I've posted about extending commercial Bokashi solution recently and have just made another batch.
I thought I might share with you how I tell when a batch is active and when it's ready to use.
You'll see in the first pic that the liquid is quite a dark brown. This is because the molasses hasn't been eaten by the bacteria on the solution. As it ages, the liquid turns a lighter colour. This is because the molasses food source is being eaten.
During this time, you will see bubbles appearing on the liquid's surface (pic 2). This is normal and is good, it shows that the bacteria are active, eating the sugars and giving off gas as they do.
During this time, the liquid will lighten in.cour as the food source is eaten.
A little later, you will see a white film or even crust growing over the surface of the liquid like in pic 3. This is normal too, it shows that the yeasts etc are colonizing the surface. I broke the crust in the bottle when I moved it but you get the idea.
If all of the above is happening over a week or two, then it's the time for the biggest test. When you open the bottle, you might hear a slight hiss of pressure that has built up as the critters have passed a lot of wind in that bottle. You will smell a vinegary, fermented smell. This is awesome. The bugs are doing to the molasses exactly what they will be doing to your scraps...fermenting it. They're ready to go!
Check out other Bokashi posts I've done here
This is #originalwork. The pics were taken by yours truly.
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