Molasses Foliar Feed

[AnOnion]

Ive been reading a lot about Molasses and plants but two questions still remain unanswered...

1. Can i use Molasses from the supermarket (super unrefined baking stuff; looks like very dark brown sugar)?

2. Can i mix a little of it into my foliar feed during veg stage or is it primarily for soil?

Thanks for your help


Also feeding my plants a cup of tea (literally tea not guano/fert tea) every now and then to see what happens. i heard roses love the stuff...

 

[GraF]

I dont think there has been any research on molasses foliar feeding, and if they have researched it, there hasnt been anything about it so personally, I would say No..

I used it in the flowering stage on my first major grow, in flowering, I havent even heard of it during veg either..... I would look up the high times article, thats where the hype originally came from

good luck

 

[nongreenthumb]

Ive been reading a lot about Molasses and plants but two questions still remain unanswered...

1. Can i use Molasses from the supermarket (super unrefined baking stuff; looks like very dark brown sugar)?

2. Can i mix a little of it into my foliar feed during veg stage or is it primarily for soil?

Thanks for your help


Also feeding my plants a cup of tea (literally tea not guano/fert tea) every now and then to see what happens. i heard roses love the stuff...

I would have thought that foliar feeding a sugary substance is going to attract pests

 

[GraF]

^^ I would definately agree w/ you on that one....

Just think of all the over-spray getting everywhere..... prolly not a good thing, molasses on your walls....

 

[captn_crunch420]

not realy the only pests it realy attracts is the accational suger ant. and yea every since i read the SWEET LEAF article in high times ive been adding sugar suplements every since. though sugar isnt the only cannibis plant's source of energy for growth; its a primary factor that determins how good your favorite herb will taste

 

[nongreenthumb]

Certain flies and other insects will be attracted to it, but the thing you got to think about is if you attract one pest in, that pest is probably going to attract another pest and so on, then you just turn your grow room into an insect battle arena.

 

[FilthyFletch]

I wouldnt foliage feed with it.Its gonn attract insects and clog the leaf pores as it evaporates faster then the leaves can absorb it under the lights.Its also no good for aero grwos as I defied logic and tried it anyways and kick myself everyday since.I use sweet for my aero grows.Store bought molasses is what people use like Granmas as an example.

 

[AnOnion]

thanks for your advice guys... ill stick with using it in the water mix but avoid foliar use. cheers!

 

[pooka]

There is someting called sugary mildew that perennials get. What happens is gnats or whatever that live on the plant, eat it. Then their shit is real sugary. That shit falls onto leaves of lower branches and it causes this dark grey looking stuff on the plant. Really nasty and hard to get rid of. Anyway, don't foliar feed sugar, haha.

 

[funstarfish]

oh man, i think many of you are sadly mistaken on this one. i do believe there are some very reputable organic growers adding molasses to their foliar feedings with a tbspn to 1 gallon ratio. ill bugger up the science behind it but something in molasses acts as a chelating agent? and speeds up nutrient intake and availablity. so you can make your usual foliar feed then add molasses. its also a good source of K in your foliars. molasses is not much of a pest attractor and is a home remedy for many ants...

that being said, and noting my limited hands on experience, it seems molasses is better suited to use in soil as it feeds your micros, but it has its uses in small amounts in foliar feeding. don't discount it. do some research on chelating agents.

 

[Mark.]

whats the bes tthing 2 use 4 foliar feed was goin 2 buy fish mix , also could any use tell me how its used

 

[babygro]

that being said, and noting my limited hands on experience, it seems molasses is better suited to use in soil as it feeds your micros, but it has its uses in small amounts in foliar feeding. don't discount it. do some research on chelating agents.

Hiya funstarfish

You're a bit confused here mate.

Chelating agents are micro organisms (or any other element that does the same thing) that convert composted organic matter into useable nutrient mineral forms for plant intake in soil mediums. Molasses does not include any chelating agents, nor do plant leaves contain any and therefore the plant has no way of converting the organic matter into useable plant nutrients for absorbtion by the leaves in a foliar spray.

