Knowledge Base

Bokashi

Solid fertilizer · Mountain Microorganisms

A fast, layered compost fermented by Mountain Microorganisms — a rich, safe solid fertilizer that restores soil life and drives vigorous, high-yielding crops.

Soil
Moderate to make
15 days ferment
nitrogen, carbon, minerals supplied
＋ Start a batch from this recipe

Ingredients

  • Chicken manure1 sack
  • Charcoal or carbon dust1/2 sack
  • Saw dust1 sack
  • Rice or coffee husks1 sack
  • Chopped green grasses and banana stems1/2 sack
  • Wood ash2 kg
  • Fresh cow dung2 kg
  • Molasses2 litres
  • Activated MM solution2 litres

How to make it

  1. Step 1

    Build the dry inputs in layers: chicken manure, charcoal dust, saw dust, rice/coffee husks, chopped grasses and banana stems, and wood ash.

  2. Step 2

    In a basin mix water, 2 L molasses and 2 kg fresh cow dung.

  3. Step 3

    Sprinkle the molasses-dung water (with 2 L activated MM) over the heap while turning everything together well.

  4. Step 4

    Check moisture: squeeze a handful — it forms a ball with no water, then collapses easily. Too dry? Add water. Too wet? Add manure, dry soil or coffee husks.

  5. Step 5

    Shape into a heap about 1 metre tall under shelter.

  6. Step 6

    For the first 4 days turn twice daily (morning and evening); then once a day for 10 days, widening the base each time.

  7. Step 7

    On day 15, when it cools, bag it in gunny sacks and store for use.

What it is

Bokashi is a fermented solid fertilizer made from layered farm materials broken down by Mountain Microorganisms. The microbes release nutrients the crop can use, restore soil life and reduce crop disease — producing healthy plants with vigorous growth and high yields. It is easy for any farmer to make from local materials, carries none of the burn-risk of raw fertilizers, and boosts the soil's organic matter and water-holding capacity.

On the Nutritive Cycle: Bokashi is a soil input. It conditions and feeds the soil itself rather than a single growth stage — the backbone that all the foliar ferments build on.

When to use it

  • At planting — place directly in the hole when sowing annual crops or transplanting seedlings.
  • Perennial crops — spread around the plant where the feeding roots sit.
  • Timing — store finished bokashi and apply during the rainy season.

Materials

  • Chicken manure — 1 sack
  • Charcoal / carbon dust — ½ sack
  • Saw dust — 1 sack
  • Rice or coffee husks — 1 sack
  • Chopped green grasses and banana stems — ½ sack
  • Wood ash — 2 kg; fresh cow dung — 2 kg
  • Molasses — 2 L; activated MM solution — 2 L

How to make it

  1. Layer the inputs. Stack chicken manure, charcoal dust, saw dust, husks, chopped grasses/banana stems and wood ash, then mix well.
  2. Wet it. Mix water, 2 L molasses, 2 kg cow dung and 2 L activated MM in a basin; sprinkle while turning.
  3. Get the moisture right. A squeezed ball holds together with no dripping water, then breaks apart easily. Too wet gives a "rotten bokashi"; too dry gives a "burnt bokashi."
  4. Heap it. Build a heap about 1 m tall under shelter.
  5. Turn on schedule. Twice a day for the first 4 days, then once a day for 10 days, widening the base each turn.
  6. Finish. On day 15, once cool, bag in gunny sacks.

Signs it worked / troubleshooting

  • ✅ Good: heats up a day after mixing; cools by day 15 into a crumbly, earthy fertilizer.
  • ⚠️ Too hot / smells scorched = too little water → add water when turning.
  • 🚫 Wet and rotten-smelling = too much water, low temperature → add chicken manure, dry soil or coffee husks.

How to store

Once cooled at day 15, store in gunny sacks in a dry, sheltered place and apply during the rainy season.

Related

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