Deep Dive into Our Jadam Liquid Fertilizer (JLF) System!

Hi Folks! Well its midsummer on the Farm and we are doing a look see on the progress of our fertilizer program for next year. AKA our "Stinky Buckets Experimental Laboratory". We jokingly use this phrase to describe this intermediate phase of anaerobic decomposition that we are using to create a nutrient rich JADAM Liquid Fertilizer(JLF) for next years crops. Join us as we discuss the ins and outs of this process. We talk about the 3 keys for making the JLF successful and why we are now choosing to use our JLF only after its aged for at least nearly a year. There are lots of good nuggets in this video so be sure to watch this all the way through!
Bare Mtn Farm's KZbin channel was created to provide free video content on the techniques and other topics on our flower farm that help promote growing a sustainable and regenerative way. If you would like to make a donation to help offset the costs in creating this content, you will be helping in the promotion of our efforts so that we can keep producing this useful content. Thank you in advance for any generous contribution you can make, all gifts are greatly appreciated! Support us at www.baremtnfarm...
To find other videos about us use the searchable hashtag #Baremtnfarm
Find recommended products from our videos & favorite items used on the Farm or books that we recommend on our Amazon storefront:
www.amazon.com...
Important Note about Affiliate Product Links
Sometimes we may include affiliate links to Amazon or other vendors for products that we find are useful. "As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases."
Also, any links to other products outside Amazon from time to time may also be affiliate links. All of these small commissions we receive from the vendors do not affect what you pay for their products. Your purchases through our Amazon Storefront or any of the affiliate links in these videos help support this channel & the Farm. Thanks in advance for any support you can give!

[@pissrockdust5997]

Mr. Cho says in his lectures you can use it as soon as the smell shows up, but you want to dilute it more like 1:1000 to start when it’s young like that. As it gets older you can actually increase the application rate, I saw a farmer on the JADAM website say she killed her whole crop with young JLF at 1:25 dilution, but when it is 3 years old she can pour it straight onto the soil, no dilution, without hurting the plants. They say this means it’s “better” when it’s old. Mr. Cho also mentioned that old time farmers of the past could tell how much to dilute their fertilizer based on how bad it smells. This makes me think the young smelly fertilizer has much more nitrogen in the form of ammonia, and then as the smell leaks out you’re losing that nitrogen to the air. All the airspace in an almost empty bucket allows more of the nitrogen to evaporate, and the lack of smell indicates nitrogen levels are not super high, which makes sense that you could apply it more heavily without problems. So my hypothesis is young fertilizer = high nitrogen, low minerals, high dilution ratio. Matured fertilizer = low nitrogen, high minerals, low dilution ratio.

[@pissrockdust5997]

I also don’t think it’s a bad thing to lose the nitrogen over time, because nitrogen itself is quite easy to come by- minerals take a little more work.

[@raylang2996]

He also says it can be used after three months and dilution is 20-300. That is a big spread and he doesn't explain that as far as I've read. I would err on the side of caution with a higher dilution rate and more frequent applications. The lady who lost her crop could have been too low pH and 'young' solution. I think it mellows and moderates over time.

[@kaloryfer99999]

It's more like introducing all the bacteria and pathogens that are still there after a short period of time, that hurts the plants. Logically thinking - if it takes more time for compost to decompose, it should also apply to JLF, which means that the nitrogen content in the liquid should increase with time. So if you wait longer for everything to decompose, it should be safer to use because all the pathogens are dead. Not because it has less nitrogen (it has more).

[@WarGardensForVictory]

Great video!!!! I feel like I’m a JLF hoarder! I have 12 55 gallon drums filled with rain water and bio mass from different crops.

[@jarednehme879]

,

[@josephjohn3857]

Legend

[@bloredave]

Great video! I’m excited to see your progress with Jadam/KNF systems. Question: you mentioned needing 4*55 gallon drums for your needs. 2*55 gallons for the current season and 2*55 gallons packing and “simmering” for next season. How much of a growing area will you use that on? Acres, square feet or whatever metrics, so we (subscribers) can estimate needs for our space/usage to setup a similar system.

[@bevcruz940]

You guys do the best job of anyone on KZbin of explaining this stuff

[@BareMtnFarm]

Hello, what a great comment. We hope it is helpful. Thank you so much for watching.

[@williamodell8634]

Thanks for the video it has been a great help in my efforts to transition over to full organic resources to support my 10,000 sq. ft. organic food garden here in Florida. Growing in sand is a big challenge along with insect pressures. Making my own fertilizer and feeding organic living soil has it's challenges in this environment. Looking forward to implementing this process through your experience.

