The Hollard JUMA Bokashi Ball Guide
Let’s clean up Joburg together.
There’s no better place to run or ride than in nature, but sometimes our environment needs a little helping hand. The Hollard JUMA team have been cleaning up the Braamfontein Spruit with the help of some magical little concoctions called Bokashi Balls for the last few years, and we would love for you to get involved!
You might be wondering what in the world a Bokashi Ball is, and we wouldn’t blame you. In Japanese, “Bokashi” means “fermented organic matter” and, that is exactly what Bokashi Balls are. Made from a mixture of clay, dried sludge and effective microorganisms, these magical little balls are like probiotics for our ecosystem. They can help increase the balance of beneficial bacteria in the water, inhibit algae and water odour, and allow plant and animal life to flourish.
Are you interested in making your Joburg a cleaner, greener place to run and ride? The good news is that Bokashi Balls are super simple to make and use. All you need are a few key ingredients and a free afternoon to roll your own. Once completed, they just need to be dropped or thrown into your local lake or riverbed to work their magic.
The hero ingredients in Bokashi Balls are the effective microorganisms. These little miracle workers are released when the clay and sludge break down, and you can purchase them at most local garden stores or online. You’ll need two types; Bokashi effective microorganisms and Activated effective microorganisms. Don’t worry, they sound more complicated than they are (and you get the added bonus of sounding like a genius when you ask for them at your local garden store).
To make your Bokashi Balls, here is what you will need:
• 1kg of Bokashi Bran
• 2 litres of Activated Effective Microorganisms (EM)
• 15 litres (one bucket) of dried sludge from a lake or riverbed
• 500 grams of clay or bentonite
Once you have all of your ingredients, clear an area outside and get mixing.
Making Bokashi Balls can get a bit messy, so get the kids involved and make an afternoon of it. Combine all of the ingredients into a big, doughy mixture and then divvy it out into tennis-ball-sized portions. If the mixture feels too runny, just add more clay – the texture should feel like bread dough. Cover the balls with newspaper and allow to dry and colonise for approximately two weeks.
Once dry, slightly white and fuzzy, you’re ready to get throwing!
Take your Bokashi Balls on your next run or ride and simply drop or throw into waterbeds as you pass by. They are best used in a ratio of one ball per one square metre, and are a 100% eco-friendly and organic way to keep our local ecosystem healthy for generations to come.
Louise Gordon, EM: Business Development and Stakeholder Management for Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) comments, “JCPZ is determined to save our natural world in our urban environment with you. Help us to keep it clean, to grow more trees and keep water bodies clean. Bokashi is a simple method you can use at home to create a cleaner environment.”
The Hollard JURA and the Hollard JUMA are the best ways to get your sweat on and explore your city’s natural environment at the same time (remember to take a few Bokashi Balls along.) Both events offer a variety of routes and distances to suit all fitness levels, and groups of four or more get a 20% discount. For more information or to book your tickets, visit www.joziadventure.co.za