Seacliff Organics BEAM Bio-Inoculant
BEAM Bio-Inoculant is a fungal rich compost and vermicast inoculant from our Johnson-Su bioreactor, packed fresh and alive. Use it to seed biology into compost, soil mixes and beds, brew it into a compost extract for larger areas, or coat seed with it before sowing.
At a glance
- Type: biological inoculant (Johnson-Su bioreactor compost and vermicast)
- Analysis: active fungal to bacterial ratio 2:1 at time of testing (Soil Food Web lab protocol)
- Use for: inoculating compost, soil mixes and beds; compost extract; seed coating
- Rate: extract, 2 to 3 heaped handfuls in 20 litres of water
- Packed fresh to order; allow an extra day before dispatch
What it is
BEAM Bio-Inoculant is compost and vermicast grown in a Johnson-Su bioreactor on our land at Seacliff, Otago. A Johnson-Su bioreactor is a compost pile that is kept moist and is never turned, so fungi can grow through it undisturbed. The result is a compost that carries live fungi, bacteria and the rest of the soil food web, rather than a fertiliser.
It was tested under Soil Food Web lab protocols, which measure the active fungal and bacterial biomass in a sample. At the time of testing the active fungal to bacterial ratio was 2:1. We pack BEAM fresh for each order so it arrives alive, which can add a day before dispatch.
What it does
- Adds live fungi, bacteria and the rest of the compost food web to a mix that lacks them.
- Growers use it to kick start biology in new soil mixes, to re-seed compost and beds, and to coat seed before sowing.
- Once in the soil, the plant feeds the microbes with sugar from its roots and the microbes deliver nutrients back.
How to use
- Compost and soil mixes: add BEAM to the mix, water in well and keep moist at all times.
- Extract: add 2 to 3 heaped handfuls to 20 litres of water. Stir hard for 4 to 5 minutes (a hand drill with a paddle mixer works well) to knock the microbes off the organic matter.
- Strain the extract through a paint strainer or a 20 litre mesh bag into a clean container.
- Spray the extract onto leaves or soil with a sprayer or sprinkler, then water it in so the microbes move down to the root zone.
- Spray rate: as little as 1 kg of compost per hectare, made into extract, has been applied this way.
- Large areas: apply the extract into the furrow at planting so the microbes sit next to the germinating seed.
- Seed coating: mix about half a cup of milk and molasses (8 parts milk to 1 part molasses) with about 1 litre of compost, adding water while stirring until it is like pancake batter. One litre of slurry coats 20 kg of seed tumbled in a cement mixer; do smaller lots by hand in a 20 litre bucket. Coating takes 1 to 2 minutes.
- Dry coated seed on a tarp in the shade, raking now and then to expose wet patches, then sow. Large seed can be sown wet because it still flows through a planter.
Watch out
- This is a living product. It cannot be left to dry out. Keep it moist from the day it arrives until it is in the soil.
- Water the extract in after spraying. Microbes left on a hot, dry surface do not last.
Learn more in fifteen seconds
Handling and storage
- Keep moist at all times. Do not let it dry out.
- Use it soon after it arrives; it is packed fresh for a reason.
- Wash hands after handling compost.
Shipping and returns
We ship nationwide across New Zealand. Orders are usually dispatched within 1 to 2 business days and rural delivery can take longer. Unopened products can be returned within 30 days.