[@BareMtnFarm]

Glad it was helpful! Best wishes on your endeavors.

[@daviddroescher]

Look into bio char one of its properties is that it helps keep the nutrients from being rinsed through sandy soils especially with the sheer volumes of rain south costers get.

[@Nmo6835]

Dannng this bio char thing now… central florida here. Really struggling with All of this😢.

[@billiev8705]

I love these deep dives! I learn so much from them. Keep the nerdy stuff coming, please! 🙂

[@jeffreyhalverson2611]

Thanks bunches folks, for sharing your experiences. Very helpful:)

[@BareMtnFarm]

Thank you for watching and the nice comment. We like trying new things and sharing our results. Hope it will be helpful to you.

[@connieaguilar3627]

I love you guys...Thank you for the great info.

[@BareMtnFarm]

Thank you so much. We really appreciate your kind words. Thanks for watching

[@jimd1617]

Great video :) I use comfrey JLF and love it!

[@vadimion763]

In jadam, when it’s cold, they use an electric water heater that you stick into buckets to speed up fermentation. Also, you can just keep one room warm if you must make fertilizer in the winter.

[@BareMtnFarm]

Quite right @Uncle Pete. The Fermentation for JMS basically stops if the solution temp drops much below 68F. However for JLF its a long anaerobic ferment so what I aim to do is collect materials and let them do the majority of the fermentation during the warmth of Summer. I have come to believe the longer the ferment time the better so I'm aiming for getting a system together in which I can let the JLF brew for 6 mo to a year and not apply any supplemental heat.

[@SimpleEarthSelfReliance]

Good idea! There's some wasted solar power for us during the day (after batteries reach 100%), and I am thinking of a submersible aquarium heater in the buckets, just keep things "nice" in there.

[@umiluv]

In Korean culture, they used to get around things freezing in the cold by burying large clay containers in the ground. So basically like a root cellar. It’s how kimchi was stored in the winter and stayed for a very long time due to it being stored in the perfect temp in the ground.

[@juanjoseangelmejia9548]

wow so clear beautiful explicacion greetings from Medellin, Colombia

[@DIRTYRAWDOGG]

Thanks guys!

[@BareMtnFarm]

You bet! It is our pleasure. Health and good cheer for the new year!

[@orionbibbon9647]

I added LAB to mine and really helps with the smell

[@BareMtnFarm]

That's an interesting idea! Thanks!

[@zeesquare1480]

What is LAB.?

[@orionbibbon9647]

Lactobacillus serum

[@lukeott58]

Okay I don’t understand all of terminology. What is LAB and where would you buy it? Or do you make this yourself?

[@orionbibbon9647]

@@lukeott58 you can make it yourself, there are videos on KZbin but you I'm here if you need help

[@erickhofmann8765]

Very detailed I appreciate this video!

[@BareMtnFarm]

Thank you so much for the nice comment and for watching. We appreciate it.

[@Cooky00123]

Thank you, I am doing this on a small scale for my garden, but I picked up some good tips from this video.

[@vanessachavez3459]

Thanks so much for the video :)

[@BareMtnFarm]

Thank you so much for the kind comment. We hope it is helpful

[@windhamflowers]

Thanks!

[@BareMtnFarm]

Thank you so much! You are welcome

[@paulbraga4460]

😇wonderful. would be great to see results plus the process leading to these results...blessings

[@otrotland5377]

I put a metal grate on top with a few red bricks to hold the solids under the water.

[@zeesquare1480]

Awesome information, thank you.

[@imranismail3264]

thanks

[@gingerhaven2642]

And then there is Florida... hot and wet with lots of green material in the spring!

[@trenomas1]

Oregon represent!

[@taminelson2729]

I understand this process adds microbes and nutrients. I get the benefits of the microbes and the negatives of adding commercial nutrients. How is adding nutrients this way different than adding commercially produced nutrients? Thank you for all of the videos. I've been bindging them this week and learning tons!

[@curiuscognoscere9740]

Merci ! Super video

[@DroseMr]

Intresting🎉Thank You

[@BareMtnFarm]

Thanks for watching!

[@josephantoir2587]

hello from Reunion island :D why you don't put salt or see water into the preparation? it is possible? see you and thanks bravo for you're video that great ;)

[@IS-217]

Hey guys. Thanks for doing this. Love the JLF trial videos. I have a batch about a year old that’s working great in the veggie garden. The squash plants are thriving with it. I just used a bunch of weeds and comfrey and garden clean out. I haven’t seen any problems with any of the plants I feed it to and I’ve tried it full strength on a test plant as well. I usually use about 500ml per my watering can. I think it’s about 1:10. One a week. I was wondering about your 2 big barrels of JLF. What is in the crop residue barrel. Why do you have 2 different kinds of JLF. I assume o e is better for Veg and the other more of a balance NPK? My ratio is probably more on the nitrogen rich side of things but I do have another batch I made with tomato plant residue as well about the same age. I was going to mix them together in a bigger barrel and add more comfrey and then continue with just the bigger barrel, adding more water and plant residue as needed. Thoughts? Thanks again for sharing. Cheers.

