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Making your own kelp meal?

DanTheReggaeFan

Active member
I've recently been getting more into organics and I've read great things about kelp meal. I live along the south coast of England so have pretty easy access to kelp that washes up along the shore. Does anyone know if I could use this to make my own kelp meal?

Is it even the right type of kelp? If it is how would I go about making it? Do I just try and wash of as much salts as I can, dry it then grind it up?

Any help would be greatly appreciated
 

Bud Green

I dig dirt
Veteran
Dan, as an organic gardener, I have no access to sea kelp as I live inland..

However, I would think that if you collect any of it, just soak it in a barrel of fresh water to remove the sea-water salt, and use it as mulch...

Or, after drying, chop it up then mix it into your garden soil..

Kelp contains all kinds of good micro-nutrients which will do your garden good.
Plus, as it decomposes, it will add organic plant material, like compost does, and make your soil composition better..

..
 

Switcher56

Comfortably numb!
Dan, as an organic gardener, I have no access to sea kelp as I live inland..

However, I would think that if you collect any of it, just soak it in a barrel of fresh water to remove the sea-water salt, and use it as mulch...

Or, after drying, chop it up then mix it into your garden soil..

Kelp contains all kinds of good micro-nutrients which will do your garden good.
Plus, as it decomposes, it will add organic plant material, like compost, and make your soil composition better..

..
... I would add, you will have to do several rinses.
 

FletchF.Fletch

Well-known member
Rinse, and use as Mulch fresh or dry it and work it into the soil. Lots of great micronutrients


Also, play some Dennis Brown and Richie Spice today just for good measure.
 
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Fitzera

Active member
I've read to wash the salt off. My mother lives on the coast and she's collected kelp for her gardens and didn't wash. She's had no ill effect, but we're talking large gardens in the yard, not cannabis in pots or the like.

Personally I'd wash it just to be safe. I'm sure the plant matter itself is going to have sodium within it.
 

Switcher56

Comfortably numb!
I've read to wash the salt off. My mother lives on the coast and she's collected kelp for her gardens and didn't wash. She's had no ill effect, but we're talking large gardens in the yard, not cannabis in pots or the like.

Personally I'd wash it just to be safe. I'm sure the plant matter itself is going to have sodium within it.
... IMO yes it will, hence several rinses.
 

40degsouth

Well-known member
Hey everyone,
love the thread DanTheReggaeFan.
I’ve collected and used my own seaweeds for a very long time in all aspects of gardening. I have found that all seaweeds are not equal and the more “grassy” type takes a very long time to break down and sucks up a lot of nitrogen out of the soil if you mix it in; it’s fantastic as a mulch because it does take so long to break down.
One of the best ways I’ve found to use more kelpy gelatinous types is, as BudGreen said, to soak it in a barrel of water. The nutrients become available quickly and I’ll just keep filling it up with water as it becomes depleted.
I’ve used it in guerrilla spots, piled on top of itself, which works beautifully because it seems to adsorb moisture, perhaps atmospheric, and keep the surface and feeder roots wet with a sludgy, sticky paste.
I’ve dried it out, in the sun and ran it through a garden chipper and carried the chips into inland patches.
I’ve never washed the salt off, so l guess this is a personal thing. Tom Hill believes salt should be kept to an absolute minimum but Korean Natural Farming has a fermented seawater input, believing seawater and land are ying and yang.
Seawater and seaweed, containes 75 more elementals than is found on land.
From my readings, seaweed is a soil conditioner, so works very well in compost heaps and the like, feeding the micro herd and in cannabis applications some growers will only use it from transition onwards, in liquid feedings because they believe it stimulates flowering auxins.
Personally I’ve used it in my liquid feeds all the way through a plant’s life with excellent results; l also noticed Schrews saying he includes liquid seaweed with his feeds and l don’t think anyone here would argue with his methods.
Hope this helps,
Cheers,
40.
 

Fitzera

Active member
Hey everyone,
love the thread DanTheReggaeFan.
I’ve collected and used my own seaweeds for a very long time in all aspects of gardening. I have found that all seaweeds are not equal and the more “grassy” type takes a very long time to break down and sucks up a lot of nitrogen out of the soil if you mix it in; it’s fantastic as a mulch because it does take so long to break down.
One of the best ways I’ve found to use more kelpy gelatinous types is, as BudGreen said, to soak it in a barrel of water. The nutrients become available quickly and I’ll just keep filling it up with water as it becomes depleted.
I’ve used it in guerrilla spots, piled on top of itself, which works beautifully because it seems to adsorb moisture, perhaps atmospheric, and keep the surface and feeder roots wet with a sludgy, sticky paste.
I’ve dried it out, in the sun and ran it through a garden chipper and carried the chips into inland patches.
I’ve never washed the salt off, so l guess this is a personal thing. Tom Hill believes salt should be kept to an absolute minimum but Korean Natural Farming has a fermented seawater input, believing seawater and land are ying and yang.
Seawater and seaweed, containes 75 more elementals than is found on land.
From my readings, seaweed is a soil conditioner, so works very well in compost heaps and the like, feeding the micro herd and in cannabis applications some growers will only use it from transition onwards, in liquid feedings because they believe it stimulates flowering auxins.
Personally I’ve used it in my liquid feeds all the way through a plant’s life with excellent results; l also noticed Schrews saying he includes liquid seaweed with his feeds and l don’t think anyone here would argue with his methods.
Hope this helps,
Cheers,
40.

