Which EM product should you choose? EM-1, Microferm EM-A, EM Clean and the whole range explained

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EM-1, EM-A, Microferm, EM Clean, Proferm, Photo+… The effective micro-organisms range includes dozens of products, and the names don't always make it clear what each one is for. To avoid buying the wrong bottle, the safest approach is to start from what the label says: the nature of the product, its composition and its intended use.

Here is our overview, family by family. We describe each product as it is, without attributing effects to it that studies have not confirmed. The exact doses are always given on the label or in the instructions.

EM-1, the mother solution to activate

EM-1 mother solution is the starting concentrate for all EM technology. Ours is made in the Netherlands by Agriton, under licence from EMRO. It is a brown, highly acidic liquid (pH below 3.5), made from molasses, water and dormant micro-organisms.

• What it is for: multiplying with molasses and non-chlorinated water to obtain an activated solution (EM-A), or making your own fermented bran for bokashi.
• Its advantage: with the standard recipe, a one-litre bottle yields around twenty litres of activated solution. It is the most economical option for large gardens and large volumes.
• Its drawback: activation takes about a week at a mild temperature, an airtight container and a little monitoring, or a heated activation tank for large volumes. The full method is in our guide activating EM-1 step by step.
• Storage: in a cool place, away from light and frost. On our bottles, the printed date is the use-by date (about two years after production); other licensed producers tend to state six months: the date on the label is what counts.

Microferm EM-A, the ready-to-dilute solution

Microferm EM-A is a solution that has already been activated at the factory. Its composition is simple: water, cane molasses and effective micro-organisms. You just dilute it, usually at 1% for watering (10 ml per litre of water), then water or spray.

It comes in a Bag-in-Box: a flexible pouch inside a cardboard box, which shrinks as it empties. The liquid is not exposed to air, so it keeps until the use-by date printed on the packaging, roughly one year after production. It is the most practical choice for occasional use in the garden, on the compost, in the stable or in the pond.

The 20-litre size is also available in a jerrycan: our pouring tap screws on in place of the cap so you can pour without lifting the container, and the key for 20 L containers makes opening easier.

EM-1 or Microferm: how to decide?

• You use a little, now and then: Microferm, with no preparation and no risk of a failed activation.
• You need dozens of litres per season: EM-1, to activate yourself.
• You want to make your own bokashi activator: EM-1, with molasses and wheat bran (see making your own homemade bokashi activator).
• Your home is cold in winter: Microferm, as activation struggles below 15 to 17°C, or EM-1 in a heated activation tank.

Emy's tip

Choose the size according to what you will use in a year: a large opened container forgotten at the back of the garage loses quality, whereas a Bag-in-Box pouch of the right size stays protected from air to the very end.

For the soil, compost and bokashi

• Our Bokashi EM compost activator: wheat bran from the Gers fermented with molasses and EM-1, which we make on the farm. Sprinkle it over the waste in the bokashi bucket.
• The kit to make your own Bokashi & Compost activator: EM-1, beet molasses, wheat bran and a measuring spoon, to make your own.
• Beet molasses or cane molasses: food for the micro-organisms when activating EM-1. Both do exactly the same job.
• The EM Activator: a 10 to 220-litre tank with bubbler, heater and tap, for activating EM-1 in volume, even in winter.
• Bokashi EM mulch: chopped straw and apple pulp fermented with EM, in 25 kg bags. Its coarse texture makes it suitable for plantings, not for seedlings.
• Vulkamin granules: crushed volcanic rock. It is not a microbial product, but a mineral input often used alongside EM.

For the home

• EM Clean multi-purpose cleaner: water, effective micro-organisms and fermented extracts, with no colourings. It is diluted at 1 to 10% depending on the surface and needs no rinsing. It is a cleaner: it does not replace a disinfectant where disinfection is required.
• EM Clean deodoriser: a 150 ml spray made from water, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, lactic and acetic acids, less than 5% surfactants and essential oils (mint or basil).

For animals and livestock

These products are animal feed or building maintenance products. They do not treat illness: for any symptoms, consult your vet.

