Last weekend I collected a cupple of bags of seaweed from the beach. I know its full of trace minerals but I'm just a bit confused about how to access these. My plan was to soak it and use it like worm tea, or should i just use it to mulch the vegie patch? I'm also worried about salt. Do you need to rinse it or are levels low enough not to matter? I would love to hear how you guys use it. Thanks heaps.
Re: Bucket of seaweed, now what? What kind of seaweed is it? Describe it if you don't know the name. You can make a liquid fertiliser. Or put it in the compost. Or use it as mulch. I don't worry too much about the salt but you can wash it off if you want. Depends on how much you have.
Re: Bucket of seaweed, now what? Some plants like a bit of salt brassicas, asparagus beetroot(?) As pebble says how you use (or eat?) it is your call. Some of the big bull kelps and even ribbon seaweed may be best chopped in a mulcher before using as mulch-- although it's not that crucial. It just breaks down a little quicker. We all came from the sea and all appreciate getting a bit of it back.
Re: Bucket of seaweed, now what? I put mine unwashed in a bucket with a tight lid, fill it with water, and leave it sit for a few weeks until it is really stinky. To use it I dilute it 1 to 10 with water, and simply refill the bucket. I used the same batch for 6 months and then tossed the soaked remnants into the compost heap before starting with a fresh batch. I have no idea if it actually helps the plants, but it makes me feel like I'm doing something! Anything that smelly and brown has to have something good in it.
Re: Bucket of seaweed, now what? David R. Murray in his Book ''Successful Organic Gardening'' (Second edition), declares seaweed is not as good a resource for the garden as first thought. - High levels of Iodine, - Deprives soil of nitrogen, - smells obnoxious - etc, etc, I have a seaweed and Green lawn clipping compost to be good for growing potatoes. Its also a ood topping for overwintering a garden bed, and as a mulch around leaf beets. Its one o those garden additives that can be beneficial in the right places. My thoughts on seaweed center on the fact that it is a ''Sea weed" isn't that where it should stay ? Having said that... i'll probably be getting a few bags soon :mrgreen:
Re: Bucket of seaweed, now what? Ma, I'm not sure if you were joking, but eating seaweed off the beach is akin in some cases to eating cabbage out of the compost. Edible seaweed is best picked like a vegetable while it is still growing.
Re: Bucket of seaweed, now what? I wonder the impact on coastal ecologies of removing alot of seaweed. David Murray's points apply if you don't know how to use it. But that would apply to many things one puts in the garden ;-)
Re: Bucket of seaweed, now what? Nor am I most of the time Thanks for the correction. As for concerns about ecology my local lake produces mega tonnes (literally million of tonnes) of ribbon seaweed. It does this because of nutrient run off from the urban areas around it. These urban areas were developed about 50 years ago to enjoy the sandy beaches and great fishing. Now stinking, rotting seaweed surrounds the lake. Mud has replaced sand, and rushes encroach on the bays. Fishing is an unproductive pastime-- unless you have huge nets. ISTM I am doing the lake a favor dragging my sugar bag of seaweed home a week. I am often confronted by people asking me what the hell I am doing. I explain that I am collecting free fertiliser. They think I'm crazy, fertiliser comes in a packet or bottle. I tell them that I only pay $9.95 a bottle for Merlot/Cabernet, not seaweed.
Re: Bucket of seaweed, now what? Thanks for the replys, I wasn't expecting two pages when I next checked! It was about a bucket full, half was 'kelpy' looking with a stalk and long flat leaves and the rest was little clumps of more bushy stuff. We were out for an early moring dip and ended up walking the beach when we came across a little patch of seaweed. I had no way to carry it, so I said to my partner if theres a plastic bag about I'll grab abit. I guess sadly there was a bag up closer to the dunes. So who knows maybe I stole a crabs lunch but maybe it saved a turtles life. I have it soaking in a tub now, I think i'm going to try it both ways, a bit as mulch and a bit as a liquid feed. To be honest I'm still a bit scared of it. I remember when I went over board on the worm wee and set the veggies back. Its all a learning process I guess. Thanks for your help everyone!
