This is Chloe. Wonderful dog.

We are fostering her for http://www.abetterlifedogrescue.org , a rescue society in Vancouver.

The other day she smelled a skunk across the street and went after it with the usual results. Phew!

Fortunately, it appears she wasn’t sprayed full on so the smell wasn’t so bad, but very noticeable.

There’s a first time for everything. Did I mention it was 3:00 A.M.?

So, a quick search of the Web showed that a combination of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda will do the job very effectively. But the ingredients were not available. They are now.

As soon as I got home, even before I searched the ‘net, I sprayed Chloe with a combination of Terra Biosa, molasses and water. Since I know that Biosa, the active ingredient of bokashi, helps stop the smells of composting, I thought it would help. I was right. There was about a 20 minute delay before we got Chloe into the bath and washed her down with a dog shampoo. Later that day, as I walking her about, I asked three strangers if they could smell the skunk odour on her.

They couldn’t. I’m pleased.

By the way, if you are looking for a dog to adopt consider Chloe. Here’s the description from http://www.abetterlifedogrescue.org :

Hi, my name is Chloe and I am a 5 yr old large mixed breed, probably some chow, possibly some schnauzer or terrier and perhaps a hint of shepherd. Everyone who meets me thinks I am pretty special. I adore people and getting lots of affection. I will sit by your side and soak up the love for as long as you will let me. I haven’t had much affection in my life so I am trying to make up for lost time. I am good with other dogs but am not particularly interested in playing with them - I prefer the company of people. I am good with little people too but I like to chase after cats and other small animals. I am a big girl, weighing in at 88 lbs and am a medium energy dog. I am not too pully on the leash but will need some training to heel. I know how to sit and come and am eager to please and very smart so I can learn whatever you would like to teach me. I am not a barker and I don’t jump up either but I will wag my tail furiously and smile from ear to ear when when you come home. As with all dogs I would love a home where someone is home most of the day or can take me with them to work. My adoption fee is $250.

-30-

Compost Guy writes about making bokashi in Bokashi Update

In my last Bokashi-related post I mentioned that I was considering making my own bokashi mixture. Well, I decided to take that route and ended up ordering a bottle of ‘friendly microorganisms’ (Biosa [tm]) liquid solution from Great Day Bokashi. I’m happy to report that my bottle of microbes arrived today! The unlabelled container could easily be mistaken for a bottle of malt vinegar, so I will definitely make sure to label it before putting it in the fridge!

Read it all…
-30-

Edited from an email sent to a customer:

There are a number of options available:

1) Mix the Biosa, molasses and water with bran using this recipe*. Let it ferment in a warm place for a few weeks then dry. 1L of Biosa, molasses and water will make 160Kg/350lb of bokashi. 1Kg of dried bokashi can last 8 - 16 weeks, so it encourages use for composting household waste indoors [even during the winter.:-)]. It can also be used in larger settings such as school/community center lunch rooms and as a kitty litter deodorizer.

2) Mix the Biosa with molasses and water. This creates an Activated Biosa that can be diluted as low as 2%. 1L of Biosa will make 34L Activated. At a 2% solution, this is enough to use with 1700L with water. There is a limited shelf life to this product, 2 - 4 weeks, but it would be the best solution for dealing with a lot of post-consumer waste. You don’t have to make it all at once. Smaller quantities - as little as 500ml - make it accessible for use in restaurants, cafeterias etc. It can also work as an odour control agent; if you know what the smell of a fat rendering collection truck is like during the summer, this would be a big help if they washed their trucks with it.

*includes link to a list of suppliers all over the world, including me.

On this site, you can order here.

-30-
Technorati Tags: biosa, bokashi, activated, diy, recipe, EM, lactic+acid+cultures, fermentation, compost, composting, bakashi

Tim who has two bokashi kits, is going to use liquid Biosa to reduce the growth of mold in his bathroom.
ooo
Technorati Tags: biosa, friendly, microbes, effective, microorganisms