Bokashi is a type of compost prepared by fermentation of waste organic matter with the help of EM. Bokashi is mainly used for improving the fertility status of soil and for enhancing the degradation of crop residue.

• Collect sufficient quantity of different organic matter (such as rice bran, fish meal, animal waste etc) equivalent to 150 lit drum volume.
• Mix 150gm of jaggary and 50 ml of EM in 15 lit of water.
• Mix this solution with organic waste thoroughly in such a way that entire contents get uniformly moistened.
• Grind 2.3 kg of fresh green weeds to a coarse paste. Dilute with 14 lit of water.
• Dissolve 42 gm of jaggary in some water and mix with weed suspension.
• Add 420ml of EM
• Transfer the contents to a plastic drum and with the help of a thick plastic sheet
• Transfer the contents in a plastic bag and seal the bag.
• To ensure the anaerobic conditions put this bag into another polythene bag and seal
• Allow the contents to ferment for 3-4 days in a cool shade place
• Bokashi will be ready after 4 days.
• This can be used immediately.
• In plastic air tight bags Bokashi can be stored up to 6 months.

How to use Bokashi

Bokashi can be used directly as compost in poor fertility soils. It can also be used along with the crop residues. For 0.1 ha mix 100-150 kg Bokashi with sufficient quantity of finely chopped crop residue. Spread this mixture over 0.1 ha area and mixed with soil a day before sowing. Spraying of 5-10 lit of 1:500 diluted simple EM-solution over this mixture can further boost the degradation process. By using Bokashi+crop residue+ EM-solution the requirement of compost can be dispensed with. This can save lot of labour, time and space required for compost process.

Application of EM formulations at the time of land preparation

Dilute 5-10 lit of simple EM solution in 50-100 lit of water and sprinkle/spray over 0.1 ha of land, when soil is wet a day before sowing.

For seed treatment

Soak seeds for 5-6 hrs in 1 : 100 fold diluted EM solution and sow immediately.

As foliar/ soil spray

After seedling emergence, 1 : 1000 diluted EM solution or FPE should be sprayed at the rate of 500 lit per ha, 4-5 times at an interval of 7-10 days. In fast growing crops such as vegetables, spraying should be done twice a week. In transplanted crops 1 : 500 diluted FPE can be sprayed after 5 days of transplanting @ 750-1000 lit per ha.

For soil enrichment

For every 0.1 ha mix 100-150 kg Bokashi with crop residue and mix with soil just before sowing. Simple EM solution @ 5-10 lit can also be used as spray over this residue-Bokashi mix. Spraying the soil with 5-10 lit of FPE mixed in 500-1000 lit of water per ha also add to the fertility of the soil.