MOLASSES...Types & Sugar Content (fyi)

BLACKSTRAP or SUGAR BEET molasses is some wonderfull stuff to mix with the various guanos to balance out the nutrient package.

Molasses is a syrupy, thick juice created by the processing of either sugar beets or the sugar cane plant.

For gardeners the sweet syrup can work as a carbohydrate source to feed and stimulate microorganisms.

Molasses is also an excellent chelating agent.

In addition to sugars, molasses contains significant amounts of potash, sulfur, and a variety of micronutrients (average NPK 1-0-5).

Because molasses is derived from plants, and because the manufacturing processes that create it remove mostly sugars, the majority of the mineral nutrients that were contained in the original sugar cane or sugar beet are still present in molasses.



There are three major types of molasses:
unsulphured, sulphured and blackstrap.

There are also three major grades of molasses:
first molasses, second molasses, and blackstrap molasses.

* Unsulphured molasses is the finest quality. It is made from the juice of sun-ripened cane and the juice is clarified and concentrated.

* Sulphured molasses is made from green (unripe) sugar cane and is treated with sulphur fumes during the sugar extraction process.

* Each season, the sugar cane plant is harvested and stripped of its leaves. Its juice is then extracted from the canes (usually by crushing or mashing), boiled until it has reached the appropriate consistency, and processed to extract the sugar. The results of this first boiling and processing is first molasses, which has the highest sugar content because comparatively little sugar has been extracted from the juice.

* Second molasses is created from a second boiling and sugar extraction, and has a slight bitter tinge to its taste. Further rounds of processing and boiling yield the dark blackstrap molasses, which is the most nutritionally valuable, and thus often sold as a health supplement, as well as being used in the manufacture of cattle feed, and for other industrial uses.

Sugar Beet Molasses

Molasses from the sugar beet is different from cane molasses.
Only the syrup left from the final crystallisation stage is called molasses; intermediate syrups are referred to as high green and low green.

It is about 50% sugar by dry weight, predominantly sucrose but also containing significant amounts of glucose and fructose.
The non-sugar content includes many salts such as calcium, potassium, oxalate and chloride. As such, it is unpalatable and is mainly used as an additive to animal feed or as a fermentation feedstock.

It is possible to extract additional sugar from beet molasses through a process known as molasses desugarisation. This technique exploits industrial scale chromatography to separate sucrose from non sugar components. The technique is only economically viable in areas where the price of sugar is supported above the world market e.g. in areas with trade barriers, and is prevalent in the US and is also seen within the European Community.

The non-sucrose elements in the beet sugar production process are called molassegenic because they take equal amounts of sucrose with them to the molasses stage where it cannot normally be economically extracted.


Interestingly, molasses is also an excellent chelating agent.
An object coated with iron rust placed for two weeks in a mixture of one part molasses to nine parts water will lose its rust due to the chelating action of the molasses.


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Molasses: the lazy way to make your own fuel.
You can make180 proof, ethanol fuel for only $1.00/gallon, or less.
This site has a very complete rundown of the various molasses'
I had originally posted this Ethanol production websites extensive molasses information in this thread, decided it was too long (with various irrelevent content) for here, so I decided to link. Look on Right hand side towards the bottom of the page for the relative linked article.
http://running_on_alcohol.tripod.com/id21.html

Brer Rabbit Blackstrap Molasses
Nutritional Information and Nutrition Facts: Serving Size: 1Tbsp. (21g).
Percentage Daily Values;
Fat - 0g, 0%;
Sodium - 65mg. 3%;
Potassium - 800 mg. 23%;
Total Carbohydrates - 13g, 4%;
Sugars - 12g,
Protein - 1g,
Calcium - 2%;
Iron 10%;
Magnesium 15%;
Not a significant source of calories from fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, fiber, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C.

"Most bat and seabird guanos are fairly close to being complete fertilizers, with the main exception being that they are usually short in Potassium.
Molasses as it turns out is a great source of that necessary Potassium.
...molasses also acts as a chelating agent and will help to make micronutrients in the Guano more readily available...

A very good example of a guano tea recipe...is really as simple as the following:

1 Gallon of water

1 Tablespoon of guano
(for a flowering mix use Jamaican or Indonesian Bat Guano -
for a more general use fertilizer we would choose Peruvian Seabird Guano.)

1 tsp./5ml. blackstrap or sugar beet molasses

Caution: Excess application of high Nitrogen guano may burn your plants.
Suggestion:
Maybe the first application or two, use a bit less High N guano to see how they handle it.

thanx IMB for all the organix postings....very informative- a resource for everyone from noob to expert....

I never knew that there were so many grades of molasses! Have plant researchers come to a conclusion as to which variety of molasses is the best for stimulating the growth of microorganisms and beneficial bacteria? hmmmm.....

Also, I know there must be some questions about the meaning and importance of "chelating" agents in the context of plant physiology. I have been searching your database for a good explanation of this term but have not found it yet so here goes:

What is a "Chelating Agent" and why are they necessary?

