Seaweed, Extract and Meal, how are they made?

[mosstrooper]

Does anyone know how kelp meal, or seaweed meal is made?

And, does anyone know anything about how liquid seaweed extracts are made?

Can you make aerated teas with seaweed?

As you might have guessed, i have access to it for free.

 

[devilsharvest66]

seaweed is the best man.. if they can handle it they do well it can sting them if they are not strong.. check google for making the mix.. you need to brew it to get out unwanted saltwater.. its easy to do but smells so have a nice spot to make it

 

[Clackamas Coot]

Does anyone know how kelp meal, or seaweed meal is made?

And, does anyone know anything about how liquid seaweed extracts are made?

Can you make aerated teas with seaweed?

As you might have guessed, i have access to it for free.

mosstrooper

I can answer a couple of your questions.

This only applies to the products out of Acadian Seaplants, Ltd. (ASL) in Nova Scotia. They produce the overwhelming majority of kelp meal used in North America for agriculture and livestock.

Kelp meals are made by solar-drying the kelp which takes several weeks. At this point the kelp is cut in machinery using a series of long blades which results in a dark product with some flashes of lighter color (the inside of the kelp) - much like coarse ground pepper.

Their seaweed extract comes from a variety of seaweeds which include Ascophyllum nodosum (Brown Kelp), Chondrus crispus (Irish Moss), Furcellaria lumbricalis, Fucus vesiculosus (Bladderwrack), Laminaria digitata and you can read about these varieties here.

Different extracts are produced using 1 or more of the listed varieties. These extracts are produced for agriculture, medicine and for the HABA industry.

ASL uses a cold extraction process (Alkaline) and Maxicrop uses a heat extraction process (Alkaline). You can find information on why one is consider a better method than others.

Once the extraction process is completed the liquid is dried leaving a powder which is then screened and packaged for shipping.

There are a couple of liquid products that you might run across. One product is manufactured in South Africa called KELPAK. This product is extracted from the kelp plant using a mechanical method, i.e. the juice of the kelp is pressed out. This product is completely clear and completely free of any plant material.

There are 2 products manufactured on the West Coast. Eco-Nutrients in Northern California has a liquid product that uses a fermentation process. Another product out of British Columbia, KelpGrow, is also a semi-fermented process. I can't recommend either of these products. I used the Eco-Nutrients' product for about 9 months. I went to replace it and the store was out and waiting for a new shipment and I bought a few lbs. of the ASL Seaweed Extract product and within a couple of weeks it was clear that there was a major difference in the effect on the plants using the powdered extract vs. the liquid products.

I played with KELPAK a couple of years ago and never re-ordered.

One caution about harvesting kelp along the shore and that is both Maxicrop and Acadian Seaplants harvest in the deep cold waters in the North Atlantic - an area that has less pollutants than say Long Beach, California.

The benefit of using kelp meal is it's full range of minerals necessary for plant health. Kelp absorbs the minerals into it's branches and leaves easily from the seawater. That's the good thing - it also will absorb pollutants as well. In Japan and China kelp is grown in bays where you find commercial oyster operations. The kelp is there to remove as many pollutants as possible to provide the purest seawater possible to grow these oysters.

HTH

CC

EDIT: The only element that kelp does NOT absorb from seawater is Sodium. There will be salt on the external skin but that is removed by washing prior to the drying process.

 

[Mountain]

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[Mountain]

you need to brew it to get out unwanted saltwater

Just rinse seaweed, either fresh or dried, before using and that will eliminate any external/residual salts. Once NaCl is in solution no way to get it out.

 

[intotheunknown]

great info there CC

 

[mosstrooper]

Their seaweed extract comes from a variety of seaweeds which include Ascophyllum nodosum (Brown Kelp), Chondrus crispus (Irish Moss), Furcellaria lumbricalis, Fucus vesiculosus (Bladderwrack), Laminaria digitata and you can read about these varieties here.

Mine too, extreme Western fringe of Europe, North Atlantic.

From what you are saying i take it dried kelp is the best option if you lack sophisticated extraction equipment

I may try packing a barrel with fresh laminaria digitata and putting a round board on top with a big rock to see if i can squeeze the juice out under pressure just to see what happens.

