A 21-nautical-mile stretch of water could trigger a global famine. The Strait of Hormuz controls up to half the world’s fertilizer. The Ukraine war is also a major disruption, and we’ve hit Peak Fertilizer. Cheap, mined minerals are over, and our food system is fragile. What if you could opt out without buying a single bag of fertilizer? It’s a method where you become the supply chain by harnessing the biology already on your land. We’ll get to the solution in a moment. But h

People tend to assume that plants need fertile soil in order to grow well. But that’s not really how nature works. The place where conditions matter most is right around the plant’s roots, the small zone of soil where roots, microbes, and nutrients interact. This zone is called the rhizosphere. Essentially, the rainforest's amazing output isn't due to nutrient-rich soil. It comes from a living biological system that constantly cycles nutrients right where plants need them, ar

Yes, KNF is cheap & easy. In this article, I am showing how little is required to practice KNF, not what it looks like when you do everything. Success does not depend on using every input or technique. Each point here shows how KNF can be simple and cost-saving, challenging the belief that it is complicated or expensive. I also commented on what it looks like if you do want to do everything in the system. KNF was designed for people with little to no money or resources. It ha

The most valuable skill in farming can’t be bought, bottled, or scheduled. It isn’t proper planting, fertilizing, or pest control. It’s learning to recognize patterns and respond to them in a timely manner. Recognizing patterns enabled humans to settle, grow food, and build civilizations. The right action at the wrong time has zero reward; the right action at the right time produces abundant results.

POTASSIUM DEFICIENCY occurs when soil is lacking potassium. Even when sufficient potassium is present, if the soil contains high levels of lime and magnesium, the plant still suffers from potassium deficiency because these elements suppress potassium absorption. Potassium deficiency can also easily occur in sandy soil, which has less humus, because potassium is readily leached from sandy soil, as with nitrogen. Using a soil foundation with Indigenous Micro-Organisms (IMO)

1. Water-Soluble Calcium Phosphate (WCaP) is leached from the bones of vertebrate animals. It is an essential substance for plant growth and is widely distributed in the soil. Calcium Phosphate is insoluble in water but soluble in acids. This property is used in Natural Farming to make a product that is bioavailable to plants. 2. Provides two essential elements: Calcium (Ca) → strengthens cell walls, root tips, and reduces physiological disorders. Phosphorus (P) → vital for e

1. Contributes to better utilization of carbohydrates and protein. It is the major component in forming cell membranes and enables smooth cell division. Calcium is essential for maintaining cell wall strength, regulating membrane function, and facilitating signaling. 2. Functions to remove harmful substances in body tissue by binding with organic acids. 3. Prevents crops from overgrowing. 4. Makes fruits firm and prolongs the storage period. 5. Promotes absorption of phospho

In the practice of Korean Natural Farming (KNF), Seawater is used for a Full Spectrum Mineral approach. It ensures that all minerals are available in the food-growing system. In addition, we use a set of Targeted Minerals, which are added to formulas that follow the Nutritive Cycle to direct growth or to address specific mineral deficiencies. These Targeted Minerals are the focus of this article.

How are minerals used in KNF if soil amendments are not a regular part of crop establishment and management? In a word, the answer is Seawater. This is not the only source of mineral elements in KNF, but it is the most important. There was a pasture in Hawaii that was doing poorly, with a lot of weeds, but very little edible grass and forage. A livestock expert and KNF practitioner had the rancher apply seawater to the pasture. Nothing else was done, but everything changed. G

Observing the Vital Forces is the foundation of Natural Farming Management, guiding when and how we act, rather than forcing outcomes. By attuning ourselves to sunlight and heat, moisture and water, air and wind, we can respond to Nature’s cues instead of relying on artificial inputs. In KNF, we attune ourselves to these elemental rhythms instead of relying on fixed schedules or synthetic inputs. Sunlight changes with the seasons and the time of day. Moisture varies with humi

Korean Natural Farming (KNF) is a systems technology to grow food in ways that mimic Nature. In this series for beginners, we have already looked at Fermented Plant Juice (FPJ), and we learned about the Nutritive Cycle and how to use FPJs to follow the patterns of the life cycle of plants. Now we deepen our understanding of the system by creating a basic formula to apply at each different stage of growth. We are developing a system. In order to mimic Nature, we always want to

1. Soil Foundation using IMO Technology Establish a living soil by using cultivated Indigenous Microorganisms (IMO) that restore and sustain natural soil function and fertility. This allows plants to live in their Natural State, drawing nutrition on demand through symbiotic relationships with soil biology. As in Nature, balanced nutrition leads to fewer pests and disease, improved health, quality, nutrition, and increased yields.

IMO, Indigenous Micro-Organisms, is the foundational technology of Korean Natural Farming. It is the application of high concentrations of soil biology taken from healthy, local soil. It is installed as a complete ecosystem. MO is efficient because: 1. Soil biology is installed in high concentrations. 2. The soil ecology is installed as a complete, intact ecosystem. 3. A single application can be enough. It allows plants to live in their Natural State and acquire their own nu

Master Cho used his corn method to turn solid lava rock into planting soil. I have used it to overcome weeds and turn overgrown pasture/lawn

I want to take some time to honor my hero, Master Cho Han-Kyu. He was born in Sowan, South Korea, in 1935. He started life as a peasant chic

“As I became conscious of the realization, I decided to practice Natural Farming to save people from harmful food, and to save the environme