What is a substitute for Seaweed or Kelp Meal?
captaincompostal
20 years ago
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Demeter
20 years agocaptaincompostal
20 years agoRelated Discussions
kelp meal
Comments (14)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....See MoreFish Meal/Fish Emulsion, Kelp/Seaweed
Comments (5)I personally like to use fish/seaweed emulsion and blend in neem oil with an emulsifier (cheap soap). Neptune's harvest - which I personally prefer as it is a cold process type (retaining the moist micro/macros) and the least offensive smell. It's 2-3-1, but the thing is, you'll be applying it more often. It's also (supposedly) absorbed more effectively. I, personally, once a week mix up a tablespoon of neem oil with an emulsifier (I use dr. bronner's soap unscented), I generally use a tablespoon or less. I then mix in an 1/8 cup of fish/sea weed emulsion. This is then mixed into a gallon of water and I use it as a soak/spray for all my plants once a week. Usually late in the day towards sunset or first thing in the morning. I don't advise doing in the morning because the risk of photo-toxicity. I like the effect of neem mixed with it because it provides a harmful insecticidal defense as well as a pathogen defense and seems to keep the critters away from the otherwise tempting scent of fish emulsion. Here is a link that might be useful: more info than you can shake a stick at on the full nutrient profile of fish emulsion...See MoreWhat's the deal on kelp for lawns?
Comments (11)I fertilize an acre lot with 1/3 4-3-3, 1/3 0-12-0, 1/3 0-0-8 liquid ingredients for $35/acre. According to the soil test needs. 2 gallons liquid mix to 30 gallons of water. The soil test indicates adequate organic matter in the soil or carbon. I applied some applications of granular organic products before spraying for $85/acre on the lot. The organic matter in the liquid is recycled by mulching. Providing a sustaining supply of organic matter to the soil These products are easily applied to crop and pasture with simple spray equipment. It is the most logical way to go green/organic on a large scale. Can't imagine the cost and work involved with spreading solid organic fertilizers. And solid organic products can wash away before they can be used by plants, polluting are waterways. There is no doubt in my mind these are the products of the future for landscaping and crop production. There is organic matter inthe ingredients and since they are liquid the smaller particles are used up faster. That is why you want to apply the spray during dry weather, plants utilize them faster. The other big advantage has been fewer pests, fire ants,due to increases in microbial activity. And no brown patch in St Augustine....See MoreKelp or alfalfa?
Comments (11)Grace (dregae): I wonder about liquid kelp so I check on that. ALL KELP HAS SALT, BE IT LIQUID OR GRANULAR FORM. Kelp4Less sells liquid kelp for $29 per gallon. Seaweed (a poster in organic rose forum, with 250+ roses in Southern CA) sent me a variety of Japanese seaweed to try in my soup .. all of them are salty, esp. Kelp. The NOW kelp tablets (100% dry kelp) for human consumption: I tasted it and it was extremely salty, I had to spit out. Even the dry Kelp (100% kelp) that Seaweed sent me, it made my ramen soup salty, I didn't have to add the seasoning packet. Some info. from below link, San Francisco Gate: " Sodium in Kelp At 186 milligrams of sodium per cup, raw kelp contains 12 percent of your daily sodium limit, even though it makes up less than 2 percent of the daily energy intake in a 2,000-calorie diet. Kelp is high in sodium compared to several other seaweeds, as well as other vegetables. For example, a cup of Irish moss contains just 54 milligrams of sodium, while an equivalent serving of nori boasts a low sodium content of 38 milligram. Carrots contain 88 milligrams of sodium per cup," http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/much-sodium-kelp-10038.html **** From StrawChicago: The above number of 88 for carrot is correct. I always buy Organic carrot (Bunny Love), since it has less salt than regular carrots. My family hates regular carrots, except for soup, since it's so salty. So 2 Tablespoon of RAW FRESH kelp contains 23 mg of sodium, but once dried, it's more concentrated, and many times more sodium. I tested 2 fertilizer with kelp: Pennington Fish pellets with kelp, NPK 4-6-6. I made that into a soluble by soaking in a bucket of water in hot sun. Then I watered my roses, the health IS NOT AS GOOD AS alfalfa alone. The second fertilizer I tested with both kelp and seaweed is Dr. Earth FlowerGirl NPK 4-10-7. That was a disaster: salt-burn on my roses in hot sun. I would buy the kelp granules (people use it as salt-substitute) and taste it yourself first, before trying on roses. Kelp granules are dried kelp. When you give roses salt, you drive down potassium, and potassium is necessary for osmotic pressure & disease prevention. For that reason, KELP IS NOT HEALTHY FOR ROSES, SINCE IT CONTAINS SALT. Here's an excerpt on dry-kelp from below link: " Sea vegetables tend to be higher in sodium than land vegetables–after all, they grow in sea water! Nonetheless, fresh kelp is not high in sodium. Dried seaweed will obviously be a more concentrated source of sodium. In fact, dried kelp granules are often sold as salt substitute." http://nutritionovereasy.com/2011/02/is-kelp-high-in-sodium/...See MoreDemeter
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