Sugar water instead of Molasses. Help!

[miley]

I've read threads that say that you can substitute sugar water for molasses but i never saw what the mixing ratio was anywhere. can someone help me out?

[PharmaCan]

I know you think you have a good reason for asking this, but Molasses only costs a couple dollars. Why not just buy some molasses and follow an established protocol?

PC :smokin:

[miley]

Because i have sugar in my kitchen cabinet and it is alot cheaper over the long haul.

[Dr. Bloor]

I would think go with the molasses! I mean what the hell the stuff is cheap enough.

[miley]

Thanks for the response but i asked what the measurements would be not if i should use molasses instead. Whats the big deal with using just sugar.

[Dr. Bloor]

In cooking. substitute 1 cup of molasses with 1 cup of granulated sugar, plus 1/4 cup of water. I have no idea if this works on plants but, that is the common cooking sub. Hope this helps.

[Dr. Bloor]

The real nut here is that molasses contains vitamins and other nutrients that a refined sugar is lacking. Among those that refined sugars do not have is calcium and potassium. I would go with the molasses.

[miley]

Thanks for the info doc. I'll look for molasses next time i go to the store but will start the sugar tonight. So like 3/4 sugar to 1 gallon of water?

[Dr. Bloor]

No!! 1 cup of sugar plus 1/4 cup of water is equal to molasses in cooking. For the plants I believe it is like a teaspoon size to a gallon of water, either the sugar mix which is lacking the nutes, or the molasses.

[PharmaCan]

Thanks for the response but i asked what the measurements would be not if i should use molasses instead. Whats the big deal with using just sugar.


I think what we are trying to do is encourage you to do what is best for your plants. You using sugar instead of molasses isn't going to affect my or Dr.Bloor's plants; only yours.

Whatever you decide, good luck. :thumbsup:

PC :smokin:

[stinkyattic]

White sugar will give you the cheap carbon source you are looking for, so go ahead and use it. Dissolve your sugar in hot water, allow to cool, store for later use.

Molasses has other stuff in it that is good for the beneficial soil bacteria. Plus the othe nutrients that have been mentioned already. That's why everyone is so keen on the stuff. If you want to get real fancy and get the most possible bang for your sugar budget, molasses + Sweet + MycoStim. Awwww, yeeeeeeah, G!

[miley]

Hey Pharm and Stinky thanks for the responses. I got some molasses today at the grocery store. And will be giving my girls a shot of it tonight.

[miley]

I got a question for ya Stinky. Can you tell me if this is a decent light for the price? Dayspot Light with Clamp 150 Watt at SeedLover.com (http://www.seedlover.com/products.php?pid=444)

It's just for supplemental lighting to get the bottoms of the plants. Also, is that a warm or a cool bulb and what is the actual wattage of it?

BTW i read some of your grow logs and have the utmost respect for you. :)

[PharmaCan]

Hey Pharm and Stinky thanks for the responses. I got some molasses today at the grocery store. And will be giving my girls a shot of it tonight.

This probably goes without saying, but be sure to disolve the molasses in some water before mixing it with your nutes.

PC :smokin:

[xcrispi]

Search on here for the word "Sucanat"
= All nat. cane sugar . I posted an artlcle by Ed about it on here .
Peace
Crispi :jointsmile:

[stinkyattic]

Miley, that light is an incandescent and you would do far better to get a clamp-type work light and fit it with a CFL instead. That one will give off a LOT of heat for the limited effect it will have on plant growth.

[RetiredFF]

White sugar will give you the cheap carbon source you are looking for, so go ahead and use it. Dissolve your sugar in hot water, allow to cool, store for later use.

Molasses has other stuff in it that is good for the beneficial soil bacteria. Plus the othe nutrients that have been mentioned already. That's why everyone is so keen on the stuff. If you want to get real fancy and get the most possible bang for your sugar budget, molasses + Sweet + MycoStim. Awwww, yeeeeeeah, G!

Stinky, at what point in the growing process do you begin adding the MicoStim?

[whatsthatsmell]

and while your answering the MicroStim question, the Sweet your talking about is the name of the product or just sweeten'd water with sugar?

[stinkyattic]

MycoStim- add when you are mixing soil, or any time. I think Storm Crow was the one who suggested it even as early as during seed germ. You can mix it in the soil or water it in later.

Sweet is a product made by botanicare that helps plants use carbohydrates better.

[miley]

Thanks for the advice about the light Stinky. I wanted to get just a standard clamp light like you talked about because i have 2 brand new 25 watt cfl bulbs already but I cant seem to find the light itself anywhere in stores or on the net. Any suggestions?

[stinkyattic]

home depot has it tossed in with the extension cords and shit

[PharmaCan]

Thanks for the advice about the light Stinky. I wanted to get just a standard clamp light like you talked about because i have 2 brand new 25 watt cfl bulbs already but I cant seem to find the light itself anywhere in stores or on the net. Any suggestions?

Lowe's or Home Depot. :thumbsup:

PC :smokin:

[miley]

Thanks for the info!

[Dr. Bloor]

MycoStim- add when you are mixing soil, or any time. I think Storm Crow was the one who suggested it even as early as during seed germ. You can mix it in the soil or water it in later.

