How to Harvest Microbes from the Land to Build Your Soil- Know Your Soil!

In this video from Know Your World (www.ashleyshandmade.com) Tom shares a technique to harvest microbes from the rootstock of old healthy trees. These microbes are then brewed and added to your garden to balance your soils. Note this is a different process than compost tea- this process does not require aeration because it is a fermentation process that grows bacteria. In compost tea, they need to remove the compost from the microbes through aeration in order to get the microbes in liquid form. In this process we are creating microbes in a liquid form from the beginning and they have their food source (molasses) to keep them growing.

[@juanaraya1000]

Hi! I am avocado grower from Costa Rica. I have been 2 Years using micro organims from the mountains. It is the agriculture of the future. It return the life of the soil, that is lost for the traditionals tecnics of production.

[@humboldtheirlooms2174]

Add some mycorrhizal fungi and trace minerals too!

[@photojoebill1989]

Hi, do you use this same method? Do you use the Korean natural farming method? Thank you

[@ralsharp6013]

@@photojoebill1989 Korea doing amazing stuff

[@jaimedelgado7529]

@@photojoebill1989 u can use this method and have a bokashi bucket at home to turn food scraps into rich soil. it's a anerobic process meaning it doesn't use oxygen so it won't have nasty smell one does not invalidade the others. just make sure the crop u are working with has symbiotic relationship with. here is a list : drive.google.com/file/d/1JLipwy5V_f1Hz4TP1NPii6jUZB9jbUxw/view?usp=drivesdk also bokashi is great but u cannot introduce straps that already have mold and rot to your bucket (unlike a traditional compost pile) or the beneficial and harmful bacteria start compeating. also u can put almost anything in the bucket but no liquids, paper, cardboard, wood or bones. everything else you can and should put even stuff you wouldn't want in shot compost pile like fat, cheese, meat, fish it really is a game changer. 3 weeks after you bury them scraps your soil is gold. never looked back my garden is amazing. even my cannabis. my OUTDOOR crops have been better than indoor if you'd believe that. crazy I know. only bad part is feeling the jealousy from my neighbors. I've tried to teach them but they don't want to listen they rather feel salty and envious

[@akyde1552]

maybe you should spend less time researching farming and more time researching ENGLISH :)

[@StaticSift]

most underrated video on youtube!!! Im an organic cannabis grower in oklahoma. I made the switch last season after being sick of foul salt based nutes in my buds. Im using store bought microbes and myco now, after watching this, im confident i can grow my own mix. Truly appreciate this video and the time spent making it.

[@chmney2830]

Hows it going

[@enemyofmyenemy6713]

Check out "JADAM FARMING" & NPK fermenting, i'm Oregon medical patient/grower creating my own microbes, veg & bloom mix to try on a few against my normal feed " Down to Earth " dry amendments combined with Nectar of the Gods & EM1. JADAM is extremely low cost using natural earth made elements. lots of good informational videos

[@whowereweagain]

Check out john jevons en nuestras manos/in our hands if you want the most underrated ag videos

[@chriskimmer2869]

Me too brother I had this idea already just didn't quite know how to go about it, this is perfect

[@DSmith-ix1xf]

Great video! So glad I wrote down title and creator to find you again. The bamboo grove did the job. Thank you!

[@NLMountainMan-me9rg]

Great video. That tree is the greatest background you could ever have.

[@jimmyhuffman6802]

Can't hear him.

[@MariaLuciaGomezGreenberg]

Great job! I’ve been composting with worms for 15 years and started bokashi a month ago in order to compost all the stuff worms cannot handle. I have a great deal to learn and love the journey. I will now try your method and work on saving our soil one ☝🏽 yard at a time. Thank you! María Lucía 💚🌎💙

[@petrektek1385]

That doggo is a great student!

[@lifesprodject5265]

Thank you for this knowledge. Your voice is so soothing very easy to listen to.

[@shanescatsandcannabisfarm2965]

I cant even hear the guy. Terrible volume.

[@stepbackjack4194]

I had to search my house for headphones. I think I'm going def.

