Lactic Bacteria - Bokashi Composting

Lactic bacteria has been used commonly in agriculture for centuries.  I obtained a lactic bacteria culture some years ago from the internet, after reading about how effective it was at cutting down agricultural odors.  Since then, I have cultivated many gallons of the stuff and used it for all kinds of things including cutting down on the stench of raw sewage when my sewer line backed up in my home.  It worked like a charm and left the bathroom smelling like a brewery instead of like an outhouse at a construction site.  It's a shame that more industries don't use lactic bacteria like this to reduce agricultural odors.

I have since learned how to ferment my own lactobacillus bacteria cultures from environmentally present lactic bacteria.  Some of the bacteria that may be present in these cultures are:

• L. plantarum - in saliva, silage, sauerkraut, pickles, olives etc.
• L. casei - in human intestine and mouth
• L. acidophilus - yogurt
• L. fermentum
• L. delbrueckii
• L. buchneri

Lactic bacteria are generally beneficial and they actively fight against negative bacteria and other micro-biological activities by consuming exposed food sources (sugars), and producing lactic acid.

Worm Silage

In livestock farming, silage processes are used to preserve forage crops and to partially covert simple sugars for several different purposes.  In worm farming, we use our lactic culture to ferment fruit and vegetable scraps in order to reduce insect and other pathogenic organism populations and to increase digestibility by the worms.  Additionally, It reduces possibility of odors since it is a fermented in a controlled environment, with controlled biological inputs.  The fermentation process also allows us to include some citrus, meat, dairy and fats in the worm's diet, not that we would go out and purchase these items to feed them, but it is good to be able to process these kinds of waste as well. 

Fermenting these items also allows us to more accurately control the moisture content and nutrient concentrations in the worm beds by breaking down cell walls and separating nutrient containing liquids prior to introduction into the worm's environment.

Worm Bedding Treatment

We also use a lactic bacteria spray to pre-treat bedding in order to increase digestibility and to stabilize aerobic decomposition.  Providing an environment for them which remains at a stable level of pH should increase their productivity.

References:

• Lactobacillus bacteria - wikipedia
• EM1 - the compost gardener
• Lactobacillus Serum - the unconventional farmer
• Understanding Silage - Penn State Agriculture
• Silage - Wikipedia
• Bokashi in worm farming - worm farming secrets
• Bokashi composting - the compost guy
• Bokashi composting - planet natural
• Bokashi composting - garden myths
• Bokashi composting - the unconventional farmer
• Effective Microorganisms - the organic gardener's pantry