Bokashicycle Yard Waste Fermenting System – 55 Gallon Capacity

The yard waste fermenting system is designed to rapidly break down grass clippings, weeds, and brush placed in the 55 gallon fermenter using a combination of the bokashi culture mix and an accelerant. Woody items and branches may be included but should be shredded before being added to the fermenter. Food scraps may be added and mixed in with the yard waste.

No carbon rich material is needed to mix with ordinary grass clippings or yard waste for transformation to take place. Flies, vermin, and pests will not be attracted to the fermented product subsequently mixed with soil.

Successful conversion of waste to rich soil involves placing the waste material in the fermenter in layers. A cup of concentrated accelerant is diluted 3.5 fold with water and sprayed directly onto the waste. The culture mix is then dispensed broadly over the layer using the dispensing unit. Each layer is 2 – 4 inches thick. The anaerobic lid is locked in place with the band clamp to exclude oxygen and after 7 – 10 days the fermentation is complete.

The fermented product is removed and mixed with ordinary soil and then covered with about 3 inches of soil. Soil microbes then in about 7 – 10 days convert waste into rich soil.

If the fermented grass clippings and weeds are mixed in with a compost pile, it will also rapidly degrade and re-activate a dead compost heap.

Components:

55 Gallon Yard Waste Starter Kit:

• 1 – 55 gallon HDPE Fermenter
• 1 – Band clamp
• 1 - Lid with locking flange and seal to exclude oxygen when the fermenter is closed
• 1 – Filter cassette for fluid removal
• 1 – Safety pressure release valve – spigot
• 1 – Key for opening spigot safety pressure valve
• 1 – 25 pound bag of bokashi culture mix
• 1 – 1 gallon concentrate of accelerant for yard waste processing
• 1 – 1 liter spray bottle for priming yard waste before adding culture mix
• 1 – Instruction set for yard waste processing
• 1 – Bokashi mix dispensing unit

There is enough culture mix and concentrated accelerant provided in the starter kit to process approximately 550 gallons (~ 3 cubic yards) of hard packed yard waste.

Steps to successful Bokashicycle processing of scraps

1. Place your yard waste fermenter in an area where it will capture heat during the day or near a shelter where it stays relatively protected from freezing weather. Fermenting will slow in cold weather and may require an extra week or two when the weather is freezing.

2. Open the anaerobic band clamp lock and begin by placing a layer of grass clippings or weeds in the bottom of the 55 gallon drum fermenter.

3. All waste should be wet and if small branches are being added to the fermenter they should be shredded before adding them to the contents. Use a hose and water them down making certain they are wet before they go into the fermenter.

4. Add 300 mL of accelerant to the spritz bottle and fill it with another 600 mL of tap water.

5. Sprtiz liberally each layer of waste going into the fermenter with the diluted accelerant and cover the surface of waste with bokashi culture mix approximately every 2 – 3 inches as you fill the fermenter.

6. Pack the fermenter as tightly with waste as you can if you have a lot of material to ferment. Feel free to add any cull fruit, vegetables, coffee grounds, etc. to the mix as they will ferment well and improve the overall performance.

7. After each filling, close the lid down with the band clamp making certain you have a secure oxygen excluding fit. Leave it closed until you are ready to add additional material or ready to empty the fermented contents.

8. Grass clippings should be well wetted and spritzed with accelerant and may be pressed very tightly in the fermenter for best results.

9. Most material will be fermented in about 7 – 10 days and when the lid is opened the weedy debris or grass may have turned dark. It will have a vinegar smell perhaps slightly sweet fermented odor. Fermented grass usually turns to a yellow brown color at the end of the fermenting.

10. The fermented debris must be mixed well with soil. This can be done by mixing it with a pile of soil covering over the surface with soil, or by laying it in a trench and mixing it with that soil.

11. Spread the fermented product in the bottom of the trench and cover with at least 6 inches of soil. Leave this area alone for at least 2 weeks to allow the soil microbes to do their work. You will then have high nutrient soil that can be used with your plants in the garden.

12. Soil enriched with the fermented product will be greatly enriched with carbon and nitrogen nutrients and will generally darken as the organic components build over time. You may plant in the area where material is mixed with soil after the material has had at least 2 weeks to process fermented end product.

The signs something is wrong in processing

• Strong rancid or rotten smell.
• Black or blue-green fungi growth indicating waste has putrefied.

Why fermentation is not working

• Not enough Bokashi culture mix was added between scrap layers.
• Scraps were too big – cut them into smaller pieces.
• Failure to displace oxygen in the fermenter – check that the anaerobic lock is properly sealed.
• Over heating possibly by direct sun light exposure or damage to the Bokashi culture mix.

Disposing of a bad batch

• Find a place in the garden away from your plants.
• Dig a trench and add a handful of Bokashi mix to the hole.
• Spread the batch of waste in the trench adding to it another handful of Bokashi culture mix.
• Cover it with soil and give it at least 2 weeks to break down into valuable soil for your plants.

Going away for awhile?

• It is perfectly safe to leave your Cyclette sealed for weeks at a time. Just drain any fluid from the bottom before leaving and again when you return.