When Bokashi Composting, you'll find the a leachate (liquid) which is a great way to make a Bokashi Tea. Here's a few options

Bokashi Bran t's primarily designed for growing with soil, building soil, or for indoor composting.

When indoor composting, Bokashi style, if you're using materials that hold a lot of liquid, the bottom of the bucket will collect this material, referred to as leachate.

Composted food scraps like watermelons, etc will lead to more leachate than others.

The leachate from Bokashi composting can produce a vinegar-y, fermenty smell, so if you have a container equipped with a spigot, be sure to drain it off frequently.

You can either dilute the leachate (at least 100:1) and use it in your garden soil or pour the liquid directly down the drain.

Folks have reported benefits using the Bokashi leachate diluted to help their soil blends and their compost pile.

Drain & use

To easily drain leachate, many common Bokashi compost bins will include a drain valve. You can always use just a 5-gallon bucket, drill a hole and add a food-grade valve. This will then allow you to more easily drain leachate, especially when adding water-heavy food scraps, such as watermelons.

Experimenting is key!

Alternatively, to reduce the production and build-up of leachate, add dried leaves, shredded paper, paper towels or egg cartons to your scraps to absorb the liquid, so you won't need a special area at the bottom for collecting the leachate.

Don't open the sealed bucket unless you are ready to add material, and avoid doing so too often as oxygen can slow or stop fermentation. Make sure all your materials and equipment are prepared in advance of opening the bucket.

Though you don't want air exposure, you also don't wish your scraps to start molding or smelling from anaerobic decomposition. If this happens, you may need to input more frequently or store scraps in the fridge/freezer until ready to add them. Once full, label it with the date and let it sit for 2-3 weeks before moving onto the next phase.

The container should be kept away from direct sunlight, at a temperature between 60-90 degrees - indoors or in the garage are good options, especially during winter/summer months. It's ok if there is some white growth on top of the fermented pre-compost.

Uses for the Bokashi Leachate - Bokashi Tea and more:

  • Dilute your leachate and use as a tea - useful for adding to soil blends or supercharging your compost pile