I love this. It reminds me how lucky I am. Excuse me while I gloat.

I've had kelp meal recommended as a soil amendment, and I've balked at the price. I can get it for about $20 per 50# bag if I go two hours away to Waldoboro and buy ten or more bags. The stuff recomended for gardens is the same stuff that's used for animal feed.

But I've taken up collecting rock weed instead. Rock weed is another kind of seaweed, and while it's not as good as kelp, I've thrown some to my sheep (Jacobs) and they do nibble at it some.

There's a spot not too far from here (maybe ten miles drive) where two islands are connected by a causeway. Storms from the south drive any loose rockweed up onto this beach in windrows at the high tide line. Recent cold weather has begun to freeze dry some of it. I go whenever I can, with the trailer, and load up.

{{gwi:161836}}

Now if I had it all perfectly dry (which it isn't), then a load might be somewhere around 1000 pounds, which, at $34 per 50# is $680. So far I've gotten around six loads, free for the hauling.

Okay, enough gloating. (Thanks.)

I think you should get whatever is convenient and can be gotten in bulk. Dollar for dollar, I'd think you could get more benefit out of spoiled hay than from kelp hauled all the way to Idaho. Or get manure. Or lawn clippings if you live in that kind of town. I know that in some places there are lakes where they control water weeds by dragging a cutter bar underwater, and then scooping the stuff up as it floats to the surface. That would probably be not so far from kelp as a soil ammendment.

One specific reason for kelp as a soil ammendment is the micronutrients in it. For that, there are other things that might work instead and cost less. Look into Jersey Greensand, or granite dust and other stone powders (which are sometimes available for the hauling from gravestone ingravers).

Dan

I use it. It provides some 60 trace elements that plants need in very small quantities and also contains growth promoting hormones and enzymes. Apply 1-2 lbs. of kelp meal per 100 square feet of garden each spring. Primary benefits: Potash and trace minerals. NPK: 1.0-0.5-2.5 If your garden fertility is good you might only add 1/2 lb. of kelp meal per 100 square feet. This data is from RODALE'S ALL-NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ORGANIC GARDENING. Hope that helps.

I use cheap packs of seaweed or kelp from oriential grocery stores, and soak them in 5 gallon buckets of molasses water for weeks.

I use this for months during the warm seasons as a powerful, economical, diluted foliar spray application for most of my flowering plants.

What beach is that. I am on my way now. LOL.

Great Picture.

Don't believe all the "provides 60 trace elements" hype. Do you know how many you actually need? Do you know how many you get in home made compost? I saw one claim of over 70- does that mean that you will have an inferior garden with 60? What happens if you only get 45 of them- do you really know?

Look at what grows in the soil around you. It sits there and mines trace elements that it needs. Compost it, and you'll get all that you need in the garden unless you live in an area with some strange deficiency of something weird.

Now, I go to the beach on occasion and pick up seaweeed while I'm there- because it's a free compostable while I walk my dogs. However- my garden never suffered without it before I started collecting it. Folks that live near the beach and use it- well- that's using what's around you.

Just saying that people are growing fantastic gardens without spending lots of (or any) money. Advertisers tell us how incredible this stuff is until we think that we can't garden without it- which is patently false.

Pablo NH......

I wasn't aware Rodale accepted advertising......

decklap- I think that you meant to address that to peggy?

Nope

Umm- well- never having read Rodale, and you not making a coherent arguement against what I said- I'll take it at face value.

Again- people are going to hype up miracle stuff and tell you that you need something because they want to make money.

If you disagree- then I'd like to hear why, rather than snippy comments of no substance.

Or maybe you could do a web search. "Rodale"

I know what Rodale is. You're still not making a coherent arguement.

Pablo never gives out good info anyway. He gives stupid pointless arguements sometimes.

The point rather obviously being that the
information in Rodales is very reliable.

Thanks Lou

Too bad the search function doesn't work- then you could see why Lou's all whiney. (I wasn't the one spewing unfounded claims- that's for sure)

I'm going to go ahead and rise above this crap on this thread. Bye.