Molasses?

It may have been on this forum that I came upon a discussion about using molasses on vegetable gardens. I've looked (and used the search function), but can't find it. If anyone can direct me to this discussion, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

I don't know about using it on vegetables, but I put it in my plant food as per the "recipe" on the brug forum. I don't know what effect it has on the plants other than carbohydrates, but they sure seem to like it.

Check on the brug forum for a thread called " the recipe".
Hope that is what you are looking for.

Hoosiergreen, I use dried molasses (I buy them from the farm store, much cheaper when you buy the animal food kind instead of horticultural). I sprinkle them on the compost pile to help break down the massive amounts of grass clippings that I use. I sprinkle them on the garden once a month to help feed the benefical microbes and to help break down the layer of mulch that is covering the entire garden (so I can add more mulch, it's a never ending cycle). Molasses also contains suflur, potash, carbon and trace elements.
I also sprinkle them on the fire ant nests and the fire ants move (it won't kill fire ants, but they hate sugar so they leave). I

From what I read in that forum, Calalily, you can use liquid molasses (cattle-grade), diluted, which is much, much cheaper. If I ever find that discussion, I'll get back to you!

Hoosiergreen, I think the feed store has liquid molasses too. I just like using the granular kind. When I put the mulch down in the garden, I sprinkle greensand, dry molasses, a little bio-tone fertilizer(has beneficial microbes and michorrizal fungi) and then turn the sprinklers on to wet it all in. I guess I could do the liquid molasses when I spray diluted sea water. We use a hose-end sprayer for that. Wonder if the liquid molasses could be mixed in with the beneficial nematodes? Might make them too sticky and they would stick to the plant leaves instead of going in the soil!

From what I've read, you need only 3-5 oz. of molasses to a gallon of water, so it shouldn't be sticky. Since this is the first year I'm using it, we'll see.

I read somewhere 1 half cup molasses to two gallons water, and that watering with that is a great attractor for earthworms. Can't recall where that was though. Don't know if dry granulated or liquid makes a diff but a feed store or good supply store ought to know about that...... sure the info is out there......

On another thread somewhere in DG, the discussion about molasses was quite detailed. Users swear by the stuff, saying that it is extremely beneficial for micro-organisms and worms. Also great in compost and driving away fire ants. I'm going to do some comparison plantings of daylilies this summer when I divide them this spring. Some newly planted divisions are going to receive molasses, some alfalfa pellets, some both molasses and alfalfa, some nothing added to the soil (as the control). I'll take photos.

Here's some info I found on the Internet: FYI

Dry Molasses


Dry molasses isn’t really straight dried molasses. It’s molasses sprayed on a grain residue carrier. It’s an excellent carbon source that stimulates beneficial microorganisms. And, it repels fire ants.

Molasses

Sweet syrup that is a carbohydrate used as a soil amendment to feed and stimulate microorganisms. Contains sulfur, potash, and many trace minerals. Approximate analysis is 1-0-5. Molasses provides food for microorganisms and is a source of carbon, sulfur, and potash. It is a good, quick source of energy for the soil life and microbes in a compost pile, and will chase fire ants away. It is a carbon source and feeds beneficial microbes creating greater nature fertility. Liquid molasses is used in sprays and dry molasses is used as an ingredient in organic fertilizers. It contains sulfur, potash, and other trace minerals. Excellent foliar feeding material and can be mixed with other organic liquids. Use at 2-4 quarts/acre for soil application. For foliar application on broadleaf plants use 1 pint per acre. For grasses and grains still use 1 quart per acre. Blackstrap molasses is the best choice because it contains the sulfur and iron of the original material.

Molasses is the best sugar for horticultural use because of its trace minerals. Blackstrap is hard to find but is the best molasses because of the sulfur and iron, but any kind will work. Molasses is a carbon source and feeds the beneficial microbes creating greater natural plant fertility. Molasses also has a nice side benefit. When used with compost tea and orange oil, it kills fire ants and other insect pests. By itself, molasses repels fire ants effectively.

Thanks very much, excellent information. Saved.

Molasses repels fire ants? *runs off to feed store to get some*

Yes! Interesting, isn't it. We don't have fire ants up here in the Midwest, yet. I've read about using molasses to repel fire ants, but this is good info to kill them. Good luck. You don't have to buy 5 gallons of the stuff either. You can use black strap molasses from the grocery too. I think you have to mix only 4-6 oz. per gallon of water for it to be effective.

Molasses also has a nice side benefit. When used with compost tea and orange oil, it kills fire ants and other insect pests. By itself, molasses repels fire ants effectively.

Oh, the side benefits are a wonderful thing - don't get me wrong. I am just happy to find something that will make the fire ant killer stuff obsolete. I've tried a million things on the garden, in the hopes of having fewer chemicals, but unfortunately had to just bite the bullet on one bed because the ants were doing some not so fun stuff to my peas.

Molasses, though - I'm so very much trying it!

Well, if you mix the orange oil with a couple of drops of dishwasher soap and the molasses, it will kill fire ants, but unless you get them all they just move and you keep chasing them. It is used as a mound drench. I have to believe that killing a decent quantity of the same mound repeated weakens the mound, but unless you get the queen you will not get rid of the ants. I have been using this this year since I read about it on an urban gardening site. I would say my results have been mixed. I don't know that I have actually killed off a mound,but I have killed some ants. (Unfortunately, the orange oil is also reported to kill the earthworms too, so use it only as needed.) As far as the molasses being a repellant. Again, I think it is mixed results. I found ants in my composter. I put a liberal amount of molasses in a gallon of water and mixed it all together and poured the entire gallon in the composter (it is newly started, so a gallon was quite a bit). Well they moved over about a foot, but did not vacate the premises.

Maybe I did something wrong or just have had bad luck, but that is my current experience.

It's always good to hear first-hand experience. Like I said, I don't have fire ants here, luckily. But, I hope you all get some relief.

I hope you guys never have them. They are horrible little creatures with no redeemable qualities that I can find (not here where they don't belong anyway).

You are right about them being horrible little creatures. I have read that boiling water poured on the mound will kill them. It will kill your plants too, but if it is grassy, you can spot patch it.
Vinegar will also work, but I think you have to reapply it several times.
Ibartoo

Boiling water does work some, but again, it si hard to get it all the way down in the mound to get the queen. I did pour that in my composter since I don't have worms in there yet anyway, but since it was very hard to actually find the "mound", I'm sure that I just got the ants that rushed to the top.

How do you do the vinegar? I know it will kill vegetation, but does it also kill the microbes and the worms?

Shuggins, beneficial nematodes are supposed to kill fire ants.

I use dry molasses in my fertilizer spreader about 2 x / year on my lawn - makes the centipede grass fill in bare spots & really take off like crazy. Just make sure the weather is not humid - or you will have a true mess - the dry molasses must be DRY (not clumped) to work in the spreader. It's safe to use & not very expensive plus, it won't burn your lawn - I don't think you can put down too much! It also adds a component of helping our sandy "soil" retain water b/c of the carrier (bran, I think) the molasses is on. Samantha