I was told to use it in the last 4-6 weeks of flowering, but was told to not use any fertilizer in the last 2 weeks also. Does that include blackstrap?
I would stop in week 6 on an 8 week grow. Molasses is valuable for feeding the micro life, so early feeding in veg makes sense. What does not make sense, at least to me, is the idea that plants take up sugars from molasses. I have not seen any evidence that is how it works......MIW
You're right. Plants don't eat the sugar, the microbes in the soil eat the sugar and feed your plant. Plus there are some other nutes in molasses like potassium. I'd quit feeding it whenever you quit you're other nutes.
I use it every feeding with a little bit of microbes. Only about half a teaspoon tho. Don't want bugs but its so diluted I don't think a teaspoon will hurt
Real maple syrup is expensive. Store bought syrup has stuff in it like: CORN SYRUP, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, WATER, CELLULOSE GUM, CARAMEL COLOR, SALT, SODIUM BENZOATE AND SORBIC ACID (PRESERVATIVES), ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL FLAVORS, SODIUM HEXAMETAPHOSPHATE. On the other hand, molasses is cheap, isn;t processed like maple syrup is and it contains pure, natural sugarcane juices.That's it. Molasses is also the best choice because it contains the greatest concentration of sulfur, iron and micronutrients from the original cane material. Maple syrup has the sulfur removed, which is a micronutrient for the plants.
While it's true that molasses feeds bacteria in the soil, I don't bother. Plants excrete varying exudates into the rhizoshpere depending on their specific needs at that time. Why bother trying to make that choice for your plants, especially in flowering when fungal activity is more crucial?
you want to stop feeding your plants molasses 3 weeks before you plan on cutting down, if you are using beneficial bacteria. the bacteria will continue to feed your plant for a week or so until the carbohydrates are used up. so you use straight water for 3 weeks. partly to wait for the bacteria to die, and partly for a proper end of cycle flush.
More sugars for the microbes, means more microbes, and healthier microbes, can you have too many? I don't think so, you can have too few though. I do agree with you about the need in flower though.....MIW
It doesn't feed microbes across the board, only bacteria. When they are dominating fungi or using up all of the oxygen in the root zone, I would call that too much.
I actually agree with you, I was a little enthusiastic in my post. But i do see a benefit in veg. And it could supply a little k in flower. I use it a couple times in veg and in teas. In flower, I try to make my teas and naturally the soil more fungal. I use baby oatmeal in wet compost to get fungus going, then use that in teas with kelp, and some molasses..so I guess I do use it though out the grow, but alone just in veg.......MIW
That sounds almost the same as my tea recipe, but I omit the molasses even then. I figure the bacteria will be there without any extra help. We are talking about feces after all. EDIT: oops. I use EWC and your using compost. Only one of us is talking about poo.
It's been a week since and nothing bad has happened from what I can tell. I would say that this technique is good to use if needed.