how to:molasses

[Sunbiz1]

This sounds more like what I do. I use molasses(EJ MFP) every watering/feeding. I flush every 14 days. I use it at 5 ml/gallon all through flowering. Sometimes I wonder if I am clogging up the aeropots with this. I get a nice streak of molasses coloring when I flush too. Either way it's my food for the bene's.

Sunbiz1 do you use it during your flush? I am debating if I will this run. I haven't before. Anyone think it is more beneficial to use molasses/MFP while flushing for the first week, then just plain h2o for the 2nd week? Pros/Cons?

Well, we already have 2 molasses threads...should we hijack this one into flushing?...kidding.

All of my indoor grows use my own blend of soil from my native plant gardens outside. I do not amend soil with any nutes b/c I don't need to. Not to sound arrogant or anything, but I feel my dirt rivals FF etc. The only supplement I use is molasses throughout flowering right up until harvest. I have had nothing but good results with this method, but I realize it isn't for everyone and most don't have soil they have been working for years readily available.

For this reason, I don't flush anymore. When I water my 5-7 gals, plenty of water comes out the many drilled holes every time. Why would I want to strip natural nutes at the most critical time?.

I can't flush my in-ground guerrilla grows without a fire truck and a bulldozer to get in there, and they taste just fine every year.

 

[Seamaiden]

Say this in the deepest voice you can possibly muster (mine ain't so deep, but I'll try), "EAAARRRTTTHHHH FFFLLUUSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

The idea of flushing the earth makes me giggle.

 

[crom]

It's more than food for your bennies. Plants uptake sugars directly, too.

Very true Sea! I should have commented that it is a carb source as well! Good catch. So I guess no one uses molasses through to chop?

Yeah Sunbiz1 I wasn't trying to hijack. Just thought it was relevant to the topic. What does your soil test at NPK wise? Have you tested it?

 

[Sunbiz1]

Very true Sea! I should have commented that it is a carb source as well! Good catch. So I guess no one uses molasses through to chop?

Yeah Sunbiz1 I wasn't trying to hijack. Just thought it was relevant to the topic. What does your soil test at NPK wise? Have you tested it?

I own a test kit, but rarely need to use it. The only problems I ever have are a few random insects on outdoor grows....and this damn sativa plant here that refuses to flower...lol

I use molasses right up to chop.

 

[crom]

Nice! Amazing that the ground is so fertile! Good work being sustainable. Keep it green!

Cheers,
Crom

 

[Seamaiden]

Very true Sea! I should have commented that it is a carb source as well! Good catch. So I guess no one uses molasses through to chop?

Yeah Sunbiz1 I wasn't trying to hijack. Just thought it was relevant to the topic. What does your soil test at NPK wise? Have you tested it?

I do. Or I should say that I use whatever sugar I have on hand through to chop.

 

[NaturalTherapy]

The Earth Juice Hi-Brix is amazing stuff.
I use it primarily on my tea, but do add some during the last three weeks to boost in yield.
I used to use regular molasses from Whole Foods until my grow store cat recommended this to me. I made the switch after one round of brewing tea, whereby I had the same amount of bacterial/enzymatic growth after one night of aeration, that I'd usually only see after 3-4 days using the blackstrap bottle.

At flush I prefer to cut it for my last week, and do just water, to avoid a distinctly sugary flavor that some strains take on

 

[crom]

Great post NT! Thanks for the info! What do you put in your teas?

 

[NaturalTherapy]

enzymes

I'm currently experimenting with some bottled enzyme products to see what works best and have some fun. In a three way melee going between Mayan Microzyme, Hygrozyme, and Voodoo Juice, the best results I've gotten so far are from a Voodoo Juice + Humboldt Honey + BD Thunder mixture. The Voodoo Juice seems to produce a lot more microbial life much quicker than the others, with Microzyme producing what looks like the least diverse populations. I feel they are all good products to consider though. Of course, Voodoo has a rather unattractive price tag, comparatively speaking. I notice no negligible difference between the Humboldt Honey and Earth Juice hi-brix molasses in regard to plant health/vigor/yield

I also feel that if one's diet is healthy & diverse enough, with a little help from a garden patch any home compost works just as well as the BD Thunder stuff. I was just drawn into the Rudolph Steiner name on the packaging, but it is a good product if one can't/doesn't compost

I also basically just used Guano's base recipes when I first started learning about Aerated Teas

The recipes given are for 5 gallon brews.

