Molasses ~ When & Why ?

[corkushy]

<<plantation black strap found at stop and shop in organic isle
GRANDMAS ROBUST unsulphured molasses
sodium:20mg
potassium:200mg
sugars:13g
calcium:6%
magnesium:8%
iorn:8%

 

[*mistress*]

After going through EVERY PAGE of this thread there still has NOT been a complete consensus on which Blackstrap is best.

Brer Rabbit is most popular but not clearly defined as BEST.

Where-as the Wholesome Sweeteners isn't nearly as popular but was called "the best" by one ICmag member = mistress.

When these two are compared the first and most obvious thing is the difference in potassium (k) with Brer Rabbit coming in at less than half of the Wholesome Sweetener and also the Wholesome Sweetener contains 0% sodium.

brer rabbit molasses, full flavor:
potassium 290 mg 8%
calcium 10%
magnesium 20%
iron 15%
sodium 25 mg 1%
total carbohydrates 15 g 5%
sugars 11 g

wholesome sweeteners organic molasses: [organic and fair trade cert.]
potassium 730 mg 20%
calcium 115 mg 10%
magnesium 8%
iron 15%
vitamin b6 10%
sodium 0%
total carbohydrates 14 g 4%
sugars 10 g


SO ... which is BEST and why ??

wholesome sweeteners - by far...

more potassium than plantation, brer rabbit, grandmas, etc...

all of the math is in thread in sig:
calculating npk/nutrient profile

the 'calculations' & 'npk' are based on wholesome sweeteners molasses; after exhaustive search for molasses w/ most mg of desired elements.

the actual ppms of the listed ingredients (wholesome sweeteners, among others, & a few gh nutes, etc...) are in that thread as well.

there is also horticultural molasses & livestock/wildlife molasses. may be able to get better npk from livestock-type... food type usually only has recommended daily values of 2,000-2,500 calorie diet. have to convert several times, but can get ~ppms/npk, etc...

'best' food grade:
wholesome sweeteners blackstrap (also contains b1). available @ grocery stores...

'best' feed grade:
evolved habitats livestock/wildlife molasses. available @ hardware/home improve/outdoors store...

see also: natures guide or natures wisdom or medinas horticultural molasses...


hope this helps. enjoy your garden!

 

[hoosierdaddy]

Three are things put into feed grade molasses that we do not want our plants to encounter.
I would not suggest ever using feed grade molasses.
I think that may have been touched on in this thread (?)

Corkushy, that is yet another example of comparing apples to oranges. "Robust" is not "Blackstrap". Grandmas does make blackstrap, and that is what you should compare other blackstraps to. Not the robust offering.

 

[*mistress*]

have used feed grade molasses w/ absolutely no issues. only more vigor & reproductive gland production...

FWIW, the blackstrap in the bottle at the grocery is not the exact same thing as feed grade molasses. It is much much cleaner and consistent than feed fill.

yes, it is the same thing... not exactly sure what you mean by 'cleaner' & 'consistent', but it dissolves just as fast as thick & chunky flora nova bloom, or alaska fish emulsion...

if uncertain about contents, or additives, contact mfg... can also contact mfg beforehand to make sure has no issue-causing content.

the molasses listed below is 95% cane molasses. you dont even get that consistency w/ most bottled hydro ferts...

if an npk is 4%-8%-7%, that means there is ~80% ballast, or filler in the nutes...

it is blackstrap cane molasses... the 3rd burn; full of nutrients. molasses been used in feed for long time. people are very doting on the animals too; no farmer would feed their livestock food that would cause problems...

can usually get a fuller nute profile from feed grade too.

below is the nutrient profile of the feed grade cane molasses used. from here:
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=2693046&postcount=47

