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.
_________________ The entire Kingdom of God can be totally explained as an Organic Garden (Mark 4:26)
William Cureton
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