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 and causes 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. 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 easily 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.
Great information, Mary! How often do you recommend applying molasses?
Thanks.
During mosquito weather every 2 weeks with the liquid. The rest of the year maybe quarterly. I am going to ammend this post to include the mosquito/bug recipe.
The molasses is safe for pets and even small children. It does sink into the ground when it rains or you water. According to package directions, it is safe.
This is fantastic. I can’t wait to try it out on EVERYTHING in the garden. Do you recommend a place to purchase this non-kitchen type of molasses?
We sell it of course, but most independant nurseries (not big box stores) should have it if they have any sort of organic gardening supplies. We carry Medina ( http://hastagro.com/ ) but there are other companies that make it. If you can’t find a supplier, let me know (Mary 281-440-5161) and I will try to help you.
I would like to know the mixtue with the water in a pump sprayer? I have some molasses already I used to make compost tea so all I need to know is the ratio? Also this won’t work on soil where I have sweet onions planted will it? I understand that what makes the onion sweet is the LACK of sulfer in the soil. And on that subject is there anyway sulfer can be taken out of the soil where these onions are planted? thanks in advance for you assistance. I live in South Carolina by the way. In the upstate near Clemson University. thanks butch
2 ounces mollasses in a gallon of water is the basic recipe. I don’t think that there is enough sulfur in mollasses to make a difference to your onions. The big no-no for sweet onions is a chemical fertilizer with a high amount of sulfur in it. Which is really weird, because the company we buy the slips from says to use 21-0-0 (24% sulfur) fertilizer on them. I guess they like them “stout” as we say at home. I used Medina Grow and Green, Bat Guano and another granular organic fertilizer on mine over the winter and some were very sweet, others were very stout (all grown in the same bed with the same soil…go figure!). Adding lime to the soil will counteract the sulfur. BUT if you add too much, it will be hard to fix. We also use the following recipe for a general insecticide and to help control mosquitos.
RCW Guardeners Mix
This recipe will kill insects, keep them away, feed your plants, feed soil microbes and has some fungicidal properties…all at the same time.
• 3 tbsp Molasses
• 1 tbsp Garlic Barrier (liquid garlic)
• 1 tbsp Any organic liquid fertilizer
Mix into 1 gallon of water and spray
For hose end sprayers add multiples of the recipe and set the dial to 5 tbsp per gallon.
Controls mosquitoes up to 2 weeks During heavy infestations you may need to spray weekly.
Hey, does it also work in the garden for tics and fleas? Wouldn’t it be lovely
if molasses could do that!
Howard Garrett, The Dirt Doctor, recommends this mix for fleas and ticks. It has molasses in it. If you give it a try, let me know how it works.
http://www.dirtdoctor.com/Pest-Control_vq2307.htm
I use molasses lightly every week. My plants, I’m told are the best in my 80 space park.
What about those sugar ants? Will molasses applications attract them, which would be bad news for container gardens on our decks.
Sugar ants thrive with mollasses. Its only the fire ants that can’t digest it. Sugar ants, by the way, so long as they keep themselves outside, are good things to have around. They aerate the lawn and don’t bite.
What’s a good amount for house plants?
I thought I had answered you…I know I typed an answer…apparently, it didn’t stick! I would use 3 tablespoons in a gallon of water on houseplants. Whenever possible, take them to the sink or tub for watering and a good shower. This gets rid of dust and helps to prevent spider mites. Allow them to drain over night in the sink or tub. This way, they never sit in water and will not have salt (from the water) building up in the soil.
Does the sulfur in the molasses affect the pH of the soil? Tgt
There isn’t enough to effect the pH of the soil. However, the bloom of microbes will help improve the quality of the soil, which makes the minerals (including sulfur) easier for the plants to take up. You rarely see unhealthy plants in organically rich soil.
I’ve read molasses is good for killing nutsedge. Will it kill this weed while feeding my other garden plants (not vegetables) ?
