How many of you use molasses to wake up your soil microbes in the spring? If you do use it, have you noticed any benefits?

MissS wrote: ↑Thu Mar 12, 2020 11:30 am How many of you use molasses to wake up your soil microbes in the spring? If you do use it, have you noticed any benefits?

I have not used molasses as a soil drench but have used it when making worm tea. I'd be interested to know more.

I've read about it...
At my house... Ima gonna save that molasses for me...
Pour it on top of freshly popped popcorn... yummy
Use in place of syrup on home made hotcakes...
Soil microbes... they're just gonna have to get by on the chicken compost...

I use molasses with liquid fish ferts always. It fills a gap by providing some potassium as well as other micronutrients, but even better, it neutralizes the awful smell of fish.

In my Nematode Wars, I chased down the rumor that molasses has a detrimental effect on nematodes so I found some articles about molasses and plants which included information on the benefits to the soil. From my archives, probably the best article in the bunch is:

Use of molasses as an additive for microbial boosting
http://www.thesoilguy.com/SG/Molasses

Others with information:

Molasses can bring alleviation to many dire garden situations.
https://fifthseasongardening.com/molass ... e-to-pests

Ways to deal with nematodes, incl 2 tablespoons of molasses per litre of water
https://www.greenlifesoil.com.au/sustai ... /nematodes

I have played around with it, but not run a control.

Blackstrap is much more nutritious. But if cost is an issue, buy the animal feed molasses from the farm store.

Haven't tried it for garden purposes, but date molasses is excellent on pancakes!

If using molasses for tomato plants, make sure that it is from organically grown sugar canes or beets. Two years ago one guy in Finland was using molasses as fertilizer and got similar problems as herbicide poisoning. He then did a test to compare, if the molasses was the culprit.
He wrote about the test in his blog. It is in Finnish, but the pictures tell the tale.
https://www.chilitunari.fi/2018/07/toma ... loppu.html

Organic tomato fertilizers containing vinasse, which is a byproduct of sugar industry, are now sold under many brands in Finland. Quite many people have got problems when using those fertilizers and it is suspected that the vinasse is tainted with clopyralid, which is commonly used on sugar beet fields.

Sari

I had a terrible experience with molasses. We bought a huge tote for storing water collected from our roof. It had contained molasses in its previous life and there was a residue at the bottom which I rinsed and saved. Only the new plants from the nursery and a few favorites received the elixir, AND THEY ALL DIED The lesson was learned, and the rest of the mixture was used, very successfully, to kill the weeds that grew along the edges of the driveway.....

I think the problem was that I thought it was natural and would do no harm, so I never bothered to look up the quantity needed to be used as a fertilizer and not a poison!!!!

And now that I have read Svali's excellent link about using molasses as a fertilizer for tomatoes, I have to wonder if molasses would be such a good idea at all!!!

Linda

MissS wrote: ↑Thu Mar 12, 2020 11:30 am How many of you use molasses to wake up your soil microbes in the spring? If you do use it, have you noticed any benefits?

I use black strap non sulphured molasses as a sticking agent for my foliar feedings. I have also used it as a sticking agent for neem oil, ect. I can't say for sure that it does anything because its a part of my regular regime. I never did side by side tests. A long time ago I looked into using black strap and all the data just made sense. I didn't really see a down side to using it just mostly positive things. All the data is there and its pretty straight forward. The nutrients feed the microbes, the microbes feed the plant, everyone is happy.

All of this is just a bonus for me. The main reason why I use it is for a safe organic sticking agent to mix with my nutrients for foliar feeding.

That is what I have used it for as well.

Side effects from sugar beet production does not surprise me in the least. It is a shame that process was ever invented. Sugar should be created where it naturally grew in the carribean.