[@anniehouston7963]

how is corn growing on this? and maybe hay fields?

[@karlastrebel1909]

I’d love to hear other’s thoughts about this.

[@davidburkhart9184]

Thanks for the video. I have a question you said you need 20 to 1 carbon to nitrogen, then you said that the buckets where stuffed full of grass so you would need a lot of carbon in that besides the grass ? Also what keeps the top of the barrels from blowing off from gas with them clamps on them ?

[@BareMtnFarm]

Hi @David Burkhart Most green grasses have a C/N ratio of somewhere around 1:20, on average. So using it packed with good cut Spring grass is right on target. Grass as green and full of N as it seems still has a good amount of carbon. The barrel tops have screw on bung plugs. what I do once the lid is on is to loosen the bung plugs slightly which allows excess gas to slowly escape without it having chance to build up any pressure. This gas escapes quietly and in small amounts at a time such that there is no smell unless your nose is right on top of the barrel. This is such a low and slow process that it doesn't attract insects either. The bung plugs are still on tight enough such that insects can't get inside. Works pretty slick!

[@GTILOUD]

Trash can lay a trash bag unopened over the top then put lid on, cheap easy way to seal out pest mosquitos and aid in anaerobic process. Stoner idea i tried it and its working bross. Happy growing 🦠🍄

[@catherineb7300]

If the solution freezes for a few months during winter, will it kill the process or will it just stop and start again in spring?

[@BareMtnFarm]

Hi @ Catherine B The actual process of JLF freezing won't harm the microbes doing the work they just hibernate in suspended animation until the temp is right again. However, it is important to keep the solutions from freezing to avoid expansion damage to the containers. A cracked container leaking once it warms up would be very unpleasant!

[@catherineb7300]

@@BareMtnFarm Right! Thank you for the answer :)

[@bettyreed2469]

What’s your opinion on using alfalfa pellets for fertilizer? Either by preparing as a tea or adding to compost and applied directly to the plant.

[@jamestriplett790]

i use the meal form, as i read it has more microbial activity than the pellets. i put it in the jlf brew and also apply to the soil when planting garden.

[@SimpleEarthSelfReliance]

As per the jadam book, and it makes sense: The best fertiliser for say a tomato plant, is tomatoes. So if you're going to fertilise lucerne, using lucerne in the JLF is the best you can do. Alfafa contains what alfafa wants.

[@lukeott58]

@@jamestriplett790 where do you buy alfalfa meal or pellets from. I’ve never seen it on shelves before. What type of store sells that?

[@jamestriplett790]

@@lukeott58 i live in farming area and there are feed stores in towns to get animal supplements. I also got some alfalfa seed and made a small bed in the garden for cutting and add it to the JLF container. I have to cut it three of four times during the growing season.

[@Stoiccappy]

I call our JLF "funky fertilizer" because I tend to use it when it's still a bit gassy.

[@BareMtnFarm]

Yeah, most of the decomposition of soft green materials can be fairly fast, say several weeks in summer temps. I find that if the odor is stronger I just dilute a little more to make sure I'm not causing any plant burn.

[@Stoiccappy]

@@BareMtnFarm Oh I always dilute it. It's quite effective. My okra plants are almost 8 feet tall :)

[@PaulDinwiddie]

Great information! I know I need to watch some of your other videos, but until then; do you use these full-strength or diluted?

[@BareMtnFarm]

We use them diluted. The ratio is 1 to 10 on established plants and on seedlings, it is 1 to 30. Thanks for watching.

[@jamestriplett790]

How often is the JLF applied during growing season?

[@wholelover]

I want to try this with FPJ, FAA, IMOs etc. Since going organic neighbors are asking what the heck I'm doing right 😂

[@lukeott58]

Could you please tell me what is FPJ,FAA, IMOs etc so that I can look into these things. I really don’t want to use chemical fertilizers anymore after learning of the situation

[@hobin1433]

Does the mixture need to be in an airtight bucket. Or is a loose lid over a 5 gal bucket be alright?

[@BareMtnFarm]

We use a airtight lid to slow the release of gases, keep insects out, and to keep the process anaerobic. The biochar and rock dust/azomite greatly reduce odors. a looser fitting lid can work too such as a piece of plywood weight down by a rock or such.