[@kelzbee4981]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that likes his voice/dimenor. 😝

[@cobaltmoonrose]

Oh my! How lucky you are to have such a beautiful old tree. It is the kind of tree that calls to you to sit a while and demands your inner child to explore its secrets amongst the many shades of deep damp mossy green. LOVE

[@homelessjoe]

+LinnieRosa Milne "Sit awhile, and listen..." Cain.

[@oxnardadrianlopez6684]

LinnieRosa Looks like someone needs to get laid.

[@dougiequick1]

good acid today huh?

[@Andre-et5nu]

I'm dead! Lol. These are the types of comments I stumble upon when I'm high. Geez!

[@stewartthomas2642]

Love your stuff kick on love it

[@toddlecher4097]

i've watched this several times & used this process w/ amazing results. that big tree w/moss everywhere is beautiful background

[@jaimedelgado7529]

Todd will u please explain how u "spray" it onto your garden/trees after it's done brewing ? it's the only part he didn't show and I have many doubts there. please let me know in detail how u do it

[@andrewparry1474]

Thanks! I have some buried that are ready to dig up now. I also bought more inoculant for fava beans than I needed. Will that grow in molasses?

[@amiensarabellis8391]

Love the background sounds! Good info.

[@vroomoon]

Wow! I may have to try this in my soil! I live in the mountains of North Georgia and the soil is incredibly fertile on the mountainside. I'm currently attempting to grow a Giant Sequoia and a Dawn redwood in coastal Mississippi and have inoculated my trees with a 16 species blend of Mycorrhizal fungi. I'd love to be able to do something like this in an actual Sequoia grove to collect their native microorganisms!

[@fenrirgg]

Hi, did you do it? How's the sequoia sapling?

[@heaterpistol6067]

A Giant Sequoia grown in Mississippi is not native.

[@coltc5360]

@@heaterpistol6067 so what?

[@BigWesLawns]

Make your own fish hydrolysate, and feed those trees that. They will think they are home. Bury whole fish deep at the base of those roots, and a handful of blenderd or coffee grindered eggshells and coffee grounds each. Salmon runs are something those trees have grown to love. I am sure this will make them happier. I am sure your trees are excellent too tho, you understand.

[@kenbrown438]

GREAT KZbin VIDEO ; I never would have thunk it !!!! YOUR dogs are the BEST !!!!

[@elivaughn5395]

Thanks for keeping it real and to the point brother

[@lmrmay244]

Beautiful Dog great Job 👍 I learned something today about making microbes.

[@hhattingh]

I have come back to this video multiple times. This is the ONLY video that gives detailed instruction, on how to harvest Mycorrhizae naturally without having to move truckloads of forest soil. Great stuff

[@s.c7639]

Never heard any good biologist/soil expert suggest using more than a handful of forest compost under leaf carpet. The idea isnt to rape the forest to inocculate your garden soil. Little goes a long way. Add it to wood chips of leaves

[@hhattingh]

@@s.c7639 I don't think anyone actually suggested literally taking truckloads of soil out of the forest. Only that in order to obtain the same quantity of Mycorrhizae, it would take a lot of forest soil...People that know what Mycorrhizae is, and it what job it does, would not be that restarted...

[@WalmartGreatFalls]

1. That is the most beautiful tree I've seen in a long time. The green moss growth adds to it's beauty. 2. You should consider getting a Stick-On Windcutter for your camera. They're the best solution to the problem of wind noise in the audio track when filming outdoors.

[@chinupduck4849]

mid to late summer here now. first frost a good 6 weeks away. still time to grow some of these microbe plugs. could bury them here and there when i put the garlic down. will be slower spread than with that slurry but less work and less ick thank you for this food for thought and incredibly practical knowledge.

[@dennisconrad6124]

This was such a good video. I’ve been doing a crash course trying to learn about Micros and fungi. It seems like every video, I learn a little bit more, and the puzzle is starting to form. This was excellent. Thanks

[@enemyofmyenemy6713]

check out "JADAM FARMING" creating organic microbes, and so much more for almost no cost lots of really good videos on subject and it works extremely well

[@dennisconrad6124]

@@enemyofmyenemy6713 Ok, thanks! I’ll check him out. This is all starting to sink in. At first it was a bit over whelming at least to me, but I have to kill the winter somehow and I’ve committed myself to this. I’m totally amazed at how farmers and gardeners have been so duped by fertilizer companies and companies that want to sell them stuff they don’t even need, doesn’t even work, and is actually destroying their soil!

