaper has been "fermenting" for over a week, and I don't think anything's going on. It hardly smells sour, the ziplocks aren't expanding... Can anyone who's successfully accomplished this chime in?

[biigblueyes]

Originally Posted by BooBooBearBecky

I realized that my microorganism gook had lots of potential benefits for garden and compost usage. Maybe even some potential for the dog poo I clean out of our dog kennel? I'll let you know how that turns out.BooBooBearBecky

Do you grow veggies or ornamentals? The usual advise on dog poo as compost is - it's compost, it will fertilize plants, it's safer to not use it on food crops.

This is from the University of Minnesota's website:

"Will composting dog and cat manure make it safe for use on gardens?
Composting would sterilize the manure and make it safe for use if the temperature of the compost heap exceeds 165oF for about five days. Unfortunately, backyard compost heaps rarely reach this temperature, and the outer several inches never do."

[BooBooBearBecky]

I keep the dog poo in a separate area from my compost pile. Far away from the house and garden area. I am searching for a method for quick decomposition of the poo pile. Right now I just layer it with leaves and debree from from the woods. I'm thinking the microorganism gook might help that decomposition along.

I don't use cat/dog poo on in my garden compost pile or food crops.

BooBooBearBecky

[biigblueyes]

Then check this one out. It's a barrel you bury. The pet compost goes directly into the ground when it decomposes. They suggest you start with a septic starter. I imagine your microorganism gook would replace that, or maybe enhance it.

Pet Waste Composting