Bacterial Tea

1 ½ cups compost
¼ cup kelp meal
2 oz. blackstrap molasses
2 oz. fruit juice (apple)
¼ cup chopped feed hay
1 oz. fish emulsion

Fungal Tea

1 ½ cups fungal compost
2 oz. liquid humates
2 oz. blackstrap molasses
1 oz. yucca extracts
2 oz. fish hydrolysates
¼ cup kelp meal
¼ cup chopped feed hay

Bacterial/Fungal Tea

¾ cup compost
¾ cup fungal compost
¼ cup kelp meal
2 oz. liquid humates
2 oz. blackstrap molasses
2 oz. fish hydrolysates
¼ cup greensand
¼ cup chopped feed hay

I obviously use the Earth Juice instead of the food grade molasses, I use mushroom compost as well, and employ any old humic product I have laying around. The independent garden supply store I frequent carries bulk items such as rock dusts, glacial salts/dusts and all the bat/sea bird guanos that one needs to formulate flower and veg specific blends

 

[crom]

Great post^

 

[Sunbiz1]

I'm currently experimenting with some bottled enzyme products to see what works best and have some fun. In a three way melee going between Mayan Microzyme, Hygrozyme, and Voodoo Juice, the best results I've gotten so far are from a Voodoo Juice + Humboldt Honey + BD Thunder mixture. The Voodoo Juice seems to produce a lot more microbial life much quicker than the others, with Microzyme producing what looks like the least diverse populations. I feel they are all good products to consider though. Of course, Voodoo has a rather unattractive price tag, comparatively speaking. I notice no negligible difference between the Humboldt Honey and Earth Juice hi-brix molasses in regard to plant health/vigor/yield

I also feel that if one's diet is healthy & diverse enough, with a little help from a garden patch any home compost works just as well as the BD Thunder stuff. I was just drawn into the Rudolph Steiner name on the packaging, but it is a good product if one can't/doesn't compost

I also basically just used Guano's base recipes when I first started learning about Aerated Teas



I obviously use the Earth Juice instead of the food grade molasses, I use mushroom compost as well, and employ any old humic product I have laying around. The independent garden supply store I frequent carries bulk items such as rock dusts, glacial salts/dusts and all the bat/sea bird guanos that one needs to formulate flower and veg specific blends

While I would not dispute that some or all of the above is effective, I would still question how much is enough as opposed to too much.

Do you flush?

 

[NaturalTherapy]

While I would not dispute that some or all of the above is effective, I would still question how much is enough as opposed to too much.

Me too holmes, that's why I'm running a side by side.

Do you flush?

Flushing depends upon the medium I am running. I always prefer soil, and with pre-made mixes such as Roots or the like, to which I add bottled nutrients, I do flush with a 2/1 water to soil ratio, once at two weeks from scheduled due date to remove any build up in the media, then continue with about a gallon for each pot as they require nourishment (7/10 gallon is my norm) until they are ready for harvest. Water + Molasses week one, Water only last week. I use only Reverse Osmosis water as well.

I have yet to run a fully amended organic soil, so I can't speak to the matter according to any experience.

I employ flushing for two weeks minimum in hydro, otherwise I can taste whatever nutrient was used, and have a headache by the end of a joint. Last hydro run my homie did, he ran out of flower nutes 3 weeks out. He chose to pay his mortgage instead, rightfully so, and ended up with some of the best meds I've seen from hydro, and he's been growing as long as I've been breathing.

This is my experience, in no way am I suggesting it is better than any other method. It's simply what I do based on my needs/preferences

 

[Sunbiz1]

Me too holmes, that's why I'm running a side by side.



Flushing depends upon the medium I am running. I always prefer soil, and with pre-made mixes such as Roots or the like, to which I add bottled nutrients, I do flush with a 2/1 water to soil ratio, once at two weeks from scheduled due date to remove any build up in the media, then continue with about a gallon for each pot as they require nourishment (7/10 gallon is my norm) until they are ready for harvest. Water + Molasses week one, Water only last week. I use only Reverse Osmosis water as well.

I have yet to run a fully amended organic soil, so I can't speak to the matter according to any experience.

I employ flushing for two weeks minimum in hydro, otherwise I can taste whatever nutrient was used, and have a headache by the end of a joint. Last hydro run my homie did, he ran out of flower nutes 3 weeks out. He chose to pay his mortgage instead, rightfully so, and ended up with some of the best meds I've seen from hydro, and he's been growing as long as I've been breathing.

