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Using Calcified seaweed to make a seaweed tonic?

Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 970
edited March 2023 in Tools and techniques
Monty Don and others are always raving about seaweed tonic and MD must get through oceans (🙄) of the stuff. I’m tempted but resisting as it would be a new product, for me, packaged in plastic and I’m doing my best to minimise the plastic I buy.

I have seen cardboard boxes of calcified seaweed meal which I know is supposed to be a good soil conditioner. Am wondering if I could also use it to make a liquid feed for my toms, dahlias etc ? Or do I just use a handful of the dry meal in each pot? Is it worth it?

Am about as far inland as you can get so collecting my own isn’t possible - unless I fill the boot when shave our seaside break in June…..I think OH might object 😂


 If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham

Posts

  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    I use calcified seaweed instead of lime when preparing soil for brassicas.   I think you would be struggling to dissolve it to make a liquid feed. Calcified seaweed is  maerl , it grows  as a rocky type of product. Seaweed meal is different, it is the kelp and other seaweeds that are soft and wash up on the shore. It is dried and then milled to form a powder that breaks down easily in the soil.  Seaweed meal is fast acting. Calcified seaweed is a slow release calcium product similar to lime.
  • Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 970
    Thanks @fidgetbones, I hadn’t realised there was such a difference between the two. I think the meal will work better for me then if I want to use it to pep up my Dahlia pots?
     If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
    East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    Yes I  was going to say the same, calcified seaweed is alkaline,  you wouldn't want to be watering you Tomatoes with that.
    I use a lot of seaweed products too. One from the organic catalogue is very concentrated a 5l container will last years, even the 1l size will do a whole season or more, so not much in the way of plastic.  
    AB Still learning

  • Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 970
    edited March 2023
    Thanks @Allotment Boy . I could only see smaller bottles when I last looked, I might have another search
     If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
    East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    Must admit they tend to show the 1l size, but they definitely used to do a 5l of SM3 which is the tonic, as opposed to the others which also contain feed. They often do offers and mixed bundles. Shocked at how much they want for the seaweed meal now though. 
    AB Still learning

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Monty uses Maxicrop seaweed extract in a 10L container.
    I have bought it too.
    But the price has more than doubled in the last couple of years so I now buy the 2.5L bottle and use more sparingly.

    https://www.gardenersdream.co.uk/10l-maxicrop-original-seaweed-extract-fertiliser-p921/s2926?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=maxicrop-10l-maxicrop-original-seaweed-extract-fertiliser-maxicroporiginal10l1gd&utm_campaign=product%2Blisting%2Bads&cid=GBP&glCurrency=GBP&glCountry=GB&gclid=CjwKCAjwiOCgBhAgEiwAjv5whGt8ECFHy9Ygb0NbpAet2PVixxmeyi7krESpQMnGEh6qVDBznXlsNRoCDhwQAvD_BwE

    I also use Elixir seaweed meal to sprinkle around all growing areas.
    A 25Kg bag was under £30 a couple of years ago, it's now close to £70!

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 970
    Thanks for the link @Pete.8 I’ll take a look at that

     If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
    East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    I'm thinking of a trip to the beach is in order.  I get my comfrey from down by the river.  I get three sackfuls into a dustbin of water, and then after a month I can get another sackful into it.  You can make seaweed feed the same way. Dip it to wash it, dry it by spreading out, shove it through a shredder and then soak in a bucket or bin of water.
  • Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 970
    I’ve always fancied living by the sea but not sure homemade seaweed tonic is enough of reason to persuade OH 🤣

     I think we are about 2-2.5 hours from our nearest beach 🙄😞
     If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
    East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    We are a long way from a beach, about as far as you can be. However sister in law lives on the slopes of snowdonia, and there are a lot of beaches in wet Wales.   Time for a visit I think. She walks regularly on a beach, I advised her to take a carrier bag with her and just pick up a bagful at a time.  She's not really a keen gardener, so I think that was a bit too smelly a job.
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