Bud Candy vs. Molasses

Which Is Better?

Advanced Nutrients

Advanced Nutrients makes Bud Candy, and they are a veteran in the agricultural industry as they initially started in 1996 as Canadian Soilless Ltd. and have been in operation ever since. According to their website, their products are formulated by Ph.D. scientists that initially focused on plant nutrients for hydroponics. They also are award-winning. Their last company award was in 2013 at GrowMED. (I can’t find anything about GrowMed on the internet. However, due to how young the MMJ and cannabis industry is; this may not necessarily mean anything) Additionally, on their front page, they brag that a cannabis grower, who used their product, won nine awards.

Hydroponic Only? Advanced Nutrients only mentions hydroponic growing on their website. However, reviewers stated that it could be used for soil, coco, and hydroponic growing. Also, other reviews never mention that you should only use it for growing plants in water. So, I feel you should be confident using it for growing weed in soil or coco.

It is a specialized, expensive nutrient (bloom booster) that has a very high rating and over 1,000 reviews. It contains molasses and also other nutrients that straight molasses does not have. A few growers state that with a bit of extra work, molasses, and other gardening techniques and tips, they can do the same thing as most flowering stimulators. Overall, based on its glowing reviews on Amazon and its popularity, it is an excellent fertilizer. However, you can get similar results, with DIY organic products. So, the question is whether or not it is worth it or not.

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Carbs, Flowering, And The Carboload

As it does to your body, adding carbs helps plants get the energy necessary to develop their flowering or buds fully. That is why carbohydrates are essential for cannabis plants to produce buds. And, with the proper amounts, this is the same reason why a “carboload” helps increase (up to 20%) the size and fullness of buds.

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Molasses

Molasses could be loosely considered the DIY equivalent of Bud Candy. It is a very thick dark liquid made by boiling down beet juice or sugar cane that turns it into a thick, sugary, and syrupy substance. Sugar, which is full of carbohydrates is heavily valued during flowering. So, when the correct type is properly applied will help make your buds robust and give you higher yields.

All Molasses Isn’t Equal

You can’t go to your local grocery stores and buy the first type that you see on the shelf. The reason is that there are different types, and certain forms can even hurt your plants. So, you must make sure that you purchase the correct type. Above all, do not buy any with added sulfur dioxide. Sulfur dioxide is added as a preservative, and it is fine if you are using it for baking or other recipes. Sulfur dioxide also kills beneficial soil microorganisms. So, adding the sulfured kind will hurt your plants instead of helping you cannabis reach their maximum potential.

What Type Should I Choose?

As a general rule, for gardening, the darker the better. Blackstrap molasses is extremely dark, and it doesn’t contain any sulfur dioxide. Additionally, it is full of calcium, magnesium, iron, and potassium, and micro-nutrients. Therefore, it is the best type to be used in gardening.

It provides the following benefits for soil, which in turn makes it an excellent bloom stimulator.

● Helps with soil structure

● Enables soil to retain water better

● Adds essential vitamins and minerals

● Reduces the chance of too much salt in the sand

● NOT PROVEN- Some say that it is even a natural insecticide

Other Benefits

● Less chance of overfeeding your plants than if you were to use other types of plant nutrients

● Tons cheaper than Bud Candy or other flowering stimulators.

● Said to increase the size of buds from 10 to 20%.

● Can use it during veg state

Where Can I Get It?

Blackstrap molasses is not edible. Therefore, you will not be able to get it at grocery stores. As a result, you can either buy it at your local gardening store or online. Click the picture below if you are interested in buying it on Amazon.

Bud Candy Review

It is an organic “flower booster” made by Advanced Nutrient and is designed to maximize your buds’ size or flowering for plants. It can be used for both hydroponics and soil and it contains multiple types of simple and complex carbs. (Cranberry Extract, Maltose, Xylose, Raw Can Extract (AKA “Raw Cane Juice”), and Malt Extract, and More)

Carbs and sugars are especially needed and tend to be lacking in the flowering growth stage. This is the reason why they help increase your bud yield. Additionally, organic L-type amino acids are added. Advanced Nutrients claims that aminos are useful for maximizing the formation of proteins that will help your plants yield and health.

One limitation for Bud Candy is that it contains zero to minimal, trace elements of potassium, and phosphorus and it is only designed to be used in the flowering growth stage. To get added potassium and phosphorus you can purchase Bud Candy, which is also from Advanced Nutrients.

Below is a link where you are able to buy a combo of Big Bud and Bud Candy.

Advance Nutrients claims that it does the following for flowering plants:

• Bigger flowers/Buds
• More Robust Roots
• Builds Plant immunity
• Helps Produce Essential Oils

Based upon its popularity, its use in the industry, and the reputable nature of Advanced Nutrients, I feel that Advanced Nutrients is among the best flowering booster additives available.

Bud Candy V. Molasses

Bud Candy is an excellent product, as it is highly rated with over 1,000 reviews. However, many of its benefits are also done by the far cheaper BlackStrap Molasses. Is it worth the extra price, or should you use molasses for boosting the buds/flowers of your cannabis plants? I will now go over the differences between Bud candy and then give you a final recommendation.

Ingredients

Bud Candy is man-made. Therefore, it can contain various ingredients that are not found in blackstrap molasses. For example, it has added L-form amino acids that help with plant health and increase crop yield rapidly. Molasses does not contain added L-form amino acids. However, though, unlike Bud Candy, it does contain potassium.

Bud Candy also has a variety of simple and complex carbohydrates. Some of the carbohydrates sources for Bud Candy are the following:

• Glucose
• Maltose
• Malt Extract
• Cranberry Extract
• Grape Extract

On the other hand, the carbohydrates source is limited to whatever was used to make the molasses. I.E., Raw Cane Sugar or Sugar Beets

Miscellaneous

• Versatile-Molasses is more versatile as it can be used during all plant growth stages. Bud Candy, though, is only supposed to be used during the flowering growth stage. Additionally, though it has not been proven, many growers swear that it can serve as a type of organic pesticide, and does not claim that it repels pests.
• Worth The Money-Bud Candy is highly rated and has over 1,000 reviews. So, it is an excellent product. However, especially compared to the alternative, it is expensive. The main source of poor reviews on Amazon was that it is too expensive and can receive the same results with either plain molasses or cheaper nutrients similar to Bud Candy. I.E. One reviewer stated that Super-Soil was superior.
• Attracts Bugs-I only saw this once, so it is likely not that common. But, if not properly managed or applied, backstrap molasses has the potential to attract ants.

Final Thoughts and Recommendations

You cannot go wrong with either Bud Candy or Backstrap Molasses, as they are both excellent plant nutrients. Bud Candy is more advanced, as it has amino acids and multiple types of simple and complex carbohydrates, and other beneficial additives. (Molasses is limited to either pure can sugar or sugar beets) As a result, you will likely get better results with Bud Candy than its natural alternative.

Additionally, assuming you can follow simple instructions, Bud Candy is easier to use for newbie gardeners. Granted, there are numerous teas and other assorted DIY recipes that tell you how to use molasses. When you are a newbie gardener, you will want to keep it as simple as possible. Bud Candy will allow you to do just that. If you can afford the premium price for Bud Candy without scrimp on essential grow gear and nutrients, I would recommend choosing Bud Candy over Molasses.