Dried Seaweed

[rary]

If I dried seaweed till it is black and crumbly could anyone tell me if I would loose any nutrients or minerals from it

[Thelma Sanders]

You wouldn't loose any. I buy dried seaweed meal to add to my beds each year

[burnie]

Are you drying your own Rary? Did you wash it? Thinking of wandering down to the beach with a wheel barrow to get a bit to add to my compost heap.

[rary]

I don`t usually wash it just let the rain do that, but if I am drying it I think I would wash it down first, to dry the seaweed I was thinking of putting it into a metal pot on a bed of sand or soil and sitting that on top of my fire, I am hopping this will dry the seaweed and sterilize the sand or soil

[Birdie Wife]

People on my allotment just take it straight from the beach, sand and all, and spread it on the ground. I was thinking of letting the rain wash out most of the salt first. I've heard it helps with the process of breaking down if you leave it in piles first then spread it out once it starts decomposing.

[Mr Bones]

On holidays past we've gathered seaweed after storms, rinsed it in the coastal burn to wash off salt and shrimpy residents then dried to take home. Throughout the summer it made the best liquid feed ever.

[Thelma Sanders]

People on my allotment just take it straight from the beach, sand and all, and spread it on the ground.

That's what they do at Heligan Gardens

[KevinM67]

I can't speakly highly enough of the benefits of seaweed - great stuff !!!

I'll be waiting till next month before I start my regular collections to ensure I don't get bothered with flies.

Rary - I'm interested why you want to dry it ?

[rary]

I can't speakly highly enough of the benefits of seaweed - great stuff !!!

I'll be waiting till next month before I start my regular collections to ensure I don't get bothered with flies.

Rary - I'm interested why you want to dry it ?

Less storage space and as I collect at least one bag any time I`m near the coast it would take up less space if it is worthwhile drying it, but if it lost any minerals or nutrients it wouldn't be worth it

[solway cropper]

I use a lot of seaweed in various forms. Some goes straight into the compost, some makes a good liquid feed and some I dry by laying out on the greenhouse floor in summer. The dried seaweed I then crumble up into small pieces and store in bags for use as a top/base dressing. I use heavy leather gloves and wear a face mask when crumbling...it makes a lot of dust and I'd prefer not to have it in my lungs.

[It never rains..it pours]

I can't speakly highly enough of the benefits of seaweed - great stuff !!!

I'll be waiting till next month before I start my regular collections to ensure I don't get bothered with flies.

Rary - I'm interested why you want to dry it ?

Good tip re flies, thanks, will wait before collecting it for the first time