The word "Chelate" comes from the Greek root for "claw" as in the crab's appendage. The process of chelation is very important to proper nutrient uptake and refers to the process a nutrient undergoes to become readily absorbable and available to the plant. If nutrients are not readily available to a plant in a proper chelated formation, then the plant cannot use them and they remain "locked" in the soil. This phenomenon of nutrient lockout can be devastating for plant health as levels of salts begin to accumulate in the root zone, causing unhealthy pH and EC levels, destruction of beneficial microorganisms, and necrotic plant tissue as a result of insufficient nutrient absorption. There are many natural chelating agents including the Humic Acids, of which "Fulvic" acid is the most effective and biochemically active. Synthetic chelating agents, such as EDTA, are often used in hydroponic nutrient solutions and a reputable company will list the name of the chelating agent on the label. Chelating agents pinch the nutrient molecule in a ring-like structure, prohibiting the molecule from reacting with other molecules in the root-zone and thus ensuring that the plant will receive the nutritional benefits.

oh by the way......the word "chelating" also refers to a plant's ability to pull out toxins from the soil and detoxify its environment. For instance, if there are neurotoxic chemicals such as mercury or cadmium present in the soil, a plant can absorb these chemicals and bind them up in a ring-like structure within the plant tissue. This ensures that toxins will not affect further development of the plant and increases soil fertility for future seed germination. In this way toxins are sequestered for the life of the plant....kind of a quarantine if ya think about it....

i use it very often with my microbiral waterings....thanks for sharing

great information!
where can i find molasses?
thanks

Good read!!

Good read!!

Thank you I.M. Very informative, and interesting as always.
Not to change the subject but I read in a thread yesterday where you
stated that you were a tomato grower. I got into growing heirloom tomato
strains just a few years back. PM me sometime when you have a chance.
Would like to hear about the strains you've grown. Peace.

Its also the number one ingredient in Alaska brand Start-up 2-1-2. Another note about it is that its very high in vitamin B and plants seem to dig vitamin B.

hey i.m boggled... how well does molassis mix into the water. Its some real sticky gooey stuff. Just wondering...

another great read, im a organic nut, tryn to phase out slowly everythin nonorganic.

thanks im-boggled

Guano thread with references on how to cultivate using Molasses as a primary "K" source.
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=15272

Great thread IMB, but I have one question that anyone with experience can answer: How do I incorporate it into my nutrient solution?
For instance, I use B.C. Nutrient solution products (BC Boost, BC bloom, awesome blossoms & thrive alive b1 red) and follow the manufacturers recipe for success, so how would I incorporate malasses into the nute solution for my particular application? Or even the GH 1-2-3 nute solution system that so many growers use?

I have heard before that using molasses in your nute solution will also increase your yield, some folks have even refered to it as a "secret weapon" for a super heavy yeild but other than just adding wieght to your harvest what else will benefit my plants by using molasses in my nute solution?

I am no botanist(?) just another grower trying to find out another recipe or "secret weapon" to ad to my arsonal!
Thanks
OutLaw

a very talented grower was talking up tje vrtues of blackstrap molasses in the rez last week....I may just end up trying a bit...

yes another great read

I love my unsulphured blackstrap molasses!!!!
It's deff some good stuff, for us, and or the plants

Good read IMB

There was a post on OG before it went down saying they used molasses and ants arrived in droves. Anybody else have problems with ants going after the sugars?

Hmmm...
Yes I have become interested in the black-strap molasses myself recently, and have bought some just to use on my plants. I will also be using a little honey and some Malt extract as well.

Boosting bacterial populations in the medium is a good reason to use it, but I think there are other benefits as well. I dont fully understand the mechanisms involved, but molasses, malt extract contain vitamins (mostly b vitamins) and amino acids which are beneficial to the plant. One product from Advanced Nutrients "Sweet Leaf" is made mostly from Raw cane extract, malt extract, molasses, yeast extract. They claim this product boosts the oil production and smell and taste in the finished product. I wanted to try it for sure, but its not available in Australia, so I thought I might have a go at making something similar myself.

I would love to see a recipe for such a concoction.

here is a link to the Sweet Leaf product on the Advanced Nutrients website
http://www.advancednutrients.com/product_label_pdfs/Sweetleaf_hydroponic_plant_food.html

oh, also chelating agents are molecules which hold or incorporate other compounds or elements such as micronutrients. By "chelating" these molecules, they become protected and less reactive, at the same time in a form which is available to the plant. (this is my understanding of "chelators" or "chelation"

Chemistry: A chemical compound in the form of a heterocyclic ring, containing a metal ion attached by coordinate bonds to at least two nonmetal ions.

I think I'm going to try some mollasses on my next grow just for kicks. Good info.

Not sure about that, my basic understanding of chelation was to make something easily available that isnt normally easily available by a process of attaching an inert chelating agent to it. Like in iron, instead of tossing an iron nail into your res you employ a chelating agent to take an iron atom away from it when it comes in contact with it and use the result as chelated iron.

Interesting to note that the herb cilantro is a natural chelation agent long used for the treatment of human heavy metal poisoning.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelation

also used as a additive to flush water to add sugars whiles still flushing, came across the info while researching organic flushing. Sugars add flavor , and plants need while finishing. And they still get processed during drying/cure'n time. Extra sugars means extra taste , I was always told. Goes for your home garden too. I'll have to find the mixture amounts and post them...It was in some threads at OG, I can't get to now.