KNF CULTIVATION OF IMO-4 & IMO-5

IMO Culture

KNF CULTIVATION OF IMO-4 & IMO-5

WHAT IS IMO-4?

In Korean Natural Farming, the product known as IMO-4, or simply IMO (Indigenous Micro-Organisms), is the finished, usable stage of a culture of soil biology, a complete and healthy ecosystem collected from local, healthy soil.

IMO-1 is the raw collection of the soil culture.

IMO-2 is the stabilized dormant stage.

IMO-3 is the amplified culture.

This article is part of a series in which we explore the process of IMO technology. In the last step, we took a small scoop of the dormant soil biology culture (IMO-2) and amplified it into a large activated pile of soil culture (IMO-3).

In this next step, we acclimate the soil culture to the planting soil where it will be applied by creating IMO-4, the final usable product. There is an additional step to create an IMO-5, but it is optional.

IMO works best when it is inoculated into soil. Contact with soil gives the culture the strongest possible effect, enabling microbes to establish relationships with plants immediately. The more quickly plant-microbe relationships can be established, the better the natural state of the plants.

The addition of IMO bonded with soil to animal feed and bedding will enhance their gut microbiome and contribute essential minerals.

MATERIALS AND TOOLS

Dirt floor

Shade

Thermometer

Rice straw, woven mats, burlap, fallen leaves

(To protect from evaporation, sun, and rain)

CULTURING LOCATION

Ideally, this will be in the same location as you cultivated your IMO-3 pile with an immediate continuation. The location for cultivating IMO should have a dirt floor, 70% shade, 30% light, good ventilation, and protection from rain and runoff.

INGREDIENTS

IMO-3                       This is the finished product from amplifying the soil culture.

Liquid Nutrient   This is the same formula for culturing IMO-3 (but with more Seawater).

Seawater               This is listed in the Liquid Nutrient formula but is more important here.

Soil                          Use the soil that the IMO will be installed into, the planting soil.

IMO-3

It is best if you can leave your cultured IMO-3 in place and immediately, once finished, mix in soil and continue culturing. While IMO-3 is the amplification stage, taking a small scoop of culture and growing it into a large pile, this stage acclimates the culture with the soil into which it will be installed.

The finished product after culturing with soil is referred to as IMO-4 or simply IMO. This stage is the one that is used to inoculate planting fields, animal bedding, and animal feed. Steps earlier than IMO-4 are not designed to be added to soil or used for animals.

IMO technology is the majority of the practice of Korean Natural Farming. It is a technology developed over decades for use in countries and various climates throughout the world. Skipping steps or altering the procedures will not lead to good results. This is a brilliant technology, well worth the effort, and best done correctly.

Notice that I am using the term ‘culture’ here and not compost. The IMO technology is designed to capture, culture, then install a complete soil ecosystem into planting soil so that the growing system mimics Nature. This allows plants to self-regulate their own nutrition using the high concentration of microbes.

Composting, on the other hand, is the process of decomposing organic matter to make the nutrients more bio-available and create a soil-like material. It is a means of adding fertilizer to plants in a more available form.

The IMO process is not composting. It is the culturing of soil biology as an intact ecosystem in order to mimic Nature so that plants can regulate their own nutrition and not need outside fertilization.

If you approach the process as if composting, you will struggle more. For easier success, think of the process as culturing microbes because that is what it is, although the culture is much bigger than a petri dish found in a laboratory.

Liquid Nutrient for IMO Culturing

OHN      1:1000                  Oriental Herbal Nutrient, a tonic with a specific recipe

FPJ         1:500                    Fermented Plant Juice made from Mugwort & Dropwort

BRV       1:500                    Brown Rice Vinegar (or banana), an ionic buffer

SW*       1:30             Seawater *Increase ratio to 1:30 for this stage only

Makgeolli (optional)        Korean rice wine to heat the pile if cold

This is almost the same formula that was used to culture IMO-3.

*Note that Seawater is particularly important at this stage, and a higher concentration is used. (The normal ratio is 1:1000.) Details are given below.

Seawater

On a geologic scale on a planetary basis, everything comes from the ocean.  Everything cycles through the ocean on a scale that is impossible for humans to see and hard to comprehend.

In the words of Master Cho, “Everything is homesick,” meaning all life on earth is based on the chemistry of the ocean. Ocean water corrects soil. It has all the minerals found on Earth in balanced proportions.  

Using seawater in agriculture is an ancient practice. It was mentioned in the bible. Water from the Dead Sea was used to add salt to the water source to revitalize agriculture when there was a famine.

I have seen dramatic effects in different ways in Hawaii and in the South Pacific. In Hawaii, I saw a degraded pasture revitalized and brought back to health with a single application of Seawater, with nothing else added.

In the South Pacific, on uplifted islands of coral rubble and little soil, the local farmers found that when they placed rocks (mainly coral or shells) fresh from the seashore around their plants, the plants would increase their vitality. They bring fresh rocks from the seashore to their plants whenever they think they need a boost.

It’s not the rocks that make a difference; it’s the salt. It works until the salt is dissolved and used by the plants.

In my notes from training with Master Cho, he says that Seawater should be used to build the ability of the IMO to cope with adverse weather and for strong disease resistance.

