I just had the pleasure to go to one of Drake’s workshops and asked him a very similar question. When collecting in a desert it helps to apply the maintenance solution on and around the collection area 3 days before you begin the IMO collection. Water the collection area in the evenings or mornings during this 3 day period.
Maintenance Solution (1 Gallon of water):
OHN (medicine) : 4ml
BRV (Stimulator) : 8ml
FPJ (Food) : 8ml
Fall is a good time to collect in the desert, but it won’t hurt to get a summer collection to :). Also planning your collection around retrieving your collection during the full moon is beneficial. The moon’s gravitational pull pulls the ground water higher, helping the topsoil to have more moisture.
Healthy broad leaf trees with the leaves accumulated beneath are a good place to collect from.
- Push the leaves aside until you get to the native soil.
- Line the native soil with the leaf litter or the broken down leaves. Or anything thing that has mycelium growth.
- Place Collection box on top and leaf litter and cover with surrounding leaf litter and leaves.
You are correct on the FPJ. One thing to keep in mind is to keep plants separated into their own batch. If you want to apply two or more FPJs to a crop you would want to mix after the ferment.
I’ve had the same issue finding BRV up in Oregon as well. You can make Makgeolli and let in turn to vinegar with or without a mother, or fruit vinegar will work as well. I have been using apply cider vinegar. You can also make vinegar from FPJ waste product. Chris Trump has a How to video.
How to: Vinegar with Chris Trump
- Tom Humphrey answered 6 years ago
- last active 6 years ago
Worm casting or worm tea from a worm bin are full of humic and fulvic acids.
- Tom Humphrey answered 6 years ago
Month by month practices will vary based on each individual farm. Drake’s KNF Recipe eBook helps plan your month to month practice based on your crop. It dives into the nutrient cycle and when you should apply what enhancement mixture and how often. It explains what each input offers.
IMO collection in the fall is often best but it can be done year round. Placing your box out with intention to retrieve your collection on a full moon can be ideal.
OHN I would make now. Its a long process and the sooner you start the sooner you have it.
FPJ is best made in the morning when the dew and microbes still cover the part of the plant you are collecting.
LAB is often best to do at the same time you a collecting IMO because you have rice you can use for the rice wash.
Check out the KNF Recipe eBook it is worth way more then $6.
- Tom Humphrey answered 6 years ago
I have not tried making FPJ from a plant that lives in a lake, but my best guess would be to pull the plant from the lake at dawn, shake the access water from the plant. Then proceed to process for FPJ.
- Tom Humphrey answered 6 years ago