Allotments 4 All

Im going to devon for the weekend. And I thought I iwould bag up some seaweed while i was there(the wife not impressed with this idea). Can i use it and if i can what do i do with it.

Compost it, use as a mulch, turn into liquid feed...  :)

Are there any rules on gathering seaweed from shores? I've heard it's a great foliar feed but have no personal experience of this...

how do you make foliar feed. i hope im not breaking any seaside rules by taking it.

Well Toby Buckland (GW) gets his from Starcross and never mentioned last week on the show anything about asking permission. I'm sure the powers that be will only be glad that you are helping to get rid of some....the small amount you intend taking is just a drop in the ocean... or if you are taking from the south coast... a drop in the English Channel  ;D  ;D  ;D

if it's washed up it's fine to take.

Quote from: adam apple on April 16, 2009, 20:48:23
how do you make foliar feed. i hope im not breaking any seaside rules by taking it.

I simply stuff a water butt with seaweed and fill it with water. Leave it for 2 or 3 weeks, stir occasionally, and out comes seaweed emulsion.

I dilute it 1 part seaweed water to 4 parts fresh water when I use it. The plants go all perky a day after I put it on. I pour it on the ground, but also spray the leaves .

If your putting it straight onto your beds remember to wash it 1st to get most of the salt water off  :)

If putting over asparagus beds there's no need to wash it.

The plants seem to thrive on it

Almost everybody on my allotments uses copious amounts of sea weed (we're right next to the sea), I've not noticed anybody washing it, it just goes straight on with no apparent ill effects. I also put a bag full in water butts for a liquid feed (don't get your nose too close! ;D). As far as I know it's ok to pick it up if it's washed up, but not to take from rocks etc.. in it's living state.

It is supposed to be very good at breaking up clay soil.  Unfortunately too far from the sea to get some easily.

Slight change of subject.  Just reading a book about the potato famine in Ireland and all the seaweed was taken from the beaches. People were eating it.  I assume this is true, although the book is fiction. 

Eating seaweed is traditional; if you pick the right sort, it's fine. Other sorts aren't very nice, but during the famines they'd obviously eat anything. I've got accounts of people dropping dead in the street.

Some countries abroad have only got seaweed as a 'manure' they certainly get good crops from it.

The sea weed, once beached just rots and goes smelly, so I would suggest that the local authorities would be more grateful than outraged for gardeners to collect the stuff and clean the beaches for them.

Quote from: pjb on April 18, 2009, 09:43:00
Almost everybody on my allotments uses copious amounts of sea weed (we're right next to the sea), I've not noticed anybody washing it, it just goes straight on with no apparent ill effects. I also put a bag full in water butts for a liquid feed (don't get your nose too close! ;D). As far as I know it's ok to pick it up if it's washed up, but not to take from rocks etc.. in it's living state.

I agree with all that. Try googling "seaweed fertilizer".  I never wash my seaweed, but then here in the Baltic Sea, the seawater has just half the salt content as the North Sea or Atlantic Ocean.

what is the lifespan of the seaweed emulsion. Does it need to be used quite quickly, or can you make lots and use it as a feed throughout the growing season?

If you can handle the smell, it keeps for ages!! ;)

Quote from: gardening jan on April 19, 2009, 20:59:32
what is the lifespan of the seaweed emulsion. Does it need to be used quite quickly, or can you make lots and use it as a feed throughout the growing season?

I make a batch of 40 gallons every autumn, and another early summer. I think it would keep for a year at least if I didn't use it.

Just given a bag of Devonian seaweed by one of my neighbours and spread it over my asparagus beds - hope I've done the right thing?

yep! you have! asparagus is a coastal plant.