[@jamesbutterson5218]

That was definitely a cool Tree 👁💚 IT 👊💨

[@lauracassidy8152]

Great video! Thank you

[@kingturner19mt]

I wish I had a hold on molasses like that! I'd never have to resupply for compost tea haha.

[@normantaffefiny8227]

amazing video

[@freeman3320]

This is a totally new idea to me but it is one that I can integrate into the flower beds and soil around my apartment. I have top tilled flower beds that have never been used and mulched everything down now with bales of hay.......not straw. The hay is already germinating (this is December) so it is providing some cover crop aspects. I will bury some rice bags this weekend and see what I can grow before the cold weather in February. Even with a late start, it might start up again in the spring. Thanks for a very thoughtful video.

[@danielmuoria3379]

Nice job ,am going to do exactly what I have seen

[@asyouwish1143]

Very interesting video and information. Thank you!

[@tiffanymolina1285]

I visit this video once a year 👍

[@seecesar]

What an awesome dog!

[@alz123alz]

Wow! Thats Louisiana landscape. Beautiful

[@mavonproductions]

alz123alz Thanks~ Actually we are in California- it's a maple forest!

[@heathercampbell1722]

This is fascinating, thank you for this video. You answered my question about tilling and I like your frogs.

[@TheBigge58]

Thanks for this video absolutely fascinating

[@kelzbee4981]

Thank you so much. 💜💜❤️

[@server.bay.Walter]

Verry good video.

[@robertfinch4572]

Thank you so much for your insight and skill. I shall be doing this shortly, I live in Louisiana.

[@MAnnielow]

Tom what you did here is very similar to IMO1 which the Korean Natural Farminers teach us. But they used hard cooked rice and they do not use mycorrhizae like you did. The amount of time is also shortened. I'll try your way and see which is better. Thank you and please dont think I am being a smart alec. Annie Malaysia

[@photojoebill1989]

Hi, have you tried both ways? I'm curious which is better. Just getting into Korean Natural Farming techniques myself and stumbled on this. Thank you!

[@sumankundu3579]

Please please continue

[@EarthloveGlobal]

Fantastic Earthlove Global do a very similar process. Great video

[@toddlecher4097]

great video

[@hhenley7457]

Excellent information! Thank you for posting!!!

[@sumakwelvictoria5635]

This is info gold. Haven't tried it yet. I think you are also harvesting some mycorrhiza with the micro organisms.

[@laurelsternberg5861]

very cool technique, thank you!

[@rubenmartins3467]

Thank you! :D This will boost our ecosystem!

[@georget9430]

Great video Ashley! I have to give this a try! Thank you so much for sharing :)

[@RyanGralinski]

it was funny when he almost put it in the wrong bucket, cool video :) you rock

[@drj3033]

then he put the myco the molasses bucket lol

[@corny-dsdabz5]

MJ Organics 303 right this guys recipe is kinda crazy too

[@jamesbutterson5218]

@@drj3033 DrJ i cought that also 😂👍

[@alan30189]

That knee-high is going to become a play toy for your doggie as soon as you turn your back. LOL

[@apebull123]

yes i think i saw some of those on the vets wall, under the category,"things we have surgically removed from dogs stomachs"

[@susibatstone4153]

Liking the concept. Another way would be to add some of the tree base soil to a fibrous cold compost pile.. I'd add some wood shavings and sterilised soil to the rice before burying, to get a bigger mix of microbes. Not many would find the pure starch of just rice to be a desirable substrate.

[@YaxisX]

What about adding sugar to the stocking of rice. Would that encourage development of Mycorrhizae?

[@truckertom3323]

Thank you for sharing this information.

[@ethancunningham3499]

thats an awesome tree!

[@abomohamed601]

The surface of the bed has a green mold. Is this harmful bread mold or a different type?

[@cristinalattuada5322]

I learnt something today thank you.

[@normalusorasotutokstoras]

great video. thanks

[@saintmichael2759]

Very nice method. Thank you so much for sharing!