Nutrient Name|Actual Dry Matter|Units
1 Weight......................1. 0000 1.0000 Lbs
2 Dry Matter...............70.0000 70.0000 %
3 Crude Protein............. 2.8610 4.0872 %
7 Ash % ....................10.4905 14.9864 %
8 Total Sugar Invert ....46.7302 66.7575 %
9 Moisture .................30.0000 42.8571 %
10 Calcium ....................0.5150 0.7357 %
11 Phosphorus ...............0.0477 0.0681 %
12 Salt .........................0.343 3 0.4905 %
13 Sodium .....................0.1431 0.2044 %
14 Chloride ....................2.2888 3.2698 %
15 Magnesium ................0.1907 0.2725 %
16 Potassium .................3.4332 4.9046 %
17 Sulfur .......................0.2956 0.4223 %
18 Cobalt ......................2.9645 4.2350 ppm
19 Copper ...................19.0736 27.2480 ppm
20 Iron ....................121.1029 173.0041 ppm
22 Manganese ..............28.5938 40.8482 ppm
24 Zinc ..........................4.91 13 7.0162 ppm
54 Cobalt ........................1.3447 1.9210 mg/lb
55 Copper .......................8.6517 12.3596 mg/lb
56 Iron .........................54.93 19 78.4741 mg/lb
58 Manganese ...............12.9701 18.5286 mg/lb
60 Zinc ...........................2.2 278 3.1825 mg/lb
71 NFE ..........................56.6 485 80.9264 %
72 TDN ..........................57.9 455 82.7793 %
73 DE ..........................115. 8865 165.5522 Mcal/cwt
74 ME ...........................95. 0270 135.7528 Mcal/cwt
75 NE (Lact).................. 60.5858 86.5511 Mcal/cwt
76 NE (Maint) ................64.2443 91.7776 Mcal/cwt
77 NE (Gain) .................43.3861 61.9801 Mcal/cwt
114 Organic Matter % .....59.5095 85.0136 %
117 NSC/TNC % .............56.6485 80.9264 %
119 Digest Protein % ........0.0163 0.0233 %
134 Molasses Factor % ..95.3678 136.2398 %
135 % Cane .................95.3678 136.2398 %
137 % Front .................11.2727 16.1039 %
153 Tag Protein % ...........2.7752 3.9646 %
156........................... .....0.4292 0.6131 %
157 Tag Phos % ...............0.0458 0.0654 %
158 Tag Moisture % .........30.9000 44.1429 %
159 Tag Sugars % ............44.8610 64.0872 %
160 Added Minerals % ........6.6757 9.5368 %
166 Sucrose % ...............35.4909 50.7013 %
176 NE (lac) Mcal/kg .....1.3357 1.9081 mcal/kg
177 NE (Main) Mcal/kg ....1.4163 2.0233 mcal/kg
178 NE (Gain) Mcal/kg .....0.9565 1.3664 mcal/kg
179 ME Dry Mcal/kg .........2.8516 4.0737 Mcal/kg
180 TDN Dry Basis% .............78.9448 112.7783 %
193 Brix 75.8174 .......................108.310 6 Brix
194 OM Factor ........................0.1127 0.1610
195 Anion mEq/100g ..............82.9516 118.5022
196 Cation mEq/100g .............94.2515 134.6450
197 CAB mEq .........................11.29 99 16.1428
199 Est Product RI .................69.4850 99.2643
201 Density .........................0.386 0 0.5514 lbs/gal
202 Water Activity ................0.0463 0.0662 units

Three are things put into feed grade molasses that we do not want our plants to encounter.
I would not suggest ever using feed grade molasses.

please identify what ingredients that you dont want the plant to encounter & why...

enjoy your garden!

 

[corkushy]

hosierdaddy i was compareing grandmas to the black strap in the picture so people could see the diffrence im not using grandmas to grow

 

[Dreamscape]

You are comparing full flavor, and not blackstrap. Try looking at the Brer Rabbit Blackstrap.

Ah yes ...

After doing a 15min. google search I can't find a website that lists off the nutritional info for the brer rabbit blackstrap.

So which is better in your opinion ? And why?

