Direct Growth using Biochemistry

Noni flower and forming fruit

These seven Core Elements summarize the practice of Korean Natural Farming (KNF) as a comprehensive system of technologies designed to mimic Nature for growing food. 

1. Soil Foundation using IMO Technology

2. Direct Growth using Biochemical Signaling Technology (BST)

3. Wild Aerobic Fermentation (FPJ)

4. Seed and Genetic Groundwork

5. Animal Integration

6. Vital Forces

7. Mineralization

SYSTEMS APPROACH TO GROWING FOOD

Used together, these seven Core Elements create a Systems approach to growing food, one that will take less time and effort, cost less money, prevent many if not most pests and disease, yet will increase yields, quality, and nutrition, while improving the soil and the environment. This System is called Korean Natural Farming, KNF.

In this series, we have already covered Indigenous Micro-Organisms (IMO) and Soil Foundation, as well as setting up the Groundwork for the system to function.

We will now cover how Fermented Plant Juice (FPJ) is used to direct plant growth following the Nutritive Cycle, a technology I refer to as Biochemical Signaling Technology (BST). We went into depth on the Soil Foundation first because that is required for BST to work as expected.

HOW NATURE WORKS

In Nature, plants get energy from the sun and convert that into chemical energy (sugars and starches). To grow, plants need, in addition to air and water and the energy they collect from the sun, certain chemicals and elements.

They obtain these elements from the soil. However, the elements in the soil may be in forms that are not absorbable by plants.

For this reason, they have evolved elegant symbiotic relationships with soil biology. They exude excess sugars, called exudates, which feed soil microbes. The microbes, in return, convert elements into forms that the plants can use.

Using complicated feedback mechanisms, plants are able to get exactly what they need, in the proper amounts, and with proper timing.

This method of self-fertilization contrasts with the methods used in agriculture, which offer elements as water-soluble forms of fertilizer and supply plants with what the grower thinks the plants need.

When plants take up water, they are unable to filter out water-soluble fertilizers. This means, in essence, that plants are being force-fed by the grower and not able to self-feed.

Force-feeding plants inevitably leads to unbalanced nutrition, which in turn leads directly to more pests and disease. This is the main reason why the Soil Foundation is so important.

When the self-fertilization process is in effect, then biochemistry can be used to signal plants, through hormones, enzymes, and cofactors, exactly what type of growth to focus on.

Natural Farming is based on building growing systems that mimic how plants grow in Nature. With the Soil Foundation in place, which mimics Nature, we can further enhance quality and yields using Biochemistry, and we can do so in ways that still have less pests and disease.

The effectiveness of BST compares or exceeds the results from using chemical and organic fertilizers, yet it is done in natural ways to prevent nutrient imbalances.

DIRECT GROWTH USING BIOCHEMISTRY

The practice of BST involves a quick mist of a formula designed to induce the desired stage of growth. This is done on a weekly basis and is ideally performed about an hour before sunset. The formulas used follow the Nutritive Cycle.

The Nutritive Cycle refers to the generalized lifecycle of plants. This concept can also be applied to animals. Plants start as a seedling, then undergo vegetative growth. When ready to reproduce, they enter into what Master Cho refers to as the “Cross-over Phase,” which can be compared to puberty in human children.

And much like raising teens and pre-teens, this is the trickiest stage, and can be the most important, depending on the crop.

At the start of the cross-over phase, the body gets physically prepared for reproduction.  At the end of this phase, the body is fully mature and ready for reproduction. During cross-over, we can induce plants to set flower buds, develop flowers, and invite pollination.

Once the plant has been pollinated and is “pregnant,” we switch over to a formula based on fruit set and fruit growth. And once the fruit is fully formed, we can move to a formula that enhances ripening.

Other formulas can be designed to control issues such as fruit dropping prematurely and fruit cracking.

Once the fruit is harvested or has fallen, the plant either dies and needs to be replanted (annuals) or cycles through the life of the elderly to be reborn (perennials). The cycle repeats.

Do these input formulas contain nutrients such as Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium (NPK)? Of course they do. They can also contain minerals like calcium. However, they are in highly dilute amounts and are not designed to be fertilizer. Remember, the plants are drawing nutrients from the soil.

HOW BST WORKS

The purpose of the misting formulas is to biochemically induce plants to grow in designated ways. The biochemistry for these formulas comes from the FPJs. They contain hormones, enzymes, and cofactors.

Hormones           Signaling molecules

Enzymes              Catalysts

Cofactors            Molecules required by enzymes to function

Hormones 

Hormones are signaling molecules that regulate physiological processes by binding to specific receptors in target cells.

Enzymes 

Enzymes are proteins that catalyze specific biochemical reactions, enabling or accelerating the physiological changes that hormones may initiate.

Cofactors

Enzymes often rely on Cofactors, such as metal ions or vitamin-derived molecules, to function properly and complete the biochemical reactions initiated by hormonal signaling.

Concentrations

Hormones are effective at extremely low concentrations because even a small number of hormone molecules can trigger significant physiological responses.

When working with biochemistry, such as hormones, be aware that there are feedback mechanisms so that once a critical number of receptor sites have been activated, the desired reaction will shut down.

In practical terms, this means that using more can have the opposite effect of what is desired. This is why they are applied as a quick mist, no more than once a week, and not as soil drenches. Always start with the lowest concentrations and the smallest application amounts. Here, less is more.

COMPLICATION AVOIDED

You can see from this very simple explanation that the biochemistry contained in FPJs used for Biochemical Signaling gets very complicated very quickly. The good news is you don’t need a PhD in biochemistry or hire one to understand how to use its power.

But you do have to pay attention.

Some people like the ease of following instructions from an extension agent from a local land grant university, or the directions on the back of a fertilizer bag

This is perhaps the biggest negative to practicing Natural Farming. You have to pay attention.

The expert is not in your field. But your plants and animals are. They know what they need. You need to learn how to listen to them. This is the hardest part of being a Natural Farmer. However, the only skill you need is the ability to pay attention.

The first thing you need to pay attention to is the Nutritive Cycle, the life cycle of your plants (and animals).