FPJ (Fermented Plant Juice):
- “FPJ is a fermented extract of a plant’s sap and chlorophylls. It’s a rich enzyme solution full of microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria and yeast that invigorates plants and animals.”
- We grow Sunflowers along the perimeter of the fence for pollinators. We also use those same sunflowers for making large batches of FPJ and
FFJ (Fermented Fruit Juice):
- “FFJ is made from sweet ripe fruits, vegetables and root crops blended with raw or brown sugar and fermented for a short time. The extract is applied to plants to promote flowering and fruit setting.
- We make FFJ using various vegetables and apples from our 40+ year old trees. After we extract the FFJ, we make vinegar with the leftover fruit. This provides plants with beneficial growth hormones and helps soil microbial life, too.
- We also make a hot pepper ferment that is used in pest management, along with blooming inputs. Leftover peppers are then made into vinegar, as well.
- We also grow luffa for sponges, which also provide large batch ferments for FFJ and vinegar.
LABS (Lactobacillus) Ferments:
- Lactobacilluse: We make our own using rice wash and milk which then allows us to ferment a variety of plants using lactobacillus as the fermentation inhibitor. It’s also great for plant health as a foliar, or root drench. Great compost starter, too.
- Horsetail Ferment: We forage horsetail from our local river (Staunton River). We ferment it using lactobacillus in five-gallon batches.
- Flower Power Ferment: We mix a variety of fruits, such as apples, blackberries and bananas in a 5 gallon bucket. Add one quart of labs and ferment for three weeks. We then strain the material for a nutrient dense solution.
- Yucca Ferments: Yucca grows naturally on our wood line and we harvest the root in the fall and winter to extract the surfactant benefits. Our fermented extract is made using labs mixed with chopped root, fermented under an airlock for a month. We do multiple extractions off the same material that yields a highly valued spreader sticker/surfactant to mix with our nutrients and ipm sprays/ drenches. Yucca extract is a natural wetting agent that helps water and nutrients penetrate deeper into the root zone, producing uniform and even water distribution in foliar applications and helping keep drip lines from clogging.
Fish Amino Acids Ferment: Fish is sourced from the local river and our pond on the property. This is a nitrogen rich source made from one part fish and one brown sugar. Fermented in an airlock container for 1 month, or up to a few years.
Compost: made from a variety of material we have on hand.
Hay: sourced from our own 4-acre pasture, no spray.
Clover and Grass Clippings: We bag our grass when mowing the path ways from our property, this is used as a fresh amendment on the plants and doubles as a mulch plus nitrogen source.
Jadam Liquid Fertilizer: mixture of clover, grass, horsetail and common weeds from the property early in the year. Later in the summer we use plantain, Queen Anne’s lace, yarrow, garden scrapes, hemp leaves and other random weeds. We make hundreds of gallons to use as our main root drench fertilizer. These are anaerobic ferments done in multiple 55-gallon barrels.
Bokashi: is made on site using EM1, with local wheat bran or saw dust.
Indigenous Microorganism (IMO): IMO collections are taken from various spots on the property then IMO4 is cultured using local sawdust and clay from our land. This is used to amend our beds at planting and other times throughout the year to super-charge the microbial life.
Kombucha: made on site to combine with LABS as a foliar spray to help prevent/fight powdery mildew.
KNF (Korean Natural Farming): We make many natural inputs like WCA (water-soluble Calcium) using eggs, WCAP (water-soluble phosphate) using deer bones, EM5 using our own labs, hot peppers and garlic.
Earthworm Casting Compost: we use Mountain Gate Organics, this is one of the few things we out source but well worth it. Incredible addition to our grow.