Do you think those "molasses" for plants products are specically formulated and are thus different than the regular blackstrap?

 

[prop215]

I will not use mollasses again. its not worth the trouble IMHO. Reason being I did not see any benefits as in yield,it attracts pests, it raises PH substantially ( my tap water is already at 8.5-9 and the mollasses raises it to 13-16 ) and I felt like it gave the buds are funky taste/smell.. But the latter could very well be my imagination .

 

[*mistress*]

Ah yes ...

After doing a 15min. google search I can't find a website that lists off the nutritional info for the brer rabbit blackstrap.

So which is better in your opinion ? And why?

Do you think those "molasses" for plants products are specically formulated and are thus different than the regular blackstrap?

if food grade product, have to convert from daily values to get ~npk...

most of your q's about molasses may be able to be a'd on page 3 thread in calc npk link...

enjoy your garden!

 

[darookie2000]

I will not use mollasses again. its not worth the trouble IMHO. Reason being I did not see any benefits as in yield,it attracts pests, it raises PH substantially ( my tap water is already at 8.5-9 and the mollasses raises it to 13-16 ) and I felt like it gave the buds are funly taste/smell.. But the latter could very well be my imagination .

I'm not sure what's going on with your setup, but molasses lowers my pH from the mid 8s to about 6. Are you sure you're using blackstrap molasses? Also, it would be shocking if your pH went up to 13, let alone 16. A pH of 13 would make it about 5 times more alkaline than bleach. It would be extremely reactive, and probably corrosive. What are you using to measure pH?

 

[prop215]

I was just estimating the actual PH as I am using a dropper tester( cant seem to edit my post now ).. It raises it substantially though.Grandmas Mollasses.

 

[darookie2000]

I was just estimating the actual PH as I am using a dropper tester( edited my post ).. It raises it substantially though.Grandmas Mollasses.

Interesting. Just fyi, there are very few substances that have a pH above 14 (the pH scale is generally explained as going from 0 to 14 - it's technically possible to go above or below, but it's very rare).

I think Grandma's may be the source of your problem. Here's a bit from the website:

The purest molasses is pure cane juice. If a manufacturer wants sugar, the cane juice will be processed. The result is a raw sugar and low purity molasses. But Grandma's Original Molasses (Gold Label) is the original, high purity, unprocessed cane juice without any sugar extraction. In manufacturing raw sugar, after the cane has been harvested and mashed, the raw juices are boiled to extract sugar. To produce table sugar, the manufacturer will further process raw sugar into refined sugar. The remaining syrup - after the sugar has been crystallized - is called first molasses. Grandma's Robust Molasses (Green Label) is a blend of first molasses. First molasses, a thick brown syrup, is then thinned with water and re-boiled so that more raw sugar can be extracted.
The leftover syrup from the second boiling is second molasses, and so on. The more boiling you have, the less sweet molasses becomes until you get down to three or more boilings. By this time, the molasses known as "blackstrap" has almost no sweetness, but the highest nutritional value.

The sugar is almost certainly attracting bugs - blackstrap molasses is occasionally used to prevent pests. Give blackstrap a try instead, you'll get much better results.

 

[Dreamscape]

After using the Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Molasses (blackstrap) it DROPPED my waters ph from 6.7ish to 5.8ish.

thank you for the help

 

[darookie2000]

After using the Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Molasses (blackstrap) it DROPPED my waters ph from 6.7ish to 5.8ish.

thank you for the help

Whew, I'm using the same kind and get very similar results.

 

[hoosierdaddy]

mistress, feed grade molasses will almost always have a preservative in it of some sort. More than likely a propionic or carboxylic acid. These can cause problems, IMO, due mostly to the fact that they are heavy inhibitors of bacteria growth. Any bacteria growth.
And even if the stuff doesn't list or claim using a preservative, it can and probably does...unlike food grade molasses which had better not mess with the percentages of content...without informing the public of such a move. Which leads into the difference between the quality between food and feed grades. There are no controls on feed grade, and the contrary with food grade.

