From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Goodwood, Ontario, Canada

I have a pond on my property that is fed from a mineral spring. The water is 65 degrees throughout the summer but I do get algae blooms and freshwater seaweed around the edges where the water heats up. Recently I harvested some of the seaweed / algae, dried it and ground it in a coffee bean grinder. I then soaked the powder in a small amount of pond water to create a concentrate of seaweed fertilizer. I then applied it to a pumpkin plant I'm practice growing in my makeshift greenhouse. The plant responded very quickly with a jump in growth and the leaves look healthier.

My question to the group is whether anyone else has used fresh water seaweed / algae fertilizer and if so what impact if any has it had on their plants.

4/1/2012 7:19:04 PM

East Jordan, MI

Seaweed (Kelp) is much differnt than the "freshwater seaweed" you are refering to (which is basically a weed), there may be some benefit, but I wouldn't substitute it for kelp myself -- but that is just me.

Every natural element known to man exists in the ocean and kelp concentrates these elements in its tissues. In turn it provides plants with more than 70 minerals, trace elements, growth hormones, vitamins, enzymes, and proteins.

There are several things that are important in regards to the benefits of kelp and how they work. Here are some of ways that I have found on how kelp helps plants:
„h Seed germination is improved
„h Plants develop more extensive root systems, which means healthier foliage, flowers and fruit
„h Plants have a greater resistance to disease and pests.
„h Increases bloom set and size of flowers and fruit.
„h Increases and stabilizes chlorophyll in plants, which results in darker green leaves and increased sugar content in plants.
„h Relieves stress in plants caused by extreme weather conditions.
„h Increased plant vigor or accelerated growth, thus a greater resistance to disease, insect attack, nematodes, drought, and frost.
„h Increases microorganisms in the soil that can fix nitrogen from the air.
„h Increases mineral uptake from the soil and into the plant.
„h Increases the storage life of fruits and vegetables by retarding the loss of protein, chlorophyll, and RNA.
„h Retards the aging process in plants (senescence) thereby lengthening the production season.

All growth hormones play a part in how a plant functions, and are more accurately called growth regulators. Kelp has very high amounts of a particular hormone, cytokinin. Cytokinins are responsible for cell division, cell enlargement, differentiation of cells, development of chloroplasts as well as a delay in aging.

Do a google search on "auxins gibberellins cytokinins kelp" an

4/2/2012 12:35:37 AM

East Jordan, MI

and you will find tons of info.

4/2/2012 12:37:06 AM

Goodwood, Ontario, Canada

Thanks....

4/2/2012 8:00:23 AM