Seaweed as fertiliser

**Alison** · 19-09-2007, 12:36 PM

Hiya 2madcollies (you'll have to post some piccies of the collies, preferably being a bit mad!). I use seaweed but, not living anywhere near the beach use prepackaged stuff which I disolve in water for a foilage spray. However, I think there was a thread before about using the real stuff so suggest you search. If you don't find it, somebody may come along soon who can point you in the right direction.

**Nicos** · 19-09-2007, 12:40 PM

hello- welcome to the Vine!!!

Seaweed is superb- you need to rinse it well though to take off any salt.

Here's a bit of info to get you started...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seaweed_fertiliser

**Paulottie** · 19-09-2007, 02:53 PM

Hi 2madC,

There was a bit on it in GYO mag(oct) said to dry it a while? don't know why

in the past I have...

Not collected it from living beds..ie just used the jetsum
Made up a foul smelling tea (same way as comfrey tea.)
Rinsed and spread it on beds in winter.
Put it on the compost heap- boy does it activate it.

Great stuff- lots of trace elements.

**Cutecumber** · 20-09-2007, 11:39 AM

I'm envious - it would be great to have a supply of fresh seaweed nearby!

I think I would spread it on the beds and put the cardboard on top, or dig it in a bit and do the same. Do also put some on the compost heap since you have access to plenty of it.

**andrewo** · 20-09-2007, 03:02 PM

The best way to do it is to hang it up and let the rain get to it and wash out the salt, it will dry a little and then you can put it down, it will be great ground cover for winter but can breakdown quickly on clay, as it gets waterlogged and rots.

**Barbara'nTom** · 22-09-2007, 09:29 AM

Seaweed is fantastic stuff. We collected bags of it last year and put it on beds covered with old carpet. The worms just love it and when we took the carpet off in the spring there was little left, no weeds and good soil.

We were concerned about the salt but a neighbour told us not to worry and there doesn't seem to have been any problems. Clearly collect it off the beach not the stuff still attached - as a fellow Devon resident the best time seems to be after a good south westerly gale when there is plenty on the shoreline.

Best of luck

**2madcollies** · 22-09-2007, 04:16 PM

Brilliant! Thanks very much everyone, you've been very helpful. I've got a few strands flapping from my apple tree at the moment which I will chop up a bit & add to my compost. Next week sees the serious task of converting said weed bed into next year's potential veggie bed, so I shall be back on Exmouth beach with my dog food sacks for more seaweed.

And, as requested, a piccie of the Two Mad Collies!

**firsttimersue** · 22-09-2007, 08:25 PM

We're based in Exeter so not too far to travel for the sea weed, hadn't thought of using it!

Will now, see you down there!

**nemo** · 10-01-2008, 08:33 PM

i ireland we make a seaweed liquid used as a spray on plants and watered on the surface of the soil.
get a half a wheel barrow wash it a few times put it into an old seed potato bag put this into a large drum so the bottom of the bag isn't touching the bottom of the drum let it there for a few weeks simply take out the bag and you are left with a lovely liquid dilute this 10 parts water to i part seaweed juice or
put the seaweed into a bag again this time put a few bricks into the bag tie the top of the bag put this into a drum of water cover it leave it there for a week or so .take out the bag and use liquid to feed plants straight from the barrel
regards from ireland
nemo

**4390evans** · 04-08-2014, 09:38 PM

fab thread very informative.

**Appsy** · 08-08-2014, 01:55 PM

Wow, what great advice. I was just looking through the forums looking for composting ideas and found it turns out I have some of the japanese sushi seaweed laying about. There were many failed attempts at onigiri and I gave up. Can I use this stuff?

**dim** · 08-08-2014, 05:17 PM

I use seaweed extensively as a foliar feed (stuff called algamic, which is a blend of seaweed and algae)... I also use a product called fish mix ....(I alternate between the two, and foliar feed once a week during the growing season)

it only costs a tenner for a litre and you use 5ml per litre of water, so you get 200 litres of foliar feed ... I use a backpack sprayer, and 5 litres covers all my shrubs, perenials and vegetables (so a litre of seaweed extract made properly in a lab with all nasties removed will give me 40 applications on my garden)

I would be very weary of making my own seaweed extract, as if there is any salt left in the extract, that will be very detremental to your plants

thats just my own personal opinion

**jimslad** · 07-09-2014, 09:38 PM

Aye go for it , it's been the staple fertilizer around here for years .

**nemo** · 02-01-2019, 09:32 PM

when I lived on south west coast of Ireland I would collect several car trailers of seaweed this time of the year I would put a six inch layer of seaweed all over my rhubarb bed about 30 crowns I would leave the crowns slightly exposed to stop them from rotting. celery celeriac kale cabbage and all fruit trees would have a mulch of seaweed around each plant stops weeds and feeds the plants. a layer of chopped seaweed added in to compost pile .I would have most of garden covered in seaweed stops erosion and stops nutrient's being washed away by the rain. I had 84 square meters of raised beds in a poly tunnel in summer time I would put a light layer of seaweed {fresh} on the concrete footpath in the poly tunnel the heat would turn this into seaweed meal because it dried out I walked on it when working in the tunnel this was dug in to the beds I could do this a few times a year one year I brushed up about 30kg of fine seaweed meal and seaweed dust. there are several varieties of seaweed the finer leafs break down quicker cant recommend seaweed enough potatoes will happly grow with a layer of seaweed and a little farmyard manure. now I live about 1.5 hours from the coast so I buy seaweed meal. seaweed liquid and seaweed dust. you don't need a licence to collect seaweed that gets washed up on the shore in Ireland. if you have to cut seaweed leave about 3 inches of the plant on the rocks don't cut plants too close to the base

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Seaweed as fertiliser

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