Supercharge Your Soil With Molasses

The soil that you use for your plants is one of the most important factors for strong and healthy growth. Good soil contains nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, along with minerals such as potassium, iron and calcium, as well as many other compounds and nutrients. Each of these compounds is essential for healthy growth of plants but soil also contains beneficial microorganisms which live in it. These microorganisms play a vital role in healthy growth of your plants as well as deterring pests.

Molasses is the perfect food for microorganisms, as it gives them the ideal environment to thrive. When you supplement soil with molasses, what you’re doing is feeding the soil and the microorganisms in it. Along with providing the microorganisms with the carbohydrates and sugars that they love to feed on, molasses also has other benefits for the soil.

Make sure you are using unsulphured molasses. Molasses which have sulphur dioxide kill the microbes in the soil. Sulfur is generally added as a preservative which kills microbes.

Benefits of Using Molasses

• Feeds the beneficial microorganisms already living in the soil
• Improves structure and water retention of the soil
• Enriches the soil with various essential minerals and vitamins
• Helps to prevent the build-up of pathogens that could harm your plants
• Acts as a natural insecticide against common pests
• Helps minimize the risk for salt build-up in the soil, which could cause nutrient problems

Recipe
1-2 tsp (5-10 ml) of unsulfured molasses per gallon of water. Brand does not matter.
1) Warm up the jar of molasses by sitting it in a bowl of hot water for 10-15 minutes.
2) Add one or two TEASPOONS (5-10 ml) of the warm molasses to the warm water. Mix until well dissolved.
3) Apply to soil. Apply every 3-4 weeks or as needed. As always start with a weaker mixture (5 ml / gal.) to ensure there are no adverse reactions to the plant.