Making Bokashi Bran with Shredded Newspaper

Bokashi bran are usually made of wheat bran inoculated with the beneficial bacteria - cultured in "EM". Wheat bran works well but is hard to find in bulk and relatively expensive compared to shredded old newspaper. Here I show you how to make Bokashi "Bran" with shredded newspaper instead of wheat bran.
The EM can be purchased here: www.teraganix.c... 12oz bottle should be sufficient and good for a couple of years for most families.

[@kathybecklinkathy1448]

I watched this years ago and have been doing this ever since. No more stinky kitchen scraps! I make larger batches in a 5 gallon bucket. I never worry with drying it and haven’t had any issues. I just fill a ziplock every week to keep under my sink as I layer it with food scraps. I live in Hawaii and hated buying imported bran so recycled newspaper works great. Other paper is ok...but I find the newsprint absorbs better so I can get the perfect moisture.

[@markchoi5777]

A few clarifications and suggestions: •The chemicals used to bleach newsprint are very volatile, and have thoroughly gassed off in the pulping process, well before they are even printed. •Agave is pronounced a-gAH-vay. •You do not need to actually shred the newsprint. Just soak in starter, then place the whole sheets in the bags to ferment. You can then dry the sheets and use as is, layering whole sheets in the bokashi bucket, or shred at that point, which makes the process far simpler than shredding prior to inoculating. •You can use vacuseal bags and a vacuum cleaner to evacuate all the air, and speed up the fermentation process. • Alternately, just use the regular bags, and seal except one corner, then insert vacuum hose into the open corner. Wrap opening around the hose tightly, turn on vacuum and remover the air, and while vacuum is still on, remover hose and immediately seal the bag. • Another source of base material is wood pellets for wood burning stoves, available at many hardware stores, including Home Depot. You can presoak in water to reduce the pellets to saw dust, or simply mix in your liquid mix directly into the pellets to disintegrate the pellets. They are around $4-$5 for a large 40 pound bag, and don't need the time, labour, or electricity used for shredding newsprint.

[@LearnByBlogging]

Great idea, Mark. Thanks for the tips. I noticed that I'd need to dry the "bran" or the it gets moldy after being exposed to air during usage.

[@ManifoldSky]

LearnByBlogging Going over the process (the general bokashi fermentation process, not yours specifically) I notice a large number of things that I think are actually superfluous/unnecessary. I hope to conduct some experiments to see if this is indeed so. In particular: • I don't see the need for the rice wash in making the EM inoculant. If you are just using it as a "trap" to culture lactobacillus from the air, and then inoculating milk, you can just use milk as the trap and skip that step. • Better yet, it makes no sense to waste all that milk! Instead, just make yogurt! If you start with a gallon of milk, heat to 82°C (180°F) in a double boiler and hold for about 10-30 minutes, then reduce temps to 43°C (110°F), add yogurt starter (just a few tablespoons of already made yogurt) and hold for 7 hours or more. You will get a large amount of yellow lactobacillus serum (also known as whey) and instead of solids that you just throw away or compost (or feed to the dog) you also end up with something you can eat, yogurt. (Plus you get the same amount of lactobacillus overnight, as opposed to having to wait weeks!) Pour off the whey and store, strain the yogurt through a fine mesh/cheese cloth to get the rest of the whey, mix with sugar, vanilla, or whatever, and eat. • I don't see the point of the wheat bran at all. Instead of going through the laborious process of mixing with molasses, wetting the bran, squeezing out the air, and letting it ferment, then drying it, solely for the purpose of making a substrate for adding to garbage to inoculate it with lactobacillus, why not skip the bran entirely, add the whey or whey plus sugar to a spray bottle, and just spray it directly into the bucket, dousing the next layer of garbage? I see no reason why the bran part is actually necessary (other than it gives a nice texture to the final product). Alternately, I will also investigate just having a cardboard partition that fits snugly in the bucket. This partition would be taken out when new garbage was added, the garbage sprayed with lactobacillus serum, the cardboard sprayed too until wet, then reinserted on top and pressed down. When the bucket is full, simply leave the cardboard inside the bucket to ferment along with the rest of the contents, and start a new bucket with a new piece of cardboard. If my understanding of the biological processes is correct, this should work exactly like the "traditional" system works, with no need for buying/making bran, fermenting it, storing it, drying it, storing it again, etc.. But we shall see. Evidence trumps theory every time.

