seaweed in home compost

[flossie]

Being a new forum member I have been browsing through as many threads as possible.
I am sure I saw a posting about adding seaweed to the compost bin once it has had the salt washed off it. Now I cant find the thread again to check I saw correctly.
The sea was quite rough yesterday and there is some nice fresh seaweed sitting on the beach ready to go in my bin. Can I use it or should I leave it where it is? I want to grow veg in raised beds on the patio and would be adding my compost to shop bought compost.

[carlseawolf]

Seaweed can be added in small quantities to your compost bin and it acts like an activator, plus it can be dug into your soil direct.

[cupcake]

Must go and take a look on the beach!

[nemo]

hello Flossie
i have been using seaweed for years.i use it in the compost bin.it brakes down fast once you keep it moist.i put a good layer of seaweed on my lazy bed to prevent winter rains from washing out nutrients out of the soil.all fruit bushes get a good mulch of seaweed.summer and winter time.i put a layer of seaweed in the bottom of my potato beds.i make a sea weed liquid feed.wash a bucket full of seaweed into the bottom of a container it must have a lid to keep in the smell of seaweed liquid feed.i add 10 liters of water to the seaweed in the barrel. the container is mixed up a little with a stick every now and then.after 6-9 weeks it is ready to be mixed 10 parts water to 1 part seaweed liquid.this can also be put into a hand operated sprayer and be used as a foliar feed,i hope this helps.
NEVER CUT SEAWEED FROM ROCKS ONLY COLLECT SEAWEED THAT GETS WASHED UP ON THE SEA SHORE .IT TAKES 4YEARS TO REGENERATS
regards nemo

[flossie]

Thanks for your replies. You have given me lots to think about.
I'll be off for a walk with the dog along the beach in the morning.

[SlugLobber]

If you find any kelp, you can eat it, too! Or at least, Hugh Fearslessly-Eats-It-All did!

[Garyw]

Flossie - Im new here too but I know from my other interests that seaweed has been used for centuries as a compost/fertiliser. One course we run in scotland is on a island and there the old people used to rake up huge quantities of kelp and oarweed - allow it to rot down a little (compost it) and then use that as a fertilizer.

Remember also seaweed is rich in all minerals ect and iodine - its also edible on its own - best wind dried then fried into wafer thin crisps or chips!!

[Paulottie]

Nemo is spot on

Asparagus love a mulch too (don't wash off the salt though)...and it's definately a great compost activator

The seaweed tea thing, although excellent, is pretty horrid though... makes comfrey tea smell like roses! DIY is my creed but I draw the line here and just buy some Maxicrop nowadays!

Important to just collect the dead stuff.

[Alan Farmer]

Seaweed liquid fertiliser. I regularly once a year make a liquid veg feed in a large bucket from a mix of Comfrey tops, nettle tops and seaweed, (which necessitates a quick trip to France in my case!) I add a secret liquid organic ingredient to the leaves to wet them and accelerate the breakdown (but only when nobody is looking!). The result is extremely pungent and powerful, and needs to be diluted a lot, a small splash in the bottom of the watering can is enough!! After about two months I transfer the brown liquid to old plastic milk bottles and it seems to keep well, although needs a shake before using.

[Dynamo]

I went down to the local beach this evening and picked up four bags of the stuff. There's plenty more there too. I took it to my lottie and spread the four bags full into one of my compost bins and cut it all up using a spade. I'll probably be a regular visitor to the beach if this stuff does the biz.

[annacruachan]

I put seaweed in the bottom of all my fishboxes and tubs this year and was amazed, on lifting my second earlies, to find that it had turned to soil almost completely after just four months. Only a few white thready bits, like small roots, were left. Have now put a load in my compost bin. I also used it to mulch the tops of the potato plants when the compost had reached the top of the tubs. I'll mulch everything with it this winter. Is it really necessary to wash it? I haven't done so yet, and I don't imagine the old crofters would have had the resources to wash the amount they put on their lazybeds..

[solway cropper]

I don't bother washing the salt off. After a high tide it gets thrown up onto the marsh and I just wait till there's been a bit of rain to wash it clean. Then it's on with the rubber gloves and out with the bin bag. Another thing worth collecting is the stuff right along the tideline. It usually has weed, shell debris, crabs legs, feathers and all sorts in it but it all breaks down and makes good compost.

[rana]

I might be wrong but I'm sure I was told they apply a deep seaweed mulch directly to the veg beds each autumn at the Heligan gardens in Cornwall every year. By spring it has broken down and is ready fror planting.

[annacruachan]

That sounds about right, Rana. It's what I intend to do this autumn. Let you know the result. I'm all for free compost - setting up a growing area consisting entirely of fishboxes and pots has cost a bomb this year.

[NOG]

That is how they first cultivated the land in Ireland, barrow after barrow of Seaweed.