Bokashi Glossary

bokashi method: the utilization of microorganisms to ferment an organic matter, solid or liquid. Specifically, it is the use of Effective Microorganisms (EM) with other ingredients (as microbial feed and for nutrient and other properties: antipathogenic, antioxidant, bioremediant, etc.) to ferment different types of organic matter. The resulting bokashi (fermented organic matter) is then applied to soil, water, or as an animal feed. The purpose of the bokashi method is to multiply the microorganisms (in population and diversity via fermentation), improve the organic matter content in soils and provide greater bioavailability of nutrients.

bokashi: fermented organic matter. Bokashi is made by using microorganisms to ferment organic matter (solid or liquid). After it is fermented (~2 weeks), it is used for different purposes: on plants, soils, composting, water treatment, bioremediation, as a probiotic, and as a fermentation starter. Different types of bokashi, called bokashi ferments, are made using different materials and ingredients depending on the purpose. Bokashi is a biofertilizer, and its microbes are biostimulants. 

bokashi microbes: see Bokashi Ferments > Activated EM. 

bokashi spray: see Bokashi Ferments > Activated EM. 

bokashi sprinkle: see Bokashi Ferments > bokashi bran. 

bokashi ferment: A bokashi ferment is an organic matter, solid or liquid, fermented by the bokashi method, that is, by utilizing microorganisms (such as Effective Microorganisms, EM) with other ingredients in an anaerobic (airtight) condition. There are different types of bokashi ferments: Activated EM (or bokashi spray, bokashi microbes), bokashi bran (or bokashi sprinkle), bokashi food waste (or fermented food waste), bokashi mudballs (or EM mudballs), bokashi silage, EM FPE (fermented plant extract), and EM•5. Each type is made with different ingredients and is used for different purposes (gardening, farming, bioremediation, etc.) 

Activated EM (AEM), also bokashi spray, bokashi microbes: a liquid fermented matter (a bokashi ferment) made by mixing EM•1, blackstrap molasses, sea salt, and water and letting it ferment for two weeks before it is ready to use. AEM is a microbial inoculant, a soil probiotic, a biostimulant, and a fermentation starter. AEM (which can also be called, "bokashi microbes") is generally added to water (1%~5%+) and used on houseplants, gardens, farms, and for cleaning. AEM is also used as a spray (in this case it can be called, "bokashi spray") either diluted in water for foliar feeding or for odor control, or used straight/undiluted to spray on food waste to ferment the food waste (see bokashi food waste). 

bokashi bran, also bokashi sprinkle: a solid fermented matter (a bokashi ferment) made with EM•1, blackstrap molasses, water, and a bran (such as wheat bran or rice bran) . Fermented anaerobically for two weeks and then used as either a microbial inoculant, a soil amendment, or as a fermentation starter (for example, sprinkled onto food waste to ferment it, or as an ingredient to make bokashi mudballs). 

bokashi food waste, also fermented food waste (FFW): a solid fermented matter (a bokashi ferment) made by sprinkling bokashi bran or spraying Activated EM (bokashi spray) onto food waste and let to ferment anaerobically for at least two weeks. All food waste (including meats, bones, dairy, baked goods, seafood, shells, raw or cooked) can be fermented with the bokashi method. It is then used as a soil amendment in different ways: buried or trenched in soil, pocket-feeding between plants (buried about a foot away from plants), buried around trees at the canopy edge, or sandwiched between soil in pots or planters. Soils amended with FFW and not used to grow anything can be harvested later (at least a month after burying/trenching) as bokashi amended soils. The bokashi food waste can also be composted as a green material mixed with brown materials (leaves, twigs, and other plant matter) requiring much less turning with less heat (i.e., a mesophilic composting process) and produce bokashi compost which requires much less curing time.

bokashi mudball: a solid fermented matter (a bokashi ferment) the size of a baseball, made with dirt (or any soil-like material such as clay soil), Activated EM, blackstrap molasses, and bokashi bran. Other ingredients may also be used (such as EM ceramics). While the mudballs are let to ferment in open air (where airflow is recommended to prevent, minimize mold buildup on the mudballs), the outside will quickly dry forming a hard shell leaving the inside to ferment anaerobically. Bokashi mudballs are used to bioremediate polluted water or soils. 

bokashi seed ball: a solid fermented matter (a bokashi ferment) the size of golf balls, made with soil (or dirt or clay-like material), Activated EM, blackstrap molasses, bokashi bran, and various seeds. It is air-dried to harden for one to two weeks, and then used as a self-contained seed+biofertilizer to seed gardens, tree pits (tree-plant compatibility needs to be considered), or vacant dirt lots. 

bokashi silage (also bokashi livestock feed or EM silage): a solid fermented matter (a bokashi ferment) made by anaerobically fermenting plant matter (usually grasses, the leftover crop material after harvesting) with Activated EM, blackstrap molasses, and water. It is used as a livestock feed. 

EM FPE (fermented plant extract): a liquid fermented matter (a bokashi ferment) resulting from the anaerobic fermentation of plant matter (usually fresh cut plants, including weeds, herbs, berries, etc.) using EM•1, blackstrap molasses, and either seawater or water plus sea salt. The liquid bokashi ferment is strained and bottled. It is added to water when watering plants/crops. Depending on the plant material used in the fermentation, EM FPE will contain the beneficial properties from the plant matter (e.g., pest-deterrent or plant-growth stimulant properties). 

EM•5: a liquid fermented matter (a bokashi ferment) made by mixing EM•1, blackstrap molasses, apple cider vinegar, 40% alcohol (e.g., vodka or tequila, etc.), garlic cloves, and hot spicy peppers (Scoville >25,000 SHU, e.g., cayenne, habañero, Scotch bonnet). It is fermented anaerobically for two weeks and then used as a foliar spray or to condition the soil. 

Effective Microorganisms (EM, EM•1): EM is a combination of three (3) groups of microorganisms: lactic acid bacteria, yeast, and photosynthetic bacteria. The lactic acid bacteria are the same ones found in sauerkraut, yogurt, cheese, sourdough; the yeast is the same one used by bakers, beer brewers, and wine makers; and the photosynthetic bacteria is the same one found in worm castings, in many soils and bodies of water. These microbes are found almost anywhere in the world and are not unique to any environment. This combination of microbes was discovered prior to 1982 by Teruo Higa, professor emeritus of agriculture, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan. He discovered that these microbes function differently when combined together. EM•1 refers to the actual liquid that contains these three groups of microbes. 

EM•1 (EM•1 Microbial Inoculant): a liquid ferment containing the three (3) groups of microorganisms: lactic acid bacteria, yeast, and photosynthetic bacteria. In the North American version of EM•1, the lactic acid bacteria group consist of Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus delbrueckii, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Bacillus subtilis. The yeast is Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The photosynthetic bacteria is Rhodopseudomonas palustris.