I agree with the nutrients available from sea water, I have a product in the pantry called Sea-crop. But most of the salt has been removed in the process of concentrating it, at least for this product.
 

Joint Lock

Active member
i wouldn't even wash the salt off.

Take it from someone who is a coral farmer/aqua culture guy of 12yrs . The PH of saltwater is anywhere from 8.2-9.3 and has for instance

450 ppm calcium
1350 ppm mag
Alkalinty of 8-12
Tons of sulfur
Traces of other things like
iodine
iodide
Molybydem
strontonium
ect

Not something u want to add to the garden without a good wash/rinse. This is averages taken from tons of different places ive visited like Florida , California ,Gulf of Mexico, Indonesia, Austrailia, Fiji , Philippines reefs and oceans ive dove on . water paramiters are everything when it comes to reefs in the ocean or a aquarium. We collect this information to keep things alive or give them the best chance of survival when coming from the ocean to the aquarium trade

Another thing the waters are more contaminated near the shores and on the beaches then they are out in the middle of no where . Just trying to fill ppl in . As this is my income and hobby all in one . Buy/dive fragment 1in piece grow clone sell of corals . before anyone ask yes i have permits to do what i do and go thru rigorous shit to have said permits for aquaculturing importing exporting of corals

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FletchF.Fletch

Well-known member
Joint Lock, that is so Freaking Cool. All of us enjoy staring at our plants in tents, greenhouses, outside, but that beats everyone.
 

Joint Lock

Active member
Joint Lock, that is so Freaking Cool. All of us enjoy staring at our plants in tents, greenhouses, outside, but that beats everyone.

its a cool hobby/business for sure . i constantly need challenge and this is what fills those needs is keeping all this stuff alive . small changes can wipe a tank out really quick . some corals tho like soft corals can tolerate a little more . But things like SPS/LPS corals average joe wont even mess with wo 5-10yrs in the saltwater hobby . SPS being most fragile (Stick corals or what u think of when u think of a reef) stabilty is everything in the hobby of water paramiters . 90% will back out of SPS corals in the aquarium due to the work it takes vs other kinds of coral .these things can sell for 15-1500$ per inch depending on what and how rare they are . mainly the SPS go for big money tho called acropora corals.

One thing for sure we know is water chemistry and lighting on a level that would blow most growers minds. for instance horticulture sees everything after we do . For instance we have had double ended HIDs for years in the reef trade and also we got LEDs that control every channel of color and do way more things then horticulture style LEDs and we also have UV down to 420nm (actinics) ect but the science is where its at like for instance 1 photon of blue is equal to 10 photons of red ect but thats another chat and ball game . As a hydro grower tho its done nothing but help me over the past 12yrs .understanding water elements down to how the ions play with each other ect .We play with the same par as plants do in aquarium industry

Sorry op for hijack
 
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moses wellfleet

Well-known member
Moderator
Veteran
I have taken live kelp and dried it in the sun for a couple days. Salt crystalized on the skin when it hardened, but I guess soaking it in fresh water would draw the salt out by osmosis?
 

40degsouth

Well-known member
Hey Joint Lock, I’ve enjoyed reading your posts and the juxtaposition on the use of seawater. Is it because of the cal/mag ratios being way out of balance or a complex interaction of the different elements in ionised form?? I would of thought this would make them plant available?? I understand how this could throw hydro solutions out of balance but what about detrimental effects on soil, besides of course salt build up.
Strontium is a particle that is readily available for uptake in all environments, not just the sea and is the reason carbon dating is nullified ,after the nuclear age because of release from nuclear testing. It’s also the reason some people take a daily dose of iodine.
Cheers,
40.
 

Joint Lock

Active member
Hey Joint Lock, I’ve enjoyed reading your posts and the juxtaposition on the use of seawater. Is it because of the cal/mag ratios being way out of balance or a complex interaction of the different elements in ionised form?? I would of thought this would make them plant available?? I understand how this could throw hydro solutions out of balance but what about detrimental effects on soil, besides of course salt build up.
Strontium is a particle that is readily available for uptake in all environments, not just the sea and is the reason carbon dating is nullified ,after the nuclear age because of release from nuclear testing. It’s also the reason some people take a daily dose of iodine.
Cheers,
40.


PH 8.2 to 9.3 range , Cal mag ratios are one reason they would be off and play with phosphourus and cause lockout and the levels of sulfur u dont want in a organic grow u mise well use chemical based ferts . we use 5-1 ratio of cal to mag in cannabis not a 1-3 ratio (sea water) . Calcium magnesium and phosphorous all work together in horticulture ones out of wack it effects the others . sorry for such a shitty post ill go into details when i can type ona keyboard with these big ass hands instead of this small ass screen . im at work atm
 
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VerdantGreen

Genetics Facilitator
Boutique Breeder
Mentor
ICMag Donor
Veteran
in some coastal/island communities such as Arran, the soil that people farm has been built entirely out of seaweed taken off the beach and dumped on the land for years and years. they never wash it... but i probably would rinse it then dry it, or add it to the compost heap... but in general i would not fret about the bit of salt.

VG
 

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