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seaweed / kelp
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Posted by
poaky1 6 Pa (
My Page) on
Tue, Dec 7, 10 at 22:26
| I recently bought a bag of kelp meal because it has the trace elements and is supposed to help seeds germinate better and all that good stuff. My question is, is the 9% sodium something to be concerned about?I think most synthetic fertilizers are high in salt and that can cause problems (environmental) how does 9% compare to synthetics?I guess it's from seawater the kelp grew in or maybe added for some reason unknown to me. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: seaweed / kelp
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| "salt" is a group not a single thing. Table salt (or sea salt or kosher salt) is Sodium Chloride (NaCl). Both of these are trace elements your garden will need, but 9% is high..are you sure it was sodium and not potassium (K)? Potassium is a VERY neccessary element you need. If this 9% is truly Sodium Chloride (or ecen another SODIUM based salt, I would not buy it again. That is too much sodium for garden. |
RE: seaweed / kelp
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| If it is really saying sodium something,then use it sparingly to avoid makin soil saline. |
RE: seaweed / kelp
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I have a kelp question.... I live in LA, not to far from beaches where big swaths of kelp wash up on the shore. I've often wondered if this kelp would be beneficial to compost or would it be too salty?
Don |
RE: seaweed / kelp
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| It says salt 9.00% Potassium 2.00% iodine 0.03% protein 4.00% fat 2.00%fiber 8.00% almost sounds like animal food analysis.And I bet it is.Either way it's still the kelp meal used for soil health. The salt is ( NaCl) in perenthesis. I think horses are given this sometimes.I am going to use it it's a big bag even if I have to add it to my compost barrels. That may help leach some salts.But it says salt not soduim ( my bad ) so if that means something different and someone can shed some light, please do. poaky |
RE: seaweed / kelp
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| salt (NaCl) = Sodium (Na) Chloride (Cl), in other words normal salt you use on your food. Using it is fine, but I would not buy it again. That is WAY too much "salt" to to put in the garden. |
RE: seaweed / kelp
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- Posted by batya Israel north 8-9-10 (My Page) on
Thu, Dec 9, 10 at 4:06
Use that kelp!! I didn't even wash the salt off of mine, just dumped it on the pile, and had one of the loveliest break-downs and finished compost ever. A layer here, a layer there, and it was a real score. I also live near the shore but we rarely get large amounts of anything but plastic bottles......sigh.
Batya |
RE: seaweed / kelp
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| Batya your soil if sandy may leach the salt out faster than mine.I am going to use it sparingly on landscape areas like trees and perennials and compost for veggie plots.Is your soil sandy? Did you get the plants or powdered kelp? Mine is powdered.The kind I got is able to be given to farm animals in their feed, but it will still help the soil.We get lots of rain which should help the salt leaching process. Thanks all poaky |
RE: seaweed / kelp
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- Posted by jolj 7b/8a-S.C.,USA (My Page) on
Tue, Dec 21, 10 at 22:28
Hi poaky1,
You could use lime,blood mill, bone meal,cottonseed mill,soybean mill,Azomite rock, granite grit to get some of the trace elements. |
RE: seaweed / kelp
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| I have used lime in veg plots, I have also used bllod meal and bone meal in the bunny poo I compost with fall leaves that goes for veg and landscape beds so I may not need the kelp?The cottonseed meal and azomite and granite grit isn't really available here nor is the soybean meal.. The Azomite may be in fishtank supplies at Petsmart, what does it supply to soil?The granite grit may be there too for chinchilla bath dust, but the name on the bag has the word granite in it but does not say anywhere on the bag that it is genuine granite dust.It may be simulated dust of who knows what kind of rock or not really rock at all, and it is fine powder.I'll have to look into that there is a company which supplies slabs of marble and granite about 30 miles from me maybe they'll sell me the scraps that are left over from custom countertop jobs.I have used gypsum on the areas that I want to maintain a more acidic PH for Rhodies and other acid lovers. My soil is about 6.8 PH and low in calcium.I had a soil test done last month (professionals) I may use the kelp on the non veg plots since the salt is high and I got a good deal on a 25 lb bag. I will test again next year. Not to confuse anyone with these ramblings, I know the blood,cottonseed,soybean meals are nitrogen sources withtrace elements in the dried blood, but what do you get from the Azomite ang granite grit besides help with drainage?I just remembered it was Aragonite that is for fish tanks. I remember Calcium was one of the biggest of the elements on the analysis on the bag.If I need calcium besides the gypsum I have a bag of genuine Florida coral ( washed ) that I ground up to make a potting mix for tropical house plants. It is high in calcium too according to the label.Sorry for the long post. |
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