I have heard this too, but I haven’t tried it myself. Howard Garrett ( http://www.dirtdoctor.com/ ) swears this works as do many of his listeners. This is the article http://www.dirtdoctor.com/Nutgrass-Control-with-Molasses_vq3266.htm I see in the pictures that the area he is treating has no other plants…
I have almost 10.000 sf of grass around the house and it is a non-stopping battle with the weed and to make the grass look healthy for us and the puppy we have. Every year I spend a lot of money killing the weeds that come from neighbors who do not take care of anything around their houses, and also adding fertilizers. Plus I noticed that I am always sick, with body and joints acke and the doctors can’t figure it out what is it.
Yes, I get a beautiful grass every year, but as soon as the Summer goes away and the new year or Spring comes around, there they are: lots and lots of weed.
I decided to use the molasses this year. I just did this week and I noticed that my plants and flowers doubled the size of the leaves and added new branches. It is amazing! I need to see yet how the grass responds. I used organic molasses, or unsulphered molasses and anyone can find on line as in gallons or in nurseries or yet in the organic food stores. It is a bit more work but I am trying to see if I can finally get rid of all those pests for once and for all. I would like to buy liquid seaweed to add to it, but couldn’t find here in Tulsa. If someone knows where I can find it, please, let me know.
I am so happy you’re giving organics a try! The weeds are tougher to deal with organically. For the 1st time in 25 years I HAD to spray a chemical herbicide on my lawn. I had been pulling weeds as they popped up, but the nursery got crazy and I let it go for a couple of weeks. I couldn’t put a dent in it. I had 3 different weeds with burrs and stinging nettles, preventing me from walking around without my shoes. I used Bonide Weed Beater for Southern Lawns, added Bonide Turbo to make the Weed Beater stick to the weeds. It took a couple of weeks, but it worked. There is still some Dichondra and clover, but I can live with those! Probably the best thing you can do for next spring is apply a pre-emergent herbicide late in the winter or early in the spring. I am trying to find a nursery close to you that sell organic supplies. I will let you know if I do.
Mary, thank you or answering me and for trying to help and sorry for delaying this but I have been very busy. We had lots and lots of rain :):):) and my flowers, bushes AND grass doubled the size. I am amazed witm molasses to say the least.
Now, in reference to the weeds, since the grass is growing I have seen some of them dying for lack of sun. But, as you said yourself, I will probably have to use something to kill the other weeds. My hope was to kill them naturally, which I did with many ( I used vinegar and orange oil) but unfortunately I would need a truck of the products and also lots of hours out there, which I don’t have right now. I will have to do like you said. I will kill them with a post emergent and also apply a pre-mergent later in winter or next spring so I kill the weeks that felt to the ground. Maybe a post- emergent would be good to use when the weeds are growing during Spring (, but I also have doubts, since the products also specify a certain temperature and we are having an atypical weather this year) and when dead apply the molasses. That was stupid of me, wasn’ t it??? Anyway, I will look for Bonide products and let you know later. Thank you again
Hi , does it workes against the drought effect on tea bushes.. As i am a tea planter and going through drought 50 cms less rain as com pair to last yr.. Can u pl guide me i hav used molasses at the dose of 2 kg in 200 ltrs water here d normal day temperature is 37°. i stay in india ..
I have never seen Camellia sinensis (tea camellia) offered by any of our vendors, so have no experience growing it. Assuming it is similar to other camellias, they prefer a rich well drained soil with lots of organic matter. We average 50 inches of rain per year. Most people water camellias too much or don’t have good drainage. Anything that promotes a healthy soil, with lots of microbial activity, should help soil retain moisture during times of drought.
Can a regular household spray bottle be used?
I can’t see why not, plus it’s a great way to recycle and every little bit counts!
is it safe to use molasses in mung bean leaves? We delute molasses in our organic fertilizer which is Fish internal organ. And we suppose to try it in mung beans leaves.
It’s safe on all plants, as far as we know.
