We cannot traditionally compost the products like cheese, cream, yogurt, curd, meat, eggs, fish, old bread etc.
When these are directly introduced in compost pile they attracts infectious microbes and parasitic insects.
But with bokashi composting process, the above listed materials can be composted with the help of bokashi bran.
Bokashi bran helps in the growth of lacto-bacillus bacteria which decomposes the cell structure of meat, dairy products etc. within two weeks even in the absence of oxygen.
End product is partially decomposed. For further conversions it should be added to either worm bins or compost pits.
This partially decomposed compost shouldn’t be directly introduced for the plants because it is acidic in nature and brings down the pH of the soil.
Bokashi Composting In Bin
Bokashi composting must be practiced in the compost bin.
- Place a perforated plate at the bottom of the bin because it makes filtration job very easy, when we collect final thick liquid.
- Then place layers of bokashi bran and organic waste material alternatively.
- Pressing should be done with bio degradable plastic in order to remove oxygen which was formed when the layers of organic waste is added.
- This helps to keep the pile free from oxygen and vitalizes the anaerobic process.
- When bin is full, place the lid on the top and keep aside for some period. The waste material decomposes into thick liquid.
- Then collect it through tap at the bottom.
- Dilute it with water in 1:50 ratio and use as liquid tea compost.
Bokashi Bran Preparation:
Step-1:
- Take rice washed water in the bottle and keep it in dark and dry area for 7 days.
- Don’t fill the bottle completely. It should have some space at the top.
Step-2:
- Now you observe light amber color liquid with some floating material on the top.
- Filter the liquid to remove that floating material.
Step-3:
- Now add skimmed milk to the filtered liquid in ratio of 10:1( 10 parts of skimmed milk with 1 part of filtered liquid) in a container with loosely held lid for 15 days.
- Loosely held lid makes the generated gases to escape from the container.
- Store the container in cool, dry and dark place.
Step-4:
- Now you can see serum like liquid along with floating material. Filter the floating material and collect the serum .
- This serum is rich in lacto bacillus bacteria.
Step-5:
- Now mix the 10 ml of lacto bacillus serum ,10 ml of molasses or jaggery and 50 ml of non-chlorinated water (collect the water into bucket and leave it for whole night, So that the chlorine gas can evaporate from the water)
Step-6:
- The solution from step 5 should be mixed with wheat bran or rice bran or peanut cake with some newspaper fragments.
Step-7:
- Mix this in container and remove the oxygen by pressing it with the help of bio degradable plastic. The product thus obtained should be 50% wet.
- Place a card board on the top to carry the anaerobic fermentation and to prevent the heat loss from the container .
- Insulate the walls by tying with rope or by placing the container in a zip lock bag.
Step-8:
- After the period of two weeks place the fermented matter in sunlight and let it dry. The dried substance should be powdered and must be stored in container.
