3LB's Molasses - The Miracle Addative

[vonforne]

You can also purchase dried molasses online from a health food site. It is used for baking.

Also some farm sites will carry dried molasses as a food additive for animals.

When you make a tea with this you also get the benefits from the organic matter in the dried mix.

I think MindsI uses dried molasses on a regular basis.

V

 

[Rat_Genius]

okay so ive red through it finally and i have a few questions.

1.) When can i start using the molasses (veg or only for flowering)

2.) Would you use molasses if using the Moonshine Soil Mix? (what would you cut out of the MSM to use the molasses, fruit and flower?)

 

[Rat_Genius]

BUMP BUMP

 

[NYCDiesel]

when do you stop using molasse before harvest
peace

 

[Brastaman]

i use molasses for my flowering plants for building trichs/resins and developing flavor.
i typically do not feed my plants anything two weeks before harvest, depends on what soil i using and how much crap has built up in the soil.

 

[NYCDiesel]

did someone try rice syrup?

 

[Crazy Composer]

I don't know if this was mentioned, but, maple syrup. It's the stored food of the maple tree, so it's already perfect for feeding to plants.

I prefer maple syrup to other products because it's actually plant food stolen from a plant and concentrated, AND because it's NOT loaded with lots of other stuff that I'm not after. All I am interested in is carbs, not amino acids and foreign plant oils (as you find in products like "Sweet").

We're still experimenting with maple syrup here, but the results so far have been splendid.

I am interested in adding carbs because the plants have enough to do just in growing. When you add carbs, like maple syrup, the plants don't need to spend so much energy trying to feed themselves, and instead put their energy into growing and other metabolic processes.

In late flower, when plants are no longer fed nutrients, carbs can be especially helpful. The ripening of buds requires energy, but with no more nutrient, a plant is left holding the bag... so-to-speak. Adding carbs at this time will provide the plant with energy to continue ripening, while NOT feeding extra salts and minerals.

 

[Clackamas Coot]

We pay $10.00 for 3.5 gallons of molasses at the local feed stores around here.

There is also dried molasses flakes available in 50 lb. bags that sell between $15.00 - $18.00 at the same feed stores. Nice way to add molasses by mixing it in with the soil at the beginning.

It's also much easier to clean-up when your 2 Yellow Labs decide to play in the spilled molasses mess - to say the least.

Besides molasses, honey, maple syrup I've also tried agave nectar (really good!) and brown rice syrup in the teas as well as for a foliar feed with seaweed extract. Basically a carbohydrate is a carbohydrate to a plant I would guess.

 

[mjcuresall]

okay so ive red through it finally and i have a few questions.

1.) When can i start using the molasses (veg or only for flowering)

2.) Would you use molasses if using the Moonshine Soil Mix? (what would you cut out of the MSM to use the molasses, fruit and flower?)

Rat_Genius -
Molasses is mainly used to feed the beneficial bacteria in the soil, so why not use it all the time? That's my understanding and I use it with every watering as soon as the plants start receiving nutes. The plants love it.

I've never used Moonshine Man's soil mix, but as for using molasses with it, I'd be hesitant. MSM's mix is pretty rich. I recall reading that if you don't let it dry significantly between waterings, plants will show symptoms of nute deficiency (or toxicity). As molasses also acts as a chelator (helping make nutrients readily available to the plants), I'd be worried about the possibility of making an already rich mix super hot.

My .

 

[Piffington]

Alright so I've read through most of the thread (might have missed a page or two hehe) and had a friend pick me up some grandma's unsulphured. I have about 3 weeks left til harvest on most of my plants and it seems like some people don't think it's a good idea to flush with molasses. I guess I'll only use the molasses this week and then stop and just flush with plain water for the remaining two as usual....or use the molasses til harvest? Thanks for any input.

 

[mjcuresall]

Piffington, some people use it until harvest and some stop 2 weeks before. It's a personal choice.

