Seaweed Fertilizer: Benefits and How to Use
Updated: Mar 7
Fertilizers are used to increase the yield of plants and crops. Fertilizers dissolve quickly in water and fills the nutrient deficiency in plants. Be it liquid fertilizers or normal, they work as a healthy tonic for the proper growth of plants. There is a diversity in the fertilizers also like cow dung, neem cake, seaweed solution and many more.
Seaweed is the most manageable and yielding fertilizer. Compared with conventional fertilizers, seaweed fertilizer has comprehensive nutrition, balanced growth, significant yield increase, and rarely shows deficiency. Undoubtedly, it is one of the best fertilizer that most gardeners should use in the gardening. After lots of experiments and studies this article is archived on Seaweed fertilizer.
What is a Seaweed Fertilizer?
Seaweeds are seaweed algae that include some species of red, brown and green algae. Sea weeds are also classified according to use, such as sea weeds of edible, medicinal, fertilizer, filtration or industrial use.
As a little idea can be put from its name, it is a grass growing inside the sea or it can also be called grass. It is believed that it has been on the earth for billions of years or can be said from the beginning.
People living on the seashore first started using it and later it was used in other places as well. These seaweed sometimes come to the shore with the water along the seashore and in many places, people collect it from there and dry it and use it in many ways.
Types of Seaweed Fertilizer
1. Liquid fertilizer
It is available in liquid form which needs to be diluted in water before using. It comes in bottle packing.
2. Granules form
It is also available in granules form in pouches. It can be given directly to the plants or can be diluted in water also.
Advantages of Seaweed Fertilizer
1. Organic and effortless fertilizer
It is an organic and effortless fertilizer.
Unlike other fertilizers, this one is a complete and balanced power pack of all the nutrients (like phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, nitrogen, potassium and all).
2. Safe and non-toxic
Since it is made from marine plants, it is completely safe, no chemicals are used in making it commercially, so it is safe for all humans and animals and plants etc.
Using this manure does not harm the environment and we keep getting good quality fruits and vegetables.
3. Can be given to all the house plants
It can be given to all the house plants. Be it indoor, outdoor, succulents or any cutting of the plants.
For all the common plants like rose, tulsi (holy basil), hibiscus, curry patta, areca palm, snake plant and many other seaweed liquid fertilizer (with compost ) once in a 20 days is sufficient. No other fertilizer is required for these plants.
For heavy feeder plants or high level gardening (like rose, litchi, lemon , bitter gourd and many others), fertilizer with high NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) is required.
4. Enhances soil quality
It naturally increases the fertility of the soil manifold by mixing it in the soil.
It increases the organic matter in the soil and activates many types of microorganism which makes the soil even more effective.
It accelerates the fertility of soil microbes present in the soil, due to which soil becomes more fertile.
5. Easily absorbed by plants
Seaweed Liquid Fertilizer is very easily absorbed by the plants, so it is also a very effective fertilizer to provide more power to the plants in less time.
The Alginic Acid present in it reduces the surface tension of the water, so that the plant easily absorbs the nutrients present in it.
6. No expertise is required
Easy and ready to use available in the market. It can be bought from any nursery, market or online also.
No expertise is required to use this solution, anyone can use it without any complexity.
7. Gives fruitful results
In many cases fruitful results are noted, plants starts growing properly, plants showing flowering and fruiting in small span only after the use of seaweed solution.
8. Easy to store
Seaweed fertilizer comes in bottle or pouch packing hence it is easy to store also.
It costs somewhere Rs 200-250 for one bottle or pouch. One bottle would run for 4-5 months.
Seaweed granules packet costs somewhere Rs 270 per kg, comparatively it is cheaper then liquid solution bottle.
From Where Seaweed Fertilizer Comes?
Seaweed fertilizer comes from the grass and weeds found in the sea.
Sea grass and weeds have many nutrients which are beneficial for the growth of plants.
After uprooting these grasses and weeds from the sea, they get processed to convert them into fertilizers.
How to use Seaweed Fertilizer?
1. Dilute the Concentrated Solution
This solution comes in concentrated form.
Make the exact solution as it is written on the bottle (instruction column).
Approximately 3 ml of the solution is needed to be diluted in 1 litre of water.
Mix it properly before giving it to the plants.
It can be stored for 8-10 days at normal temperature. If kept for a longer duration, it will smell.
Feed your plants with this solution once in 20 days.
2. Spray Solution for leaves
For leave, a distinct spray solution is made. Dilute 1 ml of solution with 1 litre of water. Fill it in a spray bottle.
Before spraying seaweed solution on leaves, clean the leaves first. There should not be any traces of dust, otherwise there is no point in giving fertilizer.
Spray it on leaves once every 10 days.
3. Seaweed Granules
Loose the upper layer of soil and add granules in it.
For a 10-12 inch pot add 2 tablespoon granules.
For an 8 inch pot add 1 tablespoon granules.
For a small size pot add half tablespoon granules.
After adding granules, cover it with soil or coco peat and give water properly.
4. Liquid solution can also be made from granules
For Spray add half tablespoon granules in 2 litre water.
To make Liquid fertilizer for soil mix 1 tablespoon granules in 3 litre water.
To make the solution, soak granules in water for at least 5 hours.
Do not make it in an airtight container, it might release some gas.
NOTE
For cuttings like money plant, monstera and all, use the spray solution which is prepared for leaves.
Precaution while using Seaweed Solution
1. Dilute it properly
Be it seaweed solution or any other fertilizer, always dilute it properly in water before giving it to the plants or crops.
Over dose of fertilizer will burn the plants.
Always add 1 or 2 more cups of water which is specified for a particular fertilizer to make a solution.
Deficiency of minerals would be healed by providing fertilizers from the top but excess fertilizer can burn the plant immediately. Hence, less is the mantra here.
2. Give only when soil is dry
Fertilizer should not be given when soil is wet because if soil is wet then roots would not absorb any minerals from it.
Moreover, roots will start decaying due to excess water.
3. Give till water comes out from bottom hole
Always give liquid fertilizer till the point it starts coming out from the bottom hole of the pot, it means the fertilizer is reaching till the end of the roots.
All the bottom roots are also getting nutrients.
4. Follow proper schedule:
A 15 days gap should be maintained in the interval of giving any two fertilizers to the plants.
This was all about Seaweed Fertilizer. Enjoyed this article on seaweed fertilizer? Share your feedback in comment section.
Must watch below video on Seaweed Fertilizer:
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