EM-1 (Effective Micro-organisms) - 15 litres

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Effective microorganisms are mixed cultures of beneficial and naturally occurring microorganisms that can be applied as innoculants to increase the microbial diversity of soils and plant. Innoculating the soil/plant ecosystem with EM cultures has been shown to improve soil quality, soil health, and the growth, yield, and quality of crops.

More about EM:

Effective Microorganisms were isolated from traditional ferments of vegetable materials, such as cabbage and kitchen waste (bokashi). The main organisms typically found in EM are (1) Lactobacillus (about 6 to 8 species), (2) actinobacteria (as low as one to as many as 20 species), (3) purple, non-sulphur photosynthetic cyanobacteria (typically only 1 species, although at times 2 to 3 have been observed) and (4) many, many different types of yeasts, which are the fungi that can grow in facultative anaerobic conditions.

All of the organisms in EM are facultative anaerobes. Their observed benefits in soil, compost or tea are that they produce copious quantities of sticky material, which can result in rapid aggregation and ability to stick to surfaces. Organic acids which may help stabilise pH if soil is too alkaline are also made in high concentrations. But these are not the lower pH, much nastier acids made by non-beneficial species of bacteria and yeasts which grow in more classically anaerobic conditions.

Probably the best thing about EM organisms is that they compete with human pathogens in the conditions that the human pathogens are usually the best. EM organisms will typically out-compete any human pathogen growing in reduced oxygen conditions, even with high concentrations of sugar (for example, molasses).

More work needs to be done before regulatory agencies will accept this method for control of human pathogens, but replicated work has been done by both the parent organisation of EM as well as a few studies and many observations by SFI in field conditions. Dairy animals fed EM in their food rations did not have E. coli in their manure. Compost made from that manure never had any human pathogens detectable.

Are there limitations and abuses that people could perform to make EM not work? Sure. We need to document where benefit can always be expected, where it might be questionable and need to be tested, and where benefit will not occur.

Biological Response:

Bacterial activity was increased by adding EM, possibly from addition of foods in the EM culture, but also because the high number of bacteria added in the EM product. Total bacterial biomass was decreased at the higher concentration of EM culture used, probably because now a fungal enhancement occurred. When fungi grow, they can compete against bacteria. Actinobacteria were clearly improved by addition of EM, because of the presence of a number of actinobacteria in the ferment. Determination of the effect of these actinobacteria on mycorrhizal colonisation should be performed. Protozoa were slightly increased in both concentrations of EM, but not to a significant extent.

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