RACK & STORE FPJ

Banana Fermented Plant Juice FPJ

RACKING & STORAGE FPJ

Goal

The purpose of Fermented Plant Juices (FPJ) is to capture and preserve the biochemical profile (hormones, enzymes, and cofactors) to direct growth using Biochemical Signaling Technology.

Plant material is collected and fermented at defined growth stages, then applied to crops to trigger corresponding growth responses. FPJ directs plant growth. It is important to clean (rack) and store FPJ properly to preserve these qualities.

WHY WE RACK

In Korean Natural Farming (KNF), we recognize that the plant should be the master of its own nutrition. The farmer’s role is not to force-feed the plant via soil drenches (which can cause nutrient imbalances and attract pests), but to build a robust Soil Foundation using Indigenous Micro-Organisms (IMO).

In this system, the FPJ does not act as a fertilizer. It becomes the active ingredient for Biochemical Signaling Technology (BST). It carries the hormonal and enzymatic instructions from plant material that is doing what we want crops to do.

Racking, or separating the fermented serum (FPJ) from the solids, stabilizes these biochemical signals by limiting further decomposition.

The term ‘racking’ comes from brewing and winemaking. It simply means transferring liquid off the sediment into another container.

BIOLOGY OF THE SEDIMENT

Once you have decanted your raw FPJ from the plant material (typically after 3–5 days), the liquid enters a transition phase. Even without the plant material, the serum is biologically active.

Flocculation and Bio-Sludge

As the serum sits, gravity pulls down fine particulates and spent microbes. The process is called flocculation. This creates a layer of sediment known as lees or bio-sludge.

• The Danger: This sludge is a concentrated source of protease enzymes. In nature, these enzymes recycle proteins back into basic elements.

• The Consequence: If you do not rack the serum off this sludge, these proteases will “digest” your signaling hormones (like Auxins and Gibberellins), effectively erasing the message you intend to send to your crops.

How Bio-Sludge is a Problem

In the natural biological cycle, plant and animal bodies are broken down into their constituent elements. In an FPJ ferment, the sediment at the bottom (lees/sludge) contains spent microbes, plant fragments, and concentrated enzymes.

• Autolysis: If left in the FPJ, the microbes in the sludge eventually die and rupture (autolysis). This releases rot-inducing proteins that attract putrefactive bacteria.

• Enzymatic Degradation: The sludge contains high levels of protease, an enzyme that breaks down proteins. If not removed, these proteases will “digest” the very hormones (auxins, gibberellins) and cofactors you are trying to save to signal plant growth.

• Solution: Racking stops the degradation cycle, allowing the liquid to stay in a state of biochemical stasis.

Leaving Bio-Sludge

If you forget to rack your FPJ, the juice stays in contact with the bio-sludge.

• In Nature: This would lead to the next stage of the cycle, putrefaction.

• In the Jar: In addition, the enzymes in the sludge will start eliminating the biochemicals that are the goal of these inputs.

When It’s Ready

Allow the FPJ to finish after removing plant material, typically within one week.

• There should be no microbial activity.

• The bubbling should stop.

• Sediment should stop forming.

• The liquid should be clear.

• The smell should retain the distinct smell of the original plant.

• It should not have a swampy, fermented, or sulfur smell.

• It should taste like the plant material.

• A sharp line should be seen between the clear serum and the compact sediment.

Smell and taste are your most effective quality control instruments. Remember, everything in KNF is safe and edible. Smell before tasting. If it starts to smell swampy or like sulfur, the sediment has gone anaerobic and is beginning to rot (putrefaction). If so, don’t use it.

Once it’s dormant, rack it into its final, capped container. Store only FPJs that are dormant.

KNF TIP: If you aren’t sure whether your FPJ is no longer active, it can help to rack it and wait to see if more sediment forms. If it remains clear, it is in stasis and can be stored.

RACKING PROTOCOL

Racking is siphoning or pouring the clear serum into a new vessel, leaving the sludge behind. This moves the FPJ into a state of biochemical stasis, often referred to as dormancy.

Racking can be done using a siphon or a turkey baster, or by carefully pouring into another container. Regular kitchen sieves and cheesecloth are not recommended because they allow unwanted sediment to pass through. Auto siphon kits (available with bottling wands) are available at reasonable prices. Look for places that sell wine-making equipment.

Fine-mesh filters, regardless of material, will clog with sediment. This will cause filtering to take a long time (up to days) or stop it altogether. To filter effectively, rather than siphon or pour, you will need laboratory-grade filter paper and vacuum equipment. This is unnecessary.

A slight loss of serum with the sediment is far more practical than trying to recover it all. Besides degrading your FPJ, the sludge can also clog spraying equipment.

STORAGE

There are two stages to preserving an FPJ for storage.

1. OSMOTIC PRESERVATION

After racking, the serum should be stabilized if necessary. If the liquid is watery or shows any signs of bubbling (gas release), the osmotic shield is too weak.

If adequate sugar was added during fermentation, the serum may reach this state without added sugar. Watch any FPJ in storage, especially the first week. Besides a visual check, it is helpful to smell and taste the serum to assess quality.

If the osmotic shield is too weak, supersaturate the FPJ with raw sugar. With sugar supersaturation, water activity is too low for microbes to function, effectively locking the hormones in a dormant state. This is referred to as a state of stasis or dormancy.

Supersaturation With Sugar

• Gradually stir in raw sugar until the liquid reaches supersaturation.

• The serum should be like syrup, like the kind inside a can of fruit, rather than breakfast syrup, although this varies by plant material.

