Making your own sweetener

There's a substantial amount of dialogue available on the importance of carbohydrates during a plant's flowering cycle, and there's a substantial cottage industry based off of selling you products to carbo-load your plants.  However, whether you garden using organic or synthetic nutrients, you can very easily create your own sweetener using organic molasses and distilled water. 
If you want to replace a sweetener you are already using, here is a very easy way to find how you can replace your formula with molasses without having to extensively retool or test your nutrient blend.  This is definitely easiest if you are currently using a sweetener, and want to transition to molasses to save a crazy huge amount of money.  I'm going to presume you have a ppm or EC meter, as you should.  I think that these are even more important in the garden than a digital ph meter, as both litmus and liquid ph indicator provide accurate enough results for the hobby gardener.  Take a half gallon of distilled water, and add your normal amount of your current sweetener (bud candy, sweet, floranectar, etc) then measure the ppm/EC, and write it down for later.

You cannot simply add molasses to your reservoir/nutrient solution, it dissolves very poorly and using an accurate amount is difficult.  To make the sweetener, simply heat distilled water on the stove (I make a litre at a time) and once it is between 150 and 175 degrees, add organic molasses ( I use around 75ml, give or take) and stir it until the mixture is evenly dissolved and consistent.  Then simply funnel into an empty 1 litre container, and allow it to cool.  Boiling is not necessary, heating it to the temperature above will sterilize any unwanted microbial life in the water or molasses; although you will DEFINITELY want to keep it sealed when you are not using it.  Once it has reached room temperature, take another half gallon of distilled water; and, adding 5 ml at a time, add your molasses concoction until you reach the ppm of your previous sweetener + distilled water.  You will find that $4-5 in molasses will last you much, much, much, much longer than $20-$30 of store bought sweeteners, and you get to have that feel-goody feeling of making something for your garden yourself.