Using Cooking Molasses to Improve the Health of Your Trees!
Molasses is a dark, thick syrup that is made from sugar cane or sugar beet juice. It is commonly used as a sweetener in food products, but did you know that it can be unbelievably beneficial for your trees, grasses, and gardens? Molasses contains loads of essential minerals and nutrients that are not only great for plants, but also for soil microorganisms that live in the soil and play a critical role in the health of your trees and plants!
Feeding soil microbes with molasses is an extremely effective way to improve soil health and promote healthy trees and plants. Here are some of the benefits of using Food Grade, or cooking molasses in your garden:
Molasses Provides Loads of Energy for Beneficial Microbes
Soil Microbes, such as nitrogen-fixing bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi, play a vital role in breaking down organic matter in the soil and making nutrients available to plants. In fact, a study was done around the world where they found that over 6 billion microbes lived in a 1” cube of soil on average, with up to 22,000 different varieties. Molasses provides a rich source of vital carbohydrates that soil microbes can use as an energy source. This helps to increase microbial activity in the soil which can lead to healthier soils and healthier trees.
Molasses Increases Microbial Diversity
A healthy soil ecosystem is one that has a diverse range of microorganisms living in it. Feeding soil microbes with molasses can help to promote microbial diversity in the soil. This is because many different types of microorganisms thrive on different types of sugars and carbohydrates. By providing a variety of different sugars and carbohydrates using cooking or food grade molasses, you can encourage the growth of a broad range of beneficial microorganisms in your soil.
Molasses Boosts Nutrient Availability to Trees
Molasses contains a wide range of essential plant nutrients, including iron, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. When soil microbes break down organic matter in the soil, they release these nutrients into the soil, making them readily available to your trees. Feeding soil microbes with molasses can help to boost the availability of these vital nutrients, leading to healthier trees, and significantly stronger root systems.
Molasses Improves Soil Structure
Soil Structure is the way that soil particles are arranged in the soil. A Healthy soil structure is essential for good drainage and water management within the soil profile, which are critical for healthy Trees. Feeding soil microbes with food grade or cooking molasses can help to improve soil structure by increasing microbial activity in the soil. This increased activity helps to break down organic matter in the soi, which can lead to improved structure within the soil over time. A Thin layer of healthy, pathogen-free organic soil can help speed up this process!
Molasses Helps Control Tree Diseases
Many types of soil microbes are known to be beneficial in controlling plant diseases. Feeding these beneficial microorganisms with molasses can help to promote their growth and activity in the soil, which can greatly help to prevent common tree and plant diseases. Additionally, the sugars in molasses can help to stimulate the growth of beneficial fungi, such as mycorrhizae which can help to protect your plants and trees from potentially deadly diseases.
In Conclusion, feeding soil microbes with food grade or cooking molasses is a simple and effective way to improve soil health and promote tree health and vitality. Food grade and cooking molasses provide LOADS of vital nutrients for both plants AND the microbes found natural in your soil. This can help to increase beneficial microbial activity, boost nutrient availability, and improve soil structure. If you want to give your plants a natural boost, consider incorporating a high quality molasses around the roots of your trees, plants, and grasses.
If you need help establishing a good tree care maintenance program for your trees and landscape (yes, we use a lot of cooking molasses!), don’t to click HERE to talk to one of our ISA Certified Arborists or Board Certified Arborists (BCMA)
Matt Latham – 409.995.7940
Board Certified Master Arborist #TX-3737B
mattlathambcma@gmail.com
www.arboristondemand.org
