Just add molasses
Organic Fertilizer for Flower stage
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I have noticed a bit of a cal deficiency I have watered it with go go juice and a local organic fish emulsion fertilizer that has macro and micro nutrients
But I think the BIOCANNA fertilizers will have the full macro + micro nutrient spectrum (Cal) but they dont specify that on their website
Anyone used BIOCANNA organic fertilizers before?
BIOCANNA | CANNA Australia
BIOCANNA is CANNA's organic line of products. BIOCANNA products are 100% organic and meet all the requirements for organic farming. This means they are legally checked and guaranteed ORGANIC!
What about when you are using it to control Root knot nematodes in soil...?....Sedge, Do you know if the non-sulphur stuff will still acheive this..?
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Don’t know about that ,,,
but saw molasses mentioned twice ,,
I have not used it but I have heard many times it needs to be black strap,,coz of the Sulfur in it.
think it’s mostly for feeding,, microbes
Yeah I have issues with nematodes in red volcanic soil..you dont really see their effects so much during vegetative stage but by flowering time the root systems are too messed up to grow much bud..
I was hoping to kill them without taking out all the microbes and worms as I know this can happen with mollasses...dont know if its the sulphur that kills the nematodes or something else in the molasses which, if so, would make the sulphur-less alternative a much better option.....I may have to ask the DPI..
Sticky67
Curing
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- 1881
I've used molasses but as sedge said it's got to be unsulphered blackstrap molasses and I'm pretty sure that's what's in the canna bio flores bcoz I've got that too and it's smells very similar but with a dash of Vegemite..which makes sense now I think about it..I don't know what it does but I do think it works..
itchybro
Sultan Of Soil
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yep blackstrap molasses https://australianorganicproducts.com.au/products/melrose-organic-molasses-600g-jar feeds beneficial soil life , mostly bacteria , doesn't do much for the plant directly , not something you want to use constantly in any large amount
i think they do use it in biocanna
how are you determining your having a nematoade problem ?
i think they do use it in biocanna
how are you determining your having a nematoade problem ?
The damage to the roots is quite evident and unmistakable..they also make it impossible to grow tomatoes here..
Its a common problem up here in the Tropical lowlands...Local cane and banana farmers drench their soil with Nemacur but from what I have read, alrthough it works, its quite toxic and not something I want in my garden..
Pikey
Baked
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Old permaculture trick when growing tomatoes (very susceptible to nemitodes), is to do a cover crop of cobbler's pegs (farmer's friends) and chop before it seeds, then turn into the bed before planting the tommy tees. Seems to keep the nemetodes in check.
Companion planting with marigolds has been known to work also, as they contain natural nematicides(?).
Might be of some help
Companion planting with marigolds has been known to work also, as they contain natural nematicides(?).
Might be of some help
Donothing-garden
Blooming
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- 39
Use gypsum if you need calcium. Grade1 should be close 2 20% CaI have noticed a bit of a cal deficiency I have watered it with go go juice and a local organic fish emulsion fertilizer that has macro and micro nutrients
But I think the BIOCANNA fertilizers will have the full macro + micro nutrient spectrum (Cal) but they dont specify that on their website
Anyone used BIOCANNA organic fertilizers before?
BIOCANNA | CANNA Australia
BIOCANNA is CANNA's organic line of products. BIOCANNA products are 100% organic and meet all the requirements for organic farming. This means they are legally checked and guaranteed ORGANIC!www.canna.com.au
Donothing-garden
Blooming
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- 39
Molasses is 15% to 24% by volume for Ca depending on source. But it costs way, way more. Gypsum is what you want if you need calcium in your soil.
Sticky67
Curing
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- 1881
@QLD guy you are right on the money mate, we have some sort of bad bug in the soil up here which attacks the root systems of a lot of plants. I've got it in my soil but I've noticed that the more compost I add the less it affects my plants and working on the soils health seems to help..it leaves little nodules along the roots were it has been, it looks horrible, easy to see..I think it's why most people up here grow their tomatoes in pots or boxes up here. I've got crappy clay rock hard soil, it's taken 8yrs to finally be able to grow a decent vege patch..
itchybro
Sultan Of Soil
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https://www.gardenmyths.com/molasses-for-plants/
molasses for plants
This is a hot gardening topic these days and many of the organic gardeners are promoting the idea that you should add molasses to your compost pile and to your garden. It makes the microbes grow better–they need to eat, don’t you know?
Molasses; should you eat it, or dump it onto your soil? You have come to the right place to get the facts.
Molasses, What is it?
Molasses is a by-product produced during the manufacture of sugar. Sugar cane or sugar beets are processed so that the sugar can be extracted. The material that is left after most of the sugar is removed is a black sticky material called molasses. Molasses contains sugar, some other carbohydrates, vitamins and a number of minerals like calcium and iron.
