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Starwest Botanicals Organic Kelp Powder for your Garden?
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Posted by
goldfinchy 10 (
My Page) on
Wed, Jul 18, 12 at 15:30
| Hi!
I found this inexpensive kelp powder ($8 per lb):
Starwest Botanicals Organic Kelp Powder
http://www.amazon.com/Starwest-Botanicals-Organic-Kelp-Powder/dp/B001A
1VI8Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1342639701&sr=1-1&keywords=Starwest
+Botanicals+Organic+Kelp+Powder
Can I use it for my plants?
It is much cheaper than a kelp powder that is marketed for a garden.
What would be a mix ratio?
Thanks! |
Here is a link that might be useful: Starwest Botanicals Organic Kelp Powder
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Starwest Botanicals Organic Kelp Powder for your Garden?
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| Dr. Earth Kelp Meal is sold in a 2lb size for $9.99 locally. If you live in CA, you should be able to locate it relatively easily. Also easily found online for $7.99 (same size) but would need to pay shipping costs. I'd opt for a garden-intended product first, although not sure there would be any issues with the other. Application rate would be the primary concern and I can't answer that. And it doesn't look like garden kelp meal is necessarily any more expensive than food grade :-) |
RE: Starwest Botanicals Organic Kelp Powder for your Garden?
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Thanks, gardengal48!
I believe, the kelp powder and kelp meal are different things though, but I might be wrong :(
I'll try to find a garden-intended thing, as you suggested. |
RE: Starwest Botanicals Organic Kelp Powder for your Garden?
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| What would be the reason for using this product? |
RE: Starwest Botanicals Organic Kelp Powder for your Garden?
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| The only difference between kelp powder and kelp meal is consistency. |
RE: Starwest Botanicals Organic Kelp Powder for your Garden?
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gardengal48,
what do you mean by "consistency" ? kimmsr,
kelp provides a lot of beneficial minerals to the plants and helps developing the root system, better fruit and foliage. Search for the "kelp powder" or "kelp meal" on this site. Best,
goldfinchy |
RE: Starwest Botanicals Organic Kelp Powder for your Garden?
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| Meal is coarser than powder. Meal is typically ground; powder is pulverized |
RE: Starwest Botanicals Organic Kelp Powder for your Garden?
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| I am aware of what the kelp is supposed to do, but do you need it? Are your plants deficient in something the kelp is supposed to supply? Adding nutrients that are not needed can create more problems then they cure. |
RE: Starwest Botanicals Organic Kelp Powder for your Garden?
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| The nutrient load of kelp meal is so low it can hardly be considered something that would cause problems. Kelp meal is normally considered to be a soil amendment rather than a fertilizer for that reason, plus the fact that it conditions the soil, adds organic matter, aids in moisture retention and encourages soil biology. And it provides a rather extensive selection of trace elements, minerals, plant growth hormones and amino acids not typically found in most fertilizers or other amendments. In fact, no good argument can be made for NOT including kelp meal in any sort of organic gardening program. |
RE: Starwest Botanicals Organic Kelp Powder for your Garden?
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If then the amounjt of nutrients kelp would add to the soil is so low then why spend money on it and why add it to the soil? The argument should not be abhout NOT adding something that will do little or nothing rather it should be why add any if it will do little to help.
Changes to micro nutrients in small amounts can create major problems. |
RE: Starwest Botanicals Organic Kelp Powder for your Garden?
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| Have you bothered to research the benefits of kelp meal? Do you know what it does to soil texture, soil biology and moisture holding ability? Are you aware that many garden soils are seriously lacking in minerals and trace elements? And that these items are not often found in most fertilizers, organic or not? Don't be so fast to condemn practices you are obviously not familiar with. And don't think that your opinion is the only one with any validity. |
RE: Starwest Botanicals Organic Kelp Powder for your Garden?
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| what is the best particle size for kelp as an amendment? I'm still planning to haul a 100 lbs of kelp home from the beach and dry and crush it. Any drawbacks from me not sieving it all into sand-sized particles and there being quarter-sized kelp remnants in the soil block? |
RE: Starwest Botanicals Organic Kelp Powder for your Garden?
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Gardengal, I know what the people that sell these types of products will tell us about them and what they will do, but I have seen enough other research that indicates most of it is hoakum, they are selling magic elixars. Numerous times I have seen soils go from lacking in vital micro nutrients, as well as the macros, simply with the addition of adequate quantities of compost and other forms of organic matter, that I will always question the need to purchase materials that may be unnecessary.
As I have stated, repeatedly, I know what these types of materials are supposed to do. The question is are they really necessary or are those that promote them simply selling something of little value just as the manufacturers of synthetic fertilzers do? |
RE: Starwest Botanicals Organic Kelp Powder for your Garden?
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| Kimmsr, the kelp products are just one of those "other forms of organic matter ". I'm sure that we can now breathe a big sigh of relief knowing that you approve wholeheartedly. :-) |
RE: Starwest Botanicals Organic Kelp Powder for your Garden?
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| simply selling something of little value just as the manufacturers of synthetic fertilzers do? OK kimmsr, we can get into a HUGE discussion here. How you can possibly come to the conclusion that synthetic fertilizers are of "little value"? They have been helping to feed an ever expanding global population for the last 70 years or so and doing a dang good job of it! I realize this is an organic gardening forum and I realize that you swear by the doctrine that compost should be the only source of plant nutrients one's garden will even need but that is simply not the way the world works. Plants do not care from what source their nutrients are derived - from compost, a packaged organic fertilizer, out of a MiracleGro sprayer or a bag of Scotts - it's all the same to them. YOU may deem kelp meal unnecessary but not everyone is exposed to the same sort of materials or has the same sort of gardening situation and many must obtain desired organic matter from whatever source is at their disposal. And whether YOU consider it 'hokum' or a 'magic elixar' or not is your choice (and I challenge you to present any reputable source that confirms that belief). There is certainly enough scientific evidence to support the nutritive value of kelp and it is a valuable organic soil amendment for those that choose to use it. No one is necessarily advocating it has any 'magic' properties - just that it is a rich, organic nutrient source and a great organic soil amendment. |
RE: Starwest Botanicals Organic Kelp Powder for your Garden?
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You both seem unable to grasp a simple concept, why spend money on products you may not need simply because someone that sells those products tells you they might help do something? You both seem to be locked into the "conventional" gardeners need to buy nutrients because you cannot believe that nature can, and will, provide what plants need.
There is no need to spend money on esoteric materials on the off chance that maybe my soil might possibly need some of that. If you are going to promote scientific gardening then you should be telling people to have a good, reliable soil test done before they add any such materials. |
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