Thank you for your quick response. It helps me a lot about my research.
Using a hose end sprayer set at recommended settings of 2-3 oz. the sprayer will not extract as the molasses is too thick. With the setting at 41/2-5 the sprayer will extract. Is this too much for outdoor plants and southern lawns?
Kitchen molasses is much too thick (and expensive), unless pre-diluted with water and then you need to adjust the sprayer setting to account for the amount of water used. Horticultural molasses is fairly thin. We recommend that if your hose end sprayer has a screen fitted to the end of the syphon tube (the tube that leads to the bottom of the reservoir), that you remove the screen. The screen is there to prevent any large pieces of debris, that might wind up in the reservoir, from clogging the head. I have poured molasses on my lawn straight out of the bottle (that caused remarkable growth and greening), you can’t burn with it…you just get to point of diminishing returns.
Wouldn’t this kill a bunch of beneficial insects too?
It potentially could and it will also just keep them out of your yard. If you are concerned about killing beneficials, I would just spray the ground around your plants and the lawn. It will give the microbes in the soil a huge boost and that makes for healthier plants, which are more resistant to attack by the insects you don’t want. I see lots of beneficials in my yard…and unfortunately way too many Lady Bugs inside my house. They have been over wintering under my siding and can’t seem to get out, the way they got in. As with everything we do in our yards, whether it is chemicals or going organic, you need to weight the benefits against the outcome. If you have few bad bugs in your yard, you don’t really see the good ones, since there isn’t anything for them to eat.
Where can I buy the “Horticulture Molasses”?
I was going to buy the blackstrap molasses from the grocery store.
THX.
Any nursery (including us) that carries organic gardening supplies should have it. We get it from Medina.
Try their store locator here:
You can also check with feed stores. Molasses is often added to cattle feed.
Frank,
I used Unsulphured Blackstrap Molasses- Unsulphured from WHOLESOME, the little bottle with a green label, that I bought at SPROUTS last year and my plants and flowers tripled. I was amazed!!!!
You can Google and find in good supermarkets all around the country. Amazon also has it.
A 16 oz. bottle goes a long way. It does not need to be of the brand I used but the main thing you need to look for is that it needs to be:
ORGANIC AND UNSULPHURED
Good luck.
In my experience, kitchen molasses is too thick to be drawn up by hose end sprayers and can clog the spray heads. It would need to be thinned first. Horticulture molasses is already thinned to work in sprayers. All the brands of molasses, that are offered to us by our vendors, are organic.
Lowes has it. Best pricing is at a feed store. $10.
Mary,
Thank you for the insight on Molasses.
I have 2 50lb bags of granulated molasses and 2 50lb bags of cotton seed meal. We had our lawn recently landscaped [May-June 2015] and most of the soil is the poor gumbo clay, excluding some topsoil applied during plant installation as well as the decomposing mulch.
I have heard that the combination of granulated molasses and CS-Meal is great for both conditioning soil, provide nutrients for microbes and plant food as well. What rates should the two products be applied at XXlbs/sqft and the best way to work into the soil?
Finally, if I apply granulated molasses to my yard via a spreader, what rate or setting? I would assume either water immediately or apply right before the best chances of rain?
Again, thank you very much,
Michael
The Dried Molasses we sold (liquid is much more cost effective) was labeled at 5 to 10 pounds per 1000 square foot.
Cotton seed meal is applied at 3 to 10 pounds per 100 square feet. Since your landscaping is done, just apply it to the soil surface. You can do one, then the other. Do not mix them in your spreader, since they don’t go down at the same rate.
Spreader settings are a perennial question. Visit the manufacturers web site for your brand and model. They should have a chart.
I want to add molasses to a 5 gallon bucket of water to dispense around the yard plants root zone is this ok , if so how much molasses would I use per gallon of water.
