How to Make Leaf Mold Biology

[@catherinec7509]

I first learned about this in the book Jadam Organic Farming. It is an almost free method of putting active microbes and life back in your soil. It can help even the worlds poorest gardeners in their gardens. I used this last year when we built new tall raised beds and am working on another batch today. This stuff puts the life back in the soil. I was amazed when I learned about this approach. Thank you so much for showing me again and reminding me to start this again this year.

[@evangelistangelbowman3122]

Anyone else spontaneously click the like button when Nigel started squelching the potatoes up?

[@danvankouwenberg7234]

I use paint strainers instead of socks. They're easy to rinse out. I also use city water if I don't have rain water and let it sit a couple days. Unlike KNF, JADAM does have a good manual, but it is more geared towards commercial agriculture. Nigel's book condenses KNF, JADAM and other natural farming recipes and has great reference tables for gardening. It's all you need to start.

[@nigelpalmer3439]

Thank you for your kind words.

[@cqammaz53]

I hope my public library has your book so I can take it with me on vacation. Thanks for sharing.

[@ryansevern8828]

just buy a copy, its not something you will want to return! :D

[@brinkrunning769]

Absolute genius. Thank you for sharing with the world. ❤

[@tcoxor52]

I mean, if taking someone else’s ideas and presenting them as your own without ever crediting the original source is “genius,” then sure, I guess you can call it that. This is straight from JADAM and the input is called JADAM Microbial Solution (JMS) as developed by Youngsang Cho and first published in 2012.

[@garywillow6578]

Great video. Well explained. I also am loving learning, brewing and foraging for micro-biology. Do gather local mycelium by burrying organic rice in a stocking and leaving for a Month. When you dig it out it is absolutly covered i side and out with mycelium. Great for fungal teas.

[@nigelpalmer3439]

Thank you. Will have an IMO video out soon.

[@peggyhelblingsgardenwhatyo7920]

Brilliant Nigel 👍

[@bariaissa1737]

Thank you !

[@nigelpalmer3439]

You are welcome.

[@pial3270]

Got my book and had been going through to get a good start on my vegetable garden.

[@nigelpalmer3439]

No time like the present to start.

[@copperridgegrow3940]

I’ve been using JDAM all summer. Got off the bottled, chemical nutrients. I’ll work with nature instead of against. My weed has really performed well using this method. Smells danker, is stickier, stinkier, plants are more robust and healthy and the potency is higher. You have to unlearn chemical gardening lol

[@naomi2646]

Thank you, going to get caught up on your lessons.

[@rura4539]

Thank you thank you thank you!!! 🙏🙏🙏🌞🌞🌞🙂🙂🙂

[@ednace455]

I have really enjoyed your videos! Please keep them coming if you can :) Your book is on my buy list. I used the Nettle FPJ recipe you shared on Huw Richard's channel, but used dandilions. Very cool. I do have a question that has puzzled me about some KNF stuff, and forgive me if this is basic. If the organisms in leaf mold (for example) are aerobic, how do they live and propagate inside a water solution? I see the foam and obviously something is happening, but I don't understand it, which makes me hesitant to use it. If your book covers this, just tell me to get the book ;) Thanks for the good content

[@nigelpalmer3439]

Life in the soil is aerobic, anaerobic and faculative, meaning they can live in either environment. I do not understand your hesitancy to use it. This is the stuff that lives in your local soil environment?

[@ednace455]

@@nigelpalmer3439 I think that answers my question: "they can live in either environment" :) . My hesitancy isn't on using the organisms, but in wondering if I was going to "drown" them by putting them in water. As opposed to simply using the leaf mold as a mulch. Thank you for the comment!

[@nigelpalmer3439]

@Vikas Olbo No need for air pump. Fermentation happens on its own. Volcanic rocks at bottom is an interesting idea as volcanic rocks are paramagnetic.

[@commentz-1]

Thank you sir. Where do we get the book?? Thank you.

[@nigelpalmer3439]

www.chelseagreen.com/product/the-regenerative-growers-guide-to-garden-amendments/

[@darlabaliko1813]

How soon after making leaf mold biology does it need to be used? Can it be stored in the fridge and used later?

[@nigelpalmer3439]

Shelf stable at room temp for years.

[@bismarkbizmark5639]

Is this stuff ok to use on potatoes? It seems that it cultures potato-philic organisms, which might blight growing tubers.

[@nigelpalmer3439]

yes

[@IS-217]

THANKS FOR SHARING. Boiled or baked potato?

[@nigelpalmer3439]

I use boiled.

[@lindakurtz2653]

Sounds like gatorade for plants! do y'all ever do zoom classes? Headed to website. Quick question- Ive been experimenting with biochar. Do you have any suggestions for a more complete way to innoculate the biochar?

[@nigelpalmer3439]

Hi Linda, Yes, my next zoom series starts in a couple of weeks. I think you would find it very interesting...

[@megacoffeenurserybed]

If you say mixing should be a ratio 1:20, what are trying to mean sir?

[@nigelpalmer3439]

Mix one part leaf mold liquid to 20 parts rain water.

