Things to know about Effective Microorganisms (EM)

Try to memorize the odor of EM while it is still fresh. As the dormant microbes awaken from exposure to air, heat and light, they gradually become active and their composition is compromised.

You will see two things happen in this process:
The lactic acid is the first to become active and will create a white film at the top of the liquid. This is OK. But other microbes awakening follow this process.
The photosynthetic bacteria are the last to awaken and when they become active your EM will take on a sharper, more pungent smell. This happens anywhere from 3-4 weeks up to 6 months depending upon storage.

STORAGE OF EM:

Store in the coolest environment available (preferably about 50 degrees), in a closed container away from light. Of the three elements that awaken the dormant microbes, light is the most influential, then heat, then air. I like to store the bulk of my EM in a bladder where the air can be expelled, and place this in a cool, dark environment. I keep a 2-4 oz bottle of EM beside my kitchen and bathroom sinks, and a small ½ oz bottle in my purse (great to add to restaurant water). I prefer amber glass bottles with eyedroppers so I can see inside.

FOR ANIMAL WATER:

Add just enough EM to barely tint the water. When administering to food, start with 1-2 drops and increase up to ¼ tsp daily.

FOR PLANTS:

DO NOT USE STRAIGHT ON INDOOR PLANTS.
Add EM to watering (with or without fertilizer) at the ratio of between 1:500, 1:1000 or 1:10,000 depending on how frequently you use EM and if it is being mixed with fertilizer. EM may be used with every watering.

CONVERSION CHART:

75 drops = 1 tsp
225 drops = 3 tsp = 1 Tbs
1350 drops = 18 tsp = 6 Tbs = 1/3 cup
24,300 drops = 54 tsp = 18 Tbs = 1 cup

Approximately 1 drop per ¼ cup = 1:1000
“ 2 drops per ½ cup = “
“ 3 drops per ¾ cup = “
“ 4 drops per 1 cup = “
“ 64 drops per 1 gallon = “
“ 2 Tbs per 7 gallons = “

I am always pleased to find new uses for EM, as it is a joy to use a product that is not only safe, but actually has beneficial advantages. Although I am not a doctor or scientist and can not validate with any authority that the ways in which I use EM are not harmful, I do know with certainty that the ingredients in EM are benign and without danger. This is not so with our many household ingredients such as detergents, bleach, ammonia, tile and toilet cleaner, and even personal care products such as shampoo and toothpaste (did you know that toothpaste contains a warning not to swallow)? The more ways in which I find to use EM the less I have to rely on chemicals. My goal is to have a toxic-free home and EM has made this goal much more attainable.

EM does not do everything, but it does enough to allow me to store all of the ordinary household chemicals in the garage where their fumes are not polluting the air within my home. According to a study conducted in 1995, the air in every house tested showed many times more toxic than the air outside, regardless of how pure or polluted the outside air. We need 3 things to live - air, food and water. EM can help make these essential elements less toxic. I have found dozens of uses for EM around my house.

KITCHEN:

• soak plastic dishes and wooden utensils and bowls
• wipe counters
• rinse dishes (dishwasher or by hand)
• as soak for any cooked or caked on containers
• clean produce or meat (especially fish, seafood and poultry)
• in the cooking water
• clean refrigerator

BATHROOM:

• clean toilet
• clean shower

OTHER:

• clean carpets
• mist onto carpets between cleaning to reduce animal smells
• mist onto stuffed furniture to reduce dust mites and odors
• use in laundry (in wash or rinse cycle), especially for musty rags or forgotten washer loads (CAUTION - the microbes may break down dyes faster)
• for cleaning any foul smelling messes
• deodorize EVERYTHING (urine, vomit, garlic/onion)
• diffused in the air to rid odors in house (steam works best, but misting is effective too)
• to rid puddles of mosquitoes
• to clean rust of tools
• in wells
• in septic tanks
• in paint (but check with company about this because I have never tried it, and I suspect that you have to use the paint IMMEDIATELY before it is broken down – but it is suppose to have incredible benefits)
• on wooden decks
• poured onto roof for moss control

ANIMALS:

• as a rinse after bathing (reduces doggy-odor and leaves their coat soft)
• in their ears for mites & ear infections
• mist onto coat of animal that has ‘rolled’ in something smelly (great for skunk-sprayed animal)
• in their water and food
• in the kitty litter box – pouring straight EM on wood shavings and placing this at the bottom works best, but misting straight EM onto the litter box is useful too

PERSONAL CARE:

• in bath water (with baking soda to soften)
• to brush onto teeth
• breath control
• as a hair rinse
• to remove unwanted fragrances from hair and skin products
• to clean wounds and sores
• in itchy ears
• for insect bites or other skin irritations (stinging, burning or itchy)
• athlete’s foot or other fungal problems
• a cleansing enema or douche (mildest solution)
• under-arm odor (instant bath)
• in drinking water

Some of the benefits I have witnessed in the kitchen are readily observed when EM is placed in water. Usually, tiny bubbles can be seen within seconds of placing a few drops of EM into tap water. This tells you that the little microbes are busy digesting pollutants and creating oxygen as a by-product.

I feel safe using EM for cleaning all of my food. It effectively reduces fishy odors and I can rely on its safety to clean my produce, unlike the vegetable cleaning products now on the market.

I really appreciate the job EM does in cleaning toilets and other fixtures and counters. Porcelain seems to shine better with EM and I know that it won’t eat away the finish like cleansers do. Also, I don’t like using those ‘blue’ toilet cleaners ever since I learned how bad they are for the environment.

Wherever I smell odor I use EM. I have an elderly lady friend whose old dog is incontinent, so her house wreaks of animal urine. I took some EM in a spray bottle and misted the entire carpet, which reduced the odor immediately and was still effective 3 weeks later!

