Bokashi

A game changer for composting and soil repair.

​​What is Bokashi?

The magic of bokashi lays in the 80 essential microbes first isolated by agricultral researcher Dr. Teruo Higa in the 1970s and benefits from the ceramic powder in the resin bucket. 

Bokashi is an enclosed system (pictured right) within which you ferment your food waste with a unique blend of 'bokashi' microbes before burying it in the soil or tipping it into the compost. 

Incredibly fast, with just two weeks spent pre-composting (fermenting) your food waste in the bucket, and within two weeks of burying your fermented matter, you can plant straight into it, for the healthiest soil and best fruit and vegetable crop you have ever experienced. 

Bokashi repairs soil

Just like we benefit from the probiotics in fermented foods for gut health, especially after antibiotics, soil ecology also benefits from the restoration of soil probiotics in bokashi. These probiotics:

• unlock nutrients already in the soil, reducing the need for fertilisers and improving plant efficiency
• improve plant disease resistance
• promote flowering and fruiting
• support the growth of mycorrhizal fungi, essential for plant growth

Bokashi is childs play

Bokashi is so, so easy, even our toddler has mastered it. 

1. ​Simply add your food waste to the specially designed bucket
2. Add microbes. Just sprinkle the flakes (or splash active liquid) as though you are dusting a sponge cake with icing sugar, for every few centimeters of food waste
3. Keep adding food waste and microbes in layers, compressing the contents to force out air bubbles
4. Either leave leachate (liquid) buildup in the bucket for faster fermentation, or drain it off for use in the garden
5. After about two weeks, (or once the bucket is full and you need to empty it), bury the contents it in the garden, veggie bed or tip them into the compost! 
6. Two weeks later, you can plant straight into it in the soil for supercharged veggies. 

Each time you empty it, just give it a quick rinse, and start again!

EM Bokashi Kit

A$95.00 A$85.00

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EM Bokashi Grain refill 1kg approx

A$20.00 A$13.00 - A$23.00

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EM Bokashi Kit incl 1kg Bokashi bran

A$115.00 A$110.00

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Not all bokashi is created equal

Be wary of cheap (and not so cheap) imitations.
Many systems on the market are not air tight and have no ceramic powder in the resin, so are just overpriced buckets.

Avoid off the shelf sprays
Bokashi liquid and sprays have a very limited shelf life (of around 2 weeks), so by the time you buy them are ineffective and your food will rot and smell rather than ferment. 

Buy a liquid that is fermented fresh from a seller you know and trust, and feed the microbes fortnightly with molasses. 
​
Bokashi flakes/powder/grain have a shelf life of up to 3 years if prepared correctly as the . Some brands are more potent than others. 

Don't kill your microbes
Keep your microbes at room temperature and out of direct sunlight.  If you are using a liquid, open the lid weekly to release the build up of gasses. 

​What makes Bokashi so good?

Bokashi has some key benefits what explain why it is growing in popularity:

• You can use it to compost pet waste
  
• It's a great camping, caravanning or tiny house companion
  
• It's an indoor system, so you don't need a big yard
• It is suitable for apartments, flats, units and offices
• You can put meat and dairy in it
• It is incredibly forgiving!
• Hassle free holidays - just empty it before you go. In fact, if you are going camping or caravaning - take it with you!
• It is the fastest form of composting - taking only 4 weeks from depositing your food scraps, to the moment you dig it up a couple of weeks after burying. 

Does Bokashi smell?

When the lid is closed, there should be no smell.

As a fermentation system, it should have a hops or apple cider vinegar smell if any. You may have some underlying smells too, for example the one from our office always has a hint of coffee!

If it smells feral, something is wrong. Either you haven't added enough bokashi activator, or you have used an ineffective mix, such as an off the shelf spray. 

What's better - bokashi, worm farm or compost?

Depending on your waste, and the size of your garden, some systems will suit you better than others. 

As bokashi needs to be buried every time you empty the bucket, you need at least the space equivalent to a couple of half wine barrels in order to manage it properly. You are welcome of course to drop your processed bokashi compost to Compost Community. We love adding it to the compost bins to speed them up.

Where can I drop my bokashi contents if I have no space at home?

We love receiving processed bokashi! You might even have a keen neighbour - find them on Sharewaste.

Many community gardens accept compost and bokashi contents, including Compost Community. Check them out on our Community Gardens page. 

DIY Bokashi activator - liquid

Notes: Buying an EM1 concentrate ensures that you have the 80 essential microbes present, including several strains of lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, and photosynthetic bacteria.
You can make your own concentrate (serum) which focusses more on lactic acid and bacteria. It works to a point, but is missing yeasts and photosynthetic bacteria, so can be a bit hit and miss. 

Ingredients

​You will need

• A clean container with a lid
• 60 ml EM-1 or equivalent microbes
• 60 ml Molasses
• 10 cups (2.5 litres) chlorine-free water 

(to dechlorinate, either leave in a bucket outside for 24 hours, pre boil, or use rainwater)

Method

1. Add the water and molasses to the container
2. Stir to dissolve the molasses in the water. 
3. Add the EM1 microbes and stir well
4. Replace the lid
5. Place in a dark location at room temperature 
6. Loosen the lid or release it every few days to stop it exploding from the build-up of gasses
7. After about 2 weeks it will be fully fermented and ready to use. 

Use and maintain

• Drizzle onto your food waste in your bokashi bucket as needed, or water down significantly to make a garden tonic. 
• Once the microbes have eaten all the sugars, they will die and rot, so it is important to keep feeding them. Top them up with a bit of molasses or sugar fortnightly to keep them alive (like a scobie!)

Make your own bokashi grain and save

Making bokashi bran is a bit more involved as you need to ferment the grain and later thoroughly dry it so it doesn't go mouldy. The benefit of the grain though, is that it has a shelf life of two to three years, and you don't have to feed it to keep it alive like a liquid activator. 
​The video below shows one method of making bokashi bran.