blackstrap molasses as fertilizer

blevinandwomba
blevinandwomba Posts: 813 ✭✭✭✭
edited October 2020 in Composting & Soil Fertility

I recently ordered 2 large bottles of organic molasses and one arrived damaged. Thankfully the company replaced the damaged one, and didn't ask me to send it back. I now have one quart of organic blackstrap molasses that I don't want to eat since I don't know how the seal became broken. I figured I could use it in the garden, as it is high in minerals.

I did a quick search on here and saw that @Obiora E has used it has a fertilizer. I would love to hear if you have any tips. Do you dilute it before use?

Anyone else want to chime in? Also, does anybody have any other non-food uses for molasses?

Comments

  • greyfurball
    greyfurball Posts: 591 ✭✭✭✭

    @blevinandwomba , I have often used this type of molasses as a fertilizer for my garden.

    The easiest recipe I use is 3 T. (tablespoons) molasses/\with 1T. organic garlic liquified/ with 1 T. organic liquid fertilizer and all mixed into 1 gallon of water. Mix it well and spray on your plants twice weekly.

    The molasses which gives a little sweetness will boost the immunity of the overall plant. But it always makes the plant sweeter which most insects don't like an overly sweet tasting plant. If they do eat it, as with the human body, sugar bloats. An insect though has no defense mechanisms against bloat. Thus they just swell and burst from the inside. It is one horrible way to therefore train your insect population to leave your plants alone.

    Obviously with rain afterwards the effects will all be washed off so try to time your spraying when no rain is scheduled in the forecast.

  • merlin44
    merlin44 Posts: 426 ✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2019

    My non-food use is for my goats. I give my does a tea of molasses, stinging nettle and red raspberry after they give birth. Gives them a boost after delivery.

  • wbt.affiliates
    wbt.affiliates Posts: 100 ✭✭✭

    My goats loved molasses too. That was when we had the land. We can't care for that much land anymore. Phooey!

  • Obiora E
    Obiora E Posts: 517 ✭✭✭✭

    @blevinandwomba I have used it with a liquid fertilizer that I made along with 2 gallons of water. I use a teaspoon of the fertilizer and about the same of the Blackstrap Molassess.

    I have also added it into a hole along with organic banana peels along with seeds that I was putting into a hole. When I did this I put in like a teaspoon or less of it.

  • blevinandwomba
    blevinandwomba Posts: 813 ✭✭✭✭

    Thanks for the ideas everyone. @merlin44 and @wbt.affiliates I don't have livestock(unless you count cats), but I'll keep that in mind for the future.

    @Obiora E I am not planting anything this fall, as far as I know, but we do have a section of garden badly in need of work. It's just been overused and has become depleted. I had planned to dump as much organic material as I could into it this fall, hoping it would be broken down enough by spring. Do you think I could use the molasses this fall, or would it make more sense to wait until spring?

  • blevinandwomba
    blevinandwomba Posts: 813 ✭✭✭✭

    Oh, and @greyfurball, thanks for the recipe. What organic fertilizer are you using?

  • greyfurball
    greyfurball Posts: 591 ✭✭✭✭

    @blevinandwomba there is two ways I do it.

    First, I just use a solution of liquid kelp or liquid fish emulsion and mix it per bottle directions.

    Or if I happen to have a bag of organic all-purpose fertilizer (which I rarely do) I mix it per directions and use it. Since I only use generally a couple of tablespoons totally it's easy to throw a handful of the powder into a small flowerpot and stir in some water.

    Either way, the plants love getting it.

  • Obiora E
    Obiora E Posts: 517 ✭✭✭✭

    @blevinandwomba You could add it this Fall. If you have access to nut shells, rock powders, rocks, leaves, and the like, you can add them as well. Even if they don't completely break down by the Spring they will continue to add additional nutrients to the soil over time, help to feed the micro and macro organisms in the soil.

  • Hassena
    Hassena Posts: 345 ✭✭✭

    We use molasses in our compost tea. With a little of our vermicompost. :)

    It helps feed the beneficial microbes during the areation process.