FORMULAS IN KNF for BEGINNERS

Ju-Young Cho Teaching Inputs & Formulas

FORMULAS IN KNF FOR BEGINNERS

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 follow the patterns of Nature to develop our system. In this article, we will discuss creating formulas to mist plants at various stages of their life cycle to promote specific types of growth.

Be aware that these principles also apply to animals. Different inputs, such as FPJs can be used in animal water to enhance their stage of life as well.

BASIC FORMULA

Almost all formulas in KNF, certainly the formulas for plants that follow the Nutritive Cycle, follow the same pattern. Although if you go through Master Cho’s material, you will see that he doesn’t always give the same recipe each time. In my short time with Master Cho, I have at least three versions of each formula. Clearly, there is variability.

That is why we start with the basics. As a beginner, use these basics first, and then as your knowledge and skills improve, add in the adjuncts and tweak the formulas.

As we go through the recipes for formulas here, since this is for beginners, we will use terms that indicate what we want the plants to do. This makes sure you understand the purpose of each formula.

Since Master Cho labels his system of plant growth using the labels of Type l-lV, the formulas will also be labeled with Master Cho’s classifications so that you can reference them with other sources. Feel free to ignore them for now.

Three ingredients are basic to most formulas, particularly for the Nutritive Cycle. This is the most basic formula.

 KNF BASIC FORMULA

Active Ingredient	FPJ	2 parts	Use the appropriate FPJ for the next, upcoming stage of
Ionic Buffer	BRV	2 parts	Balances the sugar in the FPJs (skip for fruit ripening)
Tonic	OHN	1 part	Important for health, supports immune systems

The Fermented Plant Juice (FPJ) acts as the active ingredient, carrying the biochemistry that signals the desired type of growth. Brown Rice Vinegar (BRV), or Banana Vinegar, acts as a specific ionic buffer, and balances the sugar in the FPJs. And Oriental Herbal Nutrient (OHN) is a tonic used to support health and immune systems.

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS

As stated, the active ingredients are the FPJs, the Fermented Plant Juices. We give plants what we want them to do. While the possibilities are limitless, we only need three or four FPJs to start.

Growth Type                    FPJ

Vegetative Growth          Young Leaf Tips of Mugwort and Dropwort

Flower Set                          Young Leaf Tips plus Green Fruit (or Banana Flower Bud)

Fruit Set                              Green Fruit

Fruit Ripening                    Ripe Fruit

BASIC FORMULAS

GROWTH FORMULA (Type ll)

When you want leafy vegetative growth, you will use an FPJ from young, fast-growing plant tips, from mugwort and dropwort, or plants patterned after them.

FLOWER SET (Cross-Over)

When plants are getting ready for reproduction, when flower buds are ready to form, use a mix of 1 part leafy green FPJ and 1 part green fruit FPJ (or use 2 parts Banana Flower Bud FPJ). Sour fruit works well at this stage. Think of a pregnant woman craving pickles or other sour foods.

FRUIT SET (Type lll)

When pollination has occurred, switch to an FPJ made with fruit. Start with a green fruit while the fruit is young and forming.

FRUIT RIPENING

Once fruit is formed and is ready to ripen, start using a ripe fruit FPJ (also called FFJ, Fermented Fruit Juice). Once you are ripening fruit, you want to build sweetness, so at this stage, the vinegar is omitted.

Start here with these simple formulas and learn to follow the Nutritive Cycle by using the appropriate Fermented Plant Juice FPJ for your plants’ stage of growth. Once you see results with the Nutritive Cycle and understand the proper use of FPJs, then it's time to start adding adjuncts, or additional ingredients that improve results.

If you start by using every possible adjunct, it will be difficult to understand how the basic ingredients actually work. You won’t be able to tell which input is having an effect. At this stage, there’s no need to add things like calcium, fish amino acids, or lactic acid bacteria (LAB). You can get excellent results without them, as long as you’ve installed IMO (Indigenous Micro-Organisms).

IMO is what enables plants to draw nutrition on demand from the soil. The nutrient levels in these formulas are too dilute to provide substantial nutrition. Instead, the formulas work by signaling plant growth through a process called Biochemical Signaling Technology (BST).

MIXING FORMULAS

It is best to mix your formula just before use, rather than storing a mixed formula. Use your smell and taste as quality control to ensure you are using the best quality ingredients.

Inputs are diluted at a ratio of 1:1000 or 1:500. For a 1:1000 dilution, add one milliliter per liter. For a 1:500 dilution, add two milliliters per liter.

If you're used to imperial or U.S. standard measurements, I strongly recommend switching to metric, at least for this purpose. You only need to count to ten to use metric effectively, and once you’re familiar with it, it’s much simpler. If you prefer to stick with standard measurements, you’ll need to do some math or consult a conversion chart.

Dilution Chart for KNF Sprays
Dilution Ratio	Per Liter	Per Quart	Per Gallon
1:1000	1 ml	~⅕ tsp (0.95 ml)	~¾ tsp (3.8 ml)
1:500	2 ml	~⅖ tsp (1.9 ml)	~1½ tsp (7.6 ml)
1:30	33 ml	~2 Tbsp (31 ml)	~½ cup (125 ml)
Notes:
1 tsp = ~5 ml
1 Tbsp = ~15 ml
1 cup = ~240 ml
Values are approximate and rounded for ease of use.

1:1000 means "1 part in every 1000 parts total."

That includes the 1 part of the input.

So, you mix 1 ml of input + 999 ml of water = 1000 ml total.

🧪 Single Ingredient Dilution (Straightforward):

• 1:1000 dilution = 1 ml input + 999 ml water → total volume = 1000 ml

🧪 Multiple Inputs, Same Ratio Each (Additive Volume):

If you want each input to be diluted at 1:1000 in the final mix, and you’re adding, say, 3 inputs:

• Each input = 1 ml

• Total input = 3 ml

• Water needed = 997 ml

• Total volume = 1000 ml

✅ This keeps each ingredient at 1:1000 in the final mixture.

⚠️ Mistake to Avoid:

If you mix 1 ml each of 3 ingredients (total 3 ml), and then add 1000 ml of water, your final volume is 1003 ml, so the actual dilution is slightly higher than 1:1000, closer to 1:1003.

For general KNF use, that small difference isn't critical. But if you're doing something sensitive (like foliar applications on young plants or lab formulations), it’s better to calculate based on final volume.

A free, downloadable, and printable dilution chart will be available soon in the shop. In the next article, we will cover BST application and best practices.