I think a trip to the shore is in order.

Thanks CC, i was really hoping you would have something to say about this. I havent been here long, but it didnt take me long to realise you are a mine of information.

I hope i can help you out someday too.

Thanks.

 

[Clackamas Coot]

From what you are saying i take it dried kelp is the best option if you lack sophisticated extraction equipment

I may try packing a barrel with fresh laminaria digitata and putting a round board on top with a big rock to see if i can squeeze the juice out under pressure just to see what happens.

I think a trip to the shore is in order.

Correct - well that and adding to compost piles and/or worm bins. You wouldn't necessarily have to dry it for these projects.

Different varieties of marine algae have very different nutrient levels which are charted here for easy comparison.

The main 2 compounds in kelp that have received the most study and research as far as plants are concerned is Alginic acid and Mannitol and as you can see not all marine algae contain this.

That doesn't imply that they wouldn't be beneficial - they can. In different ways. Look at that different levels of Potassium for example. Even Mannitol levels show a wide diversity.

A couple of books you might find helpful...........

Seaweed & Plant Growth - Dr. T.L. Senn

Dr. Senn spent over 55 years researching kelp meal and extracts in horticulture and agriculture. This book is self-published and the layout and overall design absolutely sucks. But if you can get past the layout the information is deep and wide. A lot of his research is available at various web sites. You might want to start looking at Clemson University in South Carolina which is where Dr. Senn was based and worked.

Seaweed in Agriculture and Horticulture - W. A. Stephenson

Bill Stephenson is the founder of Maxicrop in Great Britain. This book was written in 1968 and is available new or used. In this book, Stephenson looks at the initial modern research into these algae beginning at the end of WWI at Oxford University. Here's a chapter from the book if you're interested.

CC

 

[mosstrooper]

Wow, CC, thanks man, these are really excellent starting points.

 

[Clackamas Coot]

mosstrooper

I'm not trying to sell you books here but a good source for books, articles, audio tapes of lectures (free), etc. is Acres USA in Texas. For a number of reasons, books with a limited 'market penetration' are often self-published which means that they're mainly available online. Amazon.com does a pretty good job for the most part but Acres USA is the big player.

I bought a book from them a few months ago titled Food Power from the Sea and I'll give you their overview:

"Subtitled The Seaweed Story, this book by one of the great minds of eco-agriculture explains how we can produce our food by using seaweed and fish-based inputs rather than wasteful and unsustainable chemical fertilizers. Fryer and Simmons tell how growers can harness the sea's energy to extend growing seasons, increase yields, protect crops from insects and disease, and more."

As it states, this book covers fish-based amendments as well as marine algae.

This book hasn't arrived but I did have a chance to flip through a friend's copy - Seaweed: A User's Guide and their overview goes like this:

"A complete guide to this natural fertilizer and food, an amazing source of useable minerals. Seaweed: A User's Guide identifies various species of seaweed and discusses the value of each, explains how and when to collect, dry and store this ocean plant, and how to use it as fertilizer and/or feedstuff. The book also discusses medicinal and everyday uses for humans and even provides recipes."

This book is more for the layperson and might give you some ideas for consumption for yourself and your pets.

HTH

CC

 

[mosstrooper]

I'm not trying to sell you books here but a good source for books, articles, audio tapes of lectures (free), etc. is Acres USA in Texas. For a number of reasons, books with a limited 'market penetration' are often self-published which means that they're mainly available online. Amazon.com does a pretty good job for the most part but Acres USA is the big player.

No, no, please do, books are good.
You can read them on the loo, in the bath etc.

I read the seaweed article you linked to from Acres USA, its very interesting, a lot of the books you can get in The States are hard to find in UK.

I have very good access to seaweed, and due to the way access laws work on UK/Scottish shores, i can take literally as much as i like, it doesn't matter who the beach belongs to, its like a traditional right.

In Britain, we can gather what are called the four F's fruit, flowers, foliage and fungi. We are not allowed to uproot plants without permission but we can take what grows.

I have been to the woods this afternoon to get some sacks of soil, (im not really allowed to do this, but the woods are big).

Im going to collect some bracken, and seaweed and make a mix,to see what it turns into. My only worry is that the saltiness of the seaweed might harm some of the soil bacteria, though im sure there are things i can do to ameliorate this.