Folks, there is always a boat load of crap that gets floated whenever the molasses issues comes back up. There are umpteen threads here that discuss the issue in depth.
I pirated this piece for anyone who actually cares about the pros and cons of using such a product. This guy knows what he is talking about, unlike many of us here.

http://www.eminfo.info/getstarted1.html#Extension

"Any Hints on Molasses and Type?
How About Molasses Sources?
What About Using Microbial "Foods" Other than Blackstrap Molasses?
Molasses has always been the classical food for EM throughout its history, since it is cheap, and contains a mix of simple sugars, complex sugars, complex carbohydrates, minerals and trace minerals. I personally recommend only blackstrap molasses (preferably organic, but not critical), but, really any good molasses which is not too sugary will work. Briefly, any kind of molasses WILL work, but if the simple sugar content is too high, (as can happen with some lighter, non-blackstrap molasses) you may eventually experience a problem with your Activated EM (AEM) going too low in pH (too far below 3.5), and then killing most of the organisms (other than a few lactic acid organisms). Further, with types of molasses which are significantly lighter than blackstrap, you may hit other problems as well. With simple sugars, including really sweet molasses (non-blackstrap molasses such as Barbadoes or West Indies), it is possible indeed to drive the pH down to 3.2 or lower, which, while it does preserve any antioxidants and other nutrients in the liquid for awhile, is kinda hard on the organisms, and their count decreases rapidly.

Can I Use Simpler Sugars to make AEM?
Please bear in mind that blackstrap molasses has been used as the primary foodstuff for Activated EM (AEM) and related EM products for over 20 years, and this is not a accident. Since it offers both sugars, more complex carbohydrates, numerous antioxidants, and also numerous minerals and trace elements, it works well as a food for the microbial consortium and also helps the fermentation process to produce a highly stable liquid high in antioxidants. While it is possible to use other, simpler sugar sources such as lighter grades of molasses, honey, barley malt, rice syrup, corn syrup or sugar as the foodstuff, the results may be very unpredictable and the resultant liquid unstable (insofar as shelf life) and, even so, additional nutrients such as mineral-rich rock dusts, fruit concentrates or sea salt may be needed to even allow the fermentation to complete successfully. Indeed, not only do some versions of AEM made with simpler sugar sources exhibit problems during fermentation, some exhibit a shelf life of only a month or two before going "bad". So, if you must use sugar sources other than blackstrap molasses, you may wish to tread carefully and record your recipes and procedures to allow you to understand and interpret later results.
On the other hand, it is indeed possible to successfully brew EM concoctions with sugar sources other than blackstrap molasses, but it may take a lot more work and tinkering to get it just right. As an example, several EM-fermented human nutritional supplements such as EM-X, Lanox Antioxidant Liquid (from Lanox in Korea) and Vita Biosa nutritional supplement (from Denmark) each avoid the use of molasses entirely (or almost entirely), and instead use only lighter, simpler sugars. On the other hand, each contains other nutrients as well, usually bran, fruit syrups, herbs, or sea vegetables.

