Indigenous Micro Organisms (IMO)

Indiginous Mirco Organisms

Here at #JiwaDamai we are creating our own #microorganisms. A #bamboo is split in half ad filled with cooked rice. Then it is closed, but not too tightly, and buried close to growing bamboo. After 10 days it is dug out and opened. One can see the fine fungus which has grown and represents the organisms. Now sugar and water are added, covered and placed in a dark place with water to grow and multiply. After five days the brew is ready to be distributed in the garden. It should have a nice earthy smell. This brew nourishes the roots and can be sprayed on the leaves as well.

This new concoction is becoming increasingly popular among farmers. Usually called indigenous microorganisms (IMO), this concoction has been successfully tried by government agriculturists, academic researchers and non-profit foundations alike. They have found it useful in removing bad odors from animal wastes, hastening composting, and contributing to crops’ general health.

To make your own IMO, follow these simple steps:

1. Cook a kilo of rice, preferably organic. After cooling, put the cooked rice in a bamboo, wooden, earthen or ceramic container. Avoid plastic or aluminum.

2. Cover the mouth of the container completely with cloth or paper, fixed in place with a rubber band, to prevent water or small insects from getting in.

3. Put the covered container, protected from possible rain, under the trees, in a bamboo grove, a forest floor, or wherever a thick mat of leaves has formed. Leave it there for three days.

4. After whitish moldy filaments have formed, transfer the entire contents of the container to a larger glass or earthen jar and add one kilo of brown sugar or molasses, preferably organic.

5. Cover the jar with clean cloth or paper, fixed with a rubber band. Keep the jar in a dark, cool place. Let it ferment for seven days, until it appears muddy. This is your IMO concoction.

To use, mix two spoonfuls of the concoction with a liter of water. Spray the diluted solution around chicken coops and pig pens to remove unpleasant odors, on your compost pile to hasten decomposition, or on your crops to improve their general health by controlling pests and serving as folia fertilizer.

By making their own IMO, farmers can free themselves from the need to buy inputs for their farms. By reducing their costs, using IMO keeps them away from debt and improves their income.

Another one of our much used #natural #fertilizer is the compost tea. Our very fine compost is placed in a bucket with water and oxygenated and aerated with a small pump for 26 hours. After which the tea is sprayed on plants and earth.

Coconut Shells

At Jiwa Damai we are using a special way to place our coconut shells around the base of our plants. Since we are producing our coconut oil form our own coconut trees , the shells are available and we are using them for several purposes. During the rainy season they can collect some of the water with their inner softer hairy material thus allowing to keep some water away form the plants.

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The second reason is to have them soak up the water we are distributing in the dry season  around the fields. They will hold the water longer for the plants to feed .

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Last but not least when they decompose they will make an excellent nutrition to be added to the soil. On some plants we are just setting them directly around the root of the plants.

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Organic compost at Jiwa Damai

Our vision at Jiwa Damai is to create a self-sustaining center, integrating biological permaculture with water preservation, waste recycling and application of solar energy. We are constantly working towards this goal, adding new features to achieve more sustainability. :-)

An important part of the recycling process is the composting of organic materials. We use cow dung, leaves, fruit and vegetables left over, wood, dust etc. and add effective microorganisms (EM technology)  in order to produce a healthy fertilizer.

Compost area

The effective microorganisms are produced in this blue container.

Compost

The fertilizer, made from our compost is used for the entire organic garden.

Next to the compost it is our worm factory. The worms like to eat fruit and veggies. They don't like spicy and acidic foods, such as lemons or chilis.