• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • DIY Ideas
  • Green Products
  • Ecofriendly Travel
  • Environmental News
  • Simple Ways To Go Green
  • More
    • Electronics & Gadgets
    • Health & Beauty
    • Hobbies & Crafts
    • Home & Garden
    • Jobs & Money
    • Outdoor Fun
    • Travel

Green Living Guide

Real People. Real Experiences. Real Helpful.

a Fun Times Guide site

search

Home » Home & Garden » DIY Ideas » Seaweed Fertilizer: A Great DIY Natural Fertilizer For Your Garden

Seaweed Fertilizer: A Great DIY Natural Fertilizer For Your Garden

Pin
Share
Tweet

We write about products and services that we use. This page may contain affiliate links for which we receive a commission.


seaweed-fertilizerI’ve been gardening for many years — both in vegetable beds and using containers on balconies.

Whatever the situation has been, one of my annual keys to success is seaweed.

It’s true, most other things called ‘weeds’ we’d rather keep out of the yard, but when seaweed is available it’s one of the best kinds of organic fertilizers nature provides.

Not only does seaweed supply important nutritional value to soil, it also helps stimulate growth in plants, enhances the dietary value of crops, and aids in reducing certain pests like unwanted nematodes.

 

Gathering Seaweed For Your Garden

The first thing to know about seaweed in the garden is that the main type found on beaches is called kelp. It’s the long rubbery-like strands that get caught in shallow water and often cover shorelines when the tide recedes.

Collecting it is easy and there’s no danger of thorns or other prickly edges when touching it with your bare hands. Simply pick it up and place it in something made of mesh to help drain excess water. Then place it in a plastic bag and bring it home.

The most important part of the collection process is selecting fresh, meaty, and moist pieces. This means they still retain most of their important minerals and nutrients, which are lost the drier and older they get.

I should note that since kelp is from the sea, some say the salt content may disrupt the delicate balance of a garden’s soil. However, the small amount of seaweed normally being used in the standard kitchen garden and other spots around the yard shouldn’t make much of a difference. From personal experience, I can say it’s never been a problem.

Nevertheless to alleviate any concerns the strands could be hung up on the garage door or over a fence and sprayed down with a hose.

 

Distributing Seaweed In The Garden

There are a few different ways to distribute seaweed to a garden.

The easiest method is taking strands of kelp and simply covering the soil around plants, bushes, and other vegetation like a blanket. Whenever I lived close enough to the ocean I did this every year at the beginning of the season and sometimes towards the middle.

A second technique is to make a seaweed solution by placing a healthy 4-foot strand in a closed container with around 4 to 5 gallons of water. After it ‘marinates’ for a few days, the solution can be poured in a spray bottle and applied to the leaves of plants you intend on feeding. Amazingly, the leaves absorb the nutrients through a process called foliar feeding.

 

Tips For Using Seaweed Fertilizer

There are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to using seaweed fertilizer in your garden:

  • Collect it from clean beaches only.
    When I was growing up, the beaches in our immediate vicinity had various problems and there were years we had to find it elsewhere.
  • Use public beaches for gathering.
    Getting in trouble for crossing over private property, or entering a beach off limits to the public without permission is a lot to risk for a few pieces of seaweed.
  • Earthworms aren’t exactly happy when they encounter seaweed.
    As a result, they may leave the immediate plots. However they will be back to help cultivate the soil.

 

Jakob
Jakob

I’m a home improvement journalist. I blog about a broad range of eco-friendly topics including DIY home remodeling, cleaning tips, frugal living, as well as unique landscaping and gardening ideas.

networx.com
Pin
Share
Tweet

Filed Under: DIY Ideas, Home & Garden Tagged With: food, gardening, nature, reusing / repurposing

Primary Sidebar

About Us

JeffreyI think every little step toward living green is an awesome one... but eco-snobbery sucks! My goal is to help newbies learn the most important steps toward living green -- individually and collectively. Personally, I strive to have as little impact as possible on Planet Earth while I'm here.

Jeffrey: View My Blog Posts

JoshuaAs an advocate for good health, I usually try to choose the 'greener' option over other more dangerous and/or wasteful options. Generally, if it's bad for your health or the planet, I try to avoid it. In my effort to live green... on a budget, I like to find new (healthier) budget-friendly ways to do things -- from eating and cleaning to recycling and home decorating. My goal is to help you take the chore out of living green by sharing fun new ecofriendly ideas that you can try today... or any day! My all-time favorite way to live green is to repurpose items and give them a new use -- I've written a lot of useful DIY articles.

Joshua: View My Blog Posts

LynnetteMy experience with living green consists of taking baby steps (like making one big change each year as my New Year's resolution) -- because I've seen too many people burn out on trying to 'Save the Planet'. I share a lot of Simple Ways To Go Green, as I find new and successful strategies that have worked for me. While I'm baby-stepping my ecofriendly habits in life, you will find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites).

Lynnette: View My Blog Posts

Top Searches

alternative energy bamboo carbon footprint cars CFLs Christmas cleaning clothing and fashion coffee conservation cycling decorating Earth Day eco-celebrities energy savings food free stuff funny gadgets gardening gifts green building green events green kids health home improvement landscaping LED lighting money organic food organic products paper partying green plastics recycling reduce reusing / repurposing reviews shopping shopping bags solar power videos water work

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
Fun Times Guide logo
Shop Our Favorite Items

Copyright © 2004-2021 The Fun Times Guide | Privacy Policy | About | Contact | Sitemap