Purchasing Molasses from the Bulk Tank at Your Local Feed and Grain Store for Making AEM for Utility and Livestock Use
And now, a word of warning: it may be tempting to purchase cheap blackstrap molasses from the bulk tank at your local feed and grain store: my nearby feed store sells feed grade blackstrap molasses for roughly 7 cents a pound, or 79 cents per gallon (blackstrap molasses of 79.5 Brix weighs about 11.8 pounds per gallon), for example. Sometimes you can get good blackstrap molasses this way, but be warned that such bulk molasses has often been cut (usually at the shipping docks or at a distributor) with water, with preservatives, with various sulfur compounds (as a preservative), or even with cheap oils to improve flow. Each of these things can seriously interfere with your Activated EM, even if it is only intended for animal or utility use. It is sometimes very difficult to get hard, clear, clean and accurate answers from managers at feed and grain stores about exactly what is in their bulk molasses; they often simply do not know for sure. Be aware also that this bulk molasses is NEVER sold for human consumption, but only for consumption by animals. I do have plenty of friends who brew AEM for use as a human fermented antioxidant beverage using this same 7 cents per pound feed-grade blackstrap molasses (from my local Southern States Cooperative depot, see below...), but I tend to frown on that practice.
However, on the positive side, I have purchased cheap bulk feed-grade molasses (the way this works is that you bring your own bucket and lid) from my local feed and grain store (Southern States Cooperative), and it has smelled and tasted fine. I then spent the time to find out the name and contact information for the bulk supplier (Westlas), and then called them and asked some questions about their bulk molasses. I also was able to procure copies of all the actual shipping records and the guaranteed analysis for the most recent batch of bulk blackstrap molasses which my local feed store had purchased, which helped me considerably. The molasses I purchased has a Brix (SG) reading of 79.5. According to the local vendor and the distributor, there is no sulphur added, nor any other preservatives or anti-mold agents added; it is simply just pure cheap bulk molasses for animal feed. In this case, as best as I can tell, this molasses seems to be of rather high quality, and I often use it in preparing EM products for my animals (poultry) or for waste or utility use. And, as noted above.... I have neighbors who even brew up large batches of AEM for human consumption using this cheap feed-grade molasses, although I personally believe in using only human-grade blackstrap molasses for making EM brews for human consumption.

More Notes on Molasses Type and Molasses Sources, Feed Grade and Human Food Grade
Whether you are making human-grade or utility/animal-feed grade AEM or other EM brews, I want to repeat my caveat from above to use only blackstrap molasses (versus other grades of molasses), at least when first starting out and learning the ropes. Blackstrap, like all other molasses grades, is a by-product of the refining of sugar, and is the strongest and bitterest molasses, highest in minerals, and lowest in sugars, as it is from the third and final squeezing of sugar cane (or sugar beets). Some animal feed-grade bulk molasses suppliers may call blackstrap by their "internal" trade name of "Cane Molasses", and this name will often signify that there have been no substances or chemicals added such as preservatives, sulfur, anti-molding agents, propionic acid or sodium propionate, or vegetable oils (the latter is added to some grades of feed molasses to allow it to flow more easily and to keep it from caking and drying to a stiff texture on grains.)
I have done some extensive experiments with using other, lighter types of molasses, and frankly, I have not been really satisfied with any of them, although I must admit that some lines/brands of medium molasses (the second squeezing), and often sold in supermarkets labeled as a bit lighter than blackstrap, are usually workable. However, I am not at all satisfied with the results I have had with using the lighter grades of molasses from the first squeezing. These types of molasses are often marketed under the names Barbadoes (aka "Barbados") molasses, West Indies molasses, Island molasses, Jamaican molasses, and an even lighter grade is sometimes marketed in the UK as "Golden Molasses".
If you live in or near the state of Pennsylvania (USA) and are looking for bulk quantities of human grade or animal feed grade blackstrap, molasses, in quantities from 5 gallon buckets, to 55 gallon barrels or more, I can strongly recommend Zook Molasses in Eastern PA, located near Chester and Lancaster, PA. They are willing and able to ship in sizes from 1 gallon to 5 gallons and sizes much larger, and can often even arrange to have the bucket or barrel shipped to a feed and grains store near you to save drastically on shipping costs which would be incurred by using UPS or Fedex. Best, their salespeople are EXTREMELY knowledgeable about their products. If you should call them, please be aware that human-food-grade and animal-feed-grade molasses are each handled by separate divisions, and hence, separate salespeople. Each division has its own name, although they are both owned by Zook Molasses, and are co-located within the same facility. On the animal feed grade side, the division is called Zook Molasses, as is the parent company, and they offer about 30 types of feed-grade blackstrap molasses, many with additives, etc., but some totally without additives. Their totally clean animal-feed grade blackstrap molasses is marketed as "Cane Molasses" and is excellent.
Their human food grade molasses division is named Golden Barrel Molasses, and offers an excellent blackstrap molasses at very inexpensive prices.
Zook Molasses contact info: ZOOK MOLASSES CO. Honey Brook, PA 19344 Phone : 800-327-4406. The website for their human-grade molasses division (Golden Barrel Molasses) is at: http://www.goldenbarrel.com
If you are located near Pennsylvania (USA) or really, anywhere in the USA, and wish to order good, modestly inexpensive, unsulfured human-grade molasses for shipping via UPS in quantities from pints from 5-gallon pails, then you may wish to try Draper Super Bee Apiaries in northern PA. Their catalog webpage may be found at:
http://www.draperbee.com/catalog/page2.htm
and their toll-free number is: 800-233-4273
Lastly, as I may have mentioned in a section above, the animal feed-grade blackstrap molasses carried by many Southern States Cooperative feed and grain stores, at least in the East (USA), is a rather high quality blackstrap molasses which appears (I have researched this all the way back to the suppliers) to be totally free of sulfur, preservatives, oils and anti-molding agents.