Use 3 ounces to a gallon of water is recommended. However, I was mad at a spot in my lawn one day, vowed vengeance, and used it straight. Boy, did it get green and grow! It was heavy handed…but that spot disappeared and hasn’t been seen since! You will get to the point of diminishing returns, so try 3 ounces and maybe a little more in problem areas.
I have problems with sugar ants not only in my garden, they are worse inside my house. How can I kill them? Do dry molasses works for house ants too?
I have gotten them too! TERRO is the best thing I have used, which is why we carry it. They were in my daughters room too, in basket she had tossed some candy in. Once in a while I see some in the bathroom. I put out the Terro and they are gone in a day or two. The best thing, I found,to help prevent them, is to put everything in your kitchen that had sugar in it, in a sealed container or in the freezer. I found some large mason jars at Ikea (for a great price) and just keep refilling them with the 3 types of sugar (we cook a lot). They also are great for rice, flour, oats, popcorn etc. Plus they look great on the counter.
Sugar Ants in the garden are a good thing. They are native and are important insects in the ecosystem. They turn the soil, which helps aerate it and works to incorporate leaf debris into the soil, creating a healthier soil over all. All native ants are competition for Fire Ants and they help to keep Fire Ant numbers down. We never recommend spreading insecticides over the entire yard to control all ants. When all the native ants are killed, the Fire Ants take over. Unless it’s Fire or Crazy Ants, just leave them alone and leave them a treat once in a while, as a thank you. Treat Fire Ants on a mound by mound basis or put out a bait designed specifically for them.
Hi Natalie, I used to have this problem in my recent bought house. Since we are allergic and also have a puppy I don’t like to use chemicals inside the house.
I remembered my mom used to tell me when younger that coffee ( grinded- not liquid ), applied around where they leave make them run away :). I guess they can’t stand the smell.
. Also I have used with great success the famous and wonderful baking soda. They used to come in through the light switch and I opened it and put some in there and also sprinkled around the wall in the counter top. As soon as they touch it they start shaking and die. After two or three applications they are gone. And it does not do any harm to our health.
I hope it helps you and let me know if it does.
We had an extremely wet spring and a very dry summer. Aphids flourished! I’m really, really in the mood to explode some of them! What would molasses spray do to them? I have used home made Garrett Juice but I didn’t use much this year. It sounds like I should have.
We just bought dried molasses from a feed store to use in the garden and yard “before the rain that is forecast”! We will spread it in the yard and garden with a fertilizer spreader. I wish we had time to spread it on a few acres of winter rye that is in the dry ground awaiting some moisture!
Is molasses good for passion fruit
An far as we can figure, it is good for everything. It feeds the microbes in the soil and that is never a bad thing.
Can I add it to the dirt as a fertilizer to my super hot peppers
It will not affect the flavor as far as we know and we have not been told about any negative effects on any plant.
ive heard you can over apply blackstrap molasses
it is supposed to be watered down. like 5 to 10 ml per gallon…
I had to convert that! 10ml equals about 1/3 of an ounce or 2/3 of a tablespoon. The manufacturer, Medina, says 2 tablespoons per gallon of water and up to 1 gallon of concentrate per 1/2 acre. I used it straight on a spot in my lawn, with no ill effects other than the Mohawk that grew where I poured it (you can’t tell where I did it now, but the spot grows like the rest of the yard now).
This our article about that little adventure in lawn care. http://www.rcwsproutings.com/?p=1040
Can I use molasses to control spider mites?
I honestly don’t know. Spider Mites are much different than most other insects. Most commercially available insecticides are not labeled for them. The most organic thing to control them is hosing them off with a strong stream of water. You don’t want to use a stream of water that is strong enough to harm the plant (so don’t use a pressure washer!!!). Hosing down your plants, at least once a week (twice would be better), will dislodge them and slow their breeding, they simply can’t tolerate wet foliage. Spider Mites are a bigger problem during dry weather or on plants that never get rained on, like house plants. While you are out watering, during dry spells, hose your plants off, paying attention to the back side of the leaf.