With microbes in the soil, the salt is not a problem when added in the amounts listed here. Soil microbes actively utilize the minerals in sea salt.

The dilution ratio of seawater to freshwater for IMO-4 is 1:30. Salt in Seawater is already diluted with an average salinity of 35 parts per thousand (ppt).

The final dilution results in an application salinity of approximately only 1.35 ppt. Actual salinity will depend on the salinity of the saltwater used. (It varies slightly by location and proximity to freshwater input.) If the soil is sick, increase the ratio to 1:25.

Soil

The IMO-3 culture is mixed with local soil to help it acclimate to the environment where it will be applied. In addition to soil from the planting field, you can also add “mountain soil” (soil from nearby with higher elevation) and loess (red clay). Both sources of outside soil have the potential to make the culture stronger.

Soil weighs approximately three times the weight of IMO-3. When mixing with soil, mix 1:1 by volume. In other words, if your IMO-3 fills two wheelbarrows, mix it with two wheelbarrows of soil.

When using outside soil, prepare your soil mix using a 1:1 ratio of field soil to either mountain soil, loess (red clay), or a combination of both. Then, mix the total volume of this blend with IMO-3 in equal parts.

CULTURING IMO-4 METHODS

Mix IMO-3 with the soil. The mixing ratio is 1:1 by volume.

Mix Nutrient liquid:

Add Seawater to fresh water first, in a ratio of 1:30. (Use a ratio of 1:25 if soil is sick). Then, add nutrients listed in the Liquid Nutrient formula.

Activating the Pile:

Add Liquid Nutrient (diluted in Seawater) to the IMO-3/Soil mixture and adjust the moisture level to 65-70%.

Culturing the Pile:

The culturing process is similar to culturing the pile of IMO-3. This process generally takes 4-5 days. The end product is called IMO-4, the “IMO” in Korean Natural Farming.  

The moisture level needs to be 65-70%. Make an even, flat-topped pile about 35-40cm (14-16in) high. Cover the pile with leaves, straw, straw mats, burlap to prevent evaporation and protect from the sun. Weights or soil can be used over the straw since it is too light to stay in place. Mats and burlap are put on top of straw.

The pile should be in 65-70% shade and 30-35% sunlight. There should be good ventilation. These conditions are the most favorable for the useful microbes and are key to your success.

The maximum height is 50cm (18in) in order to keep the pile aerobic. If the pile is higher, pipes will need to be added in order to add airflow within the pile. It is better to keep the piles shorter.

In 4-5 days, the pile will again be covered with white. It is finished once the temperature goes down. It will be lumpy. Preserve the clumps as much as possible. It will look much like IMO-3, but the soil used will change the color.

KEEPING IMO-4

It can be stored if necessary, but make sure it receives no light. A laundry basket made of natural material is a good choice on a small scale. Again, IMO is best stored in the dormant, IMO-2 stage.

IMO-5

You have learned from this article that IMO-4 is the acclimation stage, acclimating the microbial culture to the planting soil. The last and optional step is IMO-5, the enhancement stage.

Summary of IMO Technology

IMO-1 Collect

IMO-2 Stabilize

IMO-3 Amplify

IMO-4 Acclimate

IMO-5 Enhance

IMO-4 is the standard stage to use for Korean Natural Farming for both plants and animals. IMO can be cultured a final time to add additional materials. This is the best time and the acceptable method for adding these additional materials.

Materials such as biochar, compost, or manure can be added if deemed necessary. Compost and manure are generally not needed in the KNF system, but biochar is highly valuable and recommended.

I see many people trying to put these additives into their IMO-3 stage. This is not the best approach. We want to keep the initial soil culture as close as possible to how it was collected.

Adding materials at the IMO-3 stage will alter which microbes develop and which ones do not. It alters the ecosystem from what was collected. Deviating from the IMO technology by adding different materials at the IMO-3 stage means changing paths from making IMO to making compost.

Manipulated ecosystems are never as robust as wild ones. This is a system of Natural Farming, so we follow Nature as closely as possible. Source cultures of soil biology in wild soil are fully developed, diverse, and stable.

If the desire is to have a culture that is fungally or bacterially dominant, for example, this is accomplished by collecting from an appropriate site.

Manipulating the culture during the IMO steps will alter the ecosystem. It will lead to less diversity and less stability. Both are needed for a strong soil ecosystem. Best practice for the easiest production and most effective results are to follow the IMO technology steps as prescribed.

The technology is designed to add materials deemed necessary, but not until a stable, complete culture has reached the stage of IMO-4. This stage is referred to as IMO-5, the fifth stage of Indigenous Micro-Organisms.

What adding additional materials at this stage does do is inoculate the materials with complete soil biology before they are added to the soil. This means that there is no delay between adding the materials to the soil and them being fully enveloped by the microbes.

This means that the biochar is fully activated when put in the soil. This means that the manure or compost is completely integrated with the soil biology and will be directly infused into the soil when it is added.

CULTURING IMO-5

The process for culturing IMO-5 follows the basic instructions for culturing an IMO-4 pile, detailed above.

Add the biochar or other materials

Moisten with a dilute solution of the Liquid Nutrient formula

(using the normal 1:1000 ratio for Seawater)

Bring the pile to a moisture level of 65-70%

Cover and culture as with an IMO-4 pile