Molasses the wonder drug

[Chuck]

Is your garden spot just not doing as well as it once did? Is your soil tired and run down? Has your lawn turned hard and your grass all sickly looking no matter what you do. Let not your heart be troubled. There is an organic cure for these and and other symptoms in your landscape, plus it tastes good too. Seriously, molasses is one of the most important tools in the organic tool box. It has myriad uses but where it really shines is an additive to your soil. What it does is it jump starts and feeds the microbial life in your soil, the tiny microscopic organisms that break down the organic material in your soil into the trace elements that your plants need to grow. You can usually find horticultural molasses at the better nursuries and where they sell cattle feed but you can also get it at the grocery store although it costs more there because it is food grade. They basic rule of thumb is to mix about 2 oz per gallon of water and either use a watering can or a hose end sprayer and apply enough to get the soil wet but not soaked. Let the rain deliver it deep. Also molasses comes in a dry form also that works very well in a lawn fertilizer spreader.

 

[headfullofbees]

I cannot find it being sold for horticultural purposes here in the UK, but the cheapest way to buy it is as a horse supplement or for fishing.
Would either/both be suitable?

 

[Chuck]

I cannot find it being sold for horticultural purposes here in the UK, but the cheapest way to buy it is as a horse supplement or for fishing.
Would either/both be suitable?

I don't know how fishing relates to molasses but here it is sold as a supplement for cattle and horses As long as it is molasses and has had nothing added to it, it should be fine. You might talk to the nurseries about it. I am sure they can get it. They probably have never heard about it

 

[headfullofbees]

Added to ground bait and "boilies", which are boiled paste fishing bait.

 

[headfullofbees]

I don't know how fishing relates to molasses but here it is sold as a supplement for cattle and horses As long as it is molasses and has had nothing added to it, it should be fine. You might talk to the nurseries about it. I am sure they can get it. They probably have never heard about it

Do you mean "unsulphured" molasses?

 

[firelily99]

Sounds like it headfullofbees. Molasses has many wonderful qualities for healing and not just for humans.

 

[Becky]

Like @headfullofbees mentioned, molasses doesn't seem to be commonly used in the UK so it's not something we've tried before. Looks like it would be easy enough to get hold of some though, so I'd very much like to give it a go. Would you apply it to all soil in your garden or are there some plants which don't like it? Also, we have some flower beds which are covered in slate chippings, have you ever tried using it on that? I'd be a little worried that it would make the stones sticky and dirty.

 

[Chuck]

Do you mean "unsulphured" molasses?

Yes, un

Like @headfullofbees mentioned, molasses doesn't seem to be commonly used in the UK so it's not something we've tried before. Looks like it would be easy enough to get hold of some though, so I'd very much like to give it a go. Would you apply it to all soil in your garden or are there some plants which don't like it? Also, we have some flower beds which are covered in slate chippings, have you ever tried using it on that? I'd be a little worried that it would make the stones sticky and dirty.

You can and should use molasses everywhere you can. It is a carbohydrate and is safe for everything. When you mix molasses with water, usually about 2 oz per gallon it isn't sticky at all, but if you are still a little uncomfortable just give the slates a little rinse.

 

[headfullofbees]

I've just found BioBuzz which is molasses-based at £7 ($13) a litre, or horse-feed molasses at £2 a litre, both online.
Chuck, I've bought the molasses and I'm going to give it a go, using it both, as you suggest, and as an ingredient in my actively aerated compost tea.

 

[Chuck]

I've just found BioBuzz which is molasses-based at £7 ($13) a litre, or horse-feed molasses at £2 a litre, both online.
Chuck, I've bought the molasses and I'm going to give it a go, using it both, as you suggest, and as an ingredient in my actively aerated compost tea.

I sure hope you bought the horse feed molasses

 

[headfullofbees]

I sure hope you bought the horse feed molasses

I'm Scottish.

 

[JGPangi]

This sounds like something we should do when the rainy season comes along. It's too dry now for it to really get into the soil. One thing though: won't that increase the ant population?

 

[Chuck]

This sounds like something we should do when the rainy season comes along. It's too dry now for it to really get into the soil. One thing though: won't that increase the ant population?

I haven't found that to be the case here and it is reduced to a 1 in 64 ratio so I doubt the ants would even notice

 

[Pat]

There is a home improvement show that comes on where the garden person suggestion a compost tea that has molasses as one of the ingredents but he never said not to use household molasses, I did not know there is a molasses for horses.
I would like to add some molasses to our soil as it has been neglected for years.

 

[Chuck]

There is a home improvement show that comes on where the garden person suggestion a compost tea that has molasses as one of the ingredents but he never said not to use household molasses, I did not know there is a molasses for horses.
I would like to add some molasses to our soil as it has been neglected for years.

You can use household molasses. The only drawback is that it is more expensive than horticultural or agricultural molasses.