Agriculture Business Week

More and more people are getting interested in natural farming. To make a profitable operation, you can make your inputs like fermented juices for your plants as well as your animals.

One of the fermented products used in natural farming is the so-called Oriental Herbal Nutrient or OHN, which is a natural pest repellant in growing your crops. It is also used in enhancing the nutrients of livestock feed.

Andry Lim of Helen’s Farm in Davao City, a strong advocate of natural farming, gave us the procedure on how to make your own OHN. It is effective in strengthening the immune system of plants as well as animals.

The ingredients used are 4 kilos of crushed ginger, 4 kilos of crushed garlic, 3 kilos of muscovado sugar; 10 liters of gin or liquor 30 to 40 proof. Use a 5-gallon jar for fermenting, preferably glass or ceramic.

First, mix by hand the 4 kg crushed garlic, 4 kg crushed ginger and 3 kg muscovado sugar or molasses. Cover the jar and keep it sealed. After three days, add 10 liters of gin. Keep the jar sealed. See to it that the jar is not fully filled. Leave at least 2 inches unfilled.

Decant the liquid after 10 days. The first extract is good for animals. Together with other juices (fermented fruit juice, fermented plant juice, and fish amino acid) OHN is incorporated in the animal feeds. That’s how Andry Lim makes his own feed formulation for his naturally farmed pigs.

After decanting, add the same amount of gin taken from the first extraction. Andry says you may add fresh or dry chili, neem fruit, curry fruit, makabuhay and marigold for stronger potency. After 10 days, extract the juice. This is good for use in growing plants.

After the second extraction, add the same amount of gin. After 10 days, extract the liquid again. Here’s how to use the concoction. Mix two tablespoons of OHN per liter of water. Add this to the other fermented juices and spray on the leaves of the plants and on the soil every week. It is good for all stages of plant growth. The other fermented juices are FPJ or fermented plant juice, FFJ or fermented fruit juice, and FAA or fish amino acid. These are fermented with the use of molasses.

By Zac B. Sarian