Organic vs. Commercial "Not-Organic" Molasses
I personally use both kinds of molasses, and I seem to have learned from my work as well as the reports of others that both work very well for EM, but many batches of organic blackstrap can give you a bit of a hard time if you are shooting for a very rapid pH drop and also for the pH to (ever!) reach 3.5 or below. This is because organic blackstrap molasses contains even more calcium and other ionic minerals than does "inorganic" blackstrap, and the calcium and other mineral ions act as massive buffers against pH drop, thus slowing the pH drop considerably. So, if your goal is rapid pH drop upon starting fermentation, go with the not-organic versions; they will usually be lower in Ca and other minerals, due to the refining/squeezing processes used (and perhaps partially due to soil quality/mineral content as well).

Other Kinds of Molasses and other Sweeteners

It does appear to be possible to use other sugars to feed the EM organisms in brewing, and this successfully been done. However, the major problem which arises with simple using sugars (such as dextrose, fructose, corn syrup, honey, mannitol, etc.) is that they do not offer any complex sugars or complex carbohydrates, nor do they offer any minerals or trace minerals as feed for the "bugs", and so, if using a simple sugar, you would need to add a bit of sea salt (which is a wonderful idea anyway, even if using good molasses), some minerals (maybe rock dust...) and maybe even some source of complex sugars. A remaining problem with using simple sugars, including really sweet molasses, it that it is possible indeed to drive the pH down below the 3.5 range to 3.2 or lower, which, while it does preserve any antioxidants and other nutrients in the liquid for awhile, is kinda hard on the organisms, and their count decreases rapidly. "

 

[relief]

Yep, blackstrap should drop not raise PH. Mine goes from upper 9's to low 7's after adding blackstrap.

 

[wdcf]

Then molasses in RO water in soil wouldnt necessarily be the best idea unless I had some dolomite lime

 

[Gold123]

Then molasses in RO water in soil wouldnt necessarily be the best idea unless I had some dolomite lime

If you ph the h2o you shouldn't have a problem.

 

[*mistress*]

mistress, feed grade molasses will almost always have a preservative in it of some sort. More than likely a propionic or carboxylic acid. These can cause problems, IMO, due mostly to the fact that they are heavy inhibitors of bacteria growth. Any bacteria growth.

the 1st link posted is bad.

the quoted material primarily has to do w/ home brewing... not lost on a micro brewer...

also, the individual guesses @ the content of the feed grade molasses. no need to guess; just find the right kind for you beforehand...

found pure cane feed grade blackstrap molasses - the profile contains absolutely no preservatives - except to combat mold. not an issue, mold is.

many have used feed grade molasses for making their home brew for long time... depends on what home brewing site & thread & posts you view to get different views on purity, etc... lots of home brew sites have members that use+recommend feed grade molasses for home/micro brewing...

