Does Molasses attract pests?

[patrickroy33]

Hello,
I have a four plants that will reach maturity in the next 3 weeks or so. I'm going to try feeding til the very end and I've read mollases may be good to introduce along with nutes at this point.

Being an outdoor grow, I'm wondering if Molasses will attract insects or not?

 

[Arthur]

You'd be better served using the molasses in a tea.
Molasses feeds the soil and microbes (in small doses use too much and you'll smother your microbes) best used prepping a soil for a grow.


Used it for years, it was how I was taught. Only for teas now.

 

[BII]

I would presume (guess) that molasses at recommended concentration when in the soil is not a nutrient for adult insects (while it could be for larvae; but with everyone presumably regularly using a Bt product, larvae should simply not be a concern). Adult insects would have to consume large quantities of the water film bound/adorbed to soil particles to get much nutrition by their standards. I've never heard of water-adsorbed-to-soil-sucking adult insects damaging cannabis roots.

Besides providing some Mg and other trace nutrients, molasses' sugar content will feed many of the microbes in the soil, generally to the benefit of the plants as the microbes break-down and metabolize complex organics into more plant-consumable simpler/smaller ones, such as amino acids from proteins (such as from dead roots). So I'd say feed molasses, even do it every feed. I feed about half the usual cited dose of molasses or other carb product, such as CarboLoad, with every feed; along with a small dose some beneficial microbes, such as Orca, ReCharge, HydroGuard, Tribus, etc.

But to answer your question in terms of molasses literally attracting insects to the area of the plant (vs molasses use resulting in damage). Yes it may, to the extent that any related smell and fermentation/microbial breakdown by-products attract insects. So, overall I'd guess insects may be attracted to the area, but they aren't going for find any real food, have a reason to hang around, vs. plants not fed molasses.