HOW TO APPLY IMO

IMO on Soil

HOW TO APPLY IMO

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.

IMO 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.

IMO is produced in steps:

IMO-1. Collect

IMO-2. Stabilize

IMO-3. Amplify

IMO-4. Acclimate

IMO-5. Enhance

6. Install

We will now cover the uses and application of IMO.

IMO USES

IMO is fundamental in creating the Soil Foundation. This is the basis of Korean Natural Farming, KNF. It allows plants to live in their Natural State and acquire their own nutrition naturally, with the symbiotic relationship with soil microbes.

IMO in animal bedding creates a dynamic, living floor. Manure and uneaten feed decomposes almost instantaneously. This prevents flies and smells. It helps to prevent parasites and disease. It enhances the immune systems of the animals. It also creates a constant source of fully composted, highly inoculated mulch.

IMO is also used in feed. Adding IMO to feed offers animals a source of probiotics and minerals. When the microbes from IMO are in the gut, the animals have stronger digestion and immune function. It also promotes animals to grow to their full genetic potential.

This also enables animals to deposit high concentrations of healthy microbes wherever they deposit manure, both inside and outside of their protective structures.

IMO APPLICATION IN SOIL

IMO is installed as IMO-4 or IMO-5. IMO-4 has been collected from local soils on cooked rice, stabilized with raw sugar, cultured to amplify the culture exponentially, then acclimated by mixing and culturing with the soil that the IMO will be installed into.

The IMO-5 stage is optional and is a culture of IMO-4 with additional materials, such as biochar. The resulting crumbles of either stage 4 or 5 are what is installed on the field.

It is best to keep the lumps of the culture intact as much as possible because that allows the microbes to be in clumps of microbial communities. In fact, they will typically already have started forming mycorrhizal networks. These networks are what build soil structure and tilth and act as networks for biochemical signaling and resource sharing.

Application Rate

The application rate of IMO is 150kg per 0.1 hectares (0.1 ha = 1000 square meters), which is 330 pounds per quarter acre.

IMO is typically added once per year for the first three years. After that, the soil should be rich enough that additional applications of IMO are not needed. However, a single application of IMO, which is soil biology, as a complete and diverse ecosystem, in a stable form, in very high concentrations, can be enough to transform soil.

After the initial application of IMO, subsequent applications over a three-year period can focus on installing resiliency according to your needs. For example, an IMO collection can be taken from a sunny location in the summertime to install microbes that are resilient to the heat in your area or from a dark location in the cold months to collect microbes that are resilient to the cold in your area.

After the initial installation (once or over three years), it is unnecessary to keep applying IMO. Build your Soil Foundation and then let it be run by Nature. This is, after all, Natural Farming.

Biochar

If biochar is being added separately (not cultured into IMO-5), it is spread at a rate of 50 kg per 0.1ha (110 pounds per quarter acre). Biochar is added once per year for the first three years. Since it is retained in the soil, it does not need further applications. Use this application rate as a guideline if adding it to IMO-4 for culturing IMO-5.

Perhaps the most important function of biochar in KNF is to provide habitat for microbes. Biochar is very porous, and a single gram has the surface area of a regulation tennis court, offering a vast amount of space to house microorganisms. This habitat structure significantly enhances the application of IMO. Biochar has many other benefits as well, but its ability to support microbial life is key to its role in KNF.

Moisture

The moisture of the IMO applied should be at least 50%. It can be as high as 65-70%. If it is too dry, as happens when stored, bring the moisture level up with Oriental Herbal Nutrient, OHN, diluted 1:1000 with non-chlorinated water.

Since this narrative is designed to help beginners, you may not have OHN ready or available yet. You can either use plain, non-chlorinated water or add an FPJ, Fermented Plant Juice, of any of the OHN ingredients, a garlic FPJ, for example. Use the same dilution ratio as OHN, 1:1000.

Application Timing

IMO is applied one week before the field is to be planted. If the soil is very poor or degraded, two applications are given, the first one 14 days before planting and the second one 7 days before planting.

IMO is applied 2-3 hours before sunset, followed immediately by the remaining steps of the Soil Foundation.

SOIL FOUNDATION APPLICATION

1. Spread IMO-4 or IMO-5 crumbles on the soil surface one week before planting.

2. Spread Biochar if not added and cultured into IMO-5. (Optional)

3. Spray with a dilute solution of Soil Treatment Solution (SOS)

4. Mulch.

Step 1

Clear the field to be planted. You want the area to be ready to plant. Do this one week before you expect to plant.

Spread the IMO crumbles on the surface as evenly as possible, keeping the clumps together as much as possible. Spread on the surface of the soil and do not bury.

Apply 2-3 hours before sundown. Follow the application rate above for guidelines on how much to apply (150kg per 0.1ha).

Step 2

Similarly, apply biochar according to the application rates given above (50kg per 0.1ha). Skip this step if you added Biochar and created IMO-5 or if you will not be applying Biochar.

Step 3

Water in the IMO with Soil Treatment Solution, SOS, diluted at a rate of 1:1000. The application rate is 10 tons (10,000 liters) per hectare. Ideally, this means the soil is moistened to a depth of about 20 centimeters (8 inches). This will be approximately 1000 liters of water per 0.1ha (264 gallons per quarter acre).

To make the application easier, especially if you don’t have equipment for spraying large amounts of water, the solution can be sprayed on the soil on top of the IMO, and then it can be watered in with a hose or something similar.

