My boss swears by mixing brown sugar and water to give his jalapeño plants a boost. He says he lets it sit out overnight then waters them with it. I've never heard of this before and I'm not sure about it. I can't question him tho LOL he's my boss. Wouldn't that just invite bugs or mold?
Curious about this weird trick I heard from my boss
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MildToWild
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I totally get your concern! Brown sugar water can really attract those pesky bugs and might even start growing mold or fungus, yikes! A way safer alternative is diluted unsulfured molasses, it's like a feast for the beneficial microbes in your soil without the risk of inviting unwanted guests. By the way, is your boss sticking to just sugar and water, or is there something else in the mix too?
B. Honeydew
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Molasses is an old school fertilizer due to the trace minerals so I'd use that if you have it. However, if you just have brown sugar; go for it. Brown sugar is roughly 20% molasses (depending on light or dark brown sugar). Molasses it self can be about 40% sugars. So, both will attract sugar seeking bugs.
Have this idea for you, if you're skeptical (and rightly so), maybe just "forget" to try it on your own plants until you see actual results from his haha, no harm in letting him run the experiment first lol
woodeddiary
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very creative idea from your boss and it's understandable why you would be unsure about it. The truth is that plants do not take in sugar through their roots for nourishment. They make all the sugar they need on their own through photosynthesis. Adding sugar water to the soil can feed certain microorganisms which can be beneficial to the overall health of the soil. But sugar solution can attract all sorts of unwanted pests like ants or aphids. It can also encourage mold or other fungal growths on the surface of the soil which is not good for the plant.