[@craiganderson3952]

Awesome mate, cheers! I understand the bacteria thing ( approximately 75,000 ) but I was under the understanding that you want to add fungus.... Also is the molasses to feed the bacteria?? When you do till, your right it wrecks everything, it also releases carbon dioxide. Cool channel mate, looking forward to more vids like this. Thank you 😀😁😊

[@Wakeupandsniffthecoffee]

Working on a batch now. I cooked the rice and was going to go down the street to collect bamboo leaf litter. I have played with this in Hawaii, but I'm in Virginia now and wanting some beneficial microbes to use with my wood chip piles and soon, the huge amounts of leaves that will be falling off the trees. Then with wood chips, leaves and the microbes incorporated and caverns with cardboard, I should have some great material to use come spring.

[@humboldtheirlooms2174]

Awesome! I don't cook the rice myself but I do soak it in warm water. You don't want to loose starch.

[@slabbadanks5829]

the organic pantihose made me chuckle pretty hard

[@bosatsu76]

You got a crow that really likes you... All that chortling is lovely...

[@richardroot9164]

very well done video thanks you for taking the time, to teach

[@WoodrowPhathom]

Thanks Tom, the how to harvest existing fungi, and then grow locals with a few immigrant type, in a molasses based solution, was exactly what I had been looking for.Cheers

[@angelonious8785]

Thank you for the information!

[@bambam6777]

awesome thank you

[@MyLittleGardenPlace]

I L♥ve the tree and all that moss! L♥ve the dogs too. Was that frogs I heard croaking at some point? I'm an avid organic gardener and always looking for ways to improve my gardening skills. This was just perfect timing. I've been researching microbial activity and products and just coincidentally come across this video. Yay! :0) I have used store bought products and make "garden tea" in a similar fashion, so this is right up my alley. So gonna do this!

[@mjartistry]

Love this video!! Keep 'em coming!!

[@MrGreedIsInLove]

Love you _Hu_Man! Keep it up. My Generation -90s- needs inspirational people like you! I'm heading in the same direction as you here in Germany. Would be great to meet some day. We all LOVE Baboo - That's for sure... ;)

[@deew412]

Thanks so much. Great idea

[@Archives.4365]

6:58 dog wants some of that yummy looking rice, das good eats

[@Emiliapocalypse]

Dogs will eat anything. I have to chase mine out of the compost repeatedly 😅

[@ilovemywife2685]

I'm almost certain you can add some oats to the rice and even grow more microbes & mycorrhizae.

[@s.c7639]

I heard elaine ingham phd say oats promote fungal growth and rice, bacterial. Shouldn’t it be aerated?

[@jacklegminercanada3866]

@@s.c7639 I'm going to try a new one right now with oats. And a few other separate different ones. Maybe malted barley as well. I'll see what each one does. No it does not need aeration.

[@DSmith-ix1xf]

What mycorrhizal bacteria and fungi want in exchange for their services is moisture, glucose & minerals. Might it not help to kick start the process by soaking the bag in a sweetened electrolyte solution?

[@snowhero9]

this worked for me!

[@kriknewe]

great info 👍🏼

[@burlofreak]

Thanks for the useful information! Have you considered aerating your water/microbe mixture?

[@nahiahmidih920]

Cliff Williamsk

[@dannynative565]

Hi, really enjoyed the video! thanks for the advice. I am interested - how is the rice fermented in the buckets? do you keep the lid on, or use an airlock?

[@enemyofmyenemy6713]

check out channel " Weedy Gardener" he shows how use rice, whole milk & molasses ( EM1) or lactic acid. soak rice in dark 7 days & whole organic milk 7 days ( warm dark place) strain & keep rice water ( starch) milk will separate ( cheese/liquid) combined rice water & liquid from milk ( equal parts 1 cup each) add liquids & 1 cup molasses ( feeds microbes) to 25 to 50gal drum, if using 5 gal bucket use 1/3rd to 1/2 solution. using clean water. or check out JADAM FARMING

[@madcrabber1113]

How high did the dog get after he licked it?

[@gardeningwithaloha5573]

Wow that is awesome i'm definitely gonna try this mahalo!🌻

[@truemirror]

you are having way toooo much fun with that knee high :P

[@consultinotrucho]

Hi Ashley, do you have any recommendation on a good read about the bamboo-micrrorizae association ? thanks.