• Proferm EM: spelt bran fermented with EM, for horses, ponies and donkeys, with its variant Proferm Algae EM.
• Proferm Pets: the same fermented spelt bran, for dogs, cats, poultry, rabbits and other animals.
• Syn-vital EM: wheat bran fermented with EM, for cattle, sheep and goats.
• Aronia+ EM, EM Prominant Gel, Bionit-S Equibiome and Horseasalt: the complementary equine range.
• EM-A Nutribiome: molasses fermented with EM, in liquid form, to mix into livestock rations.
• Organofresh EM: an acidic liquid to add to the mixer wagon for ruminant and horse rations.
• EM Silage: lactic acid bacteria and yeasts to spray onto forage at ensiling time.
• Calcéan: oyster shell limestone powder, with no micro-organisms, to add to ruminant rations as a mineral supplement.
• Pro-Mest Total for slurry pits, and Vulkamin powder for bedding.

For ponds and wildlife ponds

• EM Photo+ Aquabiome: a solution of phototrophic micro-organisms, to be used with Microferm in bodies of water.
• EM Bokashi pond balls: balls of clay, bokashi, molasses and ceramic, to place at the bottom of a private pond, never in a watercourse.

Clear water depends first and foremost on nutrient inputs, sunlight and plants: these products support good pond management, they do not replace it.

Ceramics, drinks and hygiene products: a family apart

EM ceramics (pipes, beads, ring, Maxi Tube, Cera Boost powder) are made from clay fermented with EM, then fired at high temperature. Firing destroys the micro-organisms: these items contain nothing living. The effects claimed for them by the manufacturer have not been demonstrated, and we present them as ceramic items. We explain why in our guide EM ceramics.

The drinks (EM Drink, EM-X Gold), EM Sea Salt Gold, the soap and the toothpaste fall under food and cosmetics, with their own rules. A garden or cleaning product must never be used in cooking.

Key points

An EM product is defined first by its nature: solution to activate, ready-to-dilute solution, fermented bran, cleaner, animal feed or ceramic item. Choose according to the use and the label, not according to the promises.

Recognising a genuine EM product

“EM” and “effective micro-organisms” have become everyday terms, used by many manufacturers with no connection to the inventor. However, EMRO holds several registered trademarks in Europe, including the EM logo, “EM-1”, “EM Bokashi” and “EM Effective Micro-organisms”. Approved companies may display authorised “manufacturer”, “distributor” or “retailer” logos.

On the label, check:

• the manufacturer's name and country of manufacture;
• the composition and nature of the product;
• a batch number and a use-by date (or production date);
• the instructions for use and the doses.

Let's be honest: a licensed product guarantees a recipe and quality controls, not a result. Other well-made lactic cultures can ferment effectively. What matters most is a fresh product, properly stored and used according to its instructions.

Did you know?

The Bag-in-Box is more than just practical packaging: as with boxed wine, the pouch empties without letting air in, which preserves the micro-organisms down to the last drop.

Which product for which use?

• Bokashi bucket: our Bokashi EM activator, or the kit to make it.
• Watering the garden and vegetable patch: Microferm, or activated EM-1.
• Compost, grass clippings, manure: Microferm or activated EM-1; Bokashi EM mulch for plantings.
• Household cleaning: EM Clean cleaner; deodoriser for odours.
• Bedding, stable, henhouse: diluted Microferm, Vulkamin powder.
• Feeding horses and other animals: Proferm, Proferm Pets, Syn-vital, depending on the species.
• Silage: EM Silage.
• Private pond: Microferm, Photo+ Aquabiome, pond balls.

In summary

To get started, two products cover most needs: EM-1, an economical concentrate to activate yourself, and Microferm EM-A, ready to dilute and well protected from air. Around them are specialist products for bokashi, the home, animals and ponds, to be chosen according to their nature and label. Ceramics, drinks and cosmetics form a family apart. A product licensed by EMRO guarantees a recipe and controls, and a good result depends above all on a product that is fresh, properly stored and correctly dosed.

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Other topics in the guide

Vermicomposting30 sheets →Composting25 sheets →Bokashi24 sheets →