STEP 2 - STARTER FOR GARDENERS..

The starter combines local soil biology in a growing medium with foods to multiply the biology. This results in a high-fungal starter to be further massively multiplied in a large volume of water to grow the Bio-Booster. Farmers and graziers will do this to cover large areas. A 40-litre brew needs a 40-litre starter and is enough to treat up to 4,000 square metres

Mixing 

4 L Starter for 100 L Bio-Booster for 0.4 Uniformly mix: 

3 L worm casts from your own or a local worm farm.

Dry compost (not potting mix) may be tested as a substitute. 

1 L Mill Run – bran and pollard as a biological food, available at produce stores,

50 ml molasses - dilute in warm water for even spreading.

300m L of local soil collected in Step 1. Once mixed, add water till just able to squeeze a drop of water, NO wetter.

Squeeze until a water droplet appears

Growth Phase: 1 - 3 Days

Place the mix, 8 – 10 cm deep, in a cardboard box, in a shady place, on the ground with drainage available. 

Compress it gently, like compressing soil around seedlings. Excess compaction will exclude air and stop the desirable biology from growing.

Cover with a wet cloth to maintain humidity and temperature.

Rewet the cloth in a bucket of water, wring it out and put it back over the starter twice a day. A slight warming will occur after 12 – 24 hours, which shows strong biological activity. It is important to check by hand for warming and make sure it is going well.

Check if ready to apply. It may be after 24 hours in summer or 48 hours in winter. When fungi cover the surface, check their spread throughout the starter. Break the starter from top to bottom. If you can see white or grey threads throughout the Starter, it is ready. If not, put it back and give it another day.

Key Points:

Keep the collected soil moist and cool before use.

Check by hand that there is warming about 12 – 24 hours after wetting the starter.

Keep the covering cloth damp twice a day.

Prevent the mix from getting too wet by protecting it from rain, sprinklers and hand-held hoses.

When the fungi covers the Starter, check that it has also spread through the starter.

If not, wait another 24 hours and allow to grow further. 

N.B. It is strongly suggested to complete two or three small starters as per Step 2 Starter for Gardeners, to gain a feel for it and test local ingredients and conditions before undertaking a 40-litre starter for 1,000L.