Authors
License CC-BY-3.0
Bioferments, Biostimulants
& Biofertilisers
Making them on the farm
There are a number of simple biotechnologies that can be made on the farm to
help improve soil condition, stimulate plant growth and improve plant health.
These include bioferments, biostimulants, biofertilisers and Compost inoculants.
This Booklet outlines some basic recipes for making these on-farm.
Bioferments Fact Sheet v1 2018 Soil Land Food & ROTS Creative Commons 3.0 1
Bioferments, Biostimulants & Biofertilisers
Making them on the farm
Understanding the different biological technologies
The main types of agricultural biotechnologies are:
Aerobic: these are made in high oxygen environments where microbes adapted to oxygen are cultured.
The best known examples are aerated Compost and Compost tea.
Fermentation: these are made in conditions of low/no oxygen levels. Effective Microorganisms (EM)
and Biofertilisers are some examples.
Vermi-products: these are based on the products of worms as they transform organic materials into
stable products. Worm Leachate and Worm Castings are two examples.
What are bioferments, biostimulants & biofertilisers
There are a wide range of bacteria, yeasts and related organisms that do not use oxygen to breathe. They are
known as anaerobic microbes. They live by a process called fermentation. Others can thrive in either oxygen or
no oxygen. Other microbes can only live in low levels of oxygen. Fermenting microbes live without oxygen but
like all other organisms they need energy and nutrients to survive. Fermentation is where these microbes are
cultured in no oxygen conditions. A home brew is an example of fermentation! Bioferments, biostimulants and
biofertilisers are other examples of fermentation.
During fermentation these microbes create a number of compounds known as fermentation products. Most of
these products are beneficial and include vitamins, enzymes, amino acids and organic acids. Some
fermentation products like gases and alcohols can be toxic to plants at certain concentrations.
The aim when making fermentation based bioferments, biostimulants and biofertilisers is to ensure a balanced
complete fermentation process that results in a range of beneficial stable compounds and microbes.
These products should contain plant growth factors and sometimes microbes and they can provide a number of
beneficial functions to soils and plants including:
Improving the cycling of nutrients
Chelating nutrients
Stimulating root growth
Reducing plant stress
Increasing plant health
When culturing microbes it is important to remember that they all need:
1. Energy – they get this from carbohydrates like sugars
2. Nutrients – they need a full range of elements and trace elements
3. Ideal oxygen levels – either no oxygen, low oxygen or high oxygen levels
4. Water – they need clean water
5. Ideal ambient temperatures – not too hot and not too cold.
Always use non-chlorinated water
Always use clean equipment
Always seal your fermentations properly.
Bioferments Fact Sheet v1 2018 Soil Land Food & ROTS Creative Commons 3.0 2
Bioferments, Biostimulants & Biofertilisers
Making them on the farm
Recipe 1 – LAB Serum (also known as EM or Lacto!)
This is a base inoculant that is based mainly on a well known group of fermenting bacteria called Lactobacillus.
It can be used directly on soils and plants or further fermented with other ingredients to make a wide range of
products including the SPIC Compost inoculant. It makes a product which is very similar to Effective Micro-
organisms (EM).
Ingredients & Equipment
Clean water non-chlorinated Milk/Milk Powder – must have lactose
Rice – any type Containers - clean
Molasses 200L Barrel / 1000L IBC with lid
Process
Step 1: Capture inoculant by putting rice into a large open mouthed container with clean water. Leave for
3-5 days in dark place with a loose fitting lid. The liquid should change and after this time it should smell slightly
sour and may have a slightly milky colour in it. Decant the water off and keep it. Throw away the rice. This liquid
is a Lacto Culture mainly of Lactobacillus species.
Step 2: Feed inoculant by adding the liquid Lacto culture to the milk in a large container with a wide
mouth. Cover with loose fitting lid and store for a few days until it curdles and milk solids separate. Remove the
solids. Keep the creamy- yellow whey. This is also known as the Base Serum.
Step 3: Stabilise the product by adding equal parts water to this liquid. Add about 250ml of molasses
for every litre of water you add. This is your stable LAB Serum product.
Step 4: Store the product in a cool place with the lid tightly on. It should remain stable for a number of
years. It should be light to mid brown colour with a slightly sweet-sour smell. Some light brown yeasts may
colonise the surface. This is OK. The pH should be around 4.
