As weve already learned, in the of sugar cane the consecutive rounds of sugar manufacturing produce first molasses and
second molasses. With the humble sugar beet, the intermediate syrups get names like high green and low green, its only the
syrup left after the final stage of sugar extraction that is called molasses. After final processing, the leftover sugar
beet mash is dried then combined with the thick black colored molasses to serve as fodder for cattle. Sugar beet molasses is
also used to sweeten feed for horses, sheep, chickens, etc.
Sugar beet molasses is only considered useful as an animal feed additive because it has fairly high concentrations of many
salts including calcium, potassium, oxalate, and chloride. Despite the fact that its not suitable for human consumption and
some consider it to be an industrial waste or industrial by-product, molasses produced from sugar beets makes a wonderful
plant fertilizer. While humans may reject beet molasses due to the various extras the sugar beet brings to the table, to
our plants its a different story. Sugar beet molasses is usually fairly chemical free as well, at least in our experience.
Although farmers generally fertilize their fields in the spring using the various arrays of available fertilizers, weed
chemicals (herbicides) are not used for this crop due to the beet plants relatively delicate nature.
There is at least one other type of molasses we are aware of, and that would be sorghum molasses. Its made from a plant
known as sweet sorghum or sorghum cane in treatments somewhat similar to sugar beets and/or sugar cane processing. If our
understanding is correct, sorghum molasses is more correctly called a thickened syrup rather than a by-product of sugar
production. So in our eyes sorghum molasses is probably more like Maple Syrup than a true molasses.
In the distant past sorghum syrup was a common locally produced sweetener in many areas, but today it is fairly rare
speciality product that could get fairly pricey compared to Molasses. Because sorghum molasses is the final product of sweet
sorghum processing, and blackstrap and sugar beet molasses are simply waste by-products of sugar manufacturing, its pretty
easy to understand the difference in expense between the products. The word from the birds is - there isnt any apparent
advantage to justify the extra expense of using sorghum molasses as a substitute for blackstrap or sugar beet molasses in
the garden. So if you find sorghum molasses, instead of using it in your garden, youll probably want to use it as an
alternate sweetener on some biscuits.
Thats a quick birds eye look at the differences between the various types and grades of molasses and how they are
produced. Now its time to get a peek at the whys and hows of using molasses in gardening.
Why Molasses?
The reason nutrient manufacturers have discovered molasses is the simple fact that its a great source of carbohydrates
to stimulate the growth of beneficial microorganisms. Carbohydrate is really just a fancy word for sugar, and molasses is
the best sugar for horticultural use. Folks who have read some of our prior essays know that we are big fans of promoting
and nourishing soil life, and that we attribute a good portion of our growing success to the attention we pay to building a
thriving micro-herd to work in concert with plant roots to digest and assimilate nutrients. We really do buy into the old
organic gardening adage - Feed the soil not the plant.
Molasses is a good, quick source of energy for the various forms of microbes and soil life in a compost pile or good living
soil. As we said earlier, molasses is a carbon source that feeds the beneficial microbes that create greater natural soil
fertility. But, if giving a sugar boost was the only goal, there would be lots of alternatives. We could even go with the
old Milly Blunt story of using Coke on plants as a child, after all Coke would be a great source of sugar to feed microbes
and it also contains phosphoric acid to provide phosphorus for strengthening roots and encouraging blooming. In our eyes
though, the primary thing that makes molasses the best sugar for agricultural use is its trace minerals.
In addition to sugars, molasses contains significant amounts of potash, sulfur, and a variety of micronutrients. Because
molasses is derived from plants, and because the manufacturing processes that create it remove mostly sugars, the majority
of the mineral nutrients that were contained in the original sugar cane or sugar beet are still present in molasses. This is
a critical factor because a balanced supply of mineral nutrients is essential for those beneficial beasties to survive and
thrive. Thats one of the secrets weve discovered to really successful organic gardening, the micronutrients found in
organic amendments like molasses, kelp, and alfalfa were all derived from other plant sources and are quickly and easily
available to our soil and plants. This is especially important for the soil micro-herd of critters who depend on tiny
amounts of those trace minerals as catalysts to make the enzymes that create biochemical transformations. That last sentence
was our fancy way of saying - its actually the critters in live soil that break down organic fertilizers and feed it to
our plants.
One final benefit molasses can provide to your garden is its ability to work as a chelating agent. Thats a scientific way
of saying that molasses is one of those magical substances that can convert some chemical nutrients into a form thats
easily available for critters and plants. Chelated minerals can be absorbed directly and remain available and stable in the
soil. Rather than spend a lot of time and effort explaining the relationships between chelates and micronutrients, we are
going to quote one of our favorite sources for explaining soil for scientific laymen.
Micronutrients occur, in cells as well as in soil, as part of large, complex organic molecules in chelated form. The word
chelate (pronounced KEE-late) comes from the Greek word for claw, which indicates how a single nutrient ion is held in
the center of the larger molecule. The finely balanced interactions between micronutrients are complex and not fully
understood. We do know that balance is crucial; any micronutrient, when present in excessive amounts, will become a poison,
and certain poisonous elements, such as chlorine are also essential micronutrients. For this reason natural, organic sources
of micronutrients are the best means of supplying them to the soil; they are present in balanced quantities and not liable
to be over applied through error or ignorance. When used in naturally chelated form, excess micronutrients will be locked up
and prevented from disrupting soil balance. Excerpted from The Soul of Soil by Grace Gershuny and Joe Smillie
Thats not advertising hype either, no product being sold there. Thats just the words of a pair of authors who have spent
their lives studying, building, and nurturing soils.
Molasses ability to act as a chelate explains its presence in organic stimulant products like Earth Juice Catalyst.
Chelates are known for their ability to unlock the potential of fertilizers, and some smart biological farmers we know are
using chelating agents (like Humic Acid) to allow them to make dramatic cuts in normal levels of fertilizer application.
One way to observe this reaction at work would be to mix up a solution of one part molasses to nine parts water and then
soak an object which is coated with iron rust (like a simple nail for instance) in that solution for two weeks. The
chelating action of the molasses will remove the mineral elements of the rust and hold them in that claw shaped molecule
that Grace and Joe just described.
As weve commented on elsewhere, its not always possible to find good information about the fertilizer benefits of some
products that arent necessarily produced as plant food. But weve also found that by taking a careful look at nutritional
information provided for products like molasses that can be consumed by humans, we can get a pretty decent look at the
nutrition we can expect a plant to get as well.
There are many brands of molasses available, so please do not look at our use of a particular brand as an endorsement, our
choice of Brer Rabbit molasses as an example is simply due to our familiarity with the product, one of our Grandmothers
preferred this brand.
Brer Rabbit Blackstrap Molasses Nutritional Information and Nutrition Facts: Serving Size: 1Tbsp. (21g). Servings per
Container: About 24. Amount Per Serving: Calories - 60; Percentage Daily Values; Fat - 0g, 0%; Sodium - 65mg. 3%; Potassium
- 800 mg. 23%; Total Carbohydrates - 13g, 4%; Sugars - 12g, Protein - 1g, Calcium - 2%; Iron 10%; Magnesium 15%; Not a
significant source of calories from fat, sat. fat, cholesterol, fiber, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C.