If you are looking for a guide on how to make lactobacillus for plants, then you have come to the right place. In this article we will teach you everything you need to know about the whole process. We will show you what equipment and ingredients you will need. We will also show you the best way to use lactobacillus on your plants.
This guide will take you step by step through the whole process of making lactobacillus for plants using equipment and ingredients you already have at home. When you use lactobacillus on your plants, it won’t be long before you see the results.
But before we begin, we should start off explaining what lactobacillus is, and why it is so good for your plants. Then we can move on to the best way to make it.
What is Lactobacillus
Lactobacillus is a probiotic. This means it is a friendly bacteria and it is useful for many things. Often found in yogurt, lactobacillus is great for gut health and can help the human body break down food and absorb nutrients better.
It also kills bad bacteria and is used to improve the quality of soils. When used properly, lactobacillus will kill off bad bacteria in soil and replace it with good bacteria. This creates a better environment for microbes and fungi, and leads to much healthier soil.
Some growers would make a lactobacillus fertiliser by harvesting the microbes and allowing them to grow in a suitable environment. This fertiliser is then fed to plants. As a result, plants grow quicker, are much healthier, and have a much stronger immune system.
Lactobacillus Benefits for Plants
When introduced to soil, lactobacillus will help break down organic matter. They will increase in numbers and make it harder for other, undesirable microbes to flourish. This will reduce the risk of plant diseases, and at the same time it will improve the environment for fungi and other good bacteria.
You can use lactobacillus as a soil improver, or mix it with other ingredients to feed your plants nutrients. It is easy to make with ingredients that are cheap, organic and easy to find at home.
Once you have made the lactobacillus fertiliser, you can store it in the fridge for 6 months and use it any time. You can also extend the shelf life by mixing it with sugars. If treated and stored correctly, it can be used up to 1 year after you have made it.
Guide for Making Lactobacillus for Plants
To begin, we will cover what equipment you will need to make your own probiotics for plants at home. Though this may sound complex, I assure you it is much easier than you think. All you need is some rice and water, some milk, a few jars and a filter. And of course, some time.
In this guide we will aim at making 1 Litre of lactobacillus fertiliser. This is plenty for most home growers as you will only use 1ml per litre of water. If you need to make more than this, just multiply the numbers by however much you need.
Step 1, Collecting Lactobacillus Bacteria
For this step you will need:
White Rice: We will use 250g of white rice. Each grain of rice will be covered in bacteria. We need to take the bacteria off the rice and put them into water.
Water: The water will need to be unchlorinated, as chlorine will kill bacteria. Tap water is fine, but let is stand for 24 hours before use to allow chlorine to evaporate.
1L Jar: Any jar is fine as long as it can hold 1L of water or more. It can be made of glass or plastic and it does not need a lid.
Cheese Cloth: You will need to cover the jars to prevent bugs getting in. A cheese cloth, paper towel, or filter will do the job fine. As long as air can get in and out.
Because we are only going to make 1L of lactobacillus fertiliser, we do not need much rice. Weigh out around 250 grams of rice and pour it into a bowl. Then, add 500ml of water to the bowl and stir it well until it is milky. The starches from the rice is what makes the water go milky, and that is what is going to feed the microbes.
Filter out the grains of rice and pour the water into a jar. Then cover the top with a cheesecloth. Using cheesecloth instead of a standard lid allows the microbes to breathe, but at the same time prevents bugs, dust, and mould spores getting into the water. Next, you wait.
When is The Rice Water Ready?
Check on the rice water everyday. After around 3-5 days it will start to smell sweet, like a fresh dough. The water will separate into 3 parts. Sediments will sink to the bottom of the jar, water sits in the middle, and a thin film lays on the top of the water.
Your job is to remove the water without bringing the film from the top, nor the sediments from the bottom, you just want the water. The water will contain a lot of lactobacillus, which we are going to use for the next step.
Step 2, Making Lactobacillus for Plants Using Milk
For this step you will need:
Your Rice Water: You should have your lactobacillus rice water ready to go before you get to this stage. If you do not have that, refer to step one.
Whole Fat Cows Milk: 2L of milk, you will mix your rice water with this. It will then sit for a few days at room temperature. You need a big jar to put it in.
A 3L Wide Mouth Jar, Preferably with Tap: After a few days the curds would have separated from the whey. You will need to remove the curd to get to the whey, so a wide mouth jar is prefered.
