Fresh Kelp on the Beach

[zumajoe]

I would say so ColdSmoke... pretty straightforward.  

Recently we had a few storms that blew in a bunch of kelp making it super easy to harvest (literally mountains of it washed right up in the shallows).  I decided i'd like to make some liquid kelp fertilizer by fermenting it in a bucket.  It's been a couple weeks now and as mentioned above, it literally does smell like raw sewage - not that pleasant fishy ocean smell anymore.  

However, I didn't feel the need to rinse my kelp before adding in fresh water - and actually had a tiny bit of seawater in the bottom.  Everyone around here is saying to rinse - what's the problem if I didn't?  

 

[ColdSmoke]

I don't think I could convince myself to put anything near my plants that smells like raw sewage. How do you know "fermenting" was beneficial?

 

[zumajoe]

I don't think I could convince myself to put anything near my plants that smells like raw sewage. How do you know "fermenting" was beneficial?

 
From what I gather it's no different than the process of a compost tea.. just using seaweed.  Pretty sure plants don't discriminate based on smell either  

 

[D3monic]

I only been on a cali beach once... but from what I seen one person couldn't possibly take enough to even put a visual dent in the piles of that stuff.... I couldn't even go out to swim because the stuff kept wrapping onto my legs. freaked me the hell out. Gross ass bay 

I would say so ColdSmoke... pretty straightforward.  

Recently we had a few storms that blew in a bunch of kelp making it super easy to harvest (literally mountains of it washed right up in the shallows).  I decided i'd like to make some liquid kelp fertilizer by fermenting it in a bucket.  It's been a couple weeks now and as mentioned above, it literally does smell like raw sewage - not that pleasant fishy ocean smell anymore.  

However, I didn't feel the need to rinse my kelp before adding in fresh water - and actually had a tiny bit of seawater in the bottom.  Everyone around here is saying to rinse - what's the problem if I didn't?  

 
The salt will kill your plants that's why they say rinse

 

[zumajoe]

 
The salt will kill your plants that's why they say rinse

 
The resulting liquid fertilizer would be diluted 20 to 1, still think that's too much salt? Not in the mood to start over again but I will if it's absolutely necessary.  

 

 

[D3monic]

 
The resulting liquid fertilizer would be diluted 20 to 1, still think that's too much salt? Not in the mood to start over again but I will if it's absolutely necessary.  

 

 
might be fine, might not, never tried it so I couldn't say. Maybe try it on one plant first and wait a few day. 

 

[zumajoe]

Found some more on the topic of rinsing..
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seaweed_fertiliser
 

A perhaps less serious potential problem with seaweed is its salt content. While it is unlikely to add sufficient seaweed to seriously upset the balances of salt in the soil, it is not liked by worms, who will not live in it. It can be hosed down before adding to the soil to reduce the salt content, or left to be desalinated by rainwater. Rinsing seaweed is risky as valuable alginates are potentially lost to runoff.
 

 
And:

http://www.gardensalive.com/product/feeding-your-soil-with-seaweed/
 

And the answer to the 'washing the salt off'' question is No. Eliot says it just never seemed that salty, and he's been using it for decades without seeing any problems. Just the reverse, in fact, as he credits it with supplying the minerals and micro-nutrients that are so essential for healthy, natural plants. 

Regardless, i'll still run a test as per your suggestion just to be sure.  

 

[mrgrowguy]

Oh man, I never thought about grabbing kelp from the beach. Another perk to Orange County... I live 15 minutes from the beach. Tons of kelp washes up all the time. I wouldn't mind maybe grabbing a truck-bed load worth and rinsing/drying it out and using it in my teas
 
Thanks for the idea!

 

[zumajoe]

Oh man, I never thought about grabbing kelp from the beach. Another perk to Orange County... I live 15 minutes from the beach. Tons of kelp washes up all the time. I wouldn't mind maybe grabbing a truck-bed load worth and rinsing/drying it out and using it in my teas
 
Thanks for the idea!

Absolutely, I would just be careful with that as per California law:

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/pdfs/response/kelp.pdf
 

 
Recreational harvesters must possess a sport fishing license and may take no more than 10 pounds (wet weight) of giant kelp per day, except during the herring-roe-onkelp season when 25 pounds may be harvested.

I find it strange that you would need a fishing license though?  Why, because they are microscopic ocean organisms within he plant matter... lol.  

 

 

[mrgrowguy]

Absolutely, I would just be careful with that as per California law:

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/pdfs/response/kelp.pdf
 
I find it strange that you would need a fishing license though?  Why, because they are microscopic ocean organisms within he plant matter... lol. 


 

 
 
hmmmm, since the fishing license costs SO much now-a-days, It would be in my best interest to just buy it already processed from the store than.... Save on gas, time, and effort also. I think I would actually be losing money in the short run. Long run too since the license is purchased yearly.
 