[@momole101]

ManifoldSky I know what you mean. I have been using whey from homemade Greek yogurt for about a year now. It only takes 7-8 hours to make a batch of yogurt and 8- 12 hours to strain off the lactobacillus laden whey. Compared to the week it takes to make lacto serum from rice wash etc., this method is faster and has the primary benefit of producing edible yogurt!

[@momole101]

ManifoldSky I was getting ready to ferment another batch of newsprint when I read your theory on just spraying layers of food scraps with a dilute solution of lacto. I will now try a 6:1 chlorine free water to whey solution and see how the bucket turns out. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@ManifoldSky]

So far simply spraying seems to work fine. I just take the inoculant and store it in a spray bottle in the fridge, and instead of using any form of bran solids or newsprint, I just take the bottle out and spritz. When a bucket is full (I use a kitty litter bucket with the hinged lid) I just transfer to a bucket filled with large holes that is half buried in the back yard, cover, and let it sit for a couple weeks. The worms get in from the bottom, the bacteria from the air and soil move in too and finish it off. Seems to work fine, but as I suspected, the bran portion (or sawdust in my system) does serve to add a bit of tilth and texture to the final product. But this is separate from the composting process, so I am now adding the saw dust as a dusting in the bokashi process, and spraying. That way I get the textural benefits of the composting "browns" without having to do all that time consuming fermenting and drying nonsense. I am pretty sure at this point that the entire point of the "bran steps" is to provide a convenient vehicle for long term industrial storage and shipping, things not necessary on a small scale.

[@oncebefore3671]

this video solved the problem of me finding wheat bran in bulk --- i have lots and lots of free paper --- this has truly been one of the most helpful videos i have enjoyed --- thank you ! --- can you use other shredded papers or is it limited to newspaper ?

[@freaknutt33]

He answered this in another comment. He said that the other paper/junk mail take too long to break down and that a lot of it have a coating of some sorts

[@gopuinnasri4171]

Good idea to make bokashi stimulation with shredded news paper. Thank you very much

[@thetreepeople7772]

Mother culture of EM1 is dormant that is why the one from teraganix don't have to feed sugar.. However, you can Activate the EM1; 1.5 oz em, 1.5 oz molasses, 29 oz warm water to 1 quart bottle. The homemade "EM" isnt really true EM but is LAB, (lactic acid bacteria) part of what is in EM1. LAB still has many benefits but is not as good. Hope this helps !

[@kalleleman]

Is it possible to make your own EM? I'm guessing it is... I've seen people cultivate LAB and IMO

[@hnguyen1925]

Great. Thanks 👏👍🌹🌹🌹

[@miriamblumberg6867]

great video. Thanks for sharing!

[@tutulick]

What about using Yakult ( lactobacillus Shirota strain?) instead of 1 liter of milk?

[@mercury.johnson]

Will any species in the lactobacillis genus work for this?

[@ferminalarcon9787]

Are you capable of isolating strains of l.a.b.s?

[@marklewis1426]

I use CAROB instead of AFGAVE,try it,thanx!

[@onexpressocafe1821]

Hi I like your video. Is Tsukemono bran mix that I have already made useable for this Bokashi? Someone did mention that Bokashi is just pickling the food.

[@LearnByBlogging]

+Audrey Jeannette Chinn , not sure. It's a different kind of bacteria, which need to be strong and fast enough to overcome the other bacteria that decompose the organic matter. Give it a try and let us know how it went.

[@MrDJH3]

Can leaves be used instead of newspaper?

[@LearnByBlogging]

It's possible. Probably need to dry the leaves after fermentation or they get saggy and moldy.

