jimster I use seaweed as is--In the compost, as a layer in the lasagna beds and in the garden. I just rinse it to get some of the salt off first. If you use it in the compost or as a layer in the lasagna garden make it a thin layer and cover it with another layer so it won't dry out or get slimey. If you put it in the garden, again use a thin layer and turn it under. 2 problems: Don't let it sit over night if you have deer as they will eat it. MY brother covered his garden without washing it or turning it under and it was gone in the morning. Lots of hoof prints. We figured it was the salt. Check to see the laws in your area for harvesting. Here we are only allowed: 50 lbs per person, per day, or we have to get a license. We can only have the loose stuff or if it is attached to the rock we have to leave x amount of inches attached. As I understand it seaweed contains several useful plant nutrients, including nitrogen, potassium, phosphate and magnesium. Also it is a good amendment to the soil similar to manure. I can tell you that all the different patches of our gardens that got the seaweed last year produced very well. As I understand it different varieties of seaweed contain different nutrients. I thought about making my own liquid fertilizer last year. I changed my mind after some study. It seemed like a better use of it to get both the nutrients and the soil improvement by using the whole thing.

I've been a bit amused by recommendations about molasses as a fertilizer. It contains, we are told, calcium, magnesium, iron, and potassium, as well as some micronutrients. Of course, molasses is just heat-processed sugar and granulated sugar is *much* less expensive than molasses. Just scoop some sugar on your plants, and you'll get all the same nutrients. The "old wives tale" about molasses is because in the days of old wives, molasses was the handiest form of sugar. It isn't anymore. But really, is that even a good idea? Scooping sugar on plants? Now there are many ways to get those atomic nutrients. We're also told that plants need "carbohydrates" to grow. Now, photosynthesis *makes* carbohydrates (including sugars) for the plants, and most carbohydrates are molecularly complex enough that they simply can't get in the roots. So added sugar in soil may not do much good for the plants. In fact, plant roots exude simple sugars and amino acids in low concentrations to help promote beneficial soil bacteria. That's a kind of symbiosis. But feeding them with a scoop of simple sugars is kind of like feeding people with energy drinks. The effect is explosive. The sugars are consumed extremely fast by bacteria which multiply quickly. The net effect is a burst in soil bacteria, followed by their large scale death. A much smarter way to feed this bacteria is with organic matter such as compost. That organic matter already contains sugars, minerals, and other nutrients, but in a form that promotes digestive equilibrium.

I use 'Seaweed Extract' as an occasional additive to my regular fertilizer. I have a small Koi Pond inside the orchid growing area, I just finished cleaning the filter which I do about once a month. All the sludge and grime gets dumped on the larger orchids. Two 200 gallon aquariums inside the house also contribute all their waste to the plants. In addition to this I occasionally make 'Horsie Tea', let some horse apples soak for a day and then add the diluted brown water to the mix. All this has a dramatic effect! The plants were growing like crazy before I started doing this, they are still growing like crazy. Is it doing some good? I have no way of knowing, am pretty sure its doing no harm and in all probability is indeed contributing to the welfare of the plants. Remember in nature they live on Hummingbird pee and Monkey poo plus a few other goodies. I believe greater variety of the diet makes for healthier plants. Nick

Michaelg, I feed the roses that arrived last year as bands, and are planted, weakly weekly (hit or miss), with fish emulsion. I got it in my head somewhere that is was a fertilizer safe enough for me to use on the bands and own root 1 gallon roses. It is a real pain, as everything else is fed Rose Tone that goes around the bush root zone. Using Rose Tone is a much easier process compared to mixing up the fish emulsion in a 2 gallon bucket over and over, and dividing it among these own root roses planted in various places throughout my yard. I do not have a hose end sprayer, as all I saw at the big box store was a M.G. version that came complete with their fertilizer which I did not purchase. My poorly communicated evolving question is when can I stop using fish emulsion and feed all of the roses Rose Tone, or is it more beneficial to switch to fish emulsion/seaweed, or do some of you all go back and forth between both? Also, in the past, on established roses at previous homes, I used granular fertilizer, but never during June, July, through mid August. Are products like fish emulsion or Rose Tone safe to use when it is hot? I am guessing that the application rate is decreased if so? Lynn