How to make Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB)
You have read all of the benefits of using LAB in your garden, right? If not, check this out. Now it’s time to make the secret sauce. By the end of this article, you will be a pro when it comes to the topic of how to make LAB at home. This process is straightforward. If you follow these steps, you will have 10x your harvest in no time.
Supplies for making LAB:
Uncooked White Rice
Chlorine-Free Water
Milk- Cow, Coconut, Goat it is your choice
A wide-mouth jar
A Bowl
Cheesecloth, paper towels, a towel. Something to cover the jar opening.
Rubberband. We will use this to secure the
Partial Steps: How To Make LAB
Take a cup of rice and pour 2 cups of chlorine-free water onto the rice. Why chlorine-free? Chlorine and other gases in the water can kill the very bacteria we are trying to collect. If you do not have access to rainwater or additional chlorine-free sources, Catch tap water in a vessel and allow it to sit undisturbed for 24 hours. That is enough time for the chemicals to off-gas and leave the water.
Begin to wash the rice around with your hand. The goal is to extract the starches of the rice into the water. You will see the water begin to turn cloudy and milky colored.
Strain the rice from the water and catch the water in the wide-mouth jar. Do not discard the rice; instead, use it to make IMO 1.
Cover the rice water with a paper towel, cheesecloth, or whatever you have on hand.
Final Steps: How To Make LAB
Set the jar on the counter, outside, inside wherever you see fit, and leave for 2-3 days. The amount of time necessary to capture the bacteria is related to the temperature. Remember, the bacteria we are trying to catch and colonize the rice wash is everywhere. No, really, the bacteria is all around, and it’s just unseen by the human eye. Have you ever thought about all of the things we cannot see with our naked eyes? Mindblowing.
After a few days, you will notice the rice wash water has a faint aroma. Strain the liquid if you want or don’t; the choice is up to you.
Mix the milk and rice-wash water, cover it, and put it away. I have seen success with ratios from 10 parts milk to 1 part rice wash down to 3 parts milk to 1 part rice wash. I have found any rate between these works, but the most widely accepted standard is 10 to 1.
Wait 3-5 days, and you will see the material separate into three distinct layers: solids floating on the top, a yellowish, white liquid below, and the third layer of white particles. The second layer with yellow liquid is what we are after. That liquid is the LAB.(the allotted wait time depends on the temperature. Separation occurs faster in warmer rooms around 78F)
Separate the solids from the liquid. You can use the solids to make cheese, yogurt, or you can feed it to your chickens. Store the liquid in a jar in the fridge. It will keep for a year. If you add equal amounts of molasses to the liquid, you can store it at room temperature. Also, you are basically making something known as EM1.
How to use LAB
Before use, you must dilute this solution; dilute around ½ teaspoon- 1 teaspoon per gallon. Spray on leaves, garden bed, compost heaps, put in animals water, spray chicken coop with it. See, there are many uses for this product and that should show you how dope it is. Read more about LAB here.