[@goldenstateofmind7385]

How did you make your "Home Made Bokashi Inoculator"? Great video, thank you!

[@LearnByBlogging]

www.hawaiihealingtree.org/?p=163

[@goldenstateofmind7385]

LearnByBlogging Thank you

[@lionelheng7996]

GoldenStateOfMind I

[@Bamboo4U2]

That page is throwing a 404 error.

[@freaknutt33]

Megan Carroll Thank you!

[@delphzouzou4520]

Nice video. This is exactly what I wanted to find ! But, one question: are the chemicals contained in the ink digested/destroyed by the EM, or not ? I read that EM are used to decontaminate some industrial sites so it should be ok, but I'd like to use it to grow organic food and want to be sure..

[@LearnByBlogging]

Newspaper ink nowadays is not toxic; its base material is soy bean oil and is mostly organic. I don't think it's much different from or less organic than the kitchen waste.

[@delphzouzou4520]

LearnByBlogging Ok, thanks for your answer.

[@Gepajay]

@@LearnByBlogging I still don’t trust the newspaper its your opinion but not me.

[@TheSRBgamer63]

Doesnt ink from newspaper damage bacteria,or at least is bad for them ?.

[@LearnByBlogging]

+TheSRBgamer63 These days, newspaper ink is made from soy, harmless.

[@joemcglue2881]

is this a yeast microbe would a bread yeast work as good please

[@dstsai]

No, Bokashi is bacteria based. I don't think you want to kitchen waste to rise.

[@enadimi]

Are you not concerned about the ink of the newspapers?

[@edblank2766]

how do you make em?

[@LearnByBlogging]

Check out this website: www.hawaiihealingtree.org/?p=163 I made it once and it lasts me more than a year now.

[@edblank2766]

LearnByBlogging thnx

[@KylinIt]

Why is she hiding from the camera? Haha.. Too cute.

[@christinetaraskiewicz7056]

Am teaching Bokashi at a local health food store...spreading the word. Reduce food waste and make liquid and solid soil amendments. I call it Tea and Cake (Cake for the Soil). Just made my first home made Bokashi with bran. Works great!

[@jinpingzhang5130]

How to make homemade EM? Would you please make a video for it?

[@dstsai]

Sorry, I don't do enough of this to make a video for it. Looks like someone has done that. Check it out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iaTaZ5Zsnrpmh6M

[@ireneb3433]

Wow! What a great forum for bokashi'ing this has turned out to be! Thank you very much everybody for all the great suggestions and info to help us "newbies" along.. And thank you so very much 'LearnByBlogging' for getting this conversation started ... more than a decade later and it's even more relevant and useful!!! Many thanks, from Oz!!!!

[@catherinegrace2366]

My first shot at trying this so here I am! Love it!

[@saacbe]

hello, thanks for sharing, I must tell you that your video is the best one I have seen about bokashi, the newspaper thing is just excellent, specially for the poor countries, where it is not possible to spend in bran. Could you also use coffee grounds? and another thing, it is difficult for me to get molassels, could I use sugar? i think i can get the aghave honey, but here, in my country it is really dark. last question, why don´t you refrigerate your EM1, I read everywhere that you must. thank you very much, i really loved your video.

[@LearnByBlogging]

+saacbe Mmm, I missed this one. Coffee ground or anything organic is no problem. I haven't tried other "feed" than molasses because it doesn't go bad without refrigeration - naturally preserved. I think sugar may be risky without refrigeration. I haven't tried refrigerate EM1 and it's still good.

[@pinkginger09]

Thank you for sharing your method. Wheat bran can be expensive and in some parts of the world it can't be found. You are a great teacher. Namaste

[@ernie548]

Its nice and complex fun for many to make this. In the end its anerobic yeast such as acidophilus or bread yeast. Same. Just make shredded cabbage in an airlock jar, use and replenish as needed. Lasts forever. Then at the end add some of your good soil for the fungal saprobe step.

[@sophiekh]

hi, thank you for this video. Where is the tutorial to make homemade EM?

