Using Seaweed in the Garden
By Shannie McCabe
Seaweed has long been considered a precious garden amendment. Centuries ago, coastal farmers headed to the beach in ox-driven carts to haul loads of the mineral-rich fertilizer from the generous sea to their awaiting garden plots. This annual fall practice was a serious business in coastal areas before the advent of industrialized, large-scale farming and chemical fertilizers.
In fact, farmers in the 1800s could purchase “rights” to certain areas where the seaweed collecting was particularly choice. Today, seaweed is still considered a valuable garden amendment or mulch, and if you happen to have access to a beach, lake or pond with seaweed, consider collecting some for your garden — no fee required.
What is seaweed and where can I get it?
Seaweed is a large algae that grows in marine environments, meaning that despite its name, not all seaweed comes from the sea. You can also collect seaweed from the shoreline along ponds and lakes.
When harvesting, be sure to check with town ordinance to ensure that it is legal to collect seaweed in your area. As a rule of thumb, do not harvest more than a third of the seaweed in any one patch, as seaweed washed up on the beach does serve a purpose to the beach environment in the form of erosion control and food for critters.
How can I use seaweed in the garden?
Unless you have unusually high sodium levels in your garden, which is unlikely, seaweed does not need to be rinsed off to leach out the salt before adding to the garden. If you are worried about excess salt, you can rinse it off with fresh water from a garden hose before applying.
There are several options for how to use seaweed in the garden once collected. Add it to the compost pile to aerate and add nutrients, as well as to speed the composting process. You can also work seaweed directly into the soil in the fall as an amendment.
When incorporated, it will help to improve a hard packed soil structure by improving aeration and making soil more loose and fluffy. Seaweed also contains trace minerals that are beneficial to plants, as well as micronutrients that do not need to be broken down for the plants to use.
You can also use seaweed as a mulch. This will help suppress weeds, as well as retain moisture, provide protection from plant-stressing temperature swings and repel slugs. Mulch around plants 4-6 inches thick and consider reapplying when the seaweed naturally shrinks down.
Conclusion
Seaweed can be considered superior to some other mulch choices as it shares no diseases with land plants and also does not contain weed seeds. So head on down to the beach with your oxcart (or pickup truck) and get yourself a load of the good stuff!
Sign up for Newsletter
Follow Us on Social
Cutting-edge microbiology
No kill formula
Superior plant nutrition derived from the most ethical, sustainable sources available.
Produces the same results as conventional fertilizers without the negative environmental impacts.
Each ClimateGard pellet is infused with micronutrients, silicon, humic acid and a high-performance blend of living bacteria and fungi.
Delivered in an environmentally friendly organic cotton bag with a compostable inner liner.
Will continue to enrich your soil long after application.
$39.95 for 7.5 pound bag | $69.95 for 15 pound bag.