Molasses for Plants
You probably know that it is important to have microbes in your soil , If having microbes is important, than it makes sense that you should feed those microbes. Feeding them will make them healthy, and make them reproduce so that you have even more microbes. Guess what? Microbes, especially the bacteria, love sugar. It’s no surprise that they also love molasses since it is mostly sugar.
So far it all seems to make sense. Microbes are good for soil, and molasses is good for microbes, so why not add it to soil? The short answer is that there is nothing wrong with adding molasses to your garden, or to your compost pile. It will feed the microbes.
Does it Make Sense to Add Molasses?
I’ll save you the trouble of skipping to the end of this post–the answer is NO!
Understanding why the answer is no will help you understand your garden. Let’s have a look. In a normal garden, or compost pile, you have a large variety of microbes, all going about their daily lives. They find something to eat, they poop, and they die. This is a continual process that goes on a billion times a second.
Microbes are opportunistic in that their populations will increase and decrease as the conditions change. Let’s assume you have not been doing too much in the garden so conditions are not changing. In that case the microbe populations remain steady. Things are chugging along at a normal pace and everybody is happy.
Now you dump a lot of molasses on the garden. Instantly, microbes sense the extra food and they start to multiply. Bacteria can divide (ie double the population) every 20 minutes. The population explodes very quickly. All those bacteria need to eat, and they quickly consume the molasses you added. As the food source runs out there is a massive famine and most of the bacteria die.
What has the molasses accomplished?
Not much. It is true that all of the dead bacteria go on to feed other microbes, and they help build soil structure. The minerals in the molasses stay in the soil and plants can use them, but your soil probably had enough calcium and iron before you added the molasses. The vitamins in molasses are of no value to plants.
Is the massive population explosion good for your plants? I don’t think anyone knows, but most things in nature are better off without massive changes, and plant roots depend very much on the population of microbes around their roots. I just can’t believe a bacteria population explosion is good for the plants
Molasses might make your compost pile work quicker, but the first rain, or your hose, will wash the sugars out of the pile removing any benefits.
Do You Need to Feed the Microbes?
The reason for adding molasses is to feed the microbes, so it is important to ask, “Should the gardener feed the microbes?” The answer is a resounding YES! However, there are many ways to do this. Adding compost, wood chips or other organic matter as a mulch is the best way. This provides a slow, steady release of food for the microbes.
Molasses is a product that we can use to feed people and animals. I’d rather eat gingerbread cookies than compost and wood chips. From an environmental point of view it makes more sense to put non-edible organic matter in the garden and keep the food in the fridge.
There is no “magic” in molasses. It’s just another source of organic matter that will be decomposed in the garden. All organic matter contains carbohydrates, sugars, minerals and vitamins, just like molasses. Don’t believe me …… consider the fact that molasses is made from plants; sugar cane or sugar beets.
molasses for plants
This is a hot gardening topic these days and many of the organic gardeners are promoting the idea that you should add molasses to your compost pile and to your garden. It makes the microbes grow better–they need to eat, don’t you know?
Molasses; should you eat it, or dump it onto your soil? You have come to the right place to get the facts.
Molasses, What is it?
Molasses is a by-product produced during the manufacture of sugar. Sugar cane or sugar beets are processed so that the sugar can be extracted. The material that is left after most of the sugar is removed is a black sticky material called molasses. Molasses contains sugar, some other carbohydrates, vitamins and a number of minerals like calcium and iron.
Molasses for Plants
You probably know that it is important to have microbes in your soil , If having microbes is important, than it makes sense that you should feed those microbes. Feeding them will make them healthy, and make them reproduce so that you have even more microbes. Guess what? Microbes, especially the bacteria, love sugar. It’s no surprise that they also love molasses since it is mostly sugar.
So far it all seems to make sense. Microbes are good for soil, and molasses is good for microbes, so why not add it to soil? The short answer is that there is nothing wrong with adding molasses to your garden, or to your compost pile. It will feed the microbes.
Does it Make Sense to Add Molasses?
I’ll save you the trouble of skipping to the end of this post–the answer is NO!
Understanding why the answer is no will help you understand your garden. Let’s have a look. In a normal garden, or compost pile, you have a large variety of microbes, all going about their daily lives. They find something to eat, they poop, and they die. This is a continual process that goes on a billion times a second.
Microbes are opportunistic in that their populations will increase and decrease as the conditions change. Let’s assume you have not been doing too much in the garden so conditions are not changing. In that case the microbe populations remain steady. Things are chugging along at a normal pace and everybody is happy.
Now you dump a lot of molasses on the garden. Instantly, microbes sense the extra food and they start to multiply. Bacteria can divide (ie double the population) every 20 minutes. The population explodes very quickly. All those bacteria need to eat, and they quickly consume the molasses you added. As the food source runs out there is a massive famine and most of the bacteria die.
What has the molasses accomplished?