[@thinkaboutit9891]

Haaaaahaaaa the daughter in the background that was funny

[@liberdedeum6748]

+amdg+ this technique recycles both newspapers and kitchen scraps, hooray! +pax Christi!+

[@yztyzt1]

Thank you so much for making the newspaper Bokash. by the way. The reason that the commercial culture stays good is that they use full concentration molasses which makes the bacteria go dormant. I learned that on KZbin. I learned it on KZbin. there's a guy who makes his own bran. And he makes the molasses and in the molasses the bacteria last indefinitely

[@michaeljarvis8377]

Can you send link of guy making his own molasses and talking about the microbes

[@agustasister5624]

Lmfao...i read about your photobombing and had to.rewatch...i didnt notice her at all i was paying close attention....

[@LearnByBlogging]

I've used newspaper as the bed materials for my worms and they're alive and thriving. I don't think it's harmful to use newspaper. I'm thinking of using Bokashi scraps to feed the worms too, but my concern is the acidity might harm the worms. The key is how to neutralize the PH level before feeding to the worms. Let me know if you have some success doing that.

[@markkeneson6806]

Perhaps you could mix in some ashes. Potash is alkaline, so it should help neutralize some of the acidity of the bokashi.

[@humbllbug]

Dolomite lime or powdered eggshells mixed in with the bokashi will neutralize it and be safe for the worms. To make powdered eggshells, dry them in the oven then put them in a blender.

[@bartacomuskidd775]

SO... are there ANY... make your own bokashi videos.. that DONT include premade microbes. You know.. *make* your own.. thats why im here.

[@marklesalle]

Hi 👋 ! How do you make your own bokachi solution ? Thank you for sharing your fantastic ideas 💡

[@ymoss]

Thank you for sharing this. I will call my local newspaper to make sure they use soy ink. I thought your little girl was adorable! You didn't need to cut the video! You should feel free to talk to her on camera! Here's my tip for getting the air out. Get out as much air as possible, leaving about an inch of the bag open. Then suck the air out! Yup! It works great. Used that back in the 70's when I smoked pot.

[@TheTabel44]

Toxic chemicals in the newspapers make very toxic humus...Oh what a mistake 😢

[@agustasister5624]

A saw another guy make his and he must if addes about 20 things that had my head spinning...thank you...

[@nanm2398]

Thanks for making this video, Not only am I thrifty, I also have celiac disease and must avoid wheat and most grains. Newspaper Bokashi 'Bran' is perfect for folks like me!

[@JayXIsSad]

Nan M You're not eating the bokashi bran.

[@nevergiveup9321]

I hope u didn't think this was an edible recipe🤢

[@ivaknezevic6752]

How DU you use can you put a video thank you

[@ToddBryantsr]

I used a Deni Freshlock Turbo II vacuum sealer to remove the air and create airtight lock.

[@carpediemjonah8110]

Newspaper ink contains highly toxic heavy metals. These heavy metals do not ferment or decompose. Many garden vegetable plants will uptake heavy metals. So these metals will end up in your vegetables. To be safe, best to use this batch of Bokashi in your landscape plants that will not be eaten.

[@renardoshuler5337]

For yrs now the ink has been made with soy. No need to worry about heavy metals/toxins. Unless you are saying the metals/toxins come from a difference source.

Thank you. Nice video

[@vsc7549]

Hi, thanks for sharing this. If i use commercially available EM1, what should be the ratio? How much EM1 should i use with 750ml of water?

[@LearnByBlogging]

I used 2 Tbsp of EM when EM is fresh.You can double or even triple that to speed up the process or when the EM gets old.

[@ivaknezevic6752]

Can be put in earthwrms for smell Thank you

[@3bouldersurban653]

What about newspapers with color , can it be used?

[@michaelfchin]

Hey Derek, what is the reason you need to store the soaked paper in the sealed bags for two weeks? Can you just use it straight away? Cheers

[@LearnByBlogging]

Keeping it for 2 weeks is to grow the bacteria into a high number. I started with some "seed" bacteria and added sugar / molasses to propagate/grow the bacteria.