[@dennisreid2816]

Great! I want to get ericoid fungi which I understand will help "heath family" of which Blueberries are a part. Could I go in to the woods near wild blueberry plants (huckleberries here in the deep south) get some root/leaf mold and propogate that way or plant the rice like you did

[@xxpowwowbluexx]

Dennis Reid, I would think so. That’s what I’m looking to do, too.

[@seeamerica1]

interesting, thanks

[@lennyf1957]

very interesting video. I’m in south FL, is there anything different i need to do of know since I’m in a much warmer climate then you?

[@redddbaron]

I think your store bought inoculants that you used in the vid are AMF. Those actually need a living root to grow and reproduce. It's Mycorrhizal fungi, so it is beneficial, but your method is actually going to allow the wild beneficial microbes to eat the AMF. After a month most the AMF you paid good money for will be gone. I suggest a slight modification of your technique. Add the storebought spores right at the very end just before you apply the finished product. This way once the spores wake up they can find a living root to colonise.

[@nicholasmckenzie6957]

Red Baron Farm he's right

[@isahmohammad4243]

the greatest results that I have had was with the Micaden survive system (just google it) without a doubt the most incredible preppers that I've followed.

[@maxi-me]

And add a pack of dehydrated oxygen for good measure.

[@d.saelens4867]

the big question is will this produce bumper crop buds and will it work with biochar as I know 1/2 of colo and wash want to know will the mooldy stuff affect the weed? please some one tell mee......

[@BRM101]

That was interesting thanks 👍

[@atripa645]

Great video. My understanding is that you want the aerobic bacteria more than the anaerobic, thus the air pumps. Maybe you could do another vid and go into this in more detail.

[@mavonproductions]

atripa645 that's a different method- that's compost tea- this is different...but that would be another video yes

[@MatanuskaHIGH]

check out bokashi...learn about beneficial microbes that are anaerobic ..compost meat and proteins..even poop if you wanted.

[@atripa645]

+matanuska yes, but this isn't compost and seems like perfect breeding conditions for anaerobic pathogens. I'm all ears...

[@MatanuskaHIGH]

bokashi is anearobic..its supposed to be cut off of air..thats when it goes to work breaking down protiens and other things aerobic bacteria cant

[@jameswilliamson288]

I wonder if under a apple tree be a good place for this

[@andywillcya]

Just a note that when placing a rice bag or sugar source by the roots of a plant (had to look twice at your plant at first!) you are taking away the microbes needs for plants starches and you interrupt the symbiosis. Also with commercial strains of micro organisms you have to be careful as they are commonly very dominant and lack many attributes that native species have but can over dominate and even push many other species from existence due to the change in environment. Also molasses is not the best source of food due to the difficult structure of the liquid and dried molasses is much preferred. Beautiful work though, still a step ahead of most my friend.

[@andresokei6486]

awesome

[@riverp9019]

Love the idea of growing microbes. How do you know you are growing beneficial microbes and not plant pathogens? What I do for ordinary garden purposes is keep a big pile of leaves which I fine shred after a few months and add to my potting mixes. Seems to do the trick, adds organic material anyway which can be eaten by microbes. No one sells neat little packets of that stuff around here.

[@humboldtheirlooms2174]

If your batch smells like a ferment you are doing great, if the smell gets a really bad rotting odor, you know you got some bad anaerobic bacteria. I would dump the batch at that point. Only happened one time in 20 yrs. and I was able to use most of them before they went bad.

[@whatamievendoinghere5804]

River P Mine smells really badly of molasses, is that normal?

[@riverp9019]

@@whatamievendoinghere5804 Yes think so, should smell sweet.

[@bernardhaboc4056]

I was also thinking about it because he have color reds and blacks.

[@ballbeanking]

thank you

[@SimSpark1]

this is how squirrels ferment their walnuts and hazelnuts too

[@jaimedelgado7529]

wow really?! I'd love to read or see a video on that subject. could u link me up dear?

[@doug7177]

So how would you go about doing this for a 100 acres? Great video.