Not much. It is true that all of the dead bacteria go on to feed other microbes, and they help build soil structure. The minerals in the molasses stay in the soil and plants can use them, but your soil probably had enough calcium and iron before you added the molasses. The vitamins in molasses are of no value to plants.
Is the massive population explosion good for your plants? I don’t think anyone knows, but most things in nature are better off without massive changes, and plant roots depend very much on the population of microbes around their roots. I just can’t believe a bacteria population explosion is good for the plants
Molasses might make your compost pile work quicker, but the first rain, or your hose, will wash the sugars out of the pile removing any benefits.
Do You Need to Feed the Microbes?
The reason for adding molasses is to feed the microbes, so it is important to ask, “Should the gardener feed the microbes?” The answer is a resounding YES! However, there are many ways to do this. Adding compost, wood chips or other organic matter as a mulch is the best way. This provides a slow, steady release of food for the microbes.
Molasses is a product that we can use to feed people and animals. I’d rather eat gingerbread cookies than compost and wood chips. From an environmental point of view it makes more sense to put non-edible organic matter in the garden and keep the food in the fridge.
There is no “magic” in molasses. It’s just another source of organic matter that will be decomposed in the garden. All organic matter contains carbohydrates, sugars, minerals and vitamins, just like molasses. Don’t believe me …… consider the fact that molasses is made from plants; sugar cane or sugar beets.
itchybro
Sultan Of Soil
- User ID
- 31
plus 1 Pikey & Sticky , by thinking "Health" rather than "Kill" you'll get much better results imo , adding compost = inoculating soil with beneficial bugs , planting companions = inoculating soil with beneficial bugs
Nemacur will kill all , leaving a plant with zero protection = no beneficial microbes to attack the bad microbes from attacking your plants
Nemacur will kill all , leaving a plant with zero protection = no beneficial microbes to attack the bad microbes from attacking your plants
.Thanks Professor itchybro..If only it was that easy mate..it might well be for that Canadian gardener
The wet humid tropics (4500mm annual rainfall where I live) surrounded by jungle, poses many challenges that most gardeners will never encounter in their lives...not only is there nematodes to contend with but various bacterial and fungal wilts particularly in the solananaceae family of veges..for thoise living in or in close proximity to rainforest various pests are also a problem...with the fruit/banana spotting bug a particular nasty one that stings/sucks the stems of many plants near the tips and growing points which can stunt and virtually stop any growth..Papaya get badly affected in my area...Canna planted in bush areas, particularly around wild raspberry also..
and yes I have spent 20 years adding endless tip-truckloads of various products, including tip mulch,wood chip, bagasse, mill mud, fly ash as well as chook poop, fish frames, flood wash, tonne bags of lime and gypsum etc for my vege garden and wider gardens ....
Despite this the nematodes, wilts and sapsuckers still exist ...though as Sticky mentions not to the same degree in my "healthyist" vege garden soil ..still not enough to grow tomatoes aside from a small cherry variety during the dry season unforyunately though..
So yeah i know that spending time increasing soil from the ground up is always the best option but I ask again..for someone wanting to plant a few canna plants in small Guerilla grow i the bush where a 20 year plan to increase the humus content of the bush soil is not really possible will molasses control or kill the root knot nematodes for the duration of a grow and if not does anyone have a quick fix (other then nemacur)..?
The wet humid tropics (4500mm annual rainfall where I live) surrounded by jungle, poses many challenges that most gardeners will never encounter in their lives...not only is there nematodes to contend with but various bacterial and fungal wilts particularly in the solananaceae family of veges..for thoise living in or in close proximity to rainforest various pests are also a problem...with the fruit/banana spotting bug a particular nasty one that stings/sucks the stems of many plants near the tips and growing points which can stunt and virtually stop any growth..Papaya get badly affected in my area...Canna planted in bush areas, particularly around wild raspberry also..
and yes I have spent 20 years adding endless tip-truckloads of various products, including tip mulch,wood chip, bagasse, mill mud, fly ash as well as chook poop, fish frames, flood wash, tonne bags of lime and gypsum etc for my vege garden and wider gardens ....
Despite this the nematodes, wilts and sapsuckers still exist ...though as Sticky mentions not to the same degree in my "healthyist" vege garden soil ..still not enough to grow tomatoes aside from a small cherry variety during the dry season unforyunately though..
So yeah i know that spending time increasing soil from the ground up is always the best option but I ask again..for someone wanting to plant a few canna plants in small Guerilla grow i the bush where a 20 year plan to increase the humus content of the bush soil is not really possible will molasses control or kill the root knot nematodes for the duration of a grow and if not does anyone have a quick fix (other then nemacur)..?
Sticky67
Curing
- User ID
- 1881
@QLD guy hey bud I don't have an answer for you but @Donothing-garden might be able to point you in the right direction. I wonder if neem cake would be of any benefit..good luck bud..