[@tammynguyen6975]

Thank you for sharing this very simple way! I will try with shredded office paper. Can I please check after you mix the liquid into the paper, you leave the bucket in the garage to dry and then put in the bags? Do I need to let it dry completely?

[@LearnByBlogging]

Yes, you want to dry it completely or it will get moldy, which would contaminate the white Bokashi "mold".

[@PitterpatSkincare]

Thank you for your video! I just finished making a batch of bokashi newspaper. Your instructions were easy to follow and it was a great tutorial.

[@alicenakajima6014]

How has the newspaper bran worked for you so far? Does it break down food waste at the same rate as the wheat bokashi bran?

[@KoLuX57]

Can you give me the exact recipe what are you mixing there?

[@kaybegley9566]

Have you ever used cardboard instead of newspaper?

[@isaaca6445]

Instead of newspaper, as a substitute for wheat bran, could you use some kind of shredded or ground dried grasses, or leaves...or indeed plain old earth, like multi purpose compost...etc?

[@LearnByBlogging]

As long as it's dry leaves, it should be OK. Keep in mind that the "bran" will go through a fermentation process. I suppose it's no different from how tea leaves are made. Soil has too many other microbes and bacteria that might mess up the fermentation process. Give it a try and let us know.

[@KoLuX57]

Is that agave syrup? And what's in that jar?

[@OkinawanSuidii]

Excellent Video on BoKashi and using a resource found in most house holds as waste or recycled materiel.

[@tdee6481]

Thank you for making this video!

[@rosecosta374]

1lt agua 1clh melaça 2clh EM 2 pounds Newspaper Bran Misturar e descansar por 2semanas em plástico fechado. Em seguida pode secar e assim durar até 1ano.

[@johndenver5029]

:24 somebody creeping on you big dog

[@daciasdiy1861]

Excellent ! I’m going to call my local newspaper company . So i cab get free newspaper

[@CapriandTimsSpot]

Great video! Very informative

[@Andrew-qg3gp]

Great video! quick question. I vermicompost at home and avoid using newspaper/paper products because of the chemicals used to bleach them white. Would you know if the anaerobic process gets rid of the chemicals? My goal is to use the finished bokashi scraps to feed the worms in my bin.

[@tutulick]

Molasses 500 ml- 6 dollars. Can I use molasses that they feed to horses? How about using yoghurt( I sometimes get expired yoghurt in my fridge) instead of milk?

[@PepperRancher]

Wheat bran is $13.50 for 50 lbs. from a feed store. That's $0.27 / lb...

[@alicenakajima6014]

Is wheat bran food for animals? We don’t have farms around where u live so the closest to feed store is TSC. I had checked and they don’t have sell wheat bran alone but rather wheat bran as an ingredient in purina mix feed for animals. Do you have a product/brand name so I can search for?

[@yunfeiwu55]

Where do you keep the ziplock, in the garage? Room temperature? Fridge? Thanks

[@susantow4632]

Hi, Great ideas, wheat bran attract rodent.How do u make u own EM Thanks

[@LearnByBlogging]

Check out this website: www.hawaiihealingtree.org/?p=163 I made it once and it lasts me more than a year now.

[@0606Reza]

Smart ideas ! Thank you for sharing ! Your video is for 8 years ago but I’m sure benefits lots of people Thank you

[@gardenofedencoltd..3048]

Call the young girl to work with you next time, she is the main character in this video

[@loo2a82]

great tips ... thanks for sharing

[@dexterking9003]

I’ll have to try it 👍

[@optimusprime1598]

Iam petrified, there is a little girls ghost in his house... iam trembling... ;P

[@bartacomuskidd775]

couldnt i get a yogurt? and put it into warm culture? where i can i find wild bacteria?

