Molasses

is using molasses helpful to plants.and what kind of molasses should i use (robust) (black strap)

blackstrap,grandmas molasses any brand as long as it is unsulphered mix either 1-2 tablespoons with a cup of warm water to dissolve it and then add to a gallon of water
i use it every other watering so about once a week

Use the one they sell in your grocery store. Likely Grandmas or Brer Rabbit. Its next to the pancake syrup. I am pretty sure the sulfured stuff isnt sold in stores.

Set aside 8oz for some Shoo Fly Pie. That shit is good. >>> http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/shoo-fly-pie-recipe/index.html <<<

Blackstrap is good, but u do not feed or rather I do not feed my plants molasses until after last flush of last week then i run it 3 to 5 days with its normal water cycle. 1 sixteen oz bottle per 40 gal tank and no chems

If you are giving your plants a full spectrum fertilizer you do not need to give them molasses. Molasses is a decent source of nitrogen and potash, as well as other needed micronutrients, but any decent commercial fertilizer will contain all of the needed plant minerals.

How molasses works is it provides a source of carbon for bacteria in the soil. The bacteria are able to reproduce and proliferate due to the additional source of food. They, in turn, break down the molasses into mineral forms that are utilized by the plant as food and to perform essential plant functions.

If you were choosing to grow all organically in soil, molasses would be a great way to supplement other organic fertilizers, such as properly composted plant and animal matter. If you are growing in hyrdo, molasses will be of limited, if any, benefit since you do not have the soil microbes that break the molasses down into its plant usable forms.

As to molasses improving the taste of bud, I am far from sold on that claim. Plants are not acting like a kid with a straw and slurping up sugar. The sugar is completely unusable by the plant until microbes perform their activity.

I never heard of such a thing till I joined up and was wondering why it was used too.

Thanks for the explanation Countryfarmer.

either way it works better than paying $40 for some SWEET or carbo-load..

odbsmydog said:

either way it works better than paying $40 for some SWEET or carbo-load..

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Absolutely! If you choose to grow all organically and need the molasses to help provide some of the needed micronutrients as well as some extra nitrogen and potash, it is much better to buy some blackstrap molasses and mix it into some water yourself than pay a commercial vendor 20 times the price of doing it yourself.

I use it with every watering from start to finish and always have healthy plants. I also use High N Guano, Worm Castings and kelp extract. Mix it all together in a gallon of water and let it cook in the hot sun for an hour or so then water, they love it big time!

akgrown said:

I use it with every watering from start to finish and always have healthy plants. I also use High N Guano, Worm Castings and kelp extract. Mix it all together in a gallon of water and let it cook in the hot sun for an hour or so then water, they love it big time!

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Sounds like a good, all organic fertilizer.

My buds taste a little stronger when I use molasses. Not more potent, more flavor. Not a lot, it's just enough to notice.
Just enough to keep me using it. I always start molasses when I start the bloom fertilizer.
The buds always finish nice & frosty, when I use Molasses

peace
doublejj
P.S. You should see the girl at the register, when I buy 8 bottles of Brer Rabbit. I use one bottle per feeding, twice a week.

doublejj said:

My buds taste a little stronger when I use molasses. Not more potent, more flavor. Not a lot, it's just enough to notice.
Just enough to keep me using it. I always start molasses when I start the bloom fertilizer.
The buds always finish nice & frosty, when I use Molasses

peace
doublejj
P.S. You should see the girl at the register, when I buy 8 bottles of Brer Rabbit. I use one bottle per feeding, twice a week.

Click to expand...

I use brer and grandmas mixed together cause they both have slightly different cal-mag-p-k ratios. the day I bought both bottles I used half of each, now I just add a few tablespoons every couple days..

I use carbo load it does its job well, then I use molasses after last flush...last run was 5.5 lbs......

you could of used the molasses instead of the carbo-load and it would be almost identical. carbo-load works great but your paying more for shipping, packaging and advertising than you are for nutrients.