Molasses in compost tea

Having read all about the benefits of adding molasses to compost tea in DG, I thought I would give it a try on the plants in my greenhouse. I put about 4 oz of molasses in my 30 gal tub of brewing/aerating compost tea. When I used it a few days later for soil drenching and foliar spray I ended up having a sticky film on everything --- plant leaves and pots and soil. I also had a gooey, messy "bathtub ring" in my compost tea tub which I had to clean up before I started a new batch. Assuming this is not normal, what did I do wrong?

Did you use regular food grade molasses or agricultural? Regular has more sugar content I believe...........

Regular molasses purchased at a grocery store --- Grandma's original unsulphured molasses.

That may be the problem. Hopefully others more knowledgable will wonder by and better answer this for you. I use agricultural purchased at feed stores and have never had this 'sticky' problem.

I use the same brand when I make alfalfa tea (it feeds the yeast I also add), and I haven't experienced any residue problem. How much did you use? (I use about 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons of "tea" and let it brew overnight.)

This recipe is from Howard Garrett, a local radio show host and author in the DFW area. You can find more recipes and info on his website... www.dirtdoctor.com

COMPOST TEA: Compost tea is made by soaking compost in water. Fill any container half full of compost and finish filling with water. Let the mix sit 24 hours then dilute and spray on the foliage of any and all plants. Be sure to strain the solids out with old pantyhose, cheesecloth or floating row cover material. Full strength tea makes an excellent fire ant mound drench when mixed with 2 oz. molasses and 2 oz. orange oil per gallon. Add vinegar, molasses and seaweed to make Garrett Juice. Aerate any compost tea mixture prior to using for better results.

YardenMan...did you have a good head of foam on your tea? The foam is a good sign that all is working well within the system (and that the bacteria are actively working). The molasses is a food source that the bacteria feed on ...this increases the growth of the bacteria and contributes to the conversion/breakdown of the "good bacteria". And yes, Grandma's unsulphured is perfectly fine to use.

In such a large tank (30 gallons) you'll need either quite a few air hoses or I'd recommend a 3/4 inch soaker hose coiled up in the bottom and run by an air compressor. If you're using an aquarian pump I'd use no less than 3, and preferably 5, hoses with air stones for proper aeration. It also wouldn't hurt to manually stir the goo with a stick several times during the few days that you are "bubbling".

By the way, from a technical point of view, H. Garrett's recipe for "compost tea" is actually called "compost leach" and is not tea. However, I've used compost leach/manure leach for years and it is very beneficial. It's downside is that it does not get rid of the "bad bacteria" and increase the "good bacteria" like compost tea does. (Howard did good though to note in his last sentence "Aerate any compost tea mixture prior to using for better results." It's a bit of a redundant statement, seeing as how "tea" is already aerated. And by the way, he actually does have some mighty good "tricks of the trade" so is worth checking into.) Thanks TXMel!

To all who replied: Thanks for your helpful replies. I spent several hours perusing the DirtDoctor's website --- very educational and pragmatic and very useful in a "real-world" way. I have added it to my "favorites" list. I used less molasses and more aeration in my second batch of molasses-enhanced compost tea and all turned out well. Thaks again for the help.

what is Garrett Juice?

To roxroe: go to the dirtdoctor hyperlink in TexMel's reply above. Garrett Juice complete info is on that website.