those acids are used for both animal feed & human food. they are primarily mold inhibitors, not bacteria inhibitors. further, once the molasses is mixed w/ a solvent, the bond is broken. also dissociates w/ salts...

most products w/ a shelf life have preservatives... not an issue... they are only included to keep the product fresh - not to inhibit the product, or by-products (aerobic bacterial activity in livestock).

nor do these preservatives inhibit

Any bacteria growth.

there are bacteria that can survive radioactivity. mainly used to clean up toxic spill zones. a little preservative will not inhibit all bacteria.

And even if the stuff doesn't list or claim using a preservative, it can and probably does...unlike food grade molasses which had better not mess with the percentages of content...without informing the public of such a move.

the food chain is highly regulated. the nutrient/nutritional profiles available for 'liquid protein supplements', or any other product feed to livestock is readily available... just have to look for it.

http://www.aoac.org/about/aoac.htm
Association of Analytical Communities

http://www.aafco.org/
Association of A. Feed Control Officials

Which leads into the difference between the quality between food and feed grades. There are no controls on feed grade, and the contrary with food grade.

wrong...

where are there no controls on feed grade products? far easier to find the ingredients of feed grade products than hydro-nute companies... try to find exact formulation of gh's flora nova nutes, their new organic line, or canna boost... they may or may not reveal.

feed companies must reveal what is in their products because depts of ag, food, etc. must know what animals entering world food chain have consumed. they usually can trace it back to the very farm where the animal came from, if a sickness occurs.

if there were no controls on feed grade products, the entire food chain would be, potentially, @ risk. animal feed; especially livestock feed, is highly regulated...

farms & the feed that animals are fed are constantly inspected by muni, reg & nat'l ag/livestock officials.

Folks, there is always a boat load of crap that gets floated whenever the molasses issues comes back up.

what crap? please explain what the crap is & where it is... so gardeners dont step in it...

There are umpteen threads here that discuss the issue in depth.
I pirated this piece for anyone who actually cares about the pros and cons of using such a product. This guy knows what he is talking about, unlike many of us here.

'the guy' is talking about making alcohol, not using molasses as an media/soil/foliar feed/amendment/enhancer for plants...
& misleading to those gardeners that dont know the difference. maybe you hadnt noticed 'the guy' that 'knows what he is talking about' is actually talking about sourcing molasses for making rum...

example close enough to see what is going on in the link:
unlimited cheap c02

'the guy' is discussing trying to find a sugar source that doesnt leave the residue of additives (color, taste, saccharin, etc) or 'burns clean'. wine can be made using skittles as the sugar source; the issue is that skittles have lots of colors & other non-sugar content that doesnt burn in the batch. it usually just settles @ the bottom, & can then be strained. it can be burned nearly all off, but have to have strong kicker & keep it going long...

pure sugar burns the cleanest; leaves no aftertaste, etc... a preservative will easily leach away, or burn in a batch. other ingredients may just be sediment...

in any event, have not presented why mold inhibitor - in most world foods, human & animal should discourage feed grade molasses use on plants.

vinasse, stillage, brewers condensed solubles, etc, etc... have also been extensively used for feeding crops in wine-making areas. there are always alternatives... & many of these practices have already been long used on many farms...

enjoy your garden!

 

[StrillaGuy]

I left 10 gals of premixed nutes in jars for my babysitter with backstrap molasas in it and went on vacation for a week. Is it going to grow bacteria when I get back? The jars can explode if bacteria grown and makes gas so Im kina worried. Luckilly I probally used only a table spoon or two in the 10 gals should be ok...reassure me.

 

[prop215]

I guess maybe it could possibly explode ( well, sorta i guess ). You can always leave the lids cracked just enough for air pressure to ecape so it doesnt build up.. Or maybe refrigerate them to slow down the process if they would in fact produce gas,which TBH I really dont think they would.. Not in 7 days anyway.