I want to discuss more about probiotic brews, but don’t wish to hijack Ray’s thread regarding the sad demise of a good probiotic. I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently. Thus, putting it out here. Might be overly long, but I wanted to add the backstory as well.
When I was born we lived with my paternal grandparents until I was five. My parents both worked long hours, so almost all my time was spent with grandma. This was back in the days where one lived with extended family, all food was grown and canned or stored. All meat was butchered by two of grandma’s brothers (one pigs, one beef). We had our own chickens, geese, and fished during the summer.
We made our own cheese, yogurt, kefir, butter, etc. (another of grandma’s brothers did dairy cows). We had fruit trees, a vineyard, etc, and made our own sauerkraut (cabbage and turnip), wine, beer, whiskey, and a passed down secret recipe from the old country for catsup with forty ingredients. The list goes on. I’m sure you get the drift by now. We didn’t go to a grocery store for anything other than salt, flour, baking soda and powder, cinnamon, vanilla, etc.
My grandma spent her “spare” time growing any and every type of flower or plant she could get her hands on. She passed on her “recipe for fertilizer” to me (really probiotics) and I started assisted in making it when I was old enough to walk. It was a base mix, then when necessary we would add something else to the soil depending on what we were growing… like fish heads and egg shells and matches when we planted tomatoes. I’ve rarely bought fertilizer unless it was a convenience thing.
I’ve been reading all about brewing your own Inocucor, and find it interesting. I’m no microbiologist or scientist of any kind. Just an old gal with a green thumb, courtesy of my grandma and grandpa. I was researching all the technical names of the bacteria, fungi, whatever, and looking them up. Other than the kelp, every single ingredient is possibly in grandma’s concoction. To be measured on a scientific scale… oh heck no. I just know I’ve used it on everything for years, and for me it works.
It’s based on ingredients, but not really measured. Grandma (thus I) don’t cook by measurement, so the amount of ingredients are knowledgeable guesses. Stuff that goes in the recipe:
To one gallon pond water add
1 T Blackstrap molasses (has to be blackstrap)
1/2 cup milk or buttermilk (I’ve used pasteurized, but unpasteurized is better)
1 to 2 T kefir or yogurt. I usually use kefir
1 T wheat germ
1-2 T brewers yeast
* 1+ cups worm compost tea
I make it in five gallon batches in five gallon water coolers (like you see on construction trucks). Usually four at a time. I use RO water in winter, when I can’t convince my husband to go get a couple of buckets from the pond (or it’s frozen). When I use RO, I try to have on hand compost tea from the finished compost bed instead of pond water. Occasionally I throw in a little baking soda or Epsom salts. Oh, and minced garlic...that's my own addition, mostly because I give it to dogs now and then, plus husband is Italian.
Stir it up well, and let it sit. I try to stir it at least once a week for the first week or so, then I put the top on and let it sit as is. Stir again before filling up my water can.
Since I started using KelpMax, I put in 1T of it once per month. I like Subrosa’s idea about bentonite, and will likely add a bit. It’s in my koi pond, but it’s a good flocculent and likely is only on the pond bottom.
Sounds like a lot of work? Maybe. It’s just the way I grew up, so I don’t know any better.
I also use MSU-RO or KLite once or twice a month, when I remember.
Comments? Questions? Laughs?
Probiotic brews for plants
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