Batch Recipes
Step 5 - 6 Litres 180 Litres 1000L
Rice 1 Cup Rice 1.5 - 2 kgs Rice 5 kgs
1
Water 1 Litre Water 35 L Water 175
Milk 2 Litres Milk 70 L Milk 350
2
Lacto Culture 1 Litre Lacto Culture 35 L Lacto Culture 175
Whey Approx. 2.7 litres Whey Approx. 90 L Whey Approx. 450 L
3
Water Approx. 2.7 litres Water Approx. 90 L Water Approx. 450 L
Molasses 300 ml Molasses 9L Molasses 50 L
Store in a sealed container, in the shade if possible. It should last at least 2 years.
Bioferments Fact Sheet v1 2018 Soil Land Food & ROTS Creative Commons 3.0 3
Bioferments, Biostimulants & Biofertilisers
Making them on the farm
Recipe 2 – SPIC Compost Inoculant
The SPIC Compost Inoculant is a biological product that contains micro-organisms that help to decompose and
compost organic materials under low oxygen conditions. It can be made and stored easily on the farm. This
inoculant is applied to the feedstock material as you are setting up a no-turn compost pile.
The compost inoculant is partly a fermentation based product. This means the micro-organisms in them can live
in low/no levels of oxygen. These are the conditions that exist in the SPIC Compost system where a cover is
used to control the level of air and the pile is not turned. The aim of using the inoculant is to help control the
process of composting in the pile and ensure that the right community of micro-organisms are doing the
composting process. See the SPIC Compost Fact Sheet for more info.
Ingredients & Equipment
Clean water - non-chlorinated Seawater – or equivalent
Lab Serum – Recipe 1 or EM product Measuring jugs / Buckets
Molasses Wheelie Bin / 1000L IBC - with lid
Blood & Bone Meal Hessian sack & string – coffee or potato sack
Bran – rice or any cereal Basalt powder - optional
Fresh green leafy plant material Seaweed liquid or meal - optional
Process
Step 1: Fill bin or IBC with half the water
Step 2: Prepare Hessian “teabag” sack - by placing fresh green leafy plant material (grass, weeds,
herbs, fresh seaweed etc.), blood and bone meal and bran into the sack and closing it with string. You can add
basalt rock dust or seaweed meal if available. Place the ‘teabag’ sack into the Bin/IBC and secure to the side so
you can readily access it.
Step 3: Add energy/nutrients to water - mix molasses, seawater and Lab Serum (Recipe 1) to the
Bin/IBC. You can also add seaweed liquid instead of meal if available. Now add the balance of water to the
Bin/IBC.
If you do not have access to seawater you can make it by adding 1 cup of sea salt to 7 litres of clean water. If you need a larger quantity
then just multiple this recipe, keeping the ratio the same.
Step 4: Activate the mixture. Close the lid loosely on the Bin/IBC and leave the mixture to activate for 5
days. Every day open the lid to check on the mixture and jiggle the ‘teabag’ sack at least once a day every day
for the 5 days. After 5 days remove Hessian tea bag and discard the contents of the tea bag. Keep the liquid in
the barrel. This is the SPIC Compost Inoculant and is now ready for use.
Step 5: Store the product in a shaded cool place with the lid loosely on. Do not be concerned if a grey
mix (yeasts) forms on top of the mixture after a few weeks. The product should be used within 1 – 3 months.
Bioferments Fact Sheet v1 2018 Soil Land Food & ROTS Creative Commons 3.0 4
Bioferments, Biostimulants & Biofertilisers
Making them on the farm
Batch Recipes
Step Wheelie Bin 1000L IBC
1 Water 100 L Water 500 L
Green leafy stuff 15 – 20 L Green leafy stuff 100 L
Blood & Bone 3 kgs Blood & Bone 15 kgs
2 Bran 3 kgs Bran 15 kgs
Basalt Dust* 1 kg Basalt Dust* 5 kgs
Seaweed Meal* 1 kg Seaweed Meal* 5 kgs
Molasses 3L Molasses 15 L
Seawater 7L Seawater 35 L
3
Lab Serum/EM 7- 10 L Lab Serum/EM 50 L
Water 60 -70 L Water 300 L
* Optional if available
When applying as a compost inoculant apply at 1 litre per 10 cubic meters of compostable material. See the
SPIC Compost Fact Sheet for more info.
