Can this still be used as a soil amendment?

[Growdo Baggins]

I've got this kelp meal, it's packaged and marketed as feed for livestock, but it's 100% organic kelp. Could I add this to soil to amend it? I've looked at the companies website, and they sell all types of kelp products. I would imagine they package it this way to get you to buy their other kelp product to put on plants.

 

[cpp gardener]

Apply at will. Kelp is kelp. It's hard to over feed but don't get carried away.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Apply at will. Kelp is kelp. It's hard to over feed but don't get carried away.

It has 4.5 lbs of salt in it. I would soak it and pour off the water. There will still be some salt left. Like soaking a ham to reduce the salt ruins the seasoning -in this case you would not pour 4.5 pounds of salt on your garden. It will take at least 6 inches of rain to leach the salt, but by then damage is done. Were it kelp and not a dinner then of course it would be fine. The feed has some mineral properties like a salt lick block a farmer would set out for a herd.

 

[DirtMechanic]

ps: Kelp is really valuable for its phytohormones. Its the secret sauce. You wont miss much if you do not use a processed for feed kelp that has been purified I imagine. Especially if it was heated in any way.

 

[Growdo Baggins]

It has 4.5 lbs of salt in it. I would soak it and pour off the water. There will still be some salt left. Like soaking a ham to reduce the salt ruins the seasoning -in this case you would not pour 4.5 pounds of salt on your garden. It will take at least 6 inches of rain to leach the salt, but by then damage is done. Were it kelp and not a dinner then of course it would be fine. The feed has some mineral properties like a salt lick block a farmer would set out for a herd.

Dang that's really a bummer. I'm feeding it to my worms right now. I wouldn't imagine it's any good for them. So I guess I could soak it in a bucket and keep pouring off the water from the top. Basically getting it wet and getting the as much water out as possible then maybe laying it out on a tarp in the sun to dry. I'm really bummed about this. Would you mind explaining what you meant by your second reply? Thanks a lot for the help.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Dang that's really a bummer. I'm feeding it to my worms right now. I wouldn't imagine it's any good for them. So I guess I could soak it in a bucket and keep pouring off the water from the top. Basically getting it wet and getting the as much water out as possible then maybe laying it out on a tarp in the sun to dry. I'm really bummed about this. Would you mind explaining what you meant by your second reply? Thanks a lot for the help.

indoleacetic acid (IAA), indolebutyric acid (IBA), phenyleacetic acid (PAA), naphtyleacetic acid (NAA), trans-zeatin (TZ), kinetin (KA), isopentenyladenine (IA), 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BA) and abscisic acid (ABA).

Biostimulants they call them. Fruit set spray for tomatoes and such has a kelp effect. Notice the labels.


Charles Darwin and his Son found the auxins like iaa. Turns out they elongate the cells but fail in sunlight so the plants bend toward the sun.

They are never listed as a mineral or fertilizer for some reason.

The Secrets of Seaweed Extracts

The secrets of seaweed extracts are in the natural plant growth hormones they contain, being especially rich in "cytokinins"

www.easy-grow.co.uk