Organic Molasses is available seasonally with fluctuating prices. Please also note that our molasses needs to be purchased by phone, because of inconsistencies in freight costs around Australia and abroad. SO, PLEASE CONTACT US BEFORE PURCHASING THIS PRODUCT.

Organic Molasses

This product is an important BioActive compost tea ingredient. Only organically approved materials were used in the extraction and processing of this molasses product. There are three kinds of molasses available in Australia, but GroundGrocer only ships quality tested product.

Benefits of organic molasses:

• Independently quality tested by SFI
• Good ingredient for selected BioActive Compost Tea recipes, particularly for stimulating beneficial fungi.
• Exceptionally high in natural nitrogen
• Promotes root growth and assists plant stress recovery
• Reduces nutrient leaching
• Stimulates earthworms and micro-organisms

Application:

It is best to use small concentrations to have a strictly bacteria benefit, or high concentrations in order to also have improvement of typical soil fungi as well.

Safety precautions:

Do not feed to animals or humans after a surface scum has formed on the container lid unless you can recognise the organisms as non-harmful.

This product is certified organic by the Biological Farmers of Australia(BFA #MOL480)

Dr Elaine Inghams Research and Technical Advice

MOLASSES

Bacteria grow well and rapidly on simple sugars to exclusion of any fungus, until sugar concentration becomes extremely high. The simple preservative effect with molasses is the high concentration of sugar. Most organisms cannot grow in the high concentration of sugar. Once a container of molasses is sealed, however, condensate can form on the under-side of the lid if the container suffers heating and cooling cycles. As the water drips into the top layer of the molasses concentrate, the sugar content can be diluted enough to allow fungal or actinobacterial growth as a surface scum. Just skim off the surface scum before use in soil, compost, or tea. Do not feed to animals or humans after a surface scum has formed unless you can recognise the organism as non-harmful.

Addition of foods that cause rapid bacterial growth can tie-up nitrate nitrogen so fast, and so effectively that plant growth can be harmed, and even stopped. Bacteria win in competition with plants for N in soil, and thus plants can be killed as the result of lack of N. Of course, the solution to this problem is NOT to kill the bacteria, but rather to establish normal nutrient cycling processes once again. How? Get the protozoa and bacterial-feeding nematodes back to work!

Non-sulphured, Black-strap Molasses:

Contains no preservative other than the high concentration of sugar. Black-strap molasses contains about 150 different kinds of sugars, from simple to somewhat complex to humics. During the extraction of sugar, heating results in condensation of the sugars into humic-like substances. The majority of foods in molasses are bacterial foods, but a few are fungal foods. Fungi tolerate high concentrations of sugar better than bacteria, so extremely high concentrations of molasses favour fungi. Testing must be performed to assess what concentration is needed to select for fungi and against bacteria in any particular set of conditions. Testing is also needed when using as a nitrate-to-bacterial biomass converter.

Weed control is often STARTED with addition of molasses to tie-up the excess nitrate helping to set the stage in the soil to grow weeds, and not the plants you want to grow. Assess the calcium situation as well, however, because if you add molasses to grow lots of bacteria, and your soil has poor structure, you may just drive the soil into reduced oxygen conditions, which can result in plant death as well. As Arden Anderson says, No number is right until all numbers are right. Or as Elaine Ingham says, What's the most important organ in your body? And you can stay alive with just that one, most important item? You need all your organs, right? Soil needs all the organisms, in the right numbers and right balance and right function

Organic Molasses

No strong acids or bases, nor extremely high heat are allowed in the production of organic molasses. No preservatives can be used. Because of the lower temperatures used, less condensation of the sugars occur, so fewer condensed, humic materials are present compared to non-sulphured, black-strap molasses

Product:

Organic Molasses

Only organically approved materials were used in the extraction and processing of this molasses product. The colour is a rich medium brown, suggesting some humic condensation occurred, resulting in some fungal foods present.

Use low concentrations to allow bacteria to be benefited. Use higher concentrations in order to also have improvement of typical soil fungi.

Biological Responses:

Bacterial activity was improved following addition of molasses at both concentrations, but the benefit for bacteria was less at the higher concentration. Bacteria and fungi compete for foods and as molasses concentration increases, water is more and more tied-up by the sugar. This allows the fungi to win in the competition. However, while fungal biomass was increased by molasses, it was not the best fungal species that grew. Innoculation of better fungal diversity is required to get the best from this addition of sugar. Protozoa were only slightly affected by either concentration of organic molasses.

Need more information about Molasses? Contact us 02 66807788 or email sales@groundgrocer.com