Cheesecloth, or Muslin Cloth: This is to cover the mixture to prevent bugs getting into it. Cheesecloth is prefered but you can use a paper towel or muslin cloth.
The rice water you have made now contains millions of lactobacillus bacteria, and they need food to survive. The best way to do this is by mixing the rice water with milk. Take 200ml of your rice water and add it to 1800ml (1.8 Litre) of cows milk in the 3L Jar. Then cover it with a paper towel or your cheese cloth to prevent insects or mould spores getting to the mix.
Milk contains a natural sugar called lactose. When you mix the rice water containing your herd of lactobacillus with milk, the bacteria has plenty to eat. Over a few days the milk will separate into “Curds” and “Whey”. This is when you harvest your lactobacillus.
Step 3, Harvesting Lactobacillus
For this step you will need:
Turkey Baster or Syringe: You will need to use something to suck up and remove the whey from the jar if you are not using a jar with a tap on it
1L Bottle: It is best to use an old nutrient bottle if you have one (From Canna Nutrients) But any plastic bottle will do.
A Funnel: This is to make the job of pouring the lactobacillus into your plastic bottle easier. But is not needed if you have a steady hand.
Cheesecloth or Muslin: This is to ensure no curd enters the lactobacillus solution, it should be filtered as it is poured into the bottle with either a cheesecloth, muslin, or coffee filter.
To harvest the lactobacillus, all you have to do is collect the whey, and discard the curds. This can be done in a number of ways. If you use a jar with a tap on it, you simply need to drain the jar, and filter the liquid as it comes out of the tap. This will remove any big parts of the curds and leave you with pure whey that contains the lactobacillus.
Alternatively, if you use a jar without a tap, you simply need to remove the curds from the jar, then pour the remaining whey into a jar or bottle. Use a cheesecloth or muslin cloth to filter out the bigger bits of curd. You only way want to harvest the whey.
Once filtered and stored in a bottle, you are complete! It is as simple as that. Now you have fresh, homemade lactobacillus for your plants, and it is very easy to use.
How to Use Lactobacillus
To use lactobacillus on your plants all you have to do is add 1 ml of lactobacillus to 1L of non chlorinated water. Chlorine in water will kill bacteria. You do not want this to happen. If you’re using tap water, let the water sit for 24 hours to allow it to “de-gas” before adding lactobacillus to it.
Stir the water well after adding the lactobacillus and if possible add an airstone and let it bubble for a few hours. This will allow the microbes to grow a little before being fed to your plants. This solution is often poured into the soil your plants are growing in, but it can be sprayed onto your plants too. But of course, it is not recommended to spray your plants during the flowering stage, only during veg.
Need More Help?
If you have any questions or you need any extra help with this process or your grow in general, then feel free to join us in our cannabis growers forum. It is free to sign up an we have hundreds of members who are always happy to help. Just sign up, start a thread and some one will be right with you!
Thanks as always for taking the time to read this guide, I hope you have found it useful! If it has helped you, then please share it with fellow growers to see if it helps them too. Happy growing!
@gelert … yes, I just watched the podcast for this topic. Sounds very involved, as you say micro living organisms … I will build up to this level haha
@green_fingers_87 last few grows have been in the living soil, proper interested in all the KNF inputs tho, would love to grow that way. Can watch Chris Trump videos all day long ha.
@gelert nice one mate, much appreciated! I’m big on gardening … grown food for a couple of seasons and make my own compost, so really want to try an organic grow hence stumbling across this article, something to look forward to for sure!
Do you have a preferred grow method?
@green_fingers_87 aye was just looking at your dairy as it goes coming along nicely mate, yeah that’s it always fun trying new things, as you say it’s our hobby so got to keep it fun. Happy growing mate 💨✌️💨
@gelert currently on my first grow, unfortunately I am limited to once a year at present lol will be using coco for my next project as a have a bunch of Biobizz nutrients and of course new to growing buying the wrong items. Just trying to learn the fundamentals for now, I have a feeling this will be a new hobby 😂
@green_fingers_87 Monkey used LAB with his coco grow with great effect he said, so why not give it a go I say, always good to try something new as well. Let us know how you get on if you try it mate. ✌️
@macky can this be used with coco or only soil?
@im_sparky Sometimes bro lol
@macky Awesome! Please tell me you sleep?!