Korean Natural Farming

[Dim]

very interesting youtube videos ....

snip:

How to capture, cultivate, preserve, and use Indigenous Microorganisms - IMO - using the techniques of Korean Natural Farming. Using materials readily at home or off of the grocery store shelf I will demonstrate step by step the process. Indigenous Microorganism are collected and used to re-populate the soil's micro-sphere and the plant's surfaces - bringing them back into balance. This balance serves as the foundation for a healthy soil biology, productive nutrient recycling, and optimized plant growth/production. IMO are naturally occurring, indigenous, non-GMO, organic microbes from bacterial and fungal sources that have uniquely evolved to thrive in your particular area. They can be cultivated to even support specific plants and crops. Through "Bio-Mimickery" you can use IMO to work with nature and achieve results in the garden and its soil in days/weeks/months that would take years/decades - even centuries - otherwise.

There are several sources that describe in writing and pictures how to do the process; however, I have not found one video that shows step by step the "How and Why" of making your own Indigenous Microbes. Thanks to the teachers whom I have never met (Master Cho - Cho Global Natural Farming, Mr Gil Carandang of Herbana Farms - Philippines, Mrs. Kim C.S. Chang and Dr Hoon Park, MD -retired - Hawaii). Their writings have allowed me to learn, use, and now show you all the technique. I hope you enjoy!







there are more videos on his site which continues with this, so if this subject interests you, check his site

[Dim]

and here is another intersting article about Korean natural farming:

http://hawaiianparadisecoop.wordpress.c ... g-methods/

[Conifers]

Methinks . . .

[flounder]

I really hate agreeing with you Coni!
If you want to improve an impoverished soil, just add composted material. It basically does the same thing without the bunny hugging aspect

[Dim]

I really hate agreeing with you Coni!
If you want to improve an impoverished soil, just add composted material. It basically does the same thing without the bunny hugging aspect

sadly, most of the compost that is sold at garden centres is not very good .... much of it is made from grass clippings and twigs, and has very little 'life' ....

lots of it is also obtained from the recycle centres where they compost the contents of brown/green bins in a very hot furnace and is 'sterile'

[Jo A P]

What's wrong with going round to the local stables and getting some well rotted manure? I'm lucky as we have a farm and I have several 'flavours' to choose from. I prefer horse, but have a lot of cow which the OH brings round for me. I usually use the stuff scraped up from where the animals congregate round a gate. All ready mixed up with earth and nice and crumbly. I admit I do get weeds, but I'd get them anyway blowing in from the surrounding fields. Another possible way of getting manure is to offer to 'poo pick' from the fields. A lot of horse owners have to do this to keep their fields clean and would probably be very happy if someone did it for them.

[flounder]

I really hate agreeing with you Coni!
If you want to improve an impoverished soil, just add composted material. It basically does the same thing without the bunny hugging aspect

sadly, most of the compost that is sold at garden centres is not very good .... much of it is made from grass clippings and twigs, and has very little 'life' ....

lots of it is also obtained from the recycle centres where they compost the contents of brown/green bins in a very hot furnace and is 'sterile'

I wasn't talking bought stuff, I'm talking home produced compost.
I have several bins. The one I use for kitchen waste is an old lidded dustbin. Holes drilled in the bottom, it's rodent prove and absolutely full of worms. I leave it in situ for a full season. The juices steep out through the holes feeding the soil, it's emptied late autumn and re sited elsewhere to go through the process again.
I know not everyone wants or has room for compost bins and I know I shouldn't ridicule any method of soil culture....it just seemed more trouble than it's worth

[Dim]

I really hate agreeing with you Coni!
If you want to improve an impoverished soil, just add composted material. It basically does the same thing without the bunny hugging aspect

sadly, most of the compost that is sold at garden centres is not very good .... much of it is made from grass clippings and twigs, and has very little 'life' ....

lots of it is also obtained from the recycle centres where they compost the contents of brown/green bins in a very hot furnace and is 'sterile'

I wasn't talking bought stuff, I'm talking home produced compost.
I have several bins. The one I use for kitchen waste is an old lidded dustbin. Holes drilled in the bottom, it's rodent prove and absolutely full of worms. I leave it in situ for a full season. The juices steep out through the holes feeding the soil, it's emptied late autumn and re sited elsewhere to go through the process again.
I know not everyone wants or has room for compost bins and I know I shouldn't ridicule any method of soil culture....it just seemed more trouble than it's worth

well I obviously see things a different way, as I brew my own actively aerated compost teas aswell .... so I am trying to get my head around understanding how things work, and am trying to learn new things

I also have my own compost bins (I have 4) .... and my first batch is nearly ready (after 14 long months, and I have added the correct ratios of nitrogen, carbon and water),.... and all my bins have loads of worms.... i see that you also wait a full 'season' for your compost to be ready

where i see this Korean natural farming method tying in with what I have learned so far, is that after a few days after starting with a bowl of rice, then moving to the next stage of adding a bit of brown sugar to the growth, then adding the growth (with the sugar), to a tub of wheat germ with a bit of molasses, I will then be able to add the final stage to my compost bins and speed things up and to add a diversity of beneficial microbes (instead of waiting 15 months for decent compost)... if you watched all 3 videos in the series, you will have learned very important gardening techniques ...