[@humboldtheirlooms2174]

Wow, that would be a little tough. I would guess doing about 20 batches in 5 gal. and put them into a water tank maybe 300gal. fill the tank up adding another 20+ gal. of molasses. After about six weeks I would perhaps siphon from the middle of the tank and dilute 2 parts microbes 8 parts H2O. Spray the soil evenly and cover with something, maybe mulch or compost. I think it would be a great experiment. Good luck!

[@abomohamed601]

What is the substance that is mixed with rice, and what is the mushroom growing on the rice?

[@michaelbaker5547]

I live in southern Louisiana. I am currently doing worm compost tea, but I'm wondering now if it might be a waste of time because it gets so hot down here in the summer. Will the microbes that I add to my soil survive hot summer weather?

[@mavonproductions]

Yes- heat won't hurt them- it gets really hot here too (inland CA) The microbes will find their ideal depth where soil temperature is consistent. Use lots of mulch to insulate them from the heat. Worm tea is great! Use it for nitrogen boost! The microbes don't make nitrogen- they make the compost into usable food for the plants by digesting and secreting nutrients.

[@Ben-gp2fi]

Biomaterial -> breakdown by fungi and aerob and anoaerob bacteria -> ammonia or ammonium -> nitrit/ nitrate by chemolite autotrophe bacteria for the nitrification -> plants break down the nitrate/ nitrit into nitrogen. upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Nitrogen_Cycle.svg/800px-Nitrogen_Cycle.svg.png

[@MyLittleGardenPlace]

Oh and I forgot to ask a few questions. Do you dilute the liquid to feed the plants? Can I use the liquid as a foliar spray? Also, I'm not sure how many buckets I need to make. Just wondering approximately how much and how often you feed your plants. Thanks.

[@mavonproductions]

Yes-dilute it 5 parts water to 1part microbes. Happy gardening!

[@humboldtheirlooms2174]

sorry so long to reply 1to5 dilution for inoculation 1to8 for foliar I water in the start and fill the hole up with microbe solution. water in. spray 2-4x a season for plant health and prevention of mold mildew.other pests. once the soil is inoculated there should be no need for any more, you should have living soil!

[@moadingcontenders]

forgive my ignorance if this is a stupid question but couldn't you just take a big chunk of the soil from under the tree or the bamboo and just put that in your garden instead of waiting one month?

[@humboldtheirlooms2174]

Yes you could and thats what I did 20+ years ago. It was not a sustainable way to gather the microbes. The trees need all of that stuff and if your garden is large you would use a bunch. I started looking for ways I could get all these goodies without impacting the trees. I checked into Biodynamic farming they have a technique similar to this. I then learned this technique from Dr. ED Boast. Who has a PHD in chemistry.And having excellent results!

[@franksaldana891]

Handful of same soil,same technique. Take home and let bag into 5 gal bucket. Cover,soak, then you have 5 gal of microbes infused water to cover several plants n garden area.

[@hubertyoung1938]

We[re in the Inter- Lake area of Manitoba. Mostly poplar, oak, willow, hazelnuts. Will have at it. Let you know.

[@jpmackin]

Sorry- I could not make out your recommendation, when you stated the type of bamboo you recommended for planting..

[@humboldtheirlooms2174]

Clumping type of roots not the runner type.

[@kodiak1232]

Hi... Did you use cooked or uncooked rice in your video? Thanks 👍

[@humboldtheirlooms2174]

uncooked I started pouring warm water in the hole to get things going faster.

[@TheAbledGardener]

I wish I could have heard you because it was very interesting and I'd like to try it, but I'm not sure what to do. Can this be printed up for me to read or some way to get instructions? sound was so bad I didn't understand what you were doing.

[@jaimedelgado7529]

u can turn on captions my dear. auto generated English subtitles are available. u really should try this or a bokashi bucket. game changer

[@greenman1315]

What part of the world are you in mate? Doing something similar here in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil!

[@humboldtheirlooms2174]

Humboldt County California

[@michelleodwyer2271]

I thought anerobic was a bad bacteria. Would the use of a bubbler in the brew be a better option?

[@humboldtheirlooms2174]

This is a fermentation so it does not take air. It's like wine or beer brewing. You will need to use it before it turns to alcohol and then vinegar.

[@lucusinfabula]

Thank you. Have you ever heard of Paul Stammets? Nice TED talks; I suggest you view the older one first.