Creating a Powerful Garden Tool: Lactic Acid Bacteria Serum

Have you ever wondered how you can boost your garden’s health, yields, and flavor while reducing waste? In this blog post, we’ll introduce you to an alcohol-free fermentation method to harness the power of your garden’s microbes. This method leverages a probiotic inoculant, called Lactic Acid Bacteria Serum (LABS), that’s teeming with beneficial lactobacillus species. Lactobacillus is one of the most common bacteria on earth, and is a vital component of probiotic farming and regenerative agriculture.

What is Lactic Acid Bacteria Serum?

LABS is an incredible resource that can break down organic matter and unlock nutrients from plants, fruits, roots, insects, and crustaceans. It creates an environment in which lactobacillus species thrive, outcompeting other bacteria, and resulting in a serum teeming with probiotic lactic acid bacteria.

How to Make Lactic Acid Bacteria Serum

Our recipe guides you to create three and a half gallons of LABS using a five-gallon bucket. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Soak 3 cups of rice in half a gallon of chlorine-free water for 24 hours. Vigorously shake the mixture, strain the water from the rice, and place the resulting rice wash in a jar. Cover the jar with a coffee filter, securing it with a rubber band.
2. Place the jar in a shaded area with good air circulation. Let it sit for 3-4 days, or until a small film (a pellicle formed by bacteria) forms on the solution’s surface.
3. Add 1 part of the rice wash to 10 parts of milk in your 5-gallon bucket (for our recipe, it’s 1550 ml of rice wash and 4 gallons of milk). This creates a lactic acid environment, giving the lactic acid bacteria an advantage to outcompete other bacteria.
4. Cover the bucket with a lid or material to keep insects out, remembering that the ferment will off-gas carbon dioxide so the seal should not be entirely airtight.
5. After three to four days, you’ll see a curd of cheese form on top of your bucket. Strain this curd (which is edible and can be turned into tasty cheese) using a cheesecloth or straining tool.

Once you’ve removed the curds, you’re left with the LABS – a powerful tool for your garden. You can use it as a source of beneficial bacteria, adding it to the soil at a ratio of 3-5ml per gallon, or use it as a foliar spray. The lactobacillus in LABS is also the active ingredient in many pet odor removers, showing how its enzymes and colonies have a multitude of applications.

Wrapping Up

Now that you know how to make your own LABS, you’re equipped with a new tool to boost your garden’s health and productivity. In the next blog post, we will explore how to use this serum to ferment plant matter into liquid nutrients. So, stay tuned!

About the Author: This insightful article on lactic acid bacteria serum was meticulously crafted by Luna Whitcomb. With over 14 years of cultivation experience, Luna is a pioneer in integrating cutting-edge organic cannabis cultivation techniques. Her profound knowledge extends beyond cannabis cultivation, enveloping practices surrounding living soil systems and organic methodologies. Luna’s dedication to sharing knowledge has educated thousands, and we are privileged to feature her expertise here.