 

[Piffington]

Thanks for the reply, I decided to go all the way through with some and stop the molasses with a couple weeks left on the others. Will see if there's any difference in a couple weeks.

 

[Woody Creek]

the molasas at your local feed storewill be better than grama's. It's a dirty mix containing more of the complex carbs and bactireal growing stuff we want for plants. More compareable to blackstrap rather than the cooking stuff. and way cheaper.

use all the way through. use up to 4 tblspoons per gal for soil. so much better for flushing etc. keep your plant processing all the nutriets making for a smoth smoke.

 

[Piffington]

Thanks for the advice Woody, but 4 Tbsp per gallon? Isn't that a bit much?

 

[mjcuresall]

Thanks for the reply, I decided to go all the way through with some and stop the molasses with a couple weeks left on the others. Will see if there's any difference in a couple weeks.

I'd be interested to know your preference with whatever strain(s) you're harvesting. When you get a chance, let us know your findings...

Peace.

 

[konstantgrdnr]

Maximum Yield Magazine info
http://www.maximumyield.com/article_v10n5_why_use_sugary_supplements.php

Why Use Sugary Supplements?
Matt LeBannister


People feed their plants sugars all the time without knowing it and not always understanding why. You give your sweetheart a bouquet of roses for Valentine’s Day and before they are put into the vase, sugar is added to the water to extend their bloom. Some “old school” gardeners will add molasses to their nutrient solution during the flowering period. Actually, just by adding fulvic acid, usually labeled “gold,” and humic acid, usually labeled “black,” to your nutrient mix you are giving your plants the building blocks for sugars.

Most growers do not even know that there is a meter, called a Brix meter, that is used to measure the level of sugars in the leaves of plants. It is generally understood that the higher the level of sugars within a plant’s tissue, the healthier the plant is and the better the yield will be.

Knowing this, the question should not be, “Why add a carbohydrate supplement to my nutrient solution?” but simply, “Why haven’t I added one already?”

To understand why you should give your plants one of the sugary supplements on the market, you should become a little more familiar with the way plants produce and use sugars.

Almost all plants use sugars as their main source of fuel. They transport these sugars along with water and other elements throughout their systems, either for food or to create amino acids for biosynthesis to fuel cellular respiration. Maple trees are a great example of how plants use sugars. Their sugary sap is famous at breakfast tables worldwide, but that sap is really the food the maple tree has begun to store to survive the winter to come.

Most plants are photoautotrophs, which means that they synthesize their own food directly from inorganic compounds using photons, the energy from light. They do this using a process called photosynthesis. Photosynthesis comes from the Greek word “photo,” meaning light, and “synthesis,” meaning to put together. The inorganic compounds are carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O), and the energy source is sunlight. The end products include glucose, a simple sugar, and oxygen (O2). The actual equation looks like this:

6CO2 + 12H2O + photons —> C6H2O6 + 6O2 + 6H2O
(gas) (liquid) (aqueous) (gas) (liquid)


Then, through a process called carbon fixation, ATP (adenosine triphosphate),AND? a high-energy molecule CO2 (carbon dioxide) are used to create sugars. Some sugars produced, such as glucose, are simple sugars or monosaccharides. They are easily broken down by the plant and are generally used for energy. Other sugars produced, such as cellulose, are complex sugars or polysaccharides. Polysaccharides consist of a chain of two or more sugars and are usually used for lipid and amino acid biosynthesis. Polysaccharides are also used as a fuel in cellular respiration. Cellulose specifically is used as the building material for all green plants. It is the main component of all green plant cell walls.

Through the examination of the process of photosynthesis, we learn just how important the sugars produced through this process are. The sugars and starches are vital to the plant. They are essential for cellular preparation, to maintain the plants metabolism and vigor. The sugars are even the building blocks that keep the very cells of the plant together. Now it is understood that plants have a great big “sweet tooth” and are specialists at making the sugars they need.

