Quick question molasses and PPM

Indoor Growing
#1

Just a quick question. Obvious to those that know but a nightmare to try and track down the answer if you don’t.

When preparing a food mix for the plants, Are you suppossed to included the molassess in the ppm or add the food to the water up to the required ppm and then add the molasses?
Being unsure, for the first two weeks of this crop I included the molasses in with the food.
The plants suffered from what I believe was a nitrogen definency. They seem to becoming round and returning to being green after thier last feed which was a high nitrogen food at 550 ppm.
So did I muck up included the molassess in the ppm

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#2

Molasses is just a supplement, I don’t think it has any npk values. Shouldn’t have to add it to your ppm’s. Just wondering how much did you add ?

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#3

Thanks, that’s what I’d started to figure out but needed reassurance,
I put a table spoon of molasses in 2 UK gallons

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#4

What benefit is the molasses???

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#5

Food for soil microbes

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#6

I think the recommended dose is a teaspoon per gallon, so you might be right on point.
@Bigun, usually used during the finish, some all the way thru the grow. Molasses works great with living soils, it helps or an addition to your micro herd. In coco or hydro it just adds a tiny bit of sulfur and calcium, magnesium, iron and root enhancing potassium.

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#7

Thanks so much.i have been growing for a few years and was just wondering.

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#8

Also @Bigun if you’re out of cloning gel, give molasses a try :muscle:

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#9

This is just my opinion on adding molasses to your routine (to each their own).

Molasses is an equal opportunity feeder. Meaning it will feed both good and bad bacteria. Following this logic, I think molasses is best used in a microbe tea where you are artificially adding ‘the good guys’ to the solution so they can out compete the bad microbes. I think adding molasses directly to the soil could cause you problems down the road. Especially if adding too much for the soil population to consume. :v:

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#10

@PlantShepherd, I understand your point maybe if you would elaborate on your tea’s, mainly the ratios of each input. Also if used for hydro or dwc maybe coco how would you apply molasses to your solution

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#11

I would be happy to. I’m a living soil person, and I have been following Tim Wilson (MicrobeMan) for many years. Per his research I use 2.38% EWC and .5% molasses per water volume in a well aerated tea brewer (this is a whole discussion in and of itself). It is brewed for approx 36 hours to breed microbes.

My caveat is I do not grow in hydro, coco, etc. With that said, I don’t see the need to add microbes to a salt based system. Not judging, just saying I can’t think of any real benefits. Hth.

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#12

That’s what’s up, @PlantShepherd organic I suppose ? I must admit that’s one channel of growing I’ve never contemplated, difficulty level extreme.
I’m simplistic, I do use salt based nutes, I only use molasses during coco rinsing as a energy source. The plants need a break every so often from constant salt input.
What does Hth mean ?

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#13

It means Hope that helps. :wink:

I’m not sure I understand ‘for an energy source’. If you are feeding molasses to your media, I’m making the assumption you are trying to feed microbes. However, if you are using coco and adding salt nutrients I do not believe you will have the initial microbes in the media to breed. Does that make sense? Yes, I’m an extreme organic terrorist.

I ain’t tellin, I’m just sayin. - Snoop     :smile: :v:

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#14

No it does just small amounts and is usually highest in K, but depends on what kind of molasses is used

That seems like a bad idea as any lateant yeast and or bacteria now have a nice sugar source to feed on as well.

But to @Billynoshoes would be easier to dial in measuring nutrients first, then adding molasses after the fact, or so long as its the exact same amount your adding then you could measure afterwards just take a measurement first of feed just to get your baseline and again after molasses then go from that point and work from there

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#15

Cheers lads, most helpful.
Its a steep learning curve moving from outside, were I feed em rabbit n horse shit, to indoors with ppm and ph and soil less organics. Which is were I hope to end up. I’m doing as much reading of this site as I can. There’s some boss threats, They have cost me a fortune though, the amount of stuff I’ve bought off eBay in the last couple of months is unreal. From PPM and PH meters to Worm castings and Volcanic ash.
I can’t thank the people on here enough, its a great site and been a great help. Cheers

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#16

To be clear, when there is some molasses in my cabinet, I apply it at end of flower and use it for clones with about 98% success rate. I know sugars adds a boost or quick source of energy to plants.
I run coco, so I’m not concerned about microbes running thru my soilless mix. If anything molasses does what I ask for then gets rinsed away, benefits or none I can’t tell. None of my plants ever told me otherwise.
“Potassium is majorly used in hydroponics to improve root growth and enhance drought tolerance. It also enhances the building of cellulose and thus reduces lodging.” From internet source

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#17

found this info years ago i think is very valuable by 3lb the “three little birds”


:sunglasses:

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#18

Im somewhat new to weed growing, but not tea brewing, and soil building. Personally, I would never reach for a bottle of molasses, dilute it, and then apply it to my root zone. two cents

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#19

Thanks for that busjoe , got a feeling I read that years ago but had forgotten all about it
Cheers

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#20

Everyone has different points of view, its a nightmare deciding

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