[@lukeblackford1677]

At 5:38, “20 to 1 carbon to nitrogen” I think you meant 20-1 nitrogen to carbon. I want to know, if you make JLF with bananas, will you get a high potassium fertilizer and will it be good for blooming?

[@BareMtnFarm]

You're right that the material has to be heavier in nitrogen than carbon. The expression typically used means the ratio of carbon to nitrogen so as an example something green like young grass has more nitrogen than carbon thus a lower C:N ratio. E.g. Grass is 20 parts carbon per 1 part nitrogen whereas something low in nitrogen like wood-chips are around 400 parts carbon per 1 part nitrogen. So this means that in equivalent volumes of grass and wood-chips the grass contains 20 times more nitrogen than wood-chips. The ending nutrient solution after the fermentation and decay is completed will closely represent the mineral content of the materials you used. High potassium input will yield a higher potassium output. For blooms and fruit set using a JLF made of the fruit of the crop your fertilizing works very well too. Thanks for your question and for watching

[@derekstarkey6329]

Very nerdy but very interesting stuff, we are starting to utilize the Jadam methods on our farm and are grateful for your experiments! How are you applying the diluted JLF to your beds? Do you use a watering can or sprayer?

[@meghanmurphy3623]

normalize talking about interesting things without using the word "nerdy" :)

[@TranquilGeo]

Do you use ppm to measure the ratio that you cut the jlf? If so could you please do a video on what formula you use to cut the water/jlf mix? Or if someon else could give me a target ppm, I just measured mine in 1/100 was 150ppm which is very very low.

[@jacobcalloway3673]

Do you use JLF and FAA together ?

[@hebahassan5877]

Hi.. I am newbie and have a question .. we ve just finished the dates seasons and we have some fallen and rotten leftovers .. how can I utilise them ?.. thank you

[@IonMasuna]

Thank you for sharing! I started doing JLF with bindweed. I wonder if the C/N ratio could work. Have you tried it?

[@BareMtnFarm]

It would work too. We haven't tried it but any good green: grass, green shoots, or comfrey will work. Thanks for watching.

[@julianrombley9966]

Good day n blessings to everyone. Question. So after making my compost tea n straining it good. I can leave it in a bucket covered for how long???

[@easygoindood]

I feel like these smell like a hot fart trapped in an 80s model Oldsmobile station wagon on a hot summer day. Not terrible but not a cologne I'd wear either

[@BareMtnFarm]

You are right! And obviously there was no little tree royal pine air freshener hanging from the mirror. And the ashtray was full of cigarettes. 🤭

[@lukeott58]

I’m curious about the timing? So I understand that heat is your friend and you mentioned time it takes but is it alright to let it sit for months or longer? Does it lose its energy ( fertilizer) if it sits too long?😊

[@BareMtnFarm]

No what happens is as long as a container is closed the anaerobic process just slows down. Then when it warms up again it speeds up again. The material is good for two or three years after it completes his total fermentation. There's a Korean farmer who raises hot peppers who doesn't use her jlf until it's aged at least two years.

[@dionatanvitor3567]

Esse vídeo devia ser obrigatório para quem quer produzir fertilizantes

[@BareMtnFarm]

Thank you so much for the kind words. The system's been around for a long time under many different names. Anaerobic decomposition is slower but I think retains more nutrients. Thanks for watching.

[@lolitabonita08]

so.... 200 parts?? What do u mean..??? 5 gallons of water how much do i put of JLF?

[@BareMtnFarm]

When we mix the JLF we use 4 tablespoons per 3 gallons of water. There are 256 tablespoons in a gallon, so 3 gallons has 768 tbls. 768 tbls of water divided by 4 tablespoons of JLF is 192. So the solution is 1 part JLF to 192 parts water. A "part" in this context is generically used to describe whatever unit of volume you are using. In this example it is expressed in tablespoons. Typically you will see it expressed as a dilution ratio like " 1:192 " or "1:200" and this is read as 1 part JLF to 192 parts water. From this ratio you can scale things up or down to whatever volume you have. For example to get 5 gallons of diluted solution at a 1:200 ratio you would add approximately 6 tablespoons + 1 tsp of JLF to the 5 gallons of water. Hope this helps.

[@anniehouston7963]

@@BareMtnFarm dude, can i just add 7 tbsp to 5 gallons? maths are killing me. :-P

[@elizevh]

What happens if I have a some mould growing on the surface of the fertilizer? Is it bad? Or just part of the break down process? Must I just scrape it off and keep using? Or throw out the whole batch? My barrel is a mix of weeds, dandelions, grass, moringa leaves, banana peels and a pineapple.

