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Using seaweed

geordiefgeordief Posts: 21
in Tools and techniques
Any tips for using seaweed in the vegetable garden?

I have plentiful amounts that I gather  every so often.

Is it best to dig it in or use it as a mulch? (how thick?)

Which veggies  might it be most suitable for ?(I have tried logans ,raspberries ,spinach ,r.beans  and fennel )

The runner beans seem to like it  but I improved the soil  a lot last year anyway.The leaves were like plates but got something of a battering in the last storm
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  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    If you grow potatoes you can just scatter it on the soil as a mulch after planting. Thats what makes Jersey Royals taste so nice.  It could go in bean trenches, but I mix it up with the other stuff that goes in the compost heap when I can get it. That and some rock dust makes super compost.
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    Well, geordief, if you've got ready access to seaweed, you'll probably find new friends appear.  There are those who know an awful lot more than me about nutrition but one benefit from seaweed is its salt content that isn't harmful to many plants, but helps to keep slugs away.  They hate salt!
  • geordiefgeordief Posts: 21
    I know about it deterring slugs but I really have zero problem with them these past few years since I started using ferric phosphate.

    I have slugs everywhere but never on the plants--not even the runner beans.

    Around here we can get seaweed delivered by the trailer load but I just take a couple of buckets in the back of the car and bring it back every so often .

    In my mind it is a miracle product (for years I would not touch it as I feared it would actually worsen the slug problem) and so I have been disappointed when the raspberries did not respond to a liberal much.

    The strawberries too were very poor with a mulch

    Some things (beans,spinach) did well .... I will have to see how things go next year. 

    Yes the compost heap might get   some next.


  • geordiefgeordief Posts: 21
    Has anyone just made a weak  tea from a small amount of fresh seaweed and used it on the houseplants?

    You don't have to compost it at all first do you?
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I use bought seaweed extract on all my houseplants expect orchids - it's great stuff.
    There a Wiki article that explains how to make seaweed plant tea- 
    https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Seaweed-Tea-Liquid-Fertiliser#:~:text=Seaweed%20tea%20works%20great%20for,as%20needed%20to%20fertilize%20them.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • geordiefgeordief Posts: 21
    Pete.8 said:
    I use bought seaweed extract on all my houseplants expect orchids - it's great stuff.
    There a Wiki article that explains how to make seaweed plant tea- 
    https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Seaweed-Tea-Liquid-Fertiliser#:~:text=Seaweed%20tea%20works%20great%20for,as%20needed%20to%20fertilize%20them.
    Seems simple enough. I think  the one month's  steepage is   for greater efficiency. 

    I am sure I can use it from day one as the water turns colour after a few seconds.

    But I could also pick a little less half rotted seaweed  and it will already  have decomposed  enough so I can  add that to the water for houseplants instead of the fresh stuff. 

    I added  seaweed to my compost heap last year and had giant spinach   and turnips  as a result.

    Mulching with it seems more of an art and I have struggled to use it successfully on strawberries  and raspberries  to date.(but I will get there)
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    Make sure all the salt is washed out.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • UffUff Posts: 3,199
    The first year I lived by the sea I used to wash the salt from it before adding it to the compost heap but then I read that it wasn't necessary as it would leech out naturally. 
    There's a good article here about it and it's benefits.

    https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/ingredients/composting-seaweed.htm
    SW SCOTLAND but born in Derbyshire
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    I use seaweed extract products all the time, never had access to the natural product.  I  think all leafy crops benefit most, plus things like potatoes.  Fruit crops need higher potash feeds, for good fruits,  if you feed with too rich manure or rich compost, including seaweed, you will get lots of top growth at the expense of the fruit. 
    AB Still learning

  • rowlandscastle444rowlandscastle444 Posts: 2,612
    This is a handy thread, thank you. I'm planning to move to a coastal village, and I already know it has more seaweed than it can cope with. I intend to keep the garden provided with it.
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