Recipe 3 – Hydrolysate
A hydrolysate is a bioferment made with high protein material such as animal carcasses or vegetable scraps.
These are macerated (smashed up) and then fermented with Lab Serum, water and a sugar source. The result
is a bioferment with both fertiliser value and a range of biostimulants. There has been a lot of research showing
that the compounds in hydrolysates, including amino acids and organic acids, are very beneficial to plant
growth.
Ingredients & Equipment
Clean water - non-chlorinated High Protein biomass – animals or vegetables macerated
Lab Serum – Recipe 1 or EM product Measuring jugs / Buckets
Molasses 200 L Barrel / 1000L IBC - with fermentation lock
Process
Step 1: Macerate High Protein Biomass – using a macerator, insinkerator or smash with a spade. You
may need to add a small quantity of water to macerate.
Step 2: Fill Barrel or IBC with the biomass
Step 3: Add water – carefully add the water to the Barrel/IBC.
Step 4: Add Lab Serum and Molasses – Mix these 2 thoroughly through
Bioferments Fact Sheet v1 2018 Soil Land Food & ROTS Creative Commons 3.0 5
Bioferments, Biostimulants & Biofertilisers
Making them on the farm
Step 5: Ferment – make sure the product is in a warm place and will not be disturbed. Leave 10 – 20 cm
space between the top of the liquid and the lid for gases. Seal the fermentation lock. Ferment for at least 4 – 6
weeks. When fermenting is finished the product should have a mild smell and should have a pH of around 4. It
should be a orange to dark brown colour. A product with black and/or purple/green colours with a strong smell
has putrefied. This is not to be used.
Step 6: Store the product - in a shaded cool place with the lid sealed. The product should last 12 months
or more if properly stored. Check the pH, colour and odour before use if stored for a long time.
Batch Recipes
Step 200 L Barrel 1000L IBC
2 High Protein 80 L* High Protein 400 L*
Biomass Biomass
3 Water 80 L Water 400 L
Lab Serum 16 L Lab Serum 80 L
4
Molasses 11 L Molasses 55 L
* Recipe is done by volume not by weight.
This product needs to be filtered before use. It can be applied as a foliar or soil application. 5 – 10 litres per
hectare is a general rule. Dilute rates are 1: 10 to 1: 200 L. For sensitive crops use a higher dilution. For foliar
applications apply early in the morning or late afternoon.
Recipe 4 – Biofertilisers
A biofertiliser is a bioferment that can be made with a variety of ingredients and usually aims to provide
bioactivated nutrients to soils and plants. Depending on the ingredients used the product will have both fertiliser
and biostimulant value. There are many recipes available on in the internet. Below is just a simple one. Feel
free to experiment. Add seaweed, humates etc. if required. It is important to remember that any recipe needs to
have the right balance of: an energy source, nutrients, water and an inoculant. You can custom blend
biofertilisers by adding in Trace Elements during the fermentation process.
Ingredients & Equipment
Clean water - non-chlorinated Fresh Cow Manure / Lab Serum / EM - inoculant
Molasses Yeast
Milk/Whey Wood ashes
Basalt Dust Measuring jugs / Buckets
Seaweed meal/liquid* 200 L Barrel / 1000L IBC
Rock Phosphate powder* Fermentation Lock
* optional
Bioferments Fact Sheet v1 2018 Soil Land Food & ROTS Creative Commons 3.0 6
Bioferments, Biostimulants & Biofertilisers
Making them on the farm
Process
Step 1: Add manure to Barrel or IBC – use fresh, clean manure. If you do not have enough manure or
do not want to use it then use some LAB Serum instead.
Step 2: Add dry ingredients – add in basalt powder, wood ashes, and yeast and mix in to manure. You
can add seaweed meal and rock phosphate powder at this stage if you want.
Step 3: Add water – carefully add 90 % of the water to the Barrel/IBC.
Step 4: Add Molasses/Milk mix – Mix milk and molasses with about 10 % of total water volume and
then add this to the ferment. You can use whey instead of milk. You can add liquid seaweed now if you want.
Step 5: Mix well – carefully mix everything together.
Step 6: Ferment – make sure the product is in a warm place and will not be disturbed. Leave at least 15 –
30 cm space between the top of the liquid and the lid for gases. Seal the fermentation lock. Ferment for at least
8 weeks. When fermenting is finished the product should have a mild smell. It should be a mid brown to dark
brown colour. A product with black and/or purple/green colours with a strong smell has putrefied. This is not to
be used.
