Teas and Brews 2 - EM Tea

(Thanks to Leah for another great post on garden brews.)

I love fermenting up a good brew! No, I’m not talking beer, but a really beneficial brew for your garden called EM (Effective Micro-organisms). In the 70s, extensive research on the use of EM was done by Dr. Teruo Higa, a professor at the University of Ryukyu in Japan. Now, EM are used all over the world in many different ways!

Effective Micro-organisms occur naturally in the soil, oceans, animals and even us! These mirco-organisms include many species from three different groups — lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and photosynthetic bacteria. All of these microbes work cooperatively and produce hormones, vitamins, amino acids and enzymes that are all beneficial to plants. They also fix nitrogen and carbon and convert toxins to nutrients. In the compost they help to breakdown the material and prevent some of those nasty smells and flies.

EM is effective in any garden, farm or household. Not only can you use this as a spray in the garden to provide healthy benefits, this magic brew can be used around the house. EM can be sprayed onto your pet and their areas (beds, litter), in your laundry and to clean the house. Trina at OCN sprays it all over her chickens’ beds, eating areas, etc. It has even been used in septic systems to control the bad bacteria and smells.

Here are some links to learn more about EM and it’s magical qualities: Naturefarm, Ecorevolution (video), and EM (video).



Making EM Brew

EM brews can be purchased activated (ready to use) or, if you have time, you can brew a mother culture in your home. The latter saves money as the mother culture goes a long way! Both of these products are available from OCN Garden Centre or you can order it online from The Gardener's Pantry.

What you need:
800 ml of de-chlorinated, room temperature water
3 TBSP of unsulphured molasses
3 TBSP of EM mother culture
Clean, airtight container (1- or 2-litre pop bottle and cap) or I use a 1-gallon glass jug and a balloon with a tiny hole in it for a lid.

What to do
1. Mix the ingredients together in the container and place in a warm, but not hot place, out of the sun. I put mine on top of the fridge or on the mantle off to the side. The brew must be kept warm to multiply the microbes and be effective.
2. Give the brew a gentle shake every day and “burp” the bottle (if you haven’t used a balloon with a hole in it). Do this by releasing the cap to let the excess air escape.
3. In about 2 weeks or so (if the culture has been kept warm), the EM should be ready. To ensure that it is ready, pH paper can be used. A pH of 3.7 is best, but anywhere below 3.9 is fine.
EM can be stored for 6-24 months but is best to use within the month. Store it tightly sealed and out of direct sun at room temperature. I make a new batch about every month so I have a constant supply.

Using EM

Garden: EM is best used in the garden as a soil drench as it can burn the leaves of plants if not diluted properly. Use it in the early morning or late evening and preferably just before a rain. (Well, that could be anytime on the west coast!) I generally dilute 1:50 (EM to de-chlorinated water) for soil drench and use it 1-4 times per month on my garden.

Household: For household use (pets, compost, cleaning), I use a strong mix, equal parts of EM and de-chlorinated water with a splash more of EM. A spray bottle is an effective way to distribute all those healthy microbes. I keep a spray bottle handy in the pet areas, kitchen, bathrooms and laundry room.