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

Print

EM-1, EM-A, Microferm, EM Clean, Proferm, Photo+… The effective microorganisms 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 with 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 license from EMRO. It is a brown, highly acidic liquid (pH below 3.5) made from molasses, water, and dormant microorganisms.

• What it's for: multiplying with molasses and non-chlorinated water to make an activated solution (EM-A), or making your own fermented bran for bokashi.
• Its advantage: with the standard recipe, a 34 fl oz (1-liter) bottle yields about 5.3 gallons (20 liters) 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 and requires 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 expiration date (about two years after production); other licensed producers tend to state six months instead. 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 microorganisms. You just dilute it, usually at 1% for watering (about 1.3 fl oz per gallon, or 10 ml per liter of water), then water or spray.

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

The 5.3-gallon (20-liter) size is also available in a jug: our pouring spigot screws on in place of the cap so you can pour without lifting the container, and the key for 20 L jugs 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 several gallons 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, since activation struggles below 59–63°F (15–17°C), or EM-1 in a heated activation tank.

Emy's tip

Choose the size based on what you'll use in a year: a large opened jug 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 region of France, fermented with molasses and EM-1, which we make on the farm. Sprinkle it over the food scraps in the bokashi bucket.
• The kit to make your own Bokashi & Compost activator: EM-1, beet molasses, wheat bran, and a measuring spoon, so you can make your own.
• Beet molasses or cane molasses: food for the microorganisms when activating EM-1. Both do exactly the same job.
• The EM Activator: a 2.6- to 58-gallon (10- to 220-liter) tank with a bubbler, heater, and spigot, for activating EM-1 in volume, even in winter.
• Bokashi EM mulch: chopped straw and apple pulp fermented with EM, in 55 lb (25 kg) bags. Its coarse texture makes it suitable for plantings, not for seedlings.
• Vulkamin granules: crushed volcanic rock. It isn't a microbial product, but a mineral amendment often used alongside EM.

For the home

• EM Clean multipurpose cleaner: water, effective microorganisms, and fermented extracts, with no dyes. It is diluted at 1 to 10% depending on the surface and needs no rinsing. It is a cleaner: it doesn't replace a disinfectant where disinfection is required.
• EM Clean deodorizer: a 5 fl oz (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 barn maintenance products. They don't treat illness: for any symptoms, consult your veterinarian.

• 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 feed mixer 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 microorganisms, to add to ruminant rations as a mineral supplement.
• Pro-Mest Total for liquid manure pits, and Vulkamin powder for bedding.

For ponds and natural ponds

• EM Photo+ Aquabiome: a solution of phototrophic microorganisms, to be used with Microferm in ponds and other bodies of water.
• EM Bokashi pond balls: balls made of clay, bokashi, molasses, and ceramic, to place at the bottom of a private pond, never in a stream or river.

Clear water depends first and foremost on nutrient inputs, sunlight, and plants: these products support good pond management, but they don't replace it.

Ceramics, drinks, and personal care products: a family of their own

EM ceramics (pearls, beads, ring, Maxi Tube, Cera Boost powder) are made from clay fermented with EM, then fired at high temperature. Firing destroys the microorganisms: these items contain nothing living. The effects the manufacturer claims for them have not been demonstrated, so we present them simply 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 takeaways

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 based on the use and the label, not on the promises.

Recognizing a genuine EM product

“EM” and “effective microorganisms” 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 Microorganisms.” Approved companies may display authorized “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 lot number and an expiration date (or production date);
• the directions 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 convenient packaging: as with boxed wine, the pouch empties without letting air in, which preserves the microorganisms down to the last drop.

Which product for which use?

• Bokashi bucket: our Bokashi EM activator, or the kit to make it.
• Watering the yard and vegetable garden: Microferm, or activated EM-1.
• Compost, grass clippings, manure: Microferm or activated EM-1; Bokashi EM mulch for plantings.
• Household cleaning: EM Clean cleaner; deodorizer for odors.
• Bedding, stable, chicken coop: 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 you activate yourself, and Microferm EM-A, ready to dilute and well protected from air. Around them are specialized products for bokashi, the home, animals, and ponds, to be chosen based on their nature and label. Ceramics, drinks, and cosmetics form a family of their own. A product licensed by EMRO guarantees a recipe and quality controls, and a good result depends above all on a product that is fresh, properly stored, and correctly dosed.

Related products

Best Seller

Gray EM ceramic beads & balls | 50 beads

Improve water, protect appliances and soften laundry

$9.21 €8.25

Best Seller

Pink EM ceramic beads | 50 beads

Removes chlorine and unwanted residues from water

$9.21 €8.25

Beet molasses | 250 ml bottle

For animal nutrition or activating EM (A+), from 8.5 fl oz (250 ml) to 2.6 gallons (10 liters)

$4.97 €4.45

Best Seller

EM-A Food Supplement Nutribiome | 2 L Bag-in-box

Probiotic for animal feed, from 0.5 to 264 gallons (2 to 1000 liters)

$17.15 €15.36

Other topics in the guide

Vermicomposting30 fact sheets →Composting25 fact sheets →Bokashi24 fact sheets →