Lactobacillus Serum (aka “The Boss”)

Lactobacillus (LAB) and its use in Natural Agriculture

● LAB are very beneficial for improving soil aeration, and in the cultivation of fruits and vegetables.
● LAB are resistant to high temperatures and are a powerful sterilizer.
● LAB help root growth when transplanting and during initial plant growth.
● LAB increases the solubility of fertilizer.
● When the LAB is used in the period of vegetative growth of vegetables it produces
plants of better quality which can be stored for longer periods of time.
● The use of LAB in soil accumulated with phosphate will increase its capacity to absorb the insoluble form of phosphates and will help overcome saline disorder that results from
the decomposition of phosphates.
● LAB adjusts fluids within plants which may result in better resistance to
Illness and harden their bodies even during the rainy season.
● LAB can be mixed (x1 / 500) with the water given to animals to improve their
digestive function.

How to make LAB:
The first step is to collect bacteria from the air using water that has been used to rinse rice. You can use any kind of rice for this. Simply put it in a pot with warm water, mix the rice around and then drain the water [now milky]. The water is now a rich source of carbohydrates. This liquid will attract microbes from the air, among them lactobacillus. Get a container, fill halfway with with the water that you have drained from the rice. Cover the container with a clean rag and let stand outside the house for a couple of days to a week

When is it ready?  

When you see a light layer on the top (mold) and smells a little sour (like yogurt and yeast). This indicates the liquid is infected with microbes. This occurs more rapidly in warm temperatures because microbes are more active, therefore the time it takes to to create an effective culture is relative because we do not do it under controlled laboratory conditions.

When it is done the liquid will be separated into three different layers:
Top layer: floating carbohydrates left over from fermentation and possibly mold.
Middle layer: lactic acid and other bacteria. We will use this layer.
Bottom layer: Starch, byproduct of fermentation

Remove the middle layer by filtering the liquid or using a siphon. This layer contains the highest concentration of lactic acid bacteria and the lowest concentration of unnecessary by-products
Get a new container, bigger than the first. Take the rice water and mix at a ratio of 1 part rice water to 10 parts of milk. By saturating with milk (lactose), we do not allow other microbes to proliferate, leaving only lactobacillus.
TIP: The best milk to use is unpasteurised natural milk. However, any milk can be used even powdered milk. In my experience, the best is natural unpasteurized milk (the curds also make a better cheese), but just use whatever is available.

You want to keep this next stage as anaerobic as possible. Use a sealed container with a one way air valve.
Note: Beware of bubbling during this phase. The container should not be completely filled or it may go through the valve. After approximately one week (depending on the temperature), you will see that the milk is curdled (Carbohydrates, proteins and fats) and separated in two two layers. The water below will be yellow – this is the serum (whey), enriched with Lactic acid bacteria from milk fermentation. The water below is what we use. You want to extract this.
NOTE: Remember that the curds (the top layer of the fermented milk), are an excellent food and can be used to make a delicious cheese. They are enriched with healthy nutrients and microbes. If you are not interested in cheese feed them to your pets or animals or even your compost pile. There is no waste in natural agriculture!

The whey can be kept in the fridge for up to two weeks but for our purposes we want it to last longer and be more effective (and not take up space in the fridge). To preserve add an equal portion of brown sugar or molasses to the whey. So, if you have 1l of whey, add 1kg of brown sugar or 1L of molasses. This way it can be stored at room temperature (out of direct sunlight) for up to a year.

What is it’s use and how to use it?
The basic dilution ratio is 1/500. Example: 20 liters of water with 40 milliliters LAB. It can be used in higher concentrations for odor control.
Odor reducer:
Apply in places where there is an accumulation of odors. LAB “eat” bad smells that are caused by germs. When applied, the smell will go away.
Inside the house: reduces odors, including animals like cats, dogs, and other pets.
Outside: Also used to control bad odor in pens – pigs, cows, chickens.

Home use:
Clean clogged drains: Pour the mixture into the drain to clear clogs. The amount depends on the obstruction. A few tablespoons per 1L of water works well. For drains that are semi-clogged (like a sink that drains progressively slower), use it at night and allow it to work overnight.
Indoor plants: Mix 2-3 tablespoons per 1L of water and use it to water them. When added to water for plants, the efficiency of nutrient uptake increases, which increases growth!

Farm Use:

Animal bedding: Mix at a ratio of 1/500. Mix with the animal bedding to reduce odor, prevent diseases and increase longevity. Spray until the bedding is slightly moist but do not wet. If you are in a very dry climate, you can spray a little more and mix evenly. The more humid climates use a little less. Mix evenly in the bed where necessary. The dose and frequency will depend on your situation.

Animals – Digestive/growth aid:
Mix 1/500 with the water that is given to animals. But this is very flexible. The LAB is not harmful, you only have to add enough to be effective, without wasting.
It helps digestion in animals. This is critical. You can raise animals with less food, and see improved growth rates. Amazing results in pigs. Microorganisms help digest food – better digestion means better absorption of nutrients. Save on feed, improve the feeding and growth of your animals!
TIP: If you really want to increase growth, mix 1/500 with water and soak the feed in this solution for a few hours to a few days. Food is pre-digested when the animals eat it, AWESOME!
Resistance to disease:

This is a consequence of increased nutrient efficiency. More nutrients available at less metabolic cost. LAB suppresses harmful bacteria in food and water that animals consume, improves their intestinal flora so that it works optimally.

Improve digestive efficiency in both humans and animals:
After eating, mix 1-2 teaspoons of LAB with a cup of water and drink it. It makes you feel a lot
better and gives you more energy!
Solubilize Organic Fertilizer:
Add 8 ml per gallon of nutrient solution. LAB consumes organic nutrients and makes them into compounds that are readily available for plant roots. Plants do not use organic fertilizers! microbes divide them into inorganic constituents to make them available to plants. LAB makes the process more efficient.
Pisciculture:
LAB is excellent in fish farming. Add LAB in approximately 1 L per 700m3 of water containing
fishes. Example: you have a pool that measures 20m wide by 30m long by 2m deep.
Therefore, 20 x 30 x 2 = 1200m3. In this case, approximately 1 L LAB would be added.
Microbes digest fish waste, clean water, and improve water quality. It allows fish to grow larger due to digestive efficiency. Allows a larger population of fish in the same amount of water! Literally, it increases the capacity of your body of water! This is impressive for fish farming facilities.

 

This is just a quick summary of the many uses of LAB (aka “The Boss”) it is also used in fish hydrolysate, bokashi, as a presoak for seeds, a foliar spray, and whatever else your can conceive to use it for. I will try to elaborate on its uses in future posts.

 

 

This information has been partly paraphrased from the booklet “Cho’s Natural Farming: Recipes and Instructions for Use”. A copy can be downloaded from Drake’s natural farming website which is an excellent source of information. Also for some top notch instructional videos you can also visit Chris Trump’s youtube channel.