Step 6: Store the product - in a shaded cool place with the lid sealed. The product should last 12 months
or more if properly stored. Check the pH, colour and odour before use if stored for a long time.
Batch Recipes
Step 200 L Barrel 1000L IBC
1 Cow manure^ 30-40 L Cow manure^ 150 – 200 L
Basalt powder# 1 -2 kg Basalt powder 5 kg
Wood ashes 2 - 3 kg Wood ashes 8 - 10 kg
2 Yeast* 200 – 300 g Yeast* 1 kg
Seaweed meal* 1 kg Seaweed meal* 5 kg
Phosphate powder* 1 kg Phosphate powder* 5 kg
3 Water 140 L Water 700
Molasses 2L Molasses 10 L
4
Milk/Whey 2L Milk/Whey 10 L
Water 10 L Water 100 L
^ You can use half cow manure and half LAB Serum instead. You can also make on 100% LAB Serum.
# If you can’t get basalt powder then you can use seaweed meal and wood ashes instead.
* Optional
This product needs to be filtered before use. It can be applied as a foliar or soil application. 5 – 10 litres per
hectare is a general rule. Dilute rates are 1: 10 to 1: 200 L. For sensitive crops use more water. For foliar
applications apply early in the morning or late afternoon.
Bioferments Fact Sheet v1 2018 Soil Land Food & ROTS Creative Commons 3.0 7
Bioferments, Biostimulants & Biofertilisers
Making them on the farm
Custom Blending
You can customise the biofertiliser recipe as long as you keep the general ratios of energy, water, nutrients and
inoculant. Specific Nutrients and Trace Elements can be added to make a custom blend. A general procedure
for a Trace elements blend is:
Step 1: Make basic biofertiliser recipe
Step 2: Leave it for 5 days
Step 3: Add Minerals, Inoculant & Molasses – after 5 days add in custom minerals^, 1 - 2 litres
milk/whey/LAB Serum, and 1 – 2 litres of molasses. You may have to dissolve some trace elements in a small
amount of water before adding. Reseal the ferment. ^ see table below for mineral quantities.
Step 4: Complete fermentation– allow the fermentation to finish
Mineral Quantities for Biofertiliser Custom Blends*
200 L Barrel 1000L IBC
Magnesium Sulphate 1 - 2 kg Magnesium Sulphate 2 - 5 kg
Calcium Carbonate 1 - 2 kg Calcium Carbonate 2 - 5 kg
Calcium Chloride 1 kg Calcium Chloride 1 - 3 kg
Potassium Sulphate 1 – 2 kg Potassium Sulphate 2 - 5 kg
Potassium Silicate 1 – 2 kg Potassium Silicate 2 - 5 kg
Rock Phosphate 1 – 2 kg Rock Phosphate 2 - 5 kg
Borax (Boron) 1 kg Borax (Boron) 2 kg
Zinc Sulphate 1 kg Zinc Sulphate 2 kg
Manganese Sulphate 250 g Manganese Sulphate 500 g
Sodium Molybdate 150 g Sodium Molybdate 300 g
(Molybdenum) (Molybdenum)
Iron Sulphate 300 g Iron Sulphate 600 g
Cobalt Chloride 20 g Cobalt Chloride 50 g
* Use soluble minerals where possible. Dissolve in a small quantity of warm water before mixing if possible. Alternatively use very fine grades of minerals
like super fine.
* Take care when applying Trace element to crops and pastures. Excessive Trace element applications can lead to toxicity. Monitor crops using soil tests,
tissue tests or visual assessment to determine Trace element needs.
* These quantities are a guide only.
When using bioferments and custom mineral biofertilisers it is important to apply the product using soil tests,
tissue tests and/or by assessing visual performance of the soil/crop/pastures.
References
Kalema & Chacon; 2010 ; Organic fertilisers and bio-ferments; a practical manual for smallholder farmers; Louis Balk Institute
Mas Humas, 2011, Biofertiliser Course Workshop Notes, Milkwood Permaculture.
Journey to Forever Project -
www.journeytoforever.org/farm_library.html
Jadam Farming - www.en.jadam.kr/
Various YouTube Channels - Type Korean natural farming or biofertilizers into Youtube.
Bioferments Fact Sheet v1 2018 Soil Land Food & ROTS Creative Commons 3.0 8