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Bokashi

jnickeljnickel Posts: 7
in Tools and techniques
I am new to Bokashi composting. I was drawn to it because of the reported speed of turning food scraps into soil and also because of the wider range of compostable items (i.e. dairy, meat, prepared food). I have not yet added many of those items to my bucket, however, because it seems like those things often have a higher salt content. Wouldn't that extra salt be an issue for the soil over time? Thanks in advance for your help!
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  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    When you say " it seems like those things often have a higher salt content", what do you mean?
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I was drawn to it because of the reported speed of turning food scraps into soil and also because of the wider range of compostable items.

    The process uses fermentation, not composting. It basically pickles whatever is in it the bucket. It doesn't create soil. You add the pickles to a composting heap or bury it.
  • jnickeljnickel Posts: 7
    Firefly - I was referring to the amount of salt in the mentioned items - cheeses, prepared meats, breads and noodles, and honestly nearly everything that isn't "fresh" has been preserved with at least some amount of salt. It just seems to me that all that salt would add up over time.

    pansyface - thanks!
  • jnickeljnickel Posts: 7
    Firefly∆ said:
    I was drawn to it because of the reported speed of turning food scraps into soil and also because of the wider range of compostable items.

    The process uses fermentation, not composting. It basically pickles whatever is in it the bucket. It doesn't create soil. You add the pickles to a composting heap or bury it.
    Yes. I am aware of that part. Once it is incorporated into the soil, it breaks down quite a bit quicker than traditional compost. It also adds beneficial bacteria and fungi to the soil. I was really just concerned with the salt content of the food. Thanks!

  • WaysideWayside Posts: 845
    edited March 2018
    We tried this for a short period of time.  And it appeared great.  The best thing about it, is you open the bucket and it smells nice.  Rather than the horrible smell you get from normal anaerobic breakdowns.  We were told you can plant straight into it.  Which is odd, because you still have what looks like the original items.

    The method came out of a bio-remediation, I'll have a look to see if it can help with salt build ups.

    Perhaps this:
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674237015300442 

    http://www.waterjournal.cn:8080/water/EN/article/downloadArticleFile.do?attachType=PDF&id=22

    Reading that, it doesn't remove the salts, but it makes the soil 'better'.

    It would be good to know how much salt is bad.

    How much cheese do you waste?
  • WaysideWayside Posts: 845
    occupy 7 % of the earth’s land surface (Ruiz-Lozano et al.,
    2001) and increased salinization of arable land will result in
    to 50 % land loss by the middle of the 21st century (Wang
    et al., 2003).

    Blimey.
  • jnickeljnickel Posts: 7
    Wayside said:
    occupy 7 % of the earth’s land surface (Ruiz-Lozano et al.,
    2001) and increased salinization of arable land will result in
    to 50 % land loss by the middle of the 21st century (Wang
    et al., 2003).

    Blimey.
    This is just the kind of thing I was trying to find. Thanks! We waste more cheese/prepared food scraps than I would like to admit (picky toddlers/teething baby/etc). I'm thinking that I really just need to invest in some chickens (except that we live in town...)! Ah, well...I'll keep thinking of a way to keep those scraps from being completely wasted! Thanks!
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Lots of people near me in London keep chickens. Can work if you have the space.
  • jnickeljnickel Posts: 7
    Firefly∆ said:
    Lots of people near me in London keep chickens. Can work if you have the space.
    I would love to and I have a nice spot for them. The tricky bit is that my neighbors on either side have outdoor dogs...I foresee issues with that. It might be worth looking into, though. I've heard we are aloud to keep chickens according to city ordinances! 
  • WaysideWayside Posts: 845
    I've read some recommendations on putting can brine in the compost, and that's salty.  So I wonder if a little of these foods are a problem at all.
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