It won’t smell bad at all it’s quite pleasant actually , it’s when you get to the plant matter fermentation that things get stinky…
Have you ever made sourdough bread? If so it’s very similar… if it smells bad, then something is not right. When I made my Labs batch for my organic vegetables, I used one of those yogurt making heating pads… 
if you’re mixing LABS into water for a soil drench it makes sense to toss in some molasses right? microbe food?
EDIT: same question for a foliar
I have 2 LABs, one in the fridge, and one in my corner with molasses added to stabilize it. So every time I use my labs essentially im adding molasses 
foliar and drench
stabilize isnt really the right word i dont think, but it stays active with the molasses
What do you want it to be?
you crafty wolf you. haha. ill take that as a yes, i hit the moms with some this morning, 1ML into 1L with like 1/4 teaspoon of molasses. figured if nothing else it wouldn’t hurt anything even if its not necessary
Molasses will provide sugar, which will feed the bacteria and keep them alive longer. I’m not sure if it does anything else. Blackstrap molasses definitely has a higher mineral content than regular molasses, but I’m not 100% sure whether those minerals are bioavailable or can be made bioavailable to plants. I think they aren’t immediately bioavailable but end up in the soil anyway, where I guess eventually they can? Not sure on whether they’re more an amendment or a force-feeding, especially when you get the microbes & bacteria predigesting them to make them more readily available. If anyone understands it better than this, please correct me. 
Between 3-4
So what I do to shelf stabilize is 1/3 of total volume in molasses. That’s probably over kill, but on the flip side the molasses is now dissolved and doesn’t require mixing when it’s diluted into water
Ive never used molasses in knf. Actually drake advises against using molasses and recommends using cane sugar. His reason is that molasses is super sticky and causes bubbles that dont pop which grows anaerobic bacteria inside the bubble.
huh, so just the LABS and water then? i wouldn’t mind saving the molasses for teas. i’ve heard of folks watering just molasses into their pots too just to give the microbes something to snack on. not sure on the science behind that either.
My lab is always stored without sugar in the fridge. But if you dont have the ability to use your fridge just super saturating with cane sugar works just like molassed would without the sticky bubbles. Sugar is a great carbohydrate source (what the microbes are after) the science is 100% there but i dont have the want to find the paperwork on it againXD i bet you can find it in gimmiks library on grasscity.
no sweat, don’t go digging for anything, i should do that work myself and no be so damned lazy. good to know i wasnt wrong about it not hurting anything to add sugar. my LABS are stored the same way and ive used them in the past without any sugar source mixed in to no detriment, but figured, as i said, that adding a food source into the mix at least couldnt necessarily hurt anything. appreciate you jumping in to answer questions @lotus710
Correct me if I’m wrong but lactobacilli are anaerobes that’s why they produce lactic acid…
There might something else in the molasses that hinders their growth…
Like @Cormoran said, the molasses is a food source, that’s how I use it. I’m lazy and don’t like getting into the fridge upstairs every time I want to use my LABs in the basement so I keep a smaller amount actively feeding downstairs.
When that runs out I just mix a bit more from the fridge with molasses. This is really the only time I use the molasses.
I have been using brown sugar for everything else. I just picked up some cane sugar instead the other day as @lotus710 suggested. Will be using this instead of the brown sugar from now on.
nice. you know i dont know if its my stoner brain or if its just the nature of the beast with this kind of growing but every time i feel like i start to get a handle on these inputs, how to make em and how to use em, i feel like i forget something or learn something new about them that has me basically starting back at the beginning asking questions and doing new research. one day im sure ill commit this shit to memory, i hope. 
They totally are anaerobic! But they become aerobic really fast once diluted. The anaerobic bacteria created in the bubbles would be ones you’re not wanting. I havnt seen any science or anything on it. Just what i learned from drakes knf course.
The species of the genus Lactobacillus have been traditionally classified as oxygen-tolerant anaerobes , but it has been demonstrated that several strains are able to use oxygen as a substrate in reactions mediated by flavin oxidases and, in some cases, to synthesize a minimal respiratory chain.
A lot of us Probiotic SIP’ers have been on the fence about using an airstone in our reservoir. This is good evidence that air does indeed positively affect the life that a microbial inoculant like LABS brings. The article is thick, but in summary, air good.
I don’t think another human has uttered a more true statement. The rabbit hole is wide and deep!
down in a hole we are
