Seaweed - The Positives & Negatives ?

[rary]

have used seaweed for several years now and I just spread it over the soil without washing, one of the good points about seaweed is that if there are any diseased plants among it (sea plants) it will not transfer to the land plants. I also use seaweed to make a liquid feed by putting it into an old pair of tights and drop it into 5gal. boiler along with comfrey and worm juice seems to work ok as I had good results from using it, and it does seem to reduce slug and snail activity

[Root66]

I chop it up in a wheelbarrow and without washing it put it in the trench with potatoes. Had a lovely crop of spuds last year (first time using seaweed), seemed an overall improvement on the previous year. As I have heavy clay soil, I am more than willing to get anything into the soil to break it up.

I didn't see any evidence of negative affect on my crops.

[cheops]

Use it straight from the beach. If it's autumn I put it under fruit bushes and over flower beds straight from the beach. It soon 'disappears'. Steeping it for a few weeks in an old container makes an excellent liquid feed. Chop it up into small pieces if spreading around plants in spring or summer.
The older generation around me here tells me of a time when farmers would go to the beaches with horse pulled trailers in order to gather up seaweed for spreading on their fields. Apparently it was so sought after arguments and even fights between farmers often broke out.
Quite rightly nowadays it's illegal to take seaweed away from the beaches but as you do its environment friendly to pick up washed up seaweed which is no longer growing.
On a personal note I steep seaweed for a month or so in a large container then strain it through an old towel into a black old-fashioned dustbin. I do exactly the same with grass cuttings [though they only need steeped for about a week]. The resultant liquid from seaweed combined with grass cuttings makes an excellent feed which costs only my time.

[vixylix]

All sounds fab! Unfortunately I couldnt live much further away from the sea one day...!

[cheops]

On holiday soon Vix? Bring back a suitcase.

[hamamelis]

Apparently I'm the only person who's found the Magical Indestructible Seaweed ™

I brought some back from the seaside in Autumn 2015, happily spread it over a few beds, and left it. Admittedly, some of it did soon disappear, but by spring about half the stuff was still smugly sitting there looking just as it did at the start, and a year later I'm still finding whole chunks.

[rary]

There are allotments right beside the Clyde where they spread the seaweed over the grass to allow it to dry out and then crumble it and scatter it over their plots

[KevinM67]

Sorry, another question - could it have any effects on the ph of the soil, or used as a mulch, is it better suited to specific plants ?

[rary]

I couldn't give you an answer to that at the moment but as wild cabbage are sea shore plants I would think it would help keep the so neutral to slightly alkaline, but I will test my soil later and let you know ( I will have to find a hammer and chisel)

[Bigmallly]

Kev, would it not pay to soak it in some rainwater for a couple of hours. Then hang it up in clumps to drip dry.

[rary]

Checked the PH of my soil where I had spread the seaweed last year and it showed neutral,though it was litmus paper I had in a box for several years, but the cabbage that I have growing there are looking healthy so I would say that it makes the soil neutral to slightly alkaline

[Finley]

Everyone loves it up at my allotments - we're right by the beach. People pile it on raw, some people rinse it.. My neighbour got a giant haul in her car, but recommended waiting for a frosty day as she had sandhoppers in her boot for ages!

[KevinM67]

Checked the PH of my soil where I had spread the seaweed last year and it showed neutral,though it was litmus paper I had in a box for several years, but the cabbage that I have growing there are looking healthy so I would say that it makes the soil neutral to slightly alkaline

Thanks rary for this - much appreciated.

[happyhumph]

I got a massive haul today!