[@priayief]

Many years ago when I was "into" making a particular type of rather stinky compost tea, my wife asked me why I was making that smelly stuff. I patiently explained to her about the microbiology in living soils. She made polite, listening noises and when I was finished, she commented that she kind of understood my explanation but, she then asked, how do you know it really works? That was a good question. So, I decided to convert two of my several 4' square beds to a trial. I plant identical varieties of tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and carrots in both beds. At the start of the growing season, I applied home-made compost to both beds. In one bed I periodically applied my compost tea but not in the other bed. At the end of the season, I couldn't determine any significant difference in my harvest. That was a good lesson for me. I learned that there is a big difference between the theory and the practice of gardening. Since that time, I've done many different kinds of trials for testing things like seed germination mediums, types of potting soils, rock dust, biochar, etc. With that in mind, I'm wondering if any field trials have been conducted to see if this method of creating leaf mold is worth the effort for gardeners that have reasonably healthy soil?

[@nigelpalmer3439]

I have not received feed back from others associated with this recipe specifically. I use it to thwart pathogens and have had very positive results.

[@priayief]

@@nigelpalmer3439 How did you come to the conclusion that it thwarts pathogens?

[@nigelpalmer3439]

@@priayief Understanding the effects of balance in biologically diverse natural systems and my own experience.

[@danvankouwenberg7234]

​@@priayief Your soil might already be great, so the compost teas might be putting nutrients in the soil that the plants aren't lacking. That would be great news. This isn't compost, but could be used to get compost going. Probably better for disturbed or compacted soil to start inoculating the soil with the micro biology which is best suited for the conditions at that site (temp/ pH/ soil structure). The leaf mold is an ingredient in all of the JADAM fermentations. Different plants are used to get different micronutrients in solution. This recipe adds some trace micronutrients through the sea salt, but mostly is just a fast easy way to grow IMO (mostly bacteria). Having the bacteral and fungal associations necessary for a plant to receive available forms of nutrients will help it thrive and make it less susceptible to pathogens. Additionally, the bacteria and fungi also can kill eachother off while they compete for access to water, nutrients and plant associations (root exudates/ sugars). Pathogens can thrive in a disturbed site, but the IMO have a natural advantage.

[@priayief]

@@danvankouwenberg7234 Yours is one of the many opinions I've read that explain how these "garden teas" can help plants and soil. While I find these explanations interesting (and sometimes entertaining), I'm more interested in evidence-based information. That's why I'm still searching for published field trials that show benefits of using any form of "tea' in gardens that contain normally healthy soil My approach to gardening is simple: if a particular approach doesn't actually show observable results, don't bother with it. So far, the only thing that I believe about these teas is that they do no harm.

[@DarkAnlel24]

Can I use this to speed up the process to make more leaf mold or should I just use imo2 with a new bag of freshly fallen leaves in the fall?

[@nigelpalmer3439]

Sorry, but I do not understand the question.

[@DarkAnlel24]

@@nigelpalmer3439 can I add this biology to a new bag of leaf's to speed up the process to decompose the leaf's to make black leaf mold?

[@nigelpalmer3439]

@@DarkAnlel24 I imagine you could.

[@ryansevern8828]

Hey Nigel, i'm curious to know if you tried molasses to replace the potato as a food & mineral source for this preparation? thanks, from Australia

[@nigelpalmer3439]

No I have not.

[@cortisolcalibrator]

My mixture has developed some mold at the top. Is it still usable, or does the mold make it hazardous?

[@nigelpalmer3439]

How many days has it been? If you could send a picture I would better understand the situation.

[@cortisolcalibrator]

@@nigelpalmer3439 its been 5 days. Ive been away for a couple days. Temps have been pretty hot here in central Florida. I sent the photo to your ig account.

[@nigelpalmer3439]

@@cortisolcalibrator I am sorry but I have not looked at Instagram for many weeks now. They want some personal information from me that I have not been willing to provide so they have not allowed me into my account. If interested send to [e-mail]. It sounds to me the "mold" on top is exactly what you want. Use it while the biology is as ripe as possible.

[@adamdavis785]

Can you use molasses instead of potato for food?

[@nigelpalmer3439]

I have not tried that.

[@johnbuyers8095]

Those were never Sunday socks, nowhere near holes enough🤣

[@abomohamed601]

This science of what is called the scientific term

[@nigelpalmer3439]

I am sorry, but I do not understand the question?

[@abomohamed601]

@@nigelpalmer3439 What is the name of the science you work with or the scientific term?

[@nigelpalmer3439]

Propagating local biology to enhance soil biology or thwart out of balance pathogens. Sustainable agriculture.

[@abomohamed601]

@@nigelpalmer3439 You took microbes and fungi from the ground. Can you explain what the additives are in the water for reproduction and the method of use. I did not understand the language well. Thank you.

[@nigelpalmer3439]

Yes, local soil biology was extracted from the soil captured in the leaf mold. The potatoes serve as a food source, sea salt for trace minerals, rain water a clean source of water, all together provide optimal conditions for the biology to thrive. Once the soil biology is thriving this is ready for application. If you would like to discus further let me know.

[@hobin1433]

Sea salt !?

[@nigelpalmer3439]

Yes

[@annekevrieling8101]

@@nigelpalmer3439 would it work without salt? That's the one ingredient I'd be very hesitant to add, since salt is lethal to many plants at fairly low levels

[@nigelpalmer3439]

@@annekevrieling8101 Sea salt at this dilution provides needed minerals, no detriment to plants. Yes, you can leave it out if you choose.