Supersaturation means the liquid can no longer dissolve any more sugar. You do not need a large level of sugar at the bottom. A few sugar crystals are enough to show saturation.

Watch it for a few days to be sure it remains supersaturated. A change in temperature makes a difference.

Some online videos demonstrate adding a great deal of sugar, with one or more inches at the bottom. This does nothing to halt further biological activity. It’s unnecessary, can corrupt biochemical signals, and is a waste of sugar.

Too Much Sugar

Once you exceed the solubility limit of sugar, your FPJ becomes a two-phase system.

• Liquid phase → saturated sugar solution

• Solid phase → undissolved sugar crystals

During Storage

Once saturation is reached, the liquid is already as preserved as it’s going to get. Extra sugar remains undissolved, creating a non-uniform system that can shift with temperature and mixing. Biological activity is halted. More sugar does not halt more.

Upon Use

When diluted, the extra sugar becomes available at once. This increases the carbon load relative to the active compounds, which can:

• Dilute the intended signal

• Drive microbial activity in a general (not targeted) way

• Reduce consistency between batches or applications

Sugar has a functional limit. Beyond saturation, it adds no preservation benefit and reduces stability, precision, and signal clarity.

Master Cho’s Recommendations

Master Cho refers to a 1:1 sugar-to-plant material ratio for fermenting FPJ. This guideline is commonly misunderstood. It includes both the sugar used in fermentation and the sugar that puts the FPJ into dormancy.

In other words, if you measure out a kilo of plant material and a kilo of sugar, hold some of the sugar back for saturation. Don’t use it all in the fermentation.

Some plant material requires more sugar, and some, less. High-sugar plant material, like fruits, already contains sugars that will feed the fermentation, so you need less.

Be sure to use enough sugar to extract the juices from the cells and feed the fermentation, so that a proper biochemical signal is generated in the solution. With the proper amount of sugar, you should see some bubbles as signs of life.

But make sure not to use too much sugar, or the solution may suffer osmotic shock and fail to ferment properly. Without proper fermentation, the FPJ will lack the biochemistry. The goal of FPJ is biochemistry. A lack of bubbling can be a symptom of too much sugar.

Supersaturation Survivors

When your ferment comes alive 2-3 times after adding sugar, you are likely hosting osmophilic organisms, such as Zygosaccharomyces (an osmophilic yeast).

• The Specialist: Osmophilic yeasts have evolved to pump compatible solutes (such as glycerol) into their own cells to counteract external sugar pressure.

• The Result: They don’t just survive; they eat the sugar and produce CO₂ and alcohol.

This can cause your ferment to foam up despite the high sugar load. When present, these sugar-loving microbes will continue to consume sugar and turn it alcoholic, but not in a good way. These are failed inputs and will not be suitable as an FPJ.

If you find yourself with an FPJ that just doesn’t want to shut off, likely because of an osmophilic organism, you can cold-crash it, meaning chill it in a refrigerator.

Some people like to keep all their inputs in the fridge, but this is unnecessary. The system was designed for farmers with no refrigeration. Don’t despair. There is a way to overcome these microbes.

If you keep adding sugar to force dormancy, it will continue to feed the osmophilic organisms and degrade the quality. It will turn alcoholic, with a foul smell and taste, and be unusable as an FPJ.

However, if you let these microbes sit long enough, the sugar-lovers will eventually die off. You end up with a high-quality FPJ that does not need refrigeration. The solution is patience, not electricity. Keep a close eye on this process until you are sure it is dormant and stable. Only then should you cap and store the FPJ.

2. STORAGE STABILIZATION

Unlike the initial extraction, which requires a breathable cover to vent CO₂​, finished and racked FPJ should be capped.

• Oxygen breaks down delicate signaling molecules. A tight seal prevents the loss of the biochemical message.

• A tight cap prevents vinegar flies (Drosophila) from entering. These flies carry Acetobacter, which will turn your FPJ into vinegar, making it unusable for Biochemical Signaling.

If you make a banana FPJ and want it to turn to vinegar, letting Drosophila in, then removing them, is a way to inoculate with Acetobacter and speed up the vinegar process. Banana vinegar is the only vinegar substitute for Brown Rice Vinegar (BRV) approved by Master Cho.

It’s good to observe the serum before capping tightly to ensure there are no bubbles, which indicate biological activity. Make sure there is no gas production before sealing the lid tight to avoid dangerous bottle explosions.

USING STORED FPJ

Because the racked FPJ is in a state of stasis, it must be properly reactivated before use by diluting it with water. Do not add water to FPJ until you are ready to use it. Never store an FPJ diluted with water.

FPJ is not designed to be used alone. FPJ is the active ingredient that signals the desired growth pattern, such as leafy green growth or fruit set. It is used as part of a formula.

The formula buffers FPJ with an equal amount of Brown Rice Vinegar (BRV) or Banana Vinegar. (The only exception is when ripening fruit.) It should also include Oriental Herbal Nutrient (OHN). Other inputs are added depending on the stage of growth and other factors.

Dilution (1:500)

By adding water, you drop the osmotic pressure and unfold the protected enzymes and hormones. Because this is a signal and not a fertilizer, very little is required.

Time Window for Use

Once diluted, the signaling molecules are now vulnerable to degradation and must be applied to the plant within a few hours.

Foliar Misting

Apply the FPJ formula as a light mist about an hour before sunset. This should be a light mist, like dew. It only needs to be applied to upper leaf surfaces. Use an FPJ that signals the growth pattern desired for your crop. If you have crops at different growth stages, use the appropriate formula for each.

FREE: A summary and checklist for racking and storing FPJ will be available shortly as a free PDF download in the store.