So why then should we be feeding them more on top of all this? Simply put, flowering plants are burning these carbs trying to make large fruit or vegetables, or big beautiful blooms, faster than a marathon runner trying to win a race. Not to mention that the process of photosynthesis, which produces the sugars, itself takes a lot of energy. By adding one of the organic carbohydrate supplements to your nutrient solution the carbohydrates that have been allocated to the flowering process will be replenished more easily. This will save your plant the energy it would need to create those sugars itself, and your plant can focus more of its energy on the flowering process.

Also, many beneficial bacteria and fungi (aka carbon-fixing bacterial fungi) will live on the sugars and will break down the sugars for the plant. This, again, allows the plant to use energy usually spent breaking down sugars for other processes. The more beneficial bacteria and fungi, the easier nutrients are absorbed by the roots. All this leads to improved flowering and overall health of the plants.

When choosing the supplement for your plants remember the old saying, “You are what you eat.” The same goes for your plants. Look for something organic because organic sugars will improve flavor and smell better than anything that inorganic.

There are also some sugars that are more important to your plants than others. Xylose and arabinose are two of those sugars. Both are sugars naturally produced by plants. They are also monosaccharides, which means they are simple sugars and, therefore, used more easily by the plant.

Glucose should be the main ingredient of the product because it is the main product of photosynthesis. Glucose is a monosaccharide that is used for energy and for starting cellular respiration in the plant. The name “glucose” comes from the Greek word “glykys,” which means sweet, with the suffix “ose,” which denotes that it is a carbohydrate. Glucose is critical in the production of proteins and in lipid metabolism. Glucose is also used as a precursor for the synthesis of several important substances, such as starch and cellulose. Starch is a way in which plants store energy and cellulose makes up most of the structural parts of plants.

Fructose is also a monosaccharide and is a main component of most tree fruit, berries, and melons. It is the sweetest naturally occurring sugar and is twice as sweet as the disaccharide sucrose, which consists of glucose and fructose bonded together.

The disaccharide maltose is also an important sugar because enzymes break it down into two glucose molecules.

All of the above sugars are produced naturally by plants. By adding a supplement containing these simple and complex sugars to a well-balanced nutrient, a plant will increase the levels of sugars in the leaves and throughout the plant. This will let the plant use its energy more efficiently, allowing more energy to be focused on producing large fruit and bigger blooms. These sugars will also improve the taste of the end product while giving fuel to beneficial bacteria and fungi.

Using sugar supplements with carbon-based fulvic acid and humic acid bring great benefits to your plants with no downside. Knowing this and how the plants produce and use these sugars makes using them simply “carbo-logic.”


I can't remember if i posted this somewhere else. Maybe i'll forget if that was a good or bad thing.

 

[Rat_Genius]

yo MJcures whats your soil mixture? I want to go 90-100% organic for this grow. Have any tips for soil mix, ferts, etc...

 

[mjcuresall]

yo MJcures whats your soil mixture? I want to go 90-100% organic for this grow. Have any tips for soil mix, ferts, etc...

Rat_Genius,
The soil mix I use is very simple. It's been posted dozens of times and is also the first one in BurnOne's thread. It's "LC's Soiless Mix #1" and "RECIPE #1" for nutes. I add mycorhizae, of course and all I add to the water along the way is molasses and liquid karma. The mix has enough nutes to veg for four weeks and flower until harvest, be it eight weeks or twelve.

Organic, simple, cheap and reusable, too. No need for any expensive hydro store crap. Even the liquid karma isn't necessary as long as you have enough humates in your soil.

Hope this helps.

 

[anthonyblunt]

Lads

I just bought some black treacle, which is the european equivalent of molasses. I note it contains SO2 - ie sulphur dioxide. Is that a problem?

Lyle's Black Treacle is the brand name

Thanks for any help

 

[Guest]

thnx for such a great info! For sure ill try!