Molasses as an Insecticide?
Yes it’s true but you will not find any university studies on Molasses as an
insecticide but the bottom-line is that Molasses is very effective against sucking
insects like Lace Bugs, Aphids and White Flies. Why? Sticks their little wings
together? Maybe but we think it’s because the Molasses raises the plant sap
sugar content (Brix level) which pest insects dislike.
Outstanding for controlling soil pest insects like Fungal Gnats and Thrips, etc by
causing a flash of bacterium to grow which then attacks the pest insects when
they cycle in the soil.
Molasses also contains lots of minerals like Iron, Sulfur, Potassium, and
Magnesium which is good for your plants and why Russian female weight lifters
take it every day.
We put Molasses in all of our MicroLife products and only use Blackstrap
Molasses when we bottle in liquid form.
Molasses does what?
Cheap, easy and does it all!
Not your kitchen molasses! Horticulture Molasses does things for your plants like
nothing else can and it’s the cheapest gardening product per square foot…a
gallon can cover a half-acre. Put it in a sprayer, turn some music on and start
spraying every inch of your yard, no need to be careful. You simply can’t over do
it, but you get to the point of deminishing returns. Molasses can kill insects
andcauses a massive bloom of microbes in the soil. It also drives out Fire Ants. It
will NOT make your plants sticky.
Sweeter plants?
Sugars are how plants store energy for rainy days and winter hibernation. So,
why is this important to you as a gardener? Aside from basically giving your
plants a power boost, you are stopping bugs. “What?” you ask. Yes, it stops
bugs. Insects are very simple creatures. They can only feed within a narrow
window of sugar content. When the sugar content of plants is raised, insects
can’t feed on them. They take one bite and move on.
The second way molasses controls insects, is by being directly ingested by the
insect. What most people don’t know is that only Sugar Ants and bees can
process the simplest sugars. Insects have no way of expelling the gas that builds
up from fermenting sugar and the vegetation in their gut (draw your own mental
pictures please). Plus, they have exoskeletons and can’t get bloated. Their
delicate internal organs are crushed from the inside out. All a bug needs to do, is
walk through or try to feed on a molasses covered plant. Insects are constantly
cleaning themselves. They will try to lick the molasses off their feet and swallow
it. If they take a bite of a molasses coated plant, they will swallow it.
Microbial bloom and Fire Ants
These two things seem unrelated. Microbes and specifically bacteria consume
simple sugars (which is why your momma made you brush your teeth). When soil
born microbes are exposed to simple sugars, their numbers can double in just 30
minutes. As microbes go through their life cycle, they add organic matter and
micro nutrients to the soil, improving the soil and making nutrients more available
to your plants. Regularly applying molasses to your soil and plants greatly
improves the quality of the soil over time. Soils with high microbial activity are
easier to dig in and stays moist longer.
So, about the Fire Ants…since it seems that the big universities can’t make
money studying the effects of molasses on Fire Ants…they don’t do any research
on the subject. But, it has been proven that molasses makes Fire Ants pack up
their mound and migrate to your neighbor’s yard. It may be that the bloom of
microbes, irritates the little stinkers. It could be that they are running from a
specific microbe. It could be that they just hate sugar (they eat mostly protein
which is why you can turn a greasy over baked pan upside down over a Fire Ant
mound and they will clean it for you). What ever the reason, applying molasses to
your yard, makes them leave.
Adding it up…
If you’re crunched for time and money, molasses is the answer to a lot of your
gardening problems. The benefits are undeniable, your yard will smell great and
you get to feel good about letting your kids and pets play in the yard. Whether
you choose dry molasses (applied to soy chaff) or the liquid (which is cheaper to
use), molasses is the single best thing you can do for your soil and plants. This is
one customer’s story. He came in asking about fertilizer for his hay field. He was
tired of expensive bags of chemicals and wanted to look at other alternatives. We
talked for a while and he decided to run a test for himself. He applied the old stuff
on half the field, because he had some left over and molasses on the other half.
He came back some months later and told me that his neighbors were pulling in
to ask what he had used. The molasses side was 6 inches taller and greener. He
swore to me that nothing else was changed.
*****It was brought to my attention that I forgot to add this info. (It is hard to
remember everything when you are trying to rule the world!) During moquito
weather mix:
3 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp Liquid Garlic (a deterent and has some fungicidal properties)
1 tbsp liquid organic fertilizer of your choice (seaweed, fish emulsion, etc)
into 1 gallon of water
Spray with abandon, every week if necessary but it may last up to 2 weeks if we
don’t get much rain. This also works like a charm on lace bugs on azaleas and
lantana.
Molasses As Fertilizer: Information On Feeding Plants With Molasses Soil, Fixes
& Fertilizers By: Susan Patterson, Master Gardener Printer Friendly Version
Image by Marshall Looking for an easy, low cost way to feed your plants?
Consider feeding plants with molasses. Molasses plant fertilizer is a great way to
grow healthy plants and as an added benefit, using molasses in gardens can
help fend off pests. Let’s learn more about molasses as fertilizer. What is
Molasses? Molasses is the by-product of beating sugarcane, grapes or sugar
beets into sugar. The dark, rich, and somewhat sweet liquid is commonly used as
a sweetener in baked goods, as a natural remedy for many ailments, and added
to animal feed. Even though it is a by-product, molasses is full of vitamins and
minerals. As a result, molasses as fertilizer is possible too. Feeding Plants with
Molasses Using molasses in organic gardening practices is nothing new. The
sugar refinement process goes through three stages, each yielding a type of
molasses product. Blackstrap molasses is created from the third boiling of sugar
in the refinement process. Blackstrap molasses is high in calcium, magnesium,
iron and potassium. It also contains sulfur and a host of micronutrients. Using
molasses as fertilizer provides plants with a quick source of energy and
encourages the growth of beneficial microorganisms. Types of Molasses
Fertilizer Unsulphered blackstrap molasses is commonly added to organic
fertilizers to give plants the necessary carbohydrates and trace minerals that they
need to be healthy. Molasses can be added to organic liquid fertilizers, compost
tea, alfalfa meal tea and kelp, to name a few. When molasses is added to
organic fertilizers, it provides food for the healthy microbes in the soil. The
greater amount of microbial activity in the soil, the healthier plants will be. Add
molasses at a rate of 1 to 3 tablespoons (14-44 ml.) to 1 gallon (3.5 L.) of
fertilizer for best results. Molasses can also be added to water and sprayed on
plant leaves or poured on the soil. When the molasses is sprayed directly on
plant leaves, the nutrients and sugar are absorbed quickly, and nutrients are
immediately available. Pest-Free Gardens Using molasses in gardens has the
additional benefit of fighting off pests. Because molasses increases the overall
vitality of plants, pests are less likely to attack your garden. Use a molasses and
water mixture every two weeks, in addition to your molasses fertilizer, for best
results. Molasses plant fertilizer is an excellent non-toxic and cost effective way
to keep your plants happy and pest free.
Read more at Gardening Know How: Molasses As Fertilizer: Information On
Feeding Plants With Molasses https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-
to/soil-fertilizers/feeding-plants-with-molasses.htm
