I often add a touch of molassas to my "alfalfa tea" that I brew up in garbage pails. Apparently it is supposed to help feed the fungi that rose roots like.

Hi, I use molasses as the 'food' in aerated compost tea - will look up the full recipe after supper.

Oh, Ants from PARAGUAY!

Here it would just attract ants. Whatever you put into the ground needs to be broken down by soil bacteria before it is useable by plant roots. Roots would not be able to digest molasses directly.

Also perhaps its just me having grown up poor, the idea of pouring something edible into the ground is anathema.

I grant your point about putting an edible into the ground, but even the expensive blackstrap seems cheaper than some ferts.

I hadn't thought about ants. I think incorporating some into copost tea might be a good idea. I have nettles; nettle tea is supposed to be very good, though I couldn't see last year that it made much difference.

They sell agricultural molasses on line. It's much cheaper than by the bottle in the store. Feed stores may have it, too. I'm not sure.

I got mine from the feed store. I use it in a recipe to feed my daylilies too. If they dont have it, they can order it.

I have never seen dried molasses for sale anywhere. I understand it attracts earthworms, as well as feeding soil microbes.

I looked dried molasses at tractor supply and they have it in select stores for $21.49

Here is a link that might be useful: Dried Molasses

A mild word of caution concerning adding molasses to a rose bed. It is known that shredded wood mulches, especially when worked down into a soil, can reduce nitrogen levels in a soil. This is because the cellulose in wood can feed soil bacteria and a high population of soil bacteria can tie up the nitrogen in a soil. The effect is much more striking with a soluble carbohydrate like sugar. Adding sugar to soil has even been recommended as a way to control weeds through nitrogen starvation. I assume that a Tbs of molasses per rose does no harm, but perhaps it's something to keep in mind.

Here is a link that might be useful: sugar to control weeds

Oh, the amount of molasses in an aerobic tea is small - a tablespoon per 15 litre bucket (about a kilo of compost mixed with water)- sort of like adding a whack of carbs to a bread mix to get the yeast (fungi) up and running. I bubble mine for about 48 hours (it looks like some fermenting ale, frothy and bubbly) and then I use it as a soil drench. The veggies love it and it is practically fragrant compared to vile comfrey tea.

Anything that increases earthworms ( coffee grounds, etc.) will GREATLY increase the mole/ gopher population. They will trash your lawn. They feed on worms and their casings.

50lb. bag of molasses? Rats and mice in my basement forever.

Sorry, hoovb, but 40 or 50 lb. bags are just not cost effective for me. If I had a large farm, maybe, but not for a city lot. I drink blackstrap in hot water for a tonic, so it is easy to pour some warm water on the dregs and pour that an whatever rose I think might need it.

I have used molasses on an bougainvillea in South Africa. And I promise you I have seen the plant flower so profusely in my entire life. I am going to be giving it to my roses and my orchid