Seaweed Fertilizer: It's Not a New Thing

Fertilizer has been important to farmers and gardeners as long as they've been cultivating the fields. Innumerable kinds of fertilizer have been experimented with in the quest for a bigger and better harvest. Some have been more successful than others. One of the time honored ways to enhance the quality of your soil, strangely enough, is with seaweed fertilizer.

Seaweed fertilizer has been in use in coastal regions throughout the world for hundreds of years. There is even an industry that centers around the harvesting and drying of seaweed in the Channel Islands of England. Then it's used for a variety of products, including garden fertilizer.

Seaweed was also popular as a fertilizer in Ireland. Farmers would lift the soil in rows, lay down seaweed and then replace the soil. It's lost some of its popularity today, but it was commonly used for growing potatoes back then. Even today, the coastal industries of Ireland harvest huge quantities of seaweed and kelp.

You can make a big difference in the quality of your garden soil by using seaweed. This is because seaweed grows in seas and oceans, where all the elements that are known to exist can be found. Seaweed absorbs these elements and passes them along to the soil when you add it to your garden.

Environmentally conscious gardeners are particularly attracted to seaweed fertilizer. This is because it's an all-natural plant based product which can be added to the soil along with other organic kinds of fertilizer. It doesn’t carry the stigma of many of the commercial products that are full of chemicals. There are somewhat questionable ingredients contained in many of these products. As well, the production of these products releases a considerable amount of pollutants into the air.

Seaweed fertilizer can be added directly to the soil, just like mulch. Place it around and in between the plants. It tends to break down quite quickly.

You can also include it in your compost pile. It will assist in the decomposition process and will add valuable nutrients. You can also make it into a tea, either using the liquid or powder forms. Then you gently spray the mixture on the leaves, thereby providing them with a readily available source of nutrition.

The history of seaweed as a fertilizer goes back countless years, everywhere throughout the globe. If you live near the sea, you might be lucky enough to pick it up on a nearby beach. But for the rest of us, a visit to the local garden center is almost as easy. Ask for kelp meal or other types of seaweed fertilizers. And while you’re there, ask them to give you some tips on how to add it to your garden to give it new life.