Sweet is a product made by botanicare that helps plants use carbohydrates better.

I have to find some of that MycoStim!

[Dr. Bloor]

mychorriza in other words

[Dr. Bloor]

I have a post somewhere here where I was asking about mychorriza

[xcrispi]

by Ed Rosenthal ->

>Iâ??ve got a sweet tooth for sugary, candy-flavored ganja. In fact, sugar is
>not only the cannabis plantâ??s source of energy for growth; itâ??s also the
>primary factor that determines how good your favorite herb will taste when
>you smoke it. In my many years of horticultural experimentation, Iâ??ve tried
>many different sugar supplements to augment my plantsâ?? health and flavor,
>and I want to share a few of my favorites. Some of this information will be
>a refresher course for seasoned growers, but Iâ??d like to start at the
>beginning for the introductory grower and briefly explain the importance of
>sugar to plants. Plants make their own sugars (carbohydrates) through
>photosynthesis. Plants combine light energy (from the sun or a
>high-intensity discharge lamp) with water and CO2 from the atmosphere (or a
>CO2 tank or burner), and the result is sugar. This sugar is the essential
>source of energy thatâ??s utilized for all cellular division and the
>formation of plant structures (i.e., huge, dank buds). Now, you canâ??t grow
>a plant in the dark by watering it with sugar, but under otherwise good
>growing conditions, you can supplement your nutrient solution with extra
>sugars to boost the natural levels created by photosynthesis and make your
>plants more vigorous and productive. The real icing on the cake, though,
>comes from the fact that a little extra sugar will improve not only the
>yield of your garden but also the flavor of your favorite herb.
>For serious growers and/or gadget collectors, you can even measure the
>amount of sugar (on this scale, we call it â??brix,â?� pronounced bree) in your
>plant with a device called a refractometer. Donâ??t shy away from the fancy
>name if youâ??re afraid of complicated devices; this tool is super-easy to
>operate. Using a sap extractor (or a pair of pliers), you can squeeze a
>drop of juice out of a leaf and then place it on the refractometerâ??s
>viewing plate. Look through the lens and you will see an obvious line
>running across a column of numbers. Brix readings above 12 indicate good
>plant health and a strong immune system. With a device like this, youâ??ll
>impress your friends (â??Ooohâ?¦a refracto-what?â?�) and also be able to detect
>when a change in your feeding program or environment affects your crop as
>the readings go up or down. Frequent checks of brix content in leaf tissue
>will tell you whether your plants are on course or falling behind. Peaceful
>Valley Farm Supply sells refractometers for $100, and you can find them
>online at groworganic.com.
>Until about seven or eight years ago, using sugar as a plant supplement was
>a little-known trick more often employed by grandmothers on their
>houseplants than ganja growers on their herb. But now the hydroponics
>market is full of sugar (carbohydrate) supplements. In the beginning, there
>were several glucose-based products, such as Carbo Load, Carbo Max, Karbo
>Boost, etc. These are very cost-effective products as far as plant
>supplements go, but theyâ??re not as cheap as raw glucose itself (usually
>sold as dextrose or corn sugarâ??itâ??s really the same thing), available at
>brewery-supply outlets and online for just over $1 per poundâ??less than $1 a
>pound if you buy in bulk. While glucose is readily available to plants as a
>form of supplemental carbohydrates, itâ??s just one form of a simple sugar
>and lacks the rich flavor found in other, darker kinds of sugar. It can
>also be difficult to dissolve: If you dump a large amount into water all at
>once, it has a tendency to form into a gelatinous wad of goo (of which even
>a small amount can wreak havoc in a hydro garden with small drippers or
>emitters). To avoid this, dissolve the amount necessary for your reservoir
>into a beaker of warm water first and pour off the dissolved liquid. Leave
>any undissolved materials at the bottom of the beaker and add more water
>until fully dissolved. The use of these products will indeed boost brix
>levels, but it doesnâ??t do much for flavor enhancement, which is what this
>article is all about.
>My all-time-favorite source of supplemental sugar isnâ??t sold by a
>plant-nutrient company. Itâ??s Sucanatâ??a form of dark raw sugar sold as a
>sweetener for foods in natural-food stores everywhere. But Sucanat is a
>great sweetener for your sinsemilla, too. Made by Wholesome Sweeteners,
>Sucanat is short for â??Sugar Cane Natural,â?� a dried cane extract available
>for under $3 per pound. Sucanat is darker than most organic sugars and has
>a more molasses-like consistency to it because it hasnâ??t been separated or
>refined. It will increase the brix content in plants, but the darker sugar
>has more vitamins and minerals and a rich caramel aroma as well. Sucanat
>dissolves readily in hot water and doesnâ??t seem to turn into goo like
>dextrose does.


1 of your q's was about doseage= I used 1 tsp. per gallon w/ very good results .
Crispi :jointsmile:

[miley]

Hey dude. Thanks for all the great info. Could i add that to my nute and molasses mix?

[xcrispi]

Sup Miley ,
I add it to my normal mix w/o any issues bro. I mix it up in an old gal. milk jug w/ warm water then add it to my res. I noticed a small amount of foam on top of res. from it but never any gooey b/s or sediment on the bottom over time .
Peace
Crispi :jointsmile: