Molasses???

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We Solidarity

We Solidarity

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lots of autumn colors and yellow, but no green. i wait for the yellow to show in sugar leaves. One thing i've noticed about feeding molasses is that it either a) it makes the plant use more nitrogen or b) it interrupts the breakdown of soil compounds into nitrates, because when i'm going heavy on the 'strap i tend to see alot of yellowing in the leaves. I used to use clear for 14 days, running it through to make sure i was actually "flushing" the pot. With the molasses flush I don't think my plants would make it 14 days without completely yellowing out and falling apart.

edit - this is all in coco
 
caveman4.20

caveman4.20

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I'm going to try it with the plants that stay green and don't die... Wesolid post some autumn pics...
 
We Solidarity

We Solidarity

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here's what autumn looked like last time -


Rocky Mountain Blueberry:
IMG 0282


Ghost Trainwreck Haze #9

IMG 0273


Light of Jah

IMG 0266


Mellow Mango (this is about as far as i'd let the yellowing go)

IMG 0256


Big Buddha Cheese

IMG 0246


303 Headband

IMG 0243
 
caveman4.20

caveman4.20

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Those are awesome autumn shots ya I'm about try the low molasses flush cuz there's to much green in the others....
Image
 
squiggly

squiggly

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100 years ago a poor farmer used molasses because he couldn't afford calcium. so molasses was used to feed the micro life. the micro organisms broke down the sugar and there was a small release of calcium...sugar molecules are polar so they do not penetrate the semipermeable membrane...in the 21st century with all the info im amazed that people fall for all these gimmicks

Most plants posses active transporters for sugars in root and leaf tissue--they do not need to permeate a membrane.

Furthermore while it's true that microlife can make Ca available in extremely tiny amounts--it really has much more to do with acidification of the medium (which releases calcium).

In terms of reducing the chlorophyll content, laboratory studies suggest that overfeeding sugar arrests photosynthesis and causes chlorophyll to be broken down (causing bleaching of the plants).

I believe this worked best as a foliar, but roots can also participate.
 
We Solidarity

We Solidarity

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..unless you are using crappy fertilizer and a bunch of gimmick additives...if you grow your plants properly there is no build up.
and thats not the main point...when you are at the end of the fruiting cycle you feed the plant plain ph balanced water..the idea is to reduce the chlorophyll content of the plant so there is less of a green taste..however if you dont know how to dry your material and or dry too fast will result in harsh smoke.

if you don't want a chlorophyl taste, water with molasses. chlorophyl is used to facilitate photosynthesis which is the breakdown of nutrients into sugars the plant excretes into the rootmass. when you put too many sugars in the rootmass the microbes stop uptaking the plant sugars in favor of the other similar but more simple sugars in the molasses, which leads to a halt in chlorophyl production as well as a backup of sugars in the plant (which enzymes will breakdown in cure to produce a very sweet and pungent flavor).

a few more reasons i use molasses -

calcium is one of the main mineral constituents of molasses...along with potash and iron. High brix levels (molasses) contribute to microbial fixation and eventually depletion of the media (also due to high-ph lockout thanks to not ph'ing the water).

A boost of potash (molasses), an immediately uptake-able source of calcium (molasses), as well as a boost of mag sulfate all help to move mobile nutrients through the plant, produce the extra oils the plant is trying to synthesize as a result of not being pollinated, and further slow down photosynthesis by limiting available nitrates (which should start in week 6). I'm not trying to "flush all the ingredients out of the soil" rather just trying to flush everything out of the plant (everything is "buildup" if you don't want to smoke it - no matter what gimmicky additives you use. in fact, every other industrial fertilizer other than the gimmicky ones use advanced, proprietary chelates the plant can't break down once absorbed - that's buildup. Using molasses encourages the absorption of natural chelates the microbes synthesize - the ones the plants use to trigger horomone development and create oils)
 
LexLuthor

LexLuthor

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^^^^^Damn We Solidarity, nice post!!!!

Cogos curse, if you don't know about the use of a simple product like molasses, it just gives less confidence in us growers to go on your website, IMO anyways.
 
