On the 11^th of September 2014, two Lao students Vieng Phet and Phonh (class K2A) organized a small workshop about making EM for students and staff of FFS HEPA. Both Vieng Phet and Phonh had learned a new method of making EM during their internships in Myanmar and Thailand respectively and shared the methods together in one practical session. 

EM stands for ‘Effective Micro-organisms’ and is a method to enrich the soil with micro-organisms, which benefit the crops. Apart from applying it on garden beds, EM can also be used for fruit trees, it can be mixed with animal feed and it can be used to clean animal cages. EM is basically made by mixing organic material with sugar and closing it off of air to let it decay. This way the micro-organisms which are naturally present in the organic materials are fed and multiplied.

Materials

Vieng Phet and Phonh chose to make two different types of EM. For one type they used sweet fruit, such as ripe banana or papaya, with molasses. For the other method they used leafy vegetables, such as cabbage, with molasses.

Method

First, the fruit and vegetables need to be cut in small pieces. After that, molasses is added at a rate of 1L of molasses with 2 kg of fruit or 3 kg of vegetables. After mixing well, the substance is put into a clean container and closed airtight. The mixture will start to decay and become more liquid.

After 3-4 days, it should be stirred to mix the fruit/vegetables at the bottom of the container with the liquid again. When stirring, the mixture should smell sweet. If it smells bad, it should not be used because it means that it contains the wrong micro-organisms.

Application

Depending on the weather, the EM can be applied after 7-8 days (in summer) or 14-15 days (in winter). When applying the EM for vegetable crops, 1 litre of EM should be diluted with 10 litres of clean water. It can be applied when sowing, and during the seedling, flowering and fruiting stages.

So far, Phonh has applied the banana EM on a garden bed with bean seeds and Vieng Phet is planning a small comparative research with okra in Khe Soong farm. He will compare the effects of vegetable EM and two other types of organic fertilizer on bean growth.

 Written by: Miriam van Muijlwijk  

A few pictures attached