[@BareMtnFarm]

It doesn't hurt anything, just stir it in. When ready to use, just strain it so the solids won't clog your watering can or any kind of sprayer. Thank you for watching.

[@alexjulius69]

Do you really need to let it sit for like 3-6 months? I use mine right after a week or two and it works perfectly, I use grass and weeds though, not scraps (JADAM inventor said that if you use scraps it'll take months to get the JLF, but if you use weeds, it's only a week or two and you can use it).

[@lukeott58]

One more question. How much water is needed?

[@BareMtnFarm]

That's a rule of thumb I usually feel a container to about 2/3 full. And then the rest of it is filled with water.

[@carolparrish194]

If the JLF mixture was left uncovered would it be useless ? I am a novice at this and I get confused with the different names {letters} you give the fertilizers. Is there a better way of remembering what they are and how to use them?

[@alexjulius69]

Why would you do that though? The stench will be unbearable, first of all, second you'll attract flies, maggots and sh*t. It would work though, but there's no reason not to cover the lid and keep it air tight.

[@suzannestack7784]

Being zone 3 here, how does a barrel overqinter? Can I bottle the finished liquid in something like pop bottles for future use?

[@karma8001]

If you try to over winter you container might well probably will crack then the smell will b very bad. You can definitely store in containers and in the book they say the longer the better. I store for a year or more

[@lilycardoso4679]

Do you use it on vegetables?

[@BareMtnFarm]

Yes, we do. We use it on everything. Thanks for your question and for watching.

[@user-ic7ls5zw5h]

🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@hobin1433]

I made mine last summer. Is it ok to use this year

[@phoggee]

You apply this only in spring? How often?

[@BareMtnFarm]

We use the JLF spring, summer, through fall. We fertilize every 7 to 10 days on growing plants. We stop when a plant is dying back or done.

[@otrotland5377]

so this is not used as Microbial?

[@ArranGreenleaf]

Great video! ...you mentioned ULINE drums, I went to their site got a little lost trying to find the exact drums you purchased can you provide a link to the exact page for those exact drums? My best guess is that you might be using the S-9945BL model but I’d hate to get the wrong ones and have to go through the nightmare of returning them and all the delays. Also it was my understanding that the best plant to turn in to fertilizer is the plant your growing... meaning in my case take my pepper plants at the end of year and turn them in to fertilizer for next years pepper plants! ...is that also your understanding? I know your busy but boy I could use some help on this one.🤞

[@GTILOUD]

100% yes on the fertilizer made of plant waste use all the foliage.

[@hobin1433]

Does it need a lid

[@otrotland5377]

above ground septic tank

[@dabojonggong9092]

What is the dilution?

[@BareMtnFarm]

The dilution is 1 to 30. But you can use 1 to 10 and or as low as 1 to 100. Thank you for watching.

[@sislertx]

What happens if u think it is done and use it...will it kill plants...help.plants..just stink.

[@umiluv]

Water it in.

[@jensissons5709]

JLF?? JADAM??? this is a old english method used for centuries . Nettles and comfrey are good For tomatoes . you can make it without water too and its not smelly. very easy basic fertilizer . use a coffee filter for drip line. nothing new here. will work straight away using small bucket with holes in....stuff with grass sink in ground near a heavy feeder plant an when you water fill bucket and this will feed plant.....keep topping up bucket with material as it breaks down.

[@BareMtnFarm]

Hi @jen sissons Your absolutely right here. THE JLF/JADAM process is not new as the anaerobic decomposition process has been around since the dawn of bacteria. Worldwide, cultures throughout the millennia have used various forms of this process. As always it seems Nature can have 50,000 paths to the same destination. Folks just need to find the path that works best for them. Sounds like you've got a great system there, simple and easy to use too. Thanks for watching and appreciate your comment.

[@p1dru2art]

Sorry I can't listen to this the music is overwhelmingly distracting and the sad part is I know this is exactly what I want to learn exactly what I want to learn Hunter guy with the right information prepared extremely well but I cannot absorb any of it with that music

[@ThomiBMcIntyre]

The music doesn’t last long past the intro. I have same problem

[@p1dru2art]

@@ThomiBMcIntyre the music is the origin of the lyric reeling rocking and rolling

[@nickstevens885]

Stop the bullshit

[@BareMtnFarm]

Great comment. I do need to clarify this. We used no male bovine excrement in making these fertilizers. They're made from grasses, weeds, and crop residues, biochar, leaf mold, and water only. No animal waste involved. I want to thank you for watching,