This is my experience, in no way am I suggesting it is better than any other method. It's simply what I do based on my needs/preferences

*slaps myself*

I thought you were using all of them simultaneously, so often I see problems caused by overzealous growers going nuts for nutes. I realize hydro has to be flushed, no way around that one. My concern with soil flush has always been stripping all of nutrients and microbes without replacing them at the most critical time. When I water a 5 or a 7 gal, a fair amount of water comes out all of the drilled holes anyways. So in sense, it's sort of a continual mini-flush I guess. If I used bottled nutes, I would probably flush as you do..then hit them with molasses again.

 

[Seamaiden]

Earth flush! How do you?

I'm diluting the MBE and getting it going onto all my OD gals. Lap it up. Peaches.

 

[Sunbiz1]

Earth flush! How do you?

I'm diluting the MBE and getting it going onto all my OD gals. Lap it up. Peaches.

I'm re-sizing a few pics here from yesterday 2/post later. Looking at my forecast, there is no rain in sight. So, I dumped 1/2 cup of Granny into 1 gal of water and poured the tea right down the stalks of the guerrilla in-grounds.

That should stimulate the microbes to satisfy the ladies.

 

[NaturalTherapy]

My concern with soil flush has always been stripping all of nutrients and microbes without replacing them at the most critical time. When I water a 5 or a 7 gal, a fair amount of water comes out all of the drilled holes anyways. So in sense, it's sort of a continual mini-flush I guess. If I used bottled nutes, I would probably flush as you do..then hit them with molasses again.

Plenty feel the same, and I'm not one to tell you you're doing anything wrong.

I don't feel I'm washing away my microorganisms, because they form a symbiotic relationship with the mycorrhizal growth and roots, and are "connected" in a way. Although, I've never previously considered that I was flushing them away, so you've certainly given me something to think about.

I guess my logic works in this way: I flush the plant to rid the media of excess nutrients that have yet to be taken up, and the plant can process the rest of the nutes she has stored in her reserves, which should be plenty to withstand two weeks with no new nutrients being introduced. It seems to me that we want the plant to use up the rest of her food, then feel a bit stressed that there is no more, which ideally acts as a resin booster.

Example: I grow San Pedro, and when it is to be harvested to be used ceremonially, no food or water is to be given for one full year to get the plant to produce more of the psychoactive compounds known to affect humans. I consider THC/cannabinoids (resin glands) very similar -in this regard- to mescaline/alkaloids, as both are defense mechanisms each plant employs against perceived threats in its environment.

I view cannabis in the same way. Flushing manipulates biological activity, period. Whether one regard it as good/bad, necessary/unecessary is a matter of your personal experience. It's what I was taught by very experienced people, so I stick to it, but maybe I'll not flush one plant and do a taste+smokability+potency comparison on my next indoor to see if I should consider new methods.

If you're not exploring, you're boring.

 

[NaturalTherapy]

Earth flush! How do you?

I haven't had the pleasure of growing in direct Earth, never had the soil for it, so I can't say. And my experience before this season has been with indoor growing, so even in this year's outdoor endeavor, my method has been one of applying indoor practices to the hillside. Hence, containers not beds.

My thought, however, for larger beds of fully amended soil is flushing would simply be replaced by halting one's nutrient program at the appropriate time to coincide with known maturation rates. In other words, the soil recipes are relatively precise amounts of various components so that no additional nutrient is needed, and no additional nutrient is left behind once maturation is reached, and harvest is completed.

Is this thinking incorrect?

 

[Sunbiz1]

I view cannabis in the same way. Flushing manipulates biological activity, period. Whether one regard it as good/bad, necessary/unecessary is a matter of your personal experience. It's what I was taught by very experienced people, so I stick to it, but maybe I'll not flush one plant and do a taste+smokability+potency comparison on my next indoor to see if I should consider new methods.

I'm going to do this now, I have 2 identical plants ready for flush and one needs water.

Thanks for the tips,

I'm here to learn and you taught me today.

 

[CBD Hunt]

One teaspoon every feeding.. I am surprised more people haven't jumped onto the Earth Juice High brix molasses.. the stuff is only $15 a gallon.. 100% unsulphured molasses..

:character0180:

I use both Earth Juice and Blackstrap. The earth juice is watered down Mothers. Blackstrap has 120 times more potash and higher in other minerals... Black strap is best!

 

[Seamaiden]

I recently 'discovered', when doing a nutrient comparison with MrGreenGenes, that various brands of blackstrap have varying amounts of various nutrients. E.G. Mg. My blackstrap has 2% of your daily recommended intake, whereas his brand (Brer Rabbit..? Mine's Grandma's) has something like 15% Mg.