I will also add the final stage to my actively aerated compost teas for diversity ...

what I may also try, is to periodically add organic unstrapped/unsulphered molasses mixed with water to my compost bins (instead of plain water) so as to give food to the beneficial microbes in the bins

suppose that we all have our own methods and ways of doing things (i have mates who grow on allotments and all they use is horse manure.... for the past zillion years) .... they don't want to try anything new .... suppose that you cannot teach old dogs new tricks....

and every year they complain that their tomatoes and potatoes have failed due to disease, and they complain that their veg is 'tasteless'

[flounder]

I have 7 bins! 3 are for shreddings. These get hot and are ready in about 3 months. It's a nice open compost and I really like it for mulching as is predominantly weed seed free. The others are just your basic vermiculture type affairs. They don't kill off the seeds. I am open to new ideas but as I said in numerous other posts, I can't be ars@d!
I do feel that Korean thing is unnecessary for most UK soils

[Dim]

I have 7 bins! 3 are for shreddings. These get hot and are ready in about 3 months. It's a nice open compost and I really like it for mulching as is predominantly weed seed free. The others are just your basic vermiculture type affairs. They don't kill off the seeds. I am open to new ideas but as I said in numerous other posts, I can't be ars@d!
I do feel that Korean thing is unnecessary for most UK soils

you are lucky to make compost in 3 months .... mine takes ages

I turned the contents of all the bins earlier today, and instead of watering with plain water, I mixed some organic unsulphered blackstrap molasses into the water

not sure if it will speed things up, but I'm hoping that the molasses acts as food for the microbes, and that they rapidly multiply fourfold and gobble the contents of the bins in quick time

what will most probably happen is that the whole neighbourhood's ant colonies will now converge on my bins

[Vagetarian]

I clicked your link, read down a little while and then made it to the bit that claims their produce is 30-50% richer nutrient wise and that it tastes better.

And I'm stopping right there because that's an outright lie and anything else they have to say cannot be taken seriously.

Organic produce is only different if the variety is different, they only taste better because they don't grow the standard commercial varieties which are bred for toughness and yield. Actually, a famous study 2 years ago found organic produce to taste worse.

I am a proponent of organic growing but only for the right reasons.

EDIT: My compost is usually finished within 3 months of me putting the last 'stuff' onto the pile. I wholeheartedly recommend bokashi, it really gets my bin steaming almost instantly.

[Dim]

I clicked your link, read down a little while and then made it to the bit that claims their produce is 30-50% richer nutrient wise and that it tastes better.

And I'm stopping right there because that's an outright lie and anything else they have to say cannot be taken seriously.

Organic produce is only different if the variety is different, they only taste better because they don't grow the standard commercial varieties which are bred for toughness and yield. Actually, a famous study 2 years ago found organic produce to taste worse.

I am a proponent of organic growing but only for the right reasons.

EDIT: My compost is usually finished within 3 months of me putting the last 'stuff' onto the pile. I wholeheartedly recommend bokashi, it really gets my bin steaming almost instantly.

was wondering why it took you so long to respond ....

have you got a link for the organic produce stating that it tastes worse than non-organic produce? .... will make for interesting reading


but watch this space .... I'm always keen to try new things and this Korean 'gangham style' of farming has me thinking

[Vagetarian]

was wondering why it took you so long to respond ....

have you got a link for the organic produce stating that it tastes worse than non-organic produce? .... will make for interesting reading


but watch this space .... I'm always keen to try new things and this Korean 'gangham style' of farming has me thinking

Haha, I haven't been around much, not even lurking! Apart from today, there is still a serious lack of spring in Norfolk and I'm a bit disheartened this year.

Here you go http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink ... -says.html

This natural farming is a great thing and I wouldn't want to discourage anyone at all, But it's more about environmental concerns.

[Dim]

was wondering why it took you so long to respond ....

have you got a link for the organic produce stating that it tastes worse than non-organic produce? .... will make for interesting reading


but watch this space .... I'm always keen to try new things and this Korean 'gangham style' of farming has me thinking

Haha, I haven't been around much, not even lurking! Apart from today, there is still a serious lack of spring in Norfolk and I'm a bit disheartened this year.

Here you go http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink ... -says.html

This natural farming is a great thing and I wouldn't want to discourage anyone at all, But it's more about environmental concerns.

LOL .... a 'Frankenfoods' article backed up and 'sponsored by 'Frankenfoods' giant Montsanto (and on a site owned by Rupert Murdock .... ) ....

speak to any organic farmer or home gardener growing organically, and you will get a totally different synopsis ....

here is one of many:

http://www.organic-center.org/reportfil ... 2Pager.pdf

my organically grown spinach tastes like ..... spinach

not saying it tastes better or worse than Tesco spinach, but it is grown 'proper' and is healthier .... my organic tumbler tomatoes (4 plants in a hanging basket) are looking really good and more than 200 flowers on them (so far)

just hope that they taste ok

[Vagetarian]

Really? I'm looking at a trial by Which? Magazine. There are many others like it. The one you linked promoting organics is published by "The Organic Centre", clearly not a bias of any form there!

Speak to any religious man about God and he'll have a different synopsis than an atheist or agnostic. That doesn't make the religious man right though, does it?

Like I said earlier, home grown or organic produce tastes so much better because we (and organic farmers who are growing relatively high value crops) choose varieties based on flavour, rather than which yields, packs and stores best.