LAB Culture Instructions 1. Wash rice grains and collect the first two rinses of cloudy water. 2. Fill a clean glass jar about 2 /3 full with rice rinsewater. Label the jar with date and contents (Figure 1). 3. Cover the mouth of the jar with breathable cloth (such as muslin) or paper (not plastic) and secure with rubber bands or ties to keep out pests. Store at room temperature away from direct light. Be careful not to shake or move the jar while it ferments. 4. After 3 to 5 days, LAB will multiply and give off a slightly sour odor. There will be a mat of semi-solid material floating on the top of the cloudy liquid in the jar. Collect only the cloudy liquid (fermented rinsewater) by pouring off and discarding the mat layer. 5. Depending on the size of your glass jar, measure one part of fermented rinse-water and add 10 parts of milk to fill your jar 2 /3 full. 6. As in step 3, cover the mouth of the jar with cloth or paper and secure with rubber bands or ties to keep out pests. Store at room temperature away from direct light. Be careful not to shake or move the jar while it ferments. 7. After 3 to 5 days, the contents of the jar will separate into a floating solid fraction and a yellow liquid fraction (Figure 2). It may take longer in cooler climates. The yellow liquid is the LAB culture, which must be kept alive. 8. Pour off the liquid fraction, being careful not to mix any solids back into the LAB culture (Figure Figure 1: Fill a clean glass jar 2/3 full with cloudy water from rinsing rice. Cover with breathable cloth or paper to keep pests out; label with contents (“Rice Rinse-Water”) and date. Figure 2: Approximately 3 to 5 days after adding 10 parts milk to 1 part fermented rice rinse-water, the contents of the jar will separate into a floating solid mass and a yellow liquid. The yellow liquid is the LAB culture, which must be kept alive. 3 UH–CTAHR Natural Farming: Lactic Acid Bacteria SA-8 — Aug. 2013 3). Store LAB culture in a loosely capped plastic or glass bottle labeled with the date and contents. 9. Any LAB culture not used within a week should be refrigerated, or if it must be kept at room temperature, add an equal amount (by weight) of brown sugar. In either case, keep the bottle loosely capped to release gases formed by fermentation, or the container may burst. 10. LAB culture may be kept refrigerated for 6 months. Continue to keep the bottle loosely capped to release gases. 11. LAB culture should have a sweet odor; if the odor becomes unpleasant (rotten) after it has been stored, discard it and make a new batch. How Is LAB Culture Used for Plant Production? LAB culture is diluted at a 1:1,000 ratio with water (Table 1), mixed with a plant nutrient solution such as fermented plant juice (FPJ) (Miller et al., in press), and applied as a foliar spray to leaf surfaces of leaf or fruit crops. Note: Over-application of LAB culture to fruit crops may result in the loss of sweetness (lowered brix) of fruits. Apply sparingly in the latter stages of the fruiting season. LAB culture can also be used in conjunction with other nutrient solutions to treat seeds before planting. This improves seed germination, inoculates the seed with beneficial microbes, and deters fungal problems, such as “damping off” (Hamed et al. 2011). LAB is used with IMO (indigenous microorganisms) in Natural Farming in making composts or compost teas for soil preparation prior to planting (Park and DuPonte 2008). Application of LAB culture can accelerate the decomposition of organic amendments in soils and enhance the release of plant nutrients for absorption (Higa and Kinjo 1989
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