If you want to super-charge the microbial activity in your soil, thereby turbo-charging the growth and health of your lawn, garden or field crop, Effective Microorganisms are a tremendous way to do just that.
Without spending an inordinate amount of time on this subject (prior to providing the "activation" procedure), it does seem that I should at least provide some minimal background regarding WHAT Effective Microorganisms are and WHY you would want to use them.
Effective Microorganisms are a significant advancement in soil microbial science, and will be a tremendous advantage to you in the process to re-balance the soil profile of your lawn, garden or landscaping. They are a superb compliment to the AGGRAND product line and will only serve to improve the results you receive.
Basically, by increasing the number of and diversifying the population of microbes within your soil, you will be converting all toxins in the soil to usable organic material for your plants to utilize for better growth and health. Also, organic materials that are already present in the soil (from dead roots and dead soil organisms) will be broken down into nutrient components that the plant can readily use. In addition, by doing so, you will be improving the soil structure, making water penetration easier and water holding capacity greater.
In short, you'll be enhancing the natural ecology of the soil in order to help it do what it is supposed to do all by its own - if left alone for a long enough period of time.
There are numerous companies out there that sell formulas that you can use to inoculate your soil with microbes. However, EM (Effective Microorganisms) is a new twist on this science that was discovered by accident - a completely symbiotic microbial formulation that rapidly replicates itself AND better allocates whatever microbial resources might be present within your soil already.
The product can be used one of two ways. Either you can apply it directly - as is - to your lawn or soil, or you can "activate" it first, effectively getting 20 times as much solution from the same bottle. Basically, you're just providing an optimum environment for the microbes in the formulation to rapidly replicate and "energize" before you apply them to your growing plot (whether it be lawn, garden, crop, landscaping, etc.).
Activation is actually quite simple and very cost effective. Of course, if you've got a really small lawn, then this may not be necessary or even beneficial, since the activated products will only store for a couple months. But, for large turf areas, this activation process will save you a ton of cash and provide for even better and faster results.
However, if you buy EM-1 Effective Microorganisms and have a relatively large area to cover, the cost could be significant, if you apply it as is from the bottle. To save yourself a ton of money AND improve the result of application, activation is a really good idea. Fortunately, it's also really simple.
Here's the Procedure:
If you want to keep it really simple, use a clean pop bottle with a screw top. These bottles can take a tremendous amount of pressure (which will build-up within the bottle during the activation process) and can be found virtually anywhere. Just make sure the bottle is truly CLEAN.
So, Let's Get Started...
- Use a clean airtight plastic bottle or container or large tank with an AIR TIGHT screw-on lid.
- Use a container only slightly larger than the volume of activated EM you intend to make (larger by 10% or so).
- Manually release pressure daily (maybe 2-3 times daily) by unscrewing and re-screwing the cap. Ie. "burp" the container regularly (or drop by my Guarding-Our-Earth.com blog for my simple "no burp" method).
- Fresh, clean water is necessary. Tap water, even chlorinated, is fine.
- Use blackstrap molasses, not beet molasses or corn syrup which can spoil the activation.
- If using organic molasses, consider including an equal amount of vinegar to counteract pH buffers, which are likely included in the molasses.
You're going to mix EM-1, molasses and water in a 1:1:20 relationship - for instance, 1 ounce EM-1 TO 1 ounce molasses TO 20 ounces of water. You MIGHT want to consider increasing the amount of EM-1 from one part to 1.25 parts as this seems to increase the chances of getting a "good batch". In other words, 1.25 ounces of EM TO 1 ounce of molasses TO 20 ounces of water.
Specifically...
- Heat some of the water to 110-115 degrees F
- Pour in your molasses (using a funnel can simplify things)
- Pour some of the warm water into your bottle and dissolve molasses
- Mix in the EM-1
- Add the remaining water and stir and/or shake well. - There should be an airspace equivalent to about 10% of the bottle on top
- Tighten lid and keep warm (room temp - about 70 to 85 degrees F) for 1 to 2 weeks, or possibly longer
- After the first few days, the container needs to be burped every day or two, as gases are formed that will expand the bottle.
- The mixture should be stirred and/or shaken daily if possible.
- After 3-5 days (sometimes sooner), you'll want to check the pH with pH paper
- Shoot for a pH of 3.5 to 3.7, maintained for 5-7 days. At this point, the "activation" is done.
Once the activation is complete, you can store the product for up to two months - sometimes longer, as long as there is no air in the container. Store it at room temp.
Even Easier, More Consistent and More Effective
Want to make your activation process even easier and more consistent? Try my easy DIY "no burp" method.
Head over to my http://www.Guarding-Our-Earth.com blog and search for "Effective Microorganisms" to find a more detailed version of this article that contains even more details about the activation process as well some additional helpful hints, including a simple 2-minute modification you can make to your 2-liter bottle to avoid having to "burp" your bottle multiple times a day (or avoid the mess that could occur if you don't).
Also, learn how to combine your activated EM with another terrific product to not only super-charge your EM activation but also enhance the results you'll get when you spay it on your lawn, garden or field crops.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Kaufman
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