I also found that one of my cats seems to be a mite-magnet. She has 3 favorite chairs that cause us to itch whenever we sit on them. Repeated use of EM on her and the furniture has gotten rid of this problem.

I found a simple solution to animal odors and cooking odors. I simply put a pot of EM-water on the stove and simmer until gone. EM is activated by heat, released in the steam and cleanses the air. I would imagine this is good for anyone who is ill, or with lung problems, or for babies and children.

I read something in Dr. Higa’s book that made me try EM in my curbside gutters that were a breeding ground for mosquitoes. I found a little EM once a week keeps them from laying eggs!

I also read how EM removes rust and decided to try it on an old horseshoe before subjecting any of my tools to the treatment. I made a strong solution and placed half of an old rusty horseshoe into the solution. After 24 hours the rust was gone, even inside the nail holes. That was over a year ago and the shoe remains rust-free today. I then felt it was safe to subject my tools to a rust-removing dip.

Did I mention that animals who are totally surrounded with EM have odorless shit? My dogs never got totally smell-less but it did decompose into what looked like wood shavings within a couple of days and it didn’t draw flies.

NOW FOR THE “DON’T” LIST:

• Don’t under estimate the power of these microbes.
• Don’t use EM straight on your houseplants.
• Don’t consume large quantities of EM without building up slowly that goes for animals as well as people.
• Don’t expect miraculous changes in your body, just KNOW good things are happening.
• Don’t expect to get full benefits from using a living product like this without investing some time reading and learning about it. There are videos and books available from the company.

EM in agriculture

Farming with EM implies the following practices:

• Always supply organic material to the soil – mulch or compost – to provide a habitat for the micro-organisms of EM and for naturally occuring organisms.

• Cover the soil with organic matter – mulch and compost – to provide moisture for soil organisms and EM.

• Supply EM bokashi and work it into the topsoil, in particularly prior to a crop season.

• Apply the EM solutions – i.e. extended EM, EM5, and EM-FPE – regularly during the growing stage of your crops.

• Harvest only those parts of the plant that are for use and consumption. Return all crop residues to the fields.

For the preparation of extended EM, EM5, EM-FPE and EM bokashi, please refer to other information leaflets and to the EM application manual by EMRO/APNAN.

Nursery management

(1) EM for seed bath:
To achieve a high germination rate and provide protection against diseases, soak seeds – or pods – in extended EM solution (diluted 1:1,000):
small seeds (e.g. mustard) for 20 to 30 minutes,
medium-size seeds (e.g. cucumber) for 30 to 60 minutes, and
large seeds (e.g. pumpkin) for 2 to 3 hours.

Exceeding these times for a seed bath may result in complete fermentation and compost-ing of seeds instead of germination.

After soaking the seeds or pods may be left to dry under shade for 30 minutes.

(2) In case of vegetative propagation, soak cuttings or tubers etc. for five minutes in the seed bath.

(3) After sowing or planting spray extended EM solution. If seedlings are brought in from outside sources, apply EM prior to planting.

Soil fertility and crop management

(1) Do not cut down on input of manure and compost. Give recommended amounts of compost in dependence of existing soil properties and needs of the crop.

(2) Prepare EM bokashi as a compost bokashi (mixtures if cereal bran, animal manure, oil cake) and apply it at a dosage of 200 gr per sq.m. Work the bokashi into the top two to three inches of soil, two to three weeks prior to crop establishment. If possible apply a thick layer of mulch to retain moisture and thus provide ideal conditions for soil microorganisms and for EM. – If bokashi application is not feasible before crop establishment, apply it with the seeds or around seedlings, but not in direct contact with them.

(3) During the growing period of an annual crop apply extended EM solution at the rate of 20-40 liter per acre diluted at 1:1,000, once a fortnight. For perennial crops spray extended EM solution regularly every two weeks initially. Later decrease application frequency according to effects and results, i.e. once when healthy growth is established. Avoid spraying during the flowering season.

(4) Combine extended EM with EM5 and EM-FPE.

Pest and disease control

As a preventative measure against pest and diseases apply regularly – along with ex-tended EM – sprays of EM5 and EM-FPE on your crop, especially in the early growth stages of annual crops (e.g. once every two weeks). In case of actual pest attack and disease apply both preparations daily or every second day until the disease or the pest recede.

Dilutions for EM5 and EM-FPE are between 1:500 and 1:1,000, volumes are similar to those of extended EM solution.

Weed control

During the preparation of the land provoke germination of all weed seeds in the soil with a thorough application of extended EM. After a week (if moisture is maintained as in a paddy field), when most weed seeds have germinated, plough the seedlings under and follow with the sowing of the crop. After three to four cycles of this practice, the amount of weed seeds reduces and becomes negligible.

Once the crop saplings have grown to 4 to 6 inches, use thick mulch covers to suppress weed growth.

Other EM preparations

In the preparation of EM bokashi and EM-FPE, the farmer should become creative and combine traditional and regional knowledge with EM. The use of EM-fermented mulch and EM-fermented compost is recommended, also the use of EM-soaked charcoal around root systems of trees and other perennials.

Other inputs

The use of agrochemicals such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides reduces the efficacy of EM. All biocides (pesticides, fungicides, weedicides, antibiotics, disinfectants, chlorine etc.) are counteractive to the effect of EM.

Other organic farming inputs such as composts and manures, vermicompost, cow urine or panchkavya, biodynamic preparations, and other microbial preparations may be combined with EM.

EM can be ideally combined with all practices of organic and sustainable farming. To some extent it can also be successfully combined with chemical fertilizers. EM can be made a great tool for a stepwise conversion from chemical farming to full and certifiable organic farming.

Post-harvest management
Return all crop residues to the field and apply EM bokashi and extended EM to prepare for the next crop.