Prepare for your spring garden by adding seaweed now

With Halloween in the rearview mirror and winter rapidly approaching, you may find yourself preparing your garden for the winter season. Some experts claim they have found a way to keep your soil healthy throughout the winter months, the solution is just lying on the beach. Seaweed has long been used in farming as a mulch for its high nutrient content, however, recently some farmers and seaweed experts have explained their success by adding seaweed to the soil before winter instead of springtime.

Seaweed has 16 or 17 different essential plant macro and micronutrients, including selenium manganese and iodine which are depleted soil and can get replenished through the seaweed. It also offers a little bit of nitrogen which will increase your soil’s water holding capacity. Some farmers claim, allowing seaweed to degrade over the winter is more effective than using it as mulch during the growing season. When it’s used fresh as a mulch, it can be too high in sodium. The residue from the sea salt and the concentrated salt can burn the plant if used as a fresh mulch. One of the best ways to take advantage of the mineral properties of seaweed in the garden is to apply it on top of raised garden beds after they are cleared and prepared for the winter.

It also turns out that the best time to collect seaweed on the beach is the end of Autumn through Fall. This is the period when the kelp begins to die back and become dislodged from the seafloor. When collecting seaweeds off the beach please check with your local regulatory office for collection laws and limitations.

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Seaweed in your garden: a good fertilizer and potential pest control

Many people around the world for centuries have known that seaweeds are an excellent fertilizer. Recently people have been reporting another benefit of using seaweeds in their garden, pest control.

When these reports started rolling in, researchers began experimenting on apple orchards, and so far have some conflicting data. One experiment in Washington found mite populations reduced when seaweed extracts were applied to the apples. However, in Vermont, another team found no difference in mite population but did report a reduction of maggots.

While the research remains inconclusive, many garden enthusiasts swear by it. Some claim that the timing of application is important, depending on where you are geographically and the type of pests you encounter.

Liquid seaweed is a common store item that can be used as fertilizer and pest control.

Further research into the mechanisms of these deterrents is needed. If conclusive, seaweeds could be an excellent organic pesticide for home or industrial use.