I just checked Grant Boys in Newport and i think they go for just under $50 per year (I thought it was more actually). Since I hardly get time to fish, it would be a waste for me... darn.
 
THANKS FOR THE HEADS UP!

 

[zumajoe]

 
 
hmmmm, since the fishing license costs SO much now-a-days, It would be in my best interest to just buy it already processed from the store than.... Save on gas, time, and effort also. I think I would actually be losing money in the short run. Long run too since the license is purchased yearly.
 
I just checked Grant Boys in Newport and i think they go for just under $50 per year (I thought it was more actually). Since I hardly get time to fish, it would be a waste for me... darn.
 
THANKS FOR THE HEADS UP!

If i head up that way sometime maybe we can make a trade, fresh kelp for some of those Trinidad seeds you got...

 

[ColdSmoke]

 
From what I gather it's no different than the process of a compost tea.. just using seaweed.  Pretty sure plants don't discriminate based on smell either

 
Not the same at all. Be careful with the concoction you got there. Compost tea is actively aerated and microbes are fed with molasses and has a healthy balance of oxygen, fungus and bacteria. 

 

[FreeportBum]

I'm about 100ft from the ocean, I have been collecting rockweed/seaweed for the garden for years. I use to soak it in 55 gallon barrels but stopped soaking a few years ago on a tip from a giant pumpkin grower. I lay it out on the driveway to dry, when it's crunchy dry I toss it in a trash can and hit it with the weed whacker. Then lay it down on driveway again and run it over with lawnmower with bag attachment on.   no worries

 

[zumajoe]

 
Not the same at all. Be careful with the concoction you got there. Compost tea is actively aerated and microbes are fed with molasses and has a healthy balance of oxygen, fungus and bacteria. 

 
I was under the impression that there were both Aerobic and Anaerobic tea methods, the latter often synonymous with "manure" or "classic".  While there certainly seem to be benefits to the Oxygen + Molasses method, is there any proof that there is a hazard keeping things oldschool with just straight up kelp in a non-sealed bucket?  

Searching the net there are numerous people who do it exactly this way, and apparently the stench is gone once it's ready. I'll certainly take caution based on your suggestion, I'm just wary considering the occasional alarmist advice on plant topics such as "never water mid-day as it acts like a microscope and will fry your plants!" - which is not true.  


Edit:  I guess the biggest risk would be creating some bacterial monster that could end up killing me, correct?
 
Edit 2:  This makes sense!

http://www.gardenmyths.com/compost-tea/
 

Tea can be made in two very different ways; aerobically and anaerobically. The term aerobic means that the tea is made in the presence of oxygen; you usually bubble air through the tea as it is brewing (see picture above). When tea is made anaerobically, it is made without added oxygen. You simply let the smelly sludge sit in a pail. The method used to make the tea is very important because microbes tend to favor one or other of these living conditions. They either like living with oxygen present or they prefer less oxygen. So the method you use to create the tea is very important to determine the type of microbes in the tea.

Aerobic soil bacteria inhabit soils that contain a lot of air; the light fluffy type of soil we all know to be good for plants. Anaerobic soil bacteria tend to live in wet, compacted clay type soils where there is little oxygen present – not the kind of soils we want. So why is it that many recipes for compost tea use the anaerobic method? That makes no sense and I can’t explain it.
 

 

[ColdSmoke]

In all honesty I don't know much at all about anaerobic methods of making tea. I just was offering a warning mostly because you said it smelled like sewage and that can't be good IMO. 

 

[Proud Marine Dad]

Cali has kelp that grows taller than the red woods. I use it.

Where did you hear that? Kelp can reach 175' or so. That's about halfway up a California Redwood.
With all the hassle of gathering it, rinsing it, etc I would rather just buy good brown kelp meal as it is the best.

 

[John1234]

I believe what's happening in your bucket o' kelp is more related to FPE (fermented plant extract). The concoction is anaerobic, fueled by microbes picked up through the atmosphere and direct contact (moving kelp from beach to bucket).

Gil Carandang has a website on the subject and is a good a place to start as any if you're looking for more information.

Anaerobic tea does have a place, and at least in study provides better control of pathogens. Much less anecdotal information around, I think most growers pull back at the thought of applying anything termed anaerobic.

 

[BigB]

so i suppose I've been missing out on what's in my backyard the entire time. This is sargassum seaweed, better than the paddle grass which we usually have. I usually collect it in the ocean because the water isn't as polluted as the bay, but what should i do wit this? I planned on washing it out a whole lot because of the salt and the bay pollution. But what after? let it dry ? put it in the compost? put it right on top of the soil in my potted plants? Tea? suggestions? Just harvested 20 minutes ago
 

 

[ColdSmoke]

rinse it out really good a couple of times. You can mulch with it, throw in your compost pile or dry it out and shred (this is basically kelp meal). Dislaimer: I've never done it just repeating what I've read...good luck. There's also a fermentation option you could look into but I don't know the details on that process.