# The benefits of Kelp



## Mr.Wakenbake

ot my work but would make a great addition here if you like to read.



Kelp is any of a variety of large, brown seaweeds 
that grow underwater and on rocky shores. Kelps are 
found in cold waters throughout the world.

Kelps vary widely in size and form. One type of kelp, 
called giant kelp, may have hundreds of branches, each 
of which has hundreds of leaves. Giant kelp may reach 
over 200 feet in length and will create entire forests 
of kelp. Other kelp consists of only a single branch 
and may be less than 3 feet long. But what they all 
share is that it is hard to tell the stems from the leaves.

The role of kelp in agriculture dates back thousands of 
years, and has been an integral part of coastal farming. 
It can be said with honesty that kelp is the most effective 
additive next to quality fertilizer.

The kelp that has the most importance for our needs is a 
kelp that grows in the cold canadian waters of the Atlantic 
Ocean, it is called Ascophyllum Nodosum. There are many kelps 
that have great benefits for agriculture but this particular 
kelp has the gold medal.

Ascophyllum is harvested by collecting from either the rocky 
shores or using a type of dredge or seine to catch it. It is 
then washed with fresh water to rid it of excess sea salt and 
then it is dried and powdered. It is very important that they 
harvest it at just the right time to ensure that the cytokinin 
levels are at their peak (cytokinins are growth hormones 
responsible for cell division in plants).

Kelp contains many wonderful things such as over 70 minerals 
and trace elements, growth hormones, vitamins, enzymes, and proteins.

It has been proven that kelp or what is in kelp can accelerate growth, 
increase fruiting and flowering, provide resistance to disease, insects 
and frost. There are a couple of things that are important in regards 
to the benefits of kelp and how they work. The first one is all of the 
trace elements and minerals which are aided by a carbohydrate mannitol 
that chelates or makes available certain minerals. One of the problems 
of modern farming is enabling the plant to take up all of the nutrients 
to complete a healthy life cycle. Chelates are very important in 
allowing plants to take up certain essential elements. What researchers 
have discovered is that with so many trace elements and minerals as 
well as vitamins and enzymes not to mention growth hormones, kelp 
aids in building and or supporting the plants natural immune system. 
If you can keep a plants immune system high it will have the ability 
to resist disease, insects, frost, and drought.

The second important and perhaps the most important aspect of kelp 
is the growth hormones. Kelp contains ample quantities of auxins, 
gibberellins, and cytokinins. All growth hormones play a part in 
how a plant functions, and are more accurately called growth 
regulators. Kelp has very high amounts of a particular hormone, 
cytokinin. Cytokinins are responsible for cell division, cell 
enlargement, differentiation of cells, development of chloroplasts 
as well as a delay in aging.

When kelp is used regularly you will notice that the overall health 
of the plant will increase and that when applied at certain times 
major growth will occur.

There are many ways to use kelp with foliar spraying being the most 
effective. You can improve specific growth stages by applying kelp 
with a specific response in mind. For example, if your tomatoes or 
peas are starting to bud, you can apply kelp to promote additional 
buds. If you require more root growth then you would apply it to 
the root zone after transplanting. Cytokinins respond within what 
ever stage that the plant is in. Spray in vegetative then you will 
experience more vegetative growth, spray in flower then you will 
experience more flowering etc...

There are several forms that kelp comes in and some forms offer 
more benefits than others. Granular kelp is often mixed in with 
other fertilizers and doesn't contain as high concentrations of 
ytokinins as liquid concentrate. If you are looking to supplement 
your present fertilizer regime then you would probably add 
powdered kelp. If however you are trying to promote more 
flowering or budding sites then you would use a concentrated 
liquid kelp product such as Growth Max or Growth Plus which 
both have a cytokinin level of 400 ppm.

Foliar spraying is the most effective way of applying kelp, 
since leaves are up to 8 times more effecient in taking in of 
nutrients than through the root system. When foliar spraying 
try to apply in the early morning when the plant is the most 
active and the stomata are open to their fullest, avoid 
praying before it rains, use high quality water with a ph 
of 6.0, and any foliar spray benefits from a non ionic wetting 
agent such as Mega Wet.

In conclusion, kelp can help germinate seeds quicker, improve 
taking of cuttings, encourage rooting, build immunity, add more 
colour and flavour, give a longer shelf life, produce more and 
larger buds and flowers, counter any nutrient defiencies, 
and fight off insects and disease. Kelp is truly mother natures 
gift to the modern gardener.


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## dobshibby

hiya mr.wakenbake.was lookin for info on a good organic compost i could do at home,im living on the coast of ireland so i have an abundance of seaweeds such as kelp at my disposal.ive done a bit searching on the net and it seems there has to be a certain mixture to make up good compost.first(brown)ie dead leaves,twigs,saw dust etc.second(green)ie grass,plants,weeds etc.third(fruit and veg).what i cant find out is whats the right amount of each and if i wash kelp can i add it to my organic compost.any help would be great m8,cheers.


