what dose molasses do for teas

[jack]

i want to make tea,,,,,,what dose the molasses do for compost tea....thanks

[Robert D Bard]

Feeds the bacteria and adds trace minerals.
Robert D Bard

[CaptainCompostAL]

All sugary products are high carboneous, easily digestible, microbial foods. Molasses is the king of all sugar products because of the extra micronutrients in it like potassium, iron, sulfur, iodine, etc. However, many tea brewers have have great success using various syrups and starches also. Seaweed is loaded with complex sugars, and is rich in carbohydrates, even though all seaweeds are still "greens" in the composting world.

Recent studies have shown that molasses tends to feed more bacteria species in teas and compost, than say larger microbes like fungi, actinomycetes, protozoa, etc. Bacteria like simple sugars. Fungi loves more complex sugars and starches and cellulose. If the bacteria gets the sugars first, normally they overpower the fungi guys in a tea brew.

Today more tea brewing research is focused toward developing more beneficial fungal compost teas, for better disease/pest control, and a more balanced release of more soluble nutrients from organic matter and minerals in the soil, and on plant foliage surfaces using teas as both soil and foliar drenches.

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

I think the Captain is trying to say that you don't need any molasses. If you use molasses, be absolutely sure your tea temperature is below 75 degrees F. And then use less than one ounce of molasses per gallon of tea. I would start with one half ounce per gallon. My garage is well over 80 degrees all night long so my tea would not be a candidate for molasses.

The problem with using too much is that the bacteria multiply so fast that they use up all the oxygen in the water. No amount of bubbles in the water can restore the oxygen when the water temp is above 85 degrees. Below that temp it is theoretically possible but not always practical to aerate oxygen into it. With tea temps in the 60s or low 70s, you should be okay with air and small amounts of molasses.

[jack]

Thanks, yall so much.......greg