Blake Cothron - The Berry Grower: Small Scale Organic Fruit Production in the 21st Century

To make Jivamritam, this is what you need:

• A clean, food grade 55 US gallon (208 liter) drum or equivalent (food grade plastic or steel drums not previously used for toxic substances work fine).
• Rainwater (preferable) or municipal water allowed to sit a day or two prior to brewing to evaporate off the chlorine.
• Fresh cow manure
• Fresh cow urine if available (collected with a bucket held behind a cow!)
• Dried lentils or beans (no soybeans, but use lentils, mung, chickpeas, black beans, adzuki, kidney, pinto, etc.)
• Sugar (unbleached and less processed is better) or high sugar fresh fruits (sapotes, bananas, watermelon, dates, plums, or coconut water/sugar cane juice).
• Handful of fresh compost or forest humus

The process is as follows:

1. In a grinder or food processor (Vitamix blender works great) blend 4.4 lbs. (2 kg) of lentils into a very smooth flour. Do it in two or three batches so as not to overheat the blender.
2. Collect 22 lbs. (10 kg) of fresh cow manure. This should be from grass fed cows only. A packed 5 gallon (19 liter) bucket full is about 22 lbs.
3. Fill a 55-gallon drum or equivalent about 75% full with water. You must leave room for the other ingredients, so do not overfill.
4. To the water add 1.52.5 gallons (59 liters) of fresh cow urine.
5. Now add the cow dung. Crumble it with your hands into small pieces and stir thoroughly. A thick branch or long stick of bamboo works well.
6. Next add 4.75 lbs. (2.2 kg) of sugar or crushed fruit/juices.
7. Now add 4.4 lbs. (2 kg) of lentil/bean flour. Stir thoroughly and mash up any clumps that form.
8. Next add the finished compost. A few handfuls will work. Stir thoroughly.
9. Then, fill up the barrel with water to about 90% capacity. Leave 56 inches at the top unfilled because the mix will ferment and expand slightly and you dont want it overflowing. Stir.
10. Finally, cover with a permeable barrier such as burlap, cloth, or window screen. This allows gases like methane to escape, and helps keep animals and insects out. Stir the mixture 3 per day. In warm temps (7090F or 2132C) its ready in 34 days. In cooler temps allow 45 days to ferment. Make sure to vigorously stir 3 every day.
11. The Jivamritam is now ready. You now have enough innoculant for 1 acre. It can be carefully filtered through micron-sized cloth filters and then used in fertigation systems, or applied using buckets (although thats very labor intensive). It likely would make an effective foliar supplement as well. Make sure it is very well strained!

The originators of this process claim it only works properly if the crops are very thickly mulched. They also claim no other fertilizer is needed beyond Jivamritam if the crop is mulched. Weve seen good success using it, but were not only using Jivamritam. Your success may vary, but it is worth knowing how to make it and possibly integrating it into your fertilizing program. Perhaps you may find that with mulch, its all you need!

BLAKE COTHRON is an organic farmer, nurseryman, writer, musician, and speaker, with over 20 years experience in organic agriculture, botany, horticulture, and growing food. He is the co-owner and co-operator of Peaceful Heritage Nursery, a 4-acre USDA Certified Organic research farm, orchard, and edible plant nursery. Author of Pawpaws: The Complete Growing and Marketing Guide, he has also written for Permaculture Design Magazine and various online publications. Blake has an educational blog and YouTube channel devoted to fruit growing, and he is an educator with the Organic Association of Kentucky. He divides his time between farming, research, writing, beekeeping, gardening, travel, yoga, meditation, and being a husband and father in beautiful Kentucky.

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