Kelp Meal

[NakedMonk]

Just curious of the difference as far as being a fertiliser in the different Kelp Meals, Acadian Kelp (Ascophyllum nodosum) and Bull Kelp (Durvillaea potatorum). Both available in Australia (Bull Kelp being harvested off Tasmania apparently).

[itchybromusic]

coot had mentioned which kelp & why but i can't find it at the mo 

 

i use tas kelp (Durvillaea potatorum) , seems to be pretty good but i'm gonna get both & do a side by side

cos the wood fired heat used to produce the dry tas kelp is generally not good for keeping all the goodies intact 

[pug1010]

the side by side comparison sounds interesting itchy.

_______

 

NM ... I think this might be the one itchy is referring to ...

 

from coots ... "In the world of marine algae there are 3 groups - red, green and brown. Only brown contains the compounds that you need in your soil mix. Dr. Michael Guiry is one of the world's leading experts on marine algae. Here is a link to his page where he compares all 3 with the major compounds listed and you'll see immediately why you want brown kelp and not the other two."

 

http://www.seaweed.ie/nutrition/index.php

 

_____

just a heads up ... i have yet to find a source of arcadian kelp that i feel is free of pollutants (heavy metals and/or radiation) ... i've annoyed quite a few companies asking for details of where exactly they source there kelp from and also looked at public databases that list heavy metals - mainly washington state but some also from oregon and californian databases. also found an icelandic annual report on radiation levels (unfortunately they stopped writing them) which highlighted the radiation through the north sea, irish sea and all the way to icelandic coastal waters. i think they traced the radiation to the sellafield mox plant ... will try to find the article.

 

i like the tassie bull kelp and there are a couple of sources that air dry their kelp - at least ... that's what they told me. this is one that i've contacted previously and they confirmed that they air dry their kelp ... they are not certified organic, but their kelp is wild harvested (washed up on shore):

https://fairdinkumfertilizers.com/driedseaweed.html

Edited September 12, 2019 by pug1010

[Carbcon]

That's good reading.

Think coote goes into the kelp a bit with tad Hussey iirc.

 

Also love to see a side by side and the results you get.

 

Given the Tassie bull kelp is a fair bit more exy too.

 

There are also some stockfeeds that seem less refined, not certified organic but bypass the tax. Worth a look I reckon.

 

Mixing together may work esp if your needing smaller quantities.

[NakedMonk]

the side by side comparison sounds interesting itchy.

_______

 

NM ... I think this might be the one itchy is referring to ...

 

from coots ... "In the world of marine algae there are 3 groups - red, green and brown. Only brown contains the compounds that you need in your soil mix. Dr. Michael Guiry is one of the world's leading experts on marine algae. Here is a link to his page where he compares all 3 with the major compounds listed and you'll see immediately why you want brown kelp and not the other two."

 

http://www.seaweed.ie/nutrition/index.php

 

_____

just a heads up ... i have yet to find a source of arcadian kelp that i feel is free of pollutants (heavy metals and/or radiation) ... i've annoyed quite a few companies asking for details of where exactly they source there kelp from and also looked at public databases that list heavy metals - mainly washington state but some also from oregon and californian databases. also found an icelandic annual report on radiation levels (unfortunately they stopped writing them) which highlighted the radiation through the north sea, irish sea and all the way to icelandic coastal waters. i think they traced the radiation to the sellafield mox plant ... will try to find the article.

 

i like the tassie bull kelp and there are a couple of sources that air dry their kelp - at least ... that's what they told me. this is one that i've contacted previously and they confirmed that they air dry their kelp ... they are not certified organic, but their kelp is wild harvested (washed up on shore):

https://fairdinkumfertilizers.com/driedseaweed.html

 

From my readings pug, I am under the impression that all Bull Kelp from Tassie/King Island is harvested from shores only, that the gov has put a ban on harvesting it from the kelp forest while its intact. After reading that I wasn't sure if this efftected its nutrient content. This is sort of what raised my concern between the two types avaialble, as one is harvested from the forest off the Norwegian sea and surrounds and the other from the Tassie/King Island coastal beaches and not from the forest itself

[itchybromusic]

good stuff pug 

thanks for finding coots post & link 

 

more reasons why you'd want to close the loop & only provide plant minerals , nutrients , hormones ect ect 

created / extracted from your own land 

 

have you spoken to donothinggardening about his kelp meal pug ?

