The soil biology in the Starter is increased by growing it in water with suitable nutrition and air.
Aerated Growing
Good soil biology needs oxygen, so strong aeration is essential. Aerobically grown BioBooster smells ‘earthy’, the sweet smell of good moist soil. Anaerobic biology grows when there is very limited or no oxygen and smells foul. Check by smelling and dump anaerobic ones.
Use only rainwater or non-chlorinated water. To remove chlorine, allow it to stand in the sun or aerate for 3 – 4 hours.
Equipment to Grow for 40 Litres of BioBooster
40-litre BioBooster can be grown using many designs as long as it results in a lively 2-cm boil on the water surface – a jumpy surface as in the photo. A pump suitable for a 40-litre grow must produce at least 40 litres of air per minute.
One example of equipment consists of:
- 20 mm conduit and fittings and 13 mm poly pipe and fittings, all available at most hardware shops.
- two 20-litre pails,
- an aquarium pump capable of more than one litre of air per litre of water per minute,
The two rows of 3-mm air holes in the spreader pipe in Photo 2 face sideways and downwards. This minimises anaerobic dead spots around the edges.
Another example of growing equipment consists of a 60L blue drum with the top cut and the drum partly filled with 40 litres of water. A pond pump (under the red cover in photo 4) supplies air.
A poly pipe connects the pump to the spreader pipes at the bottom of the drum. When ready, the Bio Booster is siphoned from the drum into a watering can or tank used for application, see our guide to application.
Feeding the biology
Growing biology requires food. The ingredients added during growing favour fungal growth, which is the part of the biology that builds soil structure and captures long-term carbon. Fungi need the other biology to provide food to survive and grow.
Growing
- Mix into 40 litres non-chlorinated water or rainwater:
- 100 ml Fish emulsion,
- 200 ml Seaweed liquid,
- Soak starter in about 5 litres of water for 10 minutes, breaking lumps by hand, then add it to the pails.
- Grow for 24 hours in warm weather and 48 hours in cool weather
- Assess development under a microscope if feasible
- Apply within 4 hours after stopping aeration – continue with aeration if there are delays in or during application.
Tips
Some people have put the starter in a bag to keep the BioBooster free from floating solids. This severely reduces the ‘stirring’ functions of the air and the jumpiness at the water surface. This effectively reduces the oxygen being provided to the biology throughout the full volume of the water and defeats the purpose. A free-floating starter dispersed throughout the BioBooster is what is needed.
Clean the drums and pipes after each grow. Experience has taught that cleaning the equipment while wet is easier than later. Otherwise, the biology keeps working and “glues” itself to the equipment.
Don’t overfill the tank – allow 10 cm of space at the top to account for the turbulence of the water.
The secret to success is maintaining a very jumpy grow at all times.