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## MrPuffAlot

Kelp/Seaweed is not only great for plants they are great for humans.

My wife and I eat alot of seaweed, from sushi rolls, to dried seasoned
seaweed with rice, and we love Seaweed soup made from Dried Seaweed.

OK.. this is my question.  The Dry seaweed we make in our soup, is 
straight seaweed, No seasoning or anything.   

Can this seaweed be blended and added to our plants?
or does it have to be that specific type of seaweed you mentioned
in the first post.

Thanks..


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## Runbyhemp

I put a handful of maerl into every food mix. maerl = calcified sea weed


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## puffnstuff

BUT, it sure stinks the grow room up bad when you use it to foliar feed...peeww....hey, maybe it could be used as a cover smell..
puff


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## raoulduke2.0

would sushi grade nori be the right kind of seaweed? I have a case of the stuff and if I can make foliar spray from it I would be ecstatic.


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## 420benny

I always use liquid seaweed when I water my plants. Just a bit, and it doesn't stink at all.


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## kasgrow

I put some age old kelp in my aero cloner and my clones rooted faster than ever. I added a shot glass of power clone and a half ounce of kelp to the water. I am going to try it again soon when I take new clones.


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## Raz & Nicky

We just added some seaweed to the top of our soil and we also placed some in a few 5ltr & 8lts water bottles,with water and added our cannibum fertilzer & sugar to the mix....(not a great deal of kelp as this was first try/experiment)
Our 1st gal we tricked into budding has definately improved in bud size & trichome size since we started using this mix....We are in the last 4/6 weeks of flowering, but this strictly organic mix has improved bud size and totally elimated the risk of overfertlisation...As all foor is organic...

If your outdoor growing we would say give it a try..Its pretty safe and "touch wood" no **** ups yet...


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## 420grower

I found out about the benefits of kelp in the early 80'sI use it from day 1 and add it with my reg organic nutes(I make those myself)and during flowering I foilage spray dailey,it will blow your mind,those of you using a product called budswell,check the ingredients,mostly kelp and good old h2o,give it a shot its great stuff,and very cheap by comparison


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## meds4me

Ding Ding Ding...we have a winner ! Kelp is awesome stuff...read the labels on it and be surprised that its rated in NPK forms ! I use it throughhout the whole grow !


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## The Effen Gee

Two Words: Foliar Spray.


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## 420grower

two words totally agree


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## Mutt

Anyone notice any issues using in late flower..such as longer to finish up or anything..so many natural growth hormones in it thought it might do what too much N in late flower does (reveg..slower ripening). just wondering...heard two different things with that and just curious.


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## Tater

Just to answer a few posts all in one go.

Seaweed is not kelp, in fact seaweed is not really anything, its more of a general way of referring to almost any vegetation found in a sea or lake.



> A seaweed may belong to one of several groups of multicellular algae: the red algae, green algae, and brown algae. As these three groups are not thought to have a common multicellular ancestor, the seaweeds are a paraphyletic group. In addition, some tuft-forming bluegreen algae (Cyanobacteria) are sometimes considered as seaweeds &#8212; "seaweed" is a colloquial term and lacks a formal definition.



Taken from Wikipedia

hxxp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelp

Thats a page on wikipedia about kelp.

So I'm not saying your case of seaweed won't work, it probably will, its just not the same stuff that he's talking about is all.

Oh yeah, great post PS, thanks for the read.


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## getawaymountain

we make a seaweed extract biostimulant by using ascophyllum nodisum seaweed from the coast of maine using the cold water extraction method .  it takes 30-45 days to complete the fermentation process . it works very well for all plants and flowers and help alot with powdery mold and root growth. the pics are from a batch we made last season in ca for the growers we know there and everybody was pleased with the results 

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## The Effen Gee

Is it weird I want to swim in that?

You just blew my mind right now.


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## Rosebud

I kinda want a glug of it right now myself.


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## getawaymountain

The Effen Gee said:


> Is it weird I want to swim in that?
> 
> You just blew my mind right now.




ya mean like this hahaha  lol..  we have to kick it around some during the  fermentation  process and momma loves how it makes her skin feel . so not weird at all 

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## RonnieB

Mr.Wakenbake said:


> ot my work but would make a great addition here if you like to read.
> 
> 
> 
> Kelp is any of a variety of large, brown seaweeds
> that grow underwater and on rocky shores. Kelps are
> found in cold waters throughout the world.
> 
> Kelps vary widely in size and form. One type of kelp,
> called giant kelp, may have hundreds of branches, each
> of which has hundreds of leaves. Giant kelp may reach
> over 200 feet in length and will create entire forests
> of kelp. Other kelp consists of only a single branch
> and may be less than 3 feet long. But what they all
> share is that it is hard to tell the stems from the leaves.
> 
> The role of kelp in agriculture dates back thousands of
> years, and has been an integral part of coastal farming.
> It can be said with honesty that kelp is the most effective
> additive next to quality fertilizer.
> 
> The kelp that has the most importance for our needs is a
> kelp that grows in the cold canadian waters of the Atlantic
> Ocean, it is called Ascophyllum Nodosum. There are many kelps
> that have great benefits for agriculture but this particular
> kelp has the gold medal.
> 
> Ascophyllum is harvested by collecting from either the rocky
> shores or using a type of dredge or seine to catch it. It is
> then washed with fresh water to rid it of excess sea salt and
> then it is dried and powdered. It is very important that they
> harvest it at just the right time to ensure that the cytokinin
> levels are at their peak (cytokinins are growth hormones
> responsible for cell division in plants).
> 
> Kelp contains many wonderful things such as over 70 minerals
> and trace elements, growth hormones, vitamins, enzymes, and proteins.
> 
> It has been proven that kelp or what is in kelp can accelerate growth,
> increase fruiting and flowering, provide resistance to disease, insects
> and frost. There are a couple of things that are important in regards
> to the benefits of kelp and how they work. The first one is all of the
> trace elements and minerals which are aided by a carbohydrate mannitol
> that chelates or makes available certain minerals. One of the problems
> of modern farming is enabling the plant to take up all of the nutrients
> to complete a healthy life cycle. Chelates are very important in
> allowing plants to take up certain essential elements. What researchers
> have discovered is that with so many trace elements and minerals as
> well as vitamins and enzymes not to mention growth hormones, kelp
> aids in building and or supporting the plants natural immune system.
> If you can keep a plants immune system high it will have the ability
> to resist disease, insects, frost, and drought.
> 
> The second important and perhaps the most important aspect of kelp
> is the growth hormones. Kelp contains ample quantities of auxins,
> gibberellins, and cytokinins. All growth hormones play a part in
> how a plant functions, and are more accurately called growth
> regulators. Kelp has very high amounts of a particular hormone,
> cytokinin. Cytokinins are responsible for cell division, cell
> enlargement, differentiation of cells, development of chloroplasts
> as well as a delay in aging.
> 
> When kelp is used regularly you will notice that the overall health
> of the plant will increase and that when applied at certain times
> major growth will occur.
> 
> There are many ways to use kelp with foliar spraying being the most
> effective. You can improve specific growth stages by applying kelp
> with a specific response in mind. For example, if your tomatoes or
> peas are starting to bud, you can apply kelp to promote additional
> buds. If you require more root growth then you would apply it to
> the root zone after transplanting. Cytokinins respond within what
> ever stage that the plant is in. Spray in vegetative then you will
> experience more vegetative growth, spray in flower then you will
> experience more flowering etc...
> 
> There are several forms that kelp comes in and some forms offer
> more benefits than others. Granular kelp is often mixed in with
> other fertilizers and doesn't contain as high concentrations of
> ytokinins as liquid concentrate. If you are looking to supplement
> your present fertilizer regime then you would probably add
> powdered kelp. If however you are trying to promote more
> flowering or budding sites then you would use a concentrated
> liquid kelp product such as Growth Max or Growth Plus which
> both have a cytokinin level of 400 ppm.
> 
> Foliar spraying is the most effective way of applying kelp,
> since leaves are up to 8 times more effecient in taking in of
> nutrients than through the root system. When foliar spraying
> try to apply in the early morning when the plant is the most
> active and the stomata are open to their fullest, avoid
> praying before it rains, use high quality water with a ph
> of 6.0, and any foliar spray benefits from a non ionic wetting
> agent such as Mega Wet.
> 
> In conclusion, kelp can help germinate seeds quicker, improve
> taking of cuttings, encourage rooting, build immunity, add more
> colour and flavour, give a longer shelf life, produce more and
> larger buds and flowers, counter any nutrient defiencies,
> and fight off insects and disease. Kelp is truly mother natures
> gift to the modern gardener.


I won't grow without it


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## stew

dobshibby said:


> hiya mr.wakenbake.was lookin for info on a good organic compost i could do at home,im living on the coast of ireland so i have an abundance of seaweeds such as kelp at my disposal.ive done a bit searching on the net and it seems there has to be a certain mixture to make up good compost.first(brown)ie dead leaves,twigs,saw dust etc.second(green)ie grass,plants,weeds etc.third(fruit and veg).what i cant find out is whats the right amount of each and if i wash kelp can i add it to my organic compost.any help would be great m8,cheers.


Hello,
I think that you are referring to the Carbon to Nitrogen, or C:N ratio.  This ratio is very important because most microorganisms consume 20 parts of Carbon for every 1 part of Nitrogen.  
Kelp is a good feed source for compost, but it can clump and create anaerobic pockets within your pile.  To avoid this, mix thoroughly with a Carbon rich feedstock (dry leaves, straw, etc.) and turn your pile often.
I hope this helps!


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