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Seaweed Fertilizer: The Liver of the Plant Diet
A long time ago when families still ate all their meals at home, moms would regularly admonish their kids to eat that universally hated dinner dish - liver. Eat your liver, mom would say, Itll put meat on your bones. Or depending on your mom, it might put hair on your head, put iron in your blood, or a spring in your step.
In other words, liver was apparently good for everything that ailed you. So much so, that youd even get liver in the form of cod liver oil, when you were sick.
Liver is in fact rich in nutrients that are scarce in other foods. Seaweed fertilizer fills that same need in the plant world. All plants need significant amounts of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium to thrive, and most synthetic fertilizers concentrate on these nutrients.
By contrast, seaweed fertilizer, in addition to providing the primary three nutrients, includes many other minerals and nutrients that accumulated in the seaweed during its own life. These many micronutrients may be hard to find in other fertilizers, particularly synthetic fertilizers. Additionally, seaweed fertilizer is an organic fertilizer, making it healthier for vegetables and fragile ecosystems.
Seaweed fertilizer can be found in granular or liquid form. Both forms can be applied using the same technique you would use for other fertilizers. Granular seaweed fertilizer should be broadcast over the ground and watered in, using no more than recommended on the package instructions.
Liquid seaweed fertilizer should be applied using a sprayer. You should have a sprayer that is used only for fertilizers, as it can be hard to completely clean a sprayer from herbicides or fungicides.
Try Collecting Your Own Seaweed
If you live near the ocean you can collect seaweed yourself from the beaches. You can use this seaweed in your compost pile, or use it as mulch directly in your garden. You may want to rinse the salt first, depending on the plants you will be mulching.
Using seaweed fertilizer as mulch has the added benefit of increasing the amount of organic material in your soil, which will help maintain water and minerals in the upper levels of the soil where your plant roots can easily absorb them.
So the next time you fertilize, try a seaweed fertilizer and you can tell your tomatoes eat your seaweed, itll make you grow bigger. and theyll make a nice side dish for your own plate of liver. |