[@chiarazanolli]

hi can you write the "recipe" with possible substitutions ? I'm in italy and i have to translate in metric, i dont know where to find molasse ecc. I was also looking for the video of How to make the "DIY EM" but i cannot find it . thankyouuuuuuuu

[@LearnByBlogging]

+Chiara Zanolli Please Google to covert to metric: 1 table spoon (Tbsp) ~15 ml or cc. Sorry, I didn't get a chance to make a DIY EM. You can find it here: www.hawaiihealingtree.org/?p=163

[@CaptNemo-vj3bf]

You can use brown sugar instead of molasses. Use a ratio of 1:1. If you have 750cc of water use 750g of sugar. Brown sugar is much less expensive than molasses.

[@agustasister5624]

@@LearnByBlogging the page throws a 404 error

[@freaknutt33]

Agusta Sister web.archive.org/web/20101203215213/www.hawaiihealingtree.org/?p=163#

[@denisesim1984]

how do you dry the bran? we cant put under the sun right? thanks for the video.. could you post a video on how effective is this bokashi and the wheat bran bokashi. just to see whether there is a difference on efficacy

[@LearnByBlogging]

I dried it in the garage in the shade. No sun as sun will kill off the bacteria. I don't see a difference between newspaper and wheat bran bokashi except the wheat bran smells better.

[@denisesim1984]

if news paper is just a medium for inoculation probably coffee ground is a more economical and easily available plus it's a good nitrogen source

[@denisesim1984]

and coffee remove odours

[@LearnByBlogging]

Good idea. Please try and let me know.

[@loo2a82]

i didnt know that the sun will the bacteria ... thanks for this info

[@TheHmye]

will it work with shredded cardboard?! Great video. Thx

[@LearnByBlogging]

Yes, cardboard will work, except it's hard to tear and dry.

[@TheHmye]

Thanks for your answer

[@liatc1847]

going to use cardboard myself... newspaper is highly toxic in my area... will let you know...

[@TheHmye]

@@liatc1847 we use soya based ink in Sweden so we have no toxic newspaper or ink.

[@carmendompig6804]

The EM you use what is the name and of you dont have it is that a probleem.

[@pearlmylabrador6108]

Blooming pot garden I liked watched full video. Good

[@uchibauki2515]

Your little girl could be a big help she shouldn’t be hiding 🥰

[@JungleJoeVN]

OMG! The EM is extremely overpriced! I can buy 5 gallons for $51.71.

[@AnxiousCowboy]

Jungle Joe where can I get a quart or so

[@phoebetaylor1301]

No idea what Bokassa is but the girl in the back made me laugh thank you

[@jenniferspring8741]

Love to see the farmer in training watching from the doorway.

[@vanessasutherland7651]

great video and very easy to do, Thanks so much, very helpful

[@zeb234]

I have a blog, and rarely does any one comment. I love comments, and so I thought maybe you would like comments as well. Thank you for the information. I loved the little one who peaked her head around the corner. I'm an old man now, but I still love little kids. I turn out about 3 cu feet of compost every 2 months for my vegetable and flower gardens. I'm researching Bokasi, which is how I ran across your siget. I'm not sure of the protocol of social sites, or I would invite you to our farm and B&B website. So thank you again,

[@LearnByBlogging]

@zeb , if most of your kitchen waste is of vegetation, no protein, then you may not need to use Bokashi.

[@vickywei312]

Hi thanks for show. I have used the shredded newspaper for Bokashi bran for the composter for more then a week now. It don't have water coming out. Is it ok? It's coming out the water in 3 days last time when I use the spray.

[@dstsai]

The fluid coming out is because of the compost material is rich with liquid. If not, there shouldn't be much liquid coming out.

[@hilalyendork7371]

I see a Ghost in the background!!!!!! Lol nice video

[@bobkite]

Great! btw does someone tried with dreche? already a little sugar inside.

[@dstsai]

Looks quite doable with dreche with sugar inside. No, I haven't tried it. Try it and share your experience.

[@piersmoore-ede8444]

Hi, I am wondering if you could use carboard? I see no reason why not, right, it's high in carbon.

[@dstsai]

Absolutely. Good idea.

[@beelover2827]

Cen we use leaves instead of news paper?

[@lorihuarota6654]

thank you so much for this information. Quick question could I use cardboard?

