Harvesting kelp and other nutrients from nature

[nibirubian]

i live relatively close to the shore... ive always thought about getting guerilla with it and harvesting seeweed from the shore and guano from the rocks...
what do you guys think?
has anyone harvested their own nutes like this? or are there any other natural resources i can reap?
any feedback would be greatly appreciated... thanks

 

[jaykush]

i collect/make all my own fertilizers. nothing like it and will never go back. check out a thread called plants that help our plants or something like that. then if you want more shoot me a pm.

 

[jaykush]

here is the link, all you had to do was a simple search in the organic forum. not too hard.....

http://icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=128172

 

[maryjohn]

No, he asked a good question not covered by many regarding harvesting from the sea. There is a thread on that which I started but it does not cover guano.

I have some kelp in my worm bin, which I collected locally. I gave it 2 soakings to remove salt.

You and I may run into sodium problems, which is why I looked into companion planting for sodium control. Search it and we can experiment together.

 

[jaykush]

i know it wasn't the question but he asked me for the link so i posted it.

there might be a chance you don't even encounter salt problems with the seaweed. lots of people around the world use fresh seaweed and even seawater as a fertilizer and have no salt problems. there's a story of a farmer in Indonesia and the tsunami a few years ago took out his farm, wiped it all out. he though he was fucked because of the salt poisoning his land. funny thing is he went and planted his rice anyways the next year and had the best, biggest crop hes had in over 40 years of farming. fertilized by the sea.

but i wouldnt say to forget about it as ive seen what salt can do to soils first hand. and its not pretty. good luck with your experiment, keep the thread updated.

 

[feltonmuggs]

I don't live near the sea but am always interested in natures remedies.

Feels like the closer we can get to the source the better off our lovely plants and medicine can be. Good luck and good vibes with your experiments!

 

[jaykush]

Feels like the closer we can get to the source the better off our lovely plants and medicine can be.

to me there's nothing like it. another benefit is the amount of different plants/materials you can use, and even more so the fine tuning you can do with your plants and those diverse materials to get optimal results.

 

[maryjohn]

I think a huge advantage to sea plants is that they have very little cellulose and lignin, meaning no processing is required to use them as amendments, and not just extracts- the whole plant. If you live by the sea it's the way to go.

Jay, remember the Romans. Salting the earth works. Not sure what saved the tsunami farmer. Maybe something divine? Maybe the waters did not leave too much as they receded.

Also we should remember that composting these plants is always a great option.

 

[habeeb]

with me, when experimenting I always like to have back up so if the experiment goes wrong I still have something left

try it out on half the plants and take notes

 

[maryjohn]

with me, when experimenting I always like to have back up so if the experiment goes wrong I still have something left

try it out on half the plants and take notes

What happened to no guts no glory?

 

[poina]

I live on the Med and am wondering if all of the green washup is beneficial or am i looking for something specific? How about all the seashells, groundup and mixed with compost, do i gain any minerals? Thanks

 

[maryjohn]

Grinding up sea shells is best left to the pros. The dust is very bad for you.

Stuff that washes up should be fine but might have fly eggs and sand fleas so maybe dry before using.

Remember to respect habitat and don't pull up sensitive plants. If you are near San Fran go pull some invasive wakame.

Guano collecting: I wouldn't without knowing all the habitat/nesting issues and any health risks.

 

[kushkommander]

FYI sea salts(there are MANY) are very good for plants in moderation and have alot of good nutrients in it, I use a bit of celtic sea salt every once in a while

 

[JackTheGrower]

I think a huge advantage to sea plants is that they have very little cellulose and lignin, meaning no processing is required to use them as amendments, and not just extracts- the whole plant. If you live by the sea it's the way to go.

Jay, remember the Romans. Salting the earth works. Not sure what saved the tsunami farmer. Maybe something divine? Maybe the waters did not leave too much as they receded.

Also we should remember that composting these plants is always a great option.

My money is on trace minerals

 

[maryjohn]

those are in there too! anyway it's not an either/or situation. trace minerals are quite important (less than with perennials). Anything that comes from the sea has them all.

I was referring to the nitrogen robbing qualities of decomposing land plants, which we overcome through processing.

 

[Mr. Greengenes]

Oh yeah, I'm with the seakelp. I just bring a small backpack and a thick black plastic trash bag to keep it from soaking the pack. I put it in the compost pile or directly under special crops.

 

[nibirubian]

No, he asked a good question not covered by many regarding harvesting from the sea. There is a thread on that which I started but it does not cover guano.

I have some kelp in my worm bin, which I collected locally. I gave it 2 soakings to remove salt.

You and I may run into sodium problems, which is why I looked into companion planting for sodium control. Search it and we can experiment together.

yeah, ill definitely wash it off really good, maybe in the kitchen sink and break it down to more managable peices

thanks for the reply maryjohn

and what were you saying regarding the guano?
peace
google fema coffins

 

[maryjohn]

regarding the guano I was saying you should get seriously educated before attempting. One for your health, and two to make sure you are not disturbing any sensitive territory or breaking laws.

you are thinking gulls and terns and such I guess? I know a few rocky places i could paddle to that hold lots of them, but i've never checked to see if it's enough buildup to collect.

 

[nibirubian]

damn thanks for the replys...
peace
google fema coffins

 

[nibirubian]

oh yeah theres enough build up