Bokashi Method

Have you ever heard about Bokashi?

That is a very simple yet powerful method for "composting" as oppose to the conventional way of... well... composting.

I'll elaborate in a second. First, let's do some history lesson for a bit. Bokashi is a Japanese word means "fermented organic matter". Why Japanese? Because the first scientist to develop this remarkable method is Japanese named Dr. Teruo Higa. Well not really actually, the original concept of this Bokashi method could be tracked down to many Asian countries, including Korea, China, Indonesia, and of course Japan, and maybe some other countries that has long history of agriculture. But it was Dr. Higa that found the patented Effective Microorganism (EM). This EM is the key to the modern Bokashi.

So, how a Bokashi method of composting works? Bokashi is done by fermenting the organic trash using EM before you bury it under the soil. Just to refresh your memory, fermenting is also done in the making of Tempe, Yoghurt, Yakult, etc.

This is a superior way of composting for number of reasons. It does not smell bad, it is greener to environment (compared to conventional composting, Bokashi does not release heat and CO2), the resultant soil will be richer in nutrient, and shorter time to decompose the organic materials (around 1 month compare to 6 months with conventional method).

When I researched this method on its application in Indonesia, I found a lot of EM-4 word. Maybe the farmers and scientist here somehow modify the original EM to better fit the local soil condition and/or adding local microbes to the solution.

Doesn't matter, don't care. I only care about my personal goal, which is: to make sand (yes sand, as in the beach or any similar marginal soil) plant-able. However, in doing so, the method must be sustainable, cheap, using home-made trash, and can be done by one lazy ass person (guess who? yep, me).

And as to why do I want to do gardening in sand? That's a mystery I will have to tell you in another post (if I ever write about it).

Soo... I'll keep on posting the progress. Currently I'm researching and experimenting on the right microbes, or in other word, creating my own version of EM.


(Mid of May 2012, very busy but somehow I know I have to do this Bokashi thingy)