 

was going to go & visit him this weekend but he's shifting house , i'm busy the following weekend 

so will pop over & see him the week after 28/09 , well that's the plan anyway 

 

if anyone's around & wants to catch up at his factory on that weekend 

be cool to meet some of you blokes , well the ones that can make it in Vic anyway 

[pug1010]

good stuff pug 

thanks for finding coots post & link 

 

more reasons why you'd want to close the loop & only provide plant minerals , nutrients , hormones ect ect 

created / extracted from your own land 

 

have you spoken to donothinggardening about his kelp meal pug ?

 

was going to go & visit him this weekend but he's shifting house , i'm busy the following weekend 

so will pop over & see him the week after 28/09 , well that's the plan anyway 

 

if anyone's around & wants to catch up at his factory on that weekend 

be cool to meet some of you blokes , well the ones that can make it in Vic anyway 

it's a tough one mate ... dng is doing an excellent job and he his definitely on the ball, so reckon he must have checked out his kelp thoroughly. i think he mentioned that it comes from near ireland or the irish sea, which is a no no for me, but reckon many people aren't as worried about it. would love to drop by and say g'day ... but unfortunately not in the area.

 

got another food thing coming mate ... hehehe ... not nuts this time, but seaweed ...

 

sourcing kelp soil amendments is a bit like noori in sushi for me ... i love the stuff, but most of the noori is produced in japan, korea and china which have all been polluted by fukushima radiation (and a few other heavy metals here and there). i won't eat it anymore, but most people would think i'm a bit ridiculous if i mention it - then again ... that could just be the general opinion ... hehehe.

 

i'm waiting for dng's lobster meal ... that is a big one for me and one that i would add to my soil, but like you and carb (and others) are doing ... closing the loop and using stuff from your own property is definitely the way to ensure safety. reckon when used in the ground, probably not so much of a factor ... but in a no-till container ... ahhh. one way to test it would be to put it first into a worm bin ... if the worms die that would probably be an indicator that it might not be a good choice for a notill situation.

Edited September 13, 2019 by pug1010

[pug1010]

From my readings pug, I am under the impression that all Bull Kelp from Tassie/King Island is harvested from shores only, that the gov has put a ban on harvesting it from the kelp forest while its intact. After reading that I wasn't sure if this efftected its nutrient content. This is sort of what raised my concern between the two types avaialble, as one is harvested from the forest off the Norwegian sea and surrounds and the other from the Tassie/King Island coastal beaches and not from the forest itself

hiya NM ... good point mate. i'm not sure about that one ... i wonder how long it survives in coastal water after being removed from the kelp forests and if it is effected the same way as cutting fruit or veggies, in regards to nutrient loss.

 

there's a fella from natrasol (ian heres at www.natrasol.com.au) and he doesn't mind having a chat about his products and also provides data sheets. he might be someone on the ground level who could help with this concern. he helped me to get my head around naturally chelated agents ...in particular mannitol in kelp. still don't quite get it, but appreciate that he took the time to explain in the simplest terms possible for me.

[Veritas629]

Kelp is an algae, rather than a vascular plant. Thus, it does not die when broken loose from the seafloor. If we uproot our cannabis, we damage the roots and bad things happen. Algae has no roots, just hold fast structures to keep it in place. Freshly washed up beach algae I would expect to be very similar to forest kelp in relation to nutrients. Its still alive until the sun dries it out.

[Carbcon]

Kelp is an algae, rather than a vascular plant. Thus, it does not die when broken loose from the seafloor. If we uproot our cannabis, we damage the roots and bad things happen. Algae has no roots, just hold fast structures to keep it in place. Freshly washed up beach algae I would expect to be very similar to forest kelp in relation to nutrients. Its still alive until the sun dries it out.

Good to know.

 

I apologize to mess with this thread but I saw your name Veritas and thought you should know what's out there with your name on it.....

 

Not trying to be smart, I saw this the other day and had to screenshot for you to see

 

I don't think it's for organic growing....