Best Lawn & Garden Additive

[Ino]

New here for the most part and I am trying to get a good grip on my lawn and gardening in general. I have seen molasses mentioned quite a bit here and I want to purchase the right product and put it in my vegetable garden as well as on my lawn. Any info would be appreciated! I also think "sticky" when I think of molasses and was wondering if anyone had any issues with a dog tracking it on their paws or if it is watered down enough not to be an issue. After reading more into this I edited the original post since many here do not believe in the Molasses method.. lol..

 

[Chuck]

New here for the most part and I am trying to get a good grip on my lawn and gardening in general. I have seen molasses mentioned quite a bit here and I want to purchase the right product and put it in my vegetable garden as well as on my lawn. Any info would be appreciated! I also think "sticky" when I think of molasses and was wondering if anyone had any issues with a dog tracking it on their paws or if it is watered down enough not to be an issue. After reading more into this I edited the original post since many here do not believe in the Molasses method.. lol..

Molasses is fantastic stuff. It GREATLY increases the microbial life in the soil, thus enabling plants to more easily uptake nutrients. It softens soil and speeds up decomposition. The average proper mix is 2 oz per gallon of water although for some purposes more should be used. It isn't sticky at all when mixed with water and it doesn't attract ants either. And the who do not believe in molasses just don't know what it does. They think it does something direct to the plant like fertilizer does. It does basically nothing to a plant although it does have a lot of trace minerals and a very small amount of nitrogen that can affect the plant in a good way. You can use feed or horticultural molasses although feed molasses has a little sulfur in it which maybe shouldn't be used on acidic soils.

 

[DirtMechanic]

What many misunderstand is the roots of fungi, you know the ones that shoot through a loaf of bread, also shoot through the soil and down to find water, which softens the soil. The fungi dine on things like bacteria, which have come to eat, you guessed it, sugar. Carbon technically. Their short life also means an increased organic matter buildup in the soil. And the way that they go about eating things is chemical, as in enzymes that dissolve stuff, and those minerals of the soil are digested by them and released in a usable form as their bodies compost.

But like you living on carbohydrates alone makes you unhealthy, so too the soil. The balance to sugar is amino acids. Polypeptides. Also called proteins-before the bacteria and fungi break them down into amino acids. So things like cow manure compost having a lot of proteins and also being very effective, begins to make more sense.

Personally I think cow manure compost is the best thing for soil.

 

[Meadowlark]

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Personally I think cow manure compost is the best thing for soil.

100% agree!

When combined with 24/7 legume crop covers produces a garden soil without equal.

I offer as evidence 4 + pound onion and 2+ pound potatoes this season so far.

 

[Tetters]

Welcome to the forums @Ino

 

[Ino]

Thank you Tetters for the welcome and for such great thorough replies! I am going to try this with perhaps some seaweed additive to at least the vegetable garden. :-D