 

[Clackamas Coot]

mosstrooper

Michael Guiry is a marine biologist in Ireland. Quite a resume.

His web site, The Seaweed Site: Information on Marine Algae is the most complete repository of information, studies, links, etc. that I've found on marine algae of the major commercial varieties.

You might find enough information you might need without spending money. At least the information at this web site will give you what you need to have to look at specific applications and uses of your bounty.

CC

 

[Mountain]

My only worry is that the saltiness of the seaweed might harm some of the soil bacteria, though im sure there are things i can do to ameliorate this.

Don't worry too much about the salt. If you're harvesting fresh seaweed it's very easy to rinse off. Some, like Dr. Maynard Murray, say you should put some salt (whole natural sea salt and not refined table salt) on your crops. He wrote a book called Sea Energy Agriculture. There's even products like Sea-90, which is nothing more than whole sea salt, that is sold by the ton for use in agriculture. Yeah you've got sodium inside the seaweed itself but would think you won't have any issues unless you use an excessive amount. Sodium chloride is easy to flush out of soil.

Seawater itself has some wonderful attributes if you can reduce the sodium chloride. A few companies do that like Ocean Grown and Ambrosia Technologies. For starters there's some powerful nitrogen fixing bacteria in seawater that are very beneficial when added to soil.

I'm not saying put seawater or sea salt on your grow and would advise against it. Just saying don't worry about any salt with seaweed.

 

[mosstrooper]

There's even products like Sea-90, which is nothing more than whole sea salt, that is sold by the ton for use in agriculture. Yeah you've got sodium inside the seaweed itself but would think you won't have any issues unless you use an excessive amount. Sodium chloride is easy to flush out of soil.

Aye, seaweed is very commonly used in Scotland straight from the shore, not rinsed, its particularly good for potatoes, i get monster crops.

Rotten seaweed stinks like shit (literally). Im quite interested in finding ways to store the goodness that i dont need to keep 150 yards from the house.

One thing i have noticed, worms dont like seaweed, im not sure about brandlings and other compost worms, but in my potatoes beds there are very few earthworms. It's probably the salt, so yes, on reflection, rinse the seaweed you feed to your worms.

 

[Mountain]

So the potatoes like unrinsed seaweed but few worms in the tater area. So you're throwing down fresh seaweed into your tater area?

 

[mosstrooper]

So the potatoes like unrinsed seaweed but few worms in the tater area. So you're throwing down fresh seaweed into your tater area?

Indeed so Mountain.

You like films dont you, here is a topical one for you The Field
Link to Torrent (i hope this isnt a breach of TOU)

You'll love it.

 

[Mud Man]

Moss loving this thread bro.. CC is bringing the mind pounding!±
my 2cents 'Be careful when taking soil from outside in the woods, if you run inside.. Bugs, eggs, larvae all sorts. You sound knowledgeable and organic minded, but i did this and it took me a year to get over it. just a thought Sorry to intrude.

 

[mosstrooper]

Moss loving this thread bro.. CC is bringing the mind pounding!±
my 2cents 'Be careful when taking soil from outside in the woods, if you run inside.. Bugs, eggs, larvae all sorts. You sound knowledgeable and organic minded, but i did this and it took me a year to get over it. just a thought Sorry to intrude.

No apology needed, no intrusion. All comments and thoughts welcome id say.

It made me smile your comment about bringing woodland soil indoors, i can imagine the potential for chaos.

I love the fact that you can dangle a worm of a question and CC like the great Salmon of wisdom that he is, cant help but leap to the hook.

Thank you, to all the people who have added to this thread.

 

[Mud Man]

No apology needed, no intrusion. All comments and thoughts welcome id say.

It made me smile your comment about bringing woodland soil indoors, i can imagine the potential for chaos.

I

never really doubted your common sense, honest TAKING SOIL FROM THE WILD OUTDOORS TO HELP BOOST MY indoor MICROBIAL WORLD WAS A BIG FAUX PAS..LOL Haaaaaaa!
You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to mosstrooper again.

 

[mad librettist]

Soil can take a year to really stabilize anyway, meaning you trade woodland critters for other pests.