Hello, all,
This is my first post. I came in search of info on molasses; I have not used it yet. I've learned some useful things. Nutrients, boosters and DWC are my primary areas of interest right now. I don't want to be governed by marketing hype, so my first avenues of research are always into cheap, anecdotally effective products.
I'm also researching the home distillation of Carribean-style rum. Molasses is the key ingredient in rum. The problem with molasses, as everyone who has used it knows, is that it is basically glue. That's why the only thing growers can think to do with it is dump it in the dirt, where it will eventually break down if you don't use too much of it.
Distillers boil molasses and cane sugar fermented in big pots. Because they don't want the hassle of constantly cleaning stuck brown crud from the inside of the pots, they first clarify the molasses.
It seems they use a multi-step process, probably aimed at getting more usable product back, but basic clarifying can be done on a stovetop.
Take your molasses, and 2 times by volume water and heat it on the stove. Get it good and mixed. Turn off the heat and let it settle undisturbed for some hours. What you have will be a clear layer on top, and a brown layer on the bottom. Siphon off the top, throw away the bottom (not down the drain).
This product should be much easier to work with and may be better suited to hydroponics and DWC. I dunno yet. Will probably try and see. Just putting it out there in case somebody wants to go first.