[@dstsai]

Sure but it's harder to shred the cardboard box.

[@yztyzt1]

Thank you very much for making the video. I really don't like bran. So it was nice to know that you can make the same thin with newspaper. Question... have you tried not shredding it has that one guy suggested. I'm thinking about trying that. The reason I have not done bokashi so far is because of the bran. But now that I know I don't have to use bran, I'm going to do it!

[@momole101]

I start with cut circles of newsprint-- the size of my bokashi bucket then soak them in a homemade EM solution. I press out the excess solution, place in a Ziploc bag, and store in a dark place for 2 weeks. Then I carefully separate out the soaked circles of newsprint and hang to dry. For each 1/2 inch of food scraps, I place a circle of EM coated newsprint. I have successfully finished about 6 bokashi buckets this way.

[@ireneb3433]

I wonder if this is where the fact that *cardboard rips less readily (someone else asked if it could be used, and the reply was that it was harder to shred) could be a benefit .. perhaps the circles could be cut out of waste card stock. Great idea (cutting into circles) by the way .. thanks for sharing!

[@catherinepususta8639]

@@momole101 This is so great. I have never used bokashi and I need to amend my existing soil soon for my growing season in zone 4 USA. My question is, can I use the FERMENTED circle 0f newsprint (great idea ) immediately without drying just like you would if it was dry? Is that too much moisture in the bucket?

[@fotyfar]

Very useful

[@Jonilink]

Could you also use quick Oats?

[@freddieivory625]

Great info, thank you for sharing

[@juancm3228]

Thanks for your video. Great explanation. Please, could you clarify something? I've seen on youtube people who prepare their own EM and then, they "activate" it by adding water (1:20 proportion) and molasses. The homemade EM you use here has been previously activated or you are activating it at the moment you prepare this mix?

[@CosmicRiverstone]

Nice video. Very simple.

[@TravisFont]

The ink in the newspaper doesn't cause any problems?

[@agustasister5624]

Nope...that was legislated back in the 1800s...

[@virginiagraham2196]

Thanks so much for this video. Very informative! Could you use shredded junk mail instead of newspaper?

[@LearnByBlogging]

Shredded junk mails are hard to decompose as they often have coating on them or too thick. Feel free to try though.

[@felixkoi7236]

Awesome tutorial, thanks for sharing! Did you ever make a tutorial for your EM? I couldn't seem to find it but would love to see you explain it!! Thanks :)

[@dstsai]

No, never got around to do that. I recommend to go with the off-the-shelf EM , www.teraganix.com/collections/em-1/products/em-1-microbial-inoculant One bottle will last you many years.

[@LearnByBlogging]

Check it out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iaTaZ5Zsnrpmh6M

[@vickywei312]

Thanks for the reply

[@nosniborrehsif9977]

Excellent idea using shredded newspaper!

[@GaneshBenBenBaba]

:-)

[@Yo_AliRez]

Hey thanks for sharing this video. I was thinking of using paper as well. Does it matter if the ink is soy or not? Thank you.

[@LearnByBlogging]

Might help to find out from the newspaper company if the ink or paper doesn't contain toxic material as it will get buried into your garden soil.

[@Yo_AliRez]

Ok. Thank you!

[@Yo_AliRez]

Do you know if toner cartridge would work? I work at an office and I am trying to figure out what to do with all of this paper!!!

[@LearnByBlogging]

@@Yo_AliRez Most toner is not toxic, so should be OK to use the toner-printed paper.

[@marielll.8462]

can I use it for water cleansing?

[@LearnByBlogging]

+Mariell Lasola The EM is supposed to reduce the population of the odor-producing bacteria. It might help to keep the water from getting smelly like in a pond.

[@salmavictoriarodriguez1974]

How long does it last stored?

[@LearnByBlogging]

It can last a couple of years in a dry climate like California. Your experience may be different depending on your climate.

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Can I use barley?

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Not sure. Needs to be dry "carbon." I think barley is still rich with nitrogen. But give it a try and let me know.