Be mindful of the vital forces of wind, rain, and heat. If you live in a rainy season or climate or are expecting rain soon, less water is needed.

If it is the dry season, you will want to add water before applying the IMO. If you are in a hot, windy, or dry season or climate, you may want to use more water than recommended. You don’t want to drown the microbes, but you do want to be sure they have enough moisture to become established in the soil.

Too much moisture will cause anaerobic conditions, leading to rot. By the way, adding too much IMO will have the same effect. And, of course, too little moisture will mean the microbes cannot thrive and become established in the soil.

The soil after watering in the IMO should be moist but not wet. How much water you use will depend, not only on the weather conditions, but how moist the IMO is when you apply it, and how moist your soil is to begin with.

The ranges Master Cho gives for IMO moisture is rather large. The numbers given here reflect more than one resource with different percentages, as he taught this method over many decades in all types of climates.

A 60% moisture level in the soil after application is, however, a consistently given number. Aim for that. It’s the measurement I use, and I have never had an application failure.

Your soil, at 60% moisture after installation, should resemble an active compost pile, perhaps a little on the dry side. The soil should be moist deeper than just the surface. It is usually better to aim for a bit dry rather than too wet. You can always add more water. Use your discernment and be mindful of your climate and weather conditions.

It is better to observe your final soil moisture than to rely on prescriptive amounts of water. Natural Farming is about observing Nature and responding accordingly, not following artificial directives. My motto is, “Be like Nature.”

SOIL TREATMENT SOLUTION (SOS)

OHN      1:1000

BRV        1:500

FPJ         1:500                    Made from Mugwort and Dropwort

SW         1:30                      Substitute for Mineral C (use if available at 1:1000)

FAA        1:1000                 

LAB        1:1000

WCaP    1:1000

Does this formula look familiar? It is very similar to the Nutrient Solution used to culture the IMO, but there are differences. You will notice that the top part of the formula is the same as the Nutrient Solution, but here, there are additional inputs.

There is the addition of FAA, Fish Amino Acids, which is made from fish scraps and crude, raw sugar, as well as WCaP, Water-Soluble Calcium Phosphate, which is made from bone and contains various bioavailable minerals.

The other additional ingredient here is Lactic Acid Bacterial Serum, or LAB. This is listed as a beginner input, and this is a good place to use it. It will assist the microbes in making the soil soft and friable and is especially helpful if the ground is hard or rocky.

However, overuse can alter your microbial ecosystem and cause it to lose diversity. Best to stick to the ratios in the formula. If you haven’t been able to make this one yet, it’s fine to skip it.

As a beginner, you will likely not have some of the inputs yet, for example, the tonic OHN, Oriental Herbal Nutrient. Simply skip this input or make a substitute using an FPJ made from one or more of the OHN ingredients, a garlic FPJ, for example.

If you don’t have FAA yet, you can substitute a fermented culinary fish sauce, found in most Asian food stores or sections of grocery stores. Fish sauce is fermented similarly to FAA but uses salt instead of sugar.

While it is not a good idea to substitute in large amounts or regular intervals, a single use of culinary fish sauce is perfectly acceptable. If not, simply skip the FAA for this application.

You can also substitute fish hydrolysate or fish emulsion. Although inferior to FAA, they can be substituted initially while your FAA is processing. Use only small amounts if substituting with these. Less, as is often the case with KNF, is better. Sometimes, skipping the input altogether is best. In any case, do not exceed the dilution ratio listed in the formula.

FAA is a highly valuable input. If you haven’t started making it already, now is a good time to start. Of all the inputs in KNF, this one, FAA, is the one that the sustenance farmers in the South Pacific treasure most.

Water-soluble Calcium Phosphate can be skipped in the beginning as well. Adding a dry mineral form of calcium phosphate will not be identical. The WCaP process makes the minerals from the bones bioavailable to microbes and plants, and there are more minerals in bones than just calcium and phosphorus.

However, if you want to add a little cal-phos mineral dust or dry bone meal to your soil, it won’t hurt. Again, keep it minimal.

For further information on the other ingredients in the SOS formula not explained here, please refer to the previous sections on the Nutrient Solution for culturing IMO. Additionally, the previous section on Beginner Inputs for KNF has suggestions for input substitutions.  

Step 4

Mulch is the final step in the Soil Foundation. Mulch should be added after watering so that it remains dry. Master Cho put it this way: “Do you want to go to bed with a wet blanket or a dry one?”

The main reason for adding mulch is to protect the microbes from solar radiation when they are in full sun. If they are not in full sun, then overnight should be long enough protection from solar radiation to get established.

However, mulch also helps to conserve water from wind and dry conditions. If you are dealing with dry conditions, mulch can help get the microbes established.

The other benefits of mulch include the addition of organic matter, which helps feed the microbial community, and the ability to suppress weeds.

If you do use mulch, keep in mind that it will bind up some nitrogen, especially in the beginning. This is one way that Fish Amino Acids can be helpful. It is recommended to use a lot of mulch in the beginning but less as the system matures. Avoid using woodchips as this will have a negative effect.

AFTER APPLICATION

After installing the Soil Foundation, the soil will feel warm and start to get soft.

Adding IMO as clumps (IMO-4) helps field soil to build up the aggregated structure rapidly. After seven days, this process is complete enough to start planting.

The Next article will cover the use of IMO with Animals.