Theoneandonly Z

Theoneandonly Z

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Great info farmers! Easily answered a handful of questions that i couldnt come to solid conclusions. My father (stubborn old skool grower from back in the day) likeZ to share his opinion of molasses everytime we debate techniques... Eventhough his facts are a little haywire. Thanks again for not only the knowledge, but the time!
 
Seamaiden

Seamaiden

Living dead girl
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Cogos, you didn't read very much if you feel no one addressed your post. For myself, your approach leaves something to be desired, so I must take a toke before considering it, or I might go off. I know of no one who's using molasses as a primary source of Ca. No one. I *do*, however, know of plenty of (organic) people using it for AACTs, and that includes some 'professionals,' including some who have full CCOF certification. I'm not sure what you're after in terms of responses.
 
Theoneandonly Z

Theoneandonly Z

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Ya im with Maiden, this thread really explained the diverse uses of molasses, a fairly inexpensive product. I didnt feel any sales pitch at all, although i am a poor farmer stuck in the 19th century... What do use as a ca supplement than? I use many productZ that contain it.
 
We Solidarity

We Solidarity

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none of you address what i posted at all you did is simply repeat the same sales pitch...molasses was used by a poor farmer who couldn't afford calcium...it seems that everyone can afford calcium now and calcium is more efficient and productive than molasses and cheaper no sense going backwards i like science and technology...the products pushed by the hobby stores and these forums are fallacious to say the least. we are in the 21st century not the 19th. not one... i repeat not one professional in buisnessl use molasses...i have been all over the world and the only ones that use it are the poor to survive. molasses is a joke and any body with a slight education knows this. it seems these forums just support the merchants and as i suspect are run by merchants trying to make a quick buck off the ignorant.

I addressed what you posted...I just ignored the part about poor farmers using molasses as a calcium source, because I'm not a poor farmer, and I'm not using it for a calcium source (calcium nitrate, sulfate, and carbonate take that role). I also ignored (for the most part) the reference to gimmicky additives, seeing as how I have the option to buy molasses in 20 gallon drums from one of the state's largest Ag suppliers.

I learned the use of molasses from an organic berry farmer who used it traditionally, in ACT brewing. He used his tea at the beginning of the growing season to prime his fields, and would sell gallons of it for 40 bucks to local hobby farmers. This was years ago - once I realized people were trying to use sugars to flush plants, I started researching molasses given it's results in ACT. Not saying I was the first one to do it, by ANY means, but the idea definitely came into it's own, and I've done quite a few trials with it.


And as Sea says, you DON'T have to stay married to molasses. Explore other sugars like you would other wimmin.

Oh, I did *not* just say that, did I? I did.

where do I start, sea?! I've always stuck with molasses because it is so cheap. are there other cheap natural sugar by-products out there?
 
Seamaiden

Seamaiden

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Not necessarily cheap, but years ago I started using what I could find around me, and one year it was an old expired brew kit of my husband's. Malted barley extract. It seems that there may be more to it than just its sugars, though, and to understand *that* we need to understand secondary plant metabolites, what malted is, and how microbes and plants use these substances. Needless to say, *I* had no idea when I began using it, but when I received high compliments at my first harvest party that year, and from people I later learned were cup winners..? I figured I'd do what the old-timers tell me, because they've been buttering their bread using that hard won wisdom.

After that, I figured, why not explore other stuff? Palm sugar, date sugar, raw cane sugar sold in Hispanic markets (up here they call it panocha, I'm not even kidding about that, but it's also sometimes labeled panela. http://www.mexgrocer.com/9696.html

Plants can take up sugars through roots, and feed microbes with sugary root exudates, so it is easy to overdo things. But, IME, if you're judicious about it you'll get very good results. And yes, I use molasses/sugars ALL THE WAY through to the end.
 
Seamaiden

Seamaiden

Living dead girl
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Cogos, I've gotta say that your attitude is not very friendly or helpful. You're the one arguing and bickering here. I'm going to ask you nicely, please stop.
 

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