Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Unsulfured Molasses and Other Sugars
Molasses provides some nutrients, but is mostly just a great source of carbohydrates,
which are food for microbes. It's a very good idea to apply it with most microorganism
products because it gives them instant food to begin working with. It's essential to apply
with nitrogen fertilizers to give the microbes a carbon source they can use in order to ef-
fectively work with the nitrogen. It should also be applied with phosphorus. We often hear
that nitrogen is a building block of amino acids and protein, but so is carbon. Carbon is also
a major part of DNA.
The unsulfured variety is preferred because the form of sulfur used in most molasses is
there to kill microbes. Molasses is also sticky and helps everything stick to the plant leaves.
Blackstrap molasses is used in the fermentation process to make EM, and in brewing com-
post tea.
In organic agriculture, a mixture of 2/3 cup molasses and 2/3 cup liquid calcium mixed
in two quarts of water per 1,000 square feet is often sprayed on the soil right after planting
to suppress weed germination, with success rates often equaling the old toxic chemical pro-
grams. This mixture is also used to “release” calcium and phosphorus in the soil, when a
conventional test shows plenty of calcium and phosphorus, but a Reams test shows that not
much is available. The molasses works on the phosphorus part of this equation, probably
by stimulating mycorrhizal fungi and other microbes. It costs $10 for a quart of organic
blackstrap molasses in the grocery store, or you can get it much cheaper in bulk from a
bulk food store or farm supply store.
Sometimes it's just the simple things that our garden needs. Microbes need sugar. Our
soil may very well be lacking in this sugar, especially if we don't have a functioning eco-
system with nutrient cycling and humus formation occurring, and especially if we're re-
moving the grass clippings or neglecting to keep a quality mulch layer in the garden.
Molasses is a relatively inexpensive tool to use as we transition to an ecosystem that is
more alive.
Just for fun, try this. Next time you're starting seeds or you get some new, young house-
plants, water half of them with just water and the other half with two tablespoons of
molasses per gallon of water. See which plant gets bigger when you do this over time.
Some kind of sugar source should be used in nearly every foliar spray. It's often
molasses, but other sugars can be used instead. While white sugar is generally not good for
us because we don't need more sugar, especially stripped of the accompanying fiber and
minerals, on the other hand in the soil, sugar may be the limiting factor, so white sugar can
actually be helpful.
Dextrose or corn syrup are often used at two to four ounces per 1,000 square feet or only
one ounce in a foliar spray, but they are derived from corn which is mostly genetically