What Molasses does include is a high level of carbohydrates and sugars (and small quantities of all trace mineral macro and micro)elements which acts as a 'feed' to the soil micro-herd formed of those micro-organisms, microbes and beneficial fungi that multiply and colonise larger areas of the plant and soil rootzone. This enables a larger colony of these organisms to break down larger quantities of organic matter into plant usuable mineral nutrients in a shorter amount of time. This effectively speeds up the plants intake of those mineral nutrients as they're being broken down faster.

Molasses shouldn't really be used as a foliar feed as it has very little beneficial affect.

 

[babygro]

whats the bes tthing 2 use 4 foliar feed was goin 2 buy fish mix , also could any use tell me how its used

hiya Mark

Fish Mix is a good foliar feed, but why are you using one? Do you have some minor def's you want to sort out?

 

[videoman40]

hey, sorry to pipe in like this except that molasses is a syrupy, thick juice created by the processing of either sugar beets or the sugar cane plant. Depending on the definition used, Sweet Sorghum also qualifies as a molasses, although technically it’s a thickened syrup more akin to Maple Syrup than to molasses. The grade and type of molasses depends on the maturity of the sugar cane or beet and the method of extraction. The different molasses’ have names like: first molasses, second molasses, unsulphured molasses, sulphured molasses, and blackstrap molasses. For gardeners the sweet syrup can work as a carbohydrate source to feed and stimulate microorganisms. And, because molasses (average NPK 1-0-5) contains potash, sulfur, and many trace minerals, it can serve as a nutritious soil amendment.
Molasses is also an excellent chelating agent.
Peace

Molasses does not include any chelating agents, nor do plant leaves contain any and therefore the plant has no way of converting the organic matter into useable plant nutrients for absorbtion by the leaves in a foliar spray.

 

[babygro]

Molasses is also an excellent chelating agent.

Yes it is.

But the word 'chelation' when used in a soil context refers to the soil microbes and micro-organisms which produce organic substances known as 'chelates', that have the ability to decompose minerals and rocks by the removal of metallic cations.

So to gain the benefit from Molasses it has to be used in soil where it feeds the micro-herd.

The fact that Molasses is a 'chelation agent' in itself is completely irrelevant if you're going to be spraying it onto leaves where there are no substances to break down nor any microbes or micro-organisms to do the breaking down. Molasses doesn't break itself down!

You've confused the term 'chelation agent' with the term 'chelation' they come from the same source but mean two entirely different things when used in the context of growing with soil.

Don't feel bad though, it's an easy mistake to make.

 

[AnOnion]

aha i didnt think i would cause any form of debate.
basically it seems to boil down to:

[a] dont use molasses as foliar feed
use it toward flowering watering at about 1 teaspoon: 1 Gallon of water
[c] everyone seems to disagree. by the sounds of it though, using molasses wont harm your plant but instead could provide plenty of K, increase macro and micro orgamisms, sulfur and trace minerals as well as making your buds sweeter.

Ive been using it in my indoor soil grow for a week or so now and im not experiencing anything other than nice growth. flower time soon!

 

[nongreenthumb]

Underneath the leaves there are tiny pores that allow the plant to breath in co2, these can get clogged quite easily so using something that can create a reversable bond with metals might not do too well for these pores.

 

[Mark.]

i starved them from mg got some epson salt an its seemed 2 stop the prob, but some the leafs r damaged like brown dry spots

 

[nongreenthumb]

i starved them from mg got some epson salt an its seemed 2 stop the prob, but some the leafs r damaged like brown dry spots

what kind of heat are the plants sitting in, if you mist them in high heat then the water will evaporate on the leaves and cause "burn"

Either that or you put too much salts in

 

[Mark.]

i hav them under 400w hps it does seem very warm in ther i only used the salts after this happend even bought a air purifier thinkin it was ozen damage hav them in a walk in wardrobe an hav a flag over the door of it becoz the lite looks strange from out side