Seaweed Makes A Fantastic Mulch!
Vložit
- čas přidán 5. 09. 2024
- I get a lot of questions about using seaweed as a mulch: Is it too salty; does it repel slugs; does it kill the worms; etc., so I decided to do a video where I answer all these questions, and also demonstrate how I use it in my garden. Thanks for watching, and if you enjoyed this content, please share and/or subscribe to my channel. You can also check out my podcast or Facebook page where I discuss how to grow healthy food in your backyard cheaply and easily.
Podcast: maritimegardening.com
Facebook: / maritimegardening
Music ("pioneers") by Audionautix.com.
I've been doing some really small scale gardening on an island that has nothing but sandy infertile soil and i don't have a wood chipper to make wood chips. I stumbuled into a massive supply of seaweed on a beach and i can certainly confirm how good it is. There was even a batch of really old broken down seaweed that holds water like crazy. That stuff gives coco coir and peat moss a run for their money Holds water and it's super soft. Not sure what holds water the best between the three but seeings as there is no supply what so ever of peat or coco on this island, and if i order it it can take as long a a month or 2 to get here, i'm more than happy using broken down seaweed to help deal with the sandy soil around here.
I agree, it's likely better than those other options anyway, and no cost and no shipping!!
And it’s some what local or the organisms that it gathers once on land are. Heading down to beach now to find some kelp
Enjoy!
I've been using sargassum seaweed in my garden and it has proven to be effective in repelling pests as well as keeping the roots moist. It's a great natural solution! And the colour is beautiful too.
I love Your super common sense approach to gardening!! Thank You.
Thanks!
Worms love. Seaweed I've collected them on the beach with red Wiggler's in them a whole whole lot
It helps to have a pick-up truck to gather seaweed. No matter how clean and fresh it looks there are always bugs that come along for the ride. We use seaweed as a soil amendment and bury it in the fall. Cover it with Winter Rye and the long roots of the Rye helps to break down the seaweed. By spring our buried seaweed is all decomposed.
Hello Greg. Just been down to my local seashore to collect seaweed. Six bags ready to go on my raised beds. All the advice you gave is advice I would give. I always collect in Autumn when it's too cold for the sand hoppers. If you collect it in summer and don't tie your bags off, by the time you get home you have a car full of sand hoppers. HGV
I did the same thing yesterday! I guess 'tis the season! And re hopper - yes, I had them in my garage for weeks last fall. Wife was not amused :)
Thank you for this very informative video. I enjoyed your relaxed practical way of presenting. You might not know that Abigail Adams, John Adams' wife, wrote to him in Paris saying that their farm hand had gone down to the shore in Braintree to collect seaweed after a storm and was at that moment spreading it on the High Field (if I remember correctly). Adams retired to his farm after his term as President, so presumably he continue the practice of using seaweed to fertilise the land.
Thanks - and cool anecdote re: J Adams!
Every cell of the human body requires Iodine. Low Iodine leads to thyroid issues and a whole host of other bodily malfunctions. Most US processed and whole foods are severely depleted of Iodine, due to depleted soils. Seaweed is rich in Iodine. A wonderful fertilizer to fortify your garden and your body.
Thank you for posting. You answered all the questions I had about seaweed!!
Awesome thanks!
Great information. I’m from the UK and just realised I now know a Canadian accent as I thought you sound like Norm McDonald!😊
It's a big country & there's many distinct accents. I'm weird because I used to have a "nova scotia accent" - then lived in Ontario for 6 years (where Norm is from) and lost my NS accent but never really picked up an Ontario accent. Also, Ontario is huge, to the extent that you could fit England into it about 8 times. So it has a range of accents. My wife is from Southern Ontario - sounds nothing like Norm. We probably all sound alike to non Canadians I guess. Anyway, I love Norm.
I also thought it was Norm. It's not even so much the accent, it's the manner of speaking. I mean this guy was a real jerk.
Great video, thanks. I remember my grandfather from Italy used to come visit us in Los Angeles. He would go to the beach and collect the large sea weed and make a compost tea from it, he also made cheese from old milk in his used gym socks.
Now that's cheesy cheese!
Great video. I just mulched my garden with fresh seaweed today. Will post video.
Thanks!
much appreciated in-depth explanations
Thanks :)
Great information! I live by the shore and have never used seaweed - what was 'not' thinking! Headed to the beach this week to get some for my compost bed pile and beds. Thanks for the great video.
Wonderful!
Thanks for a very informative video. I live on the east coast of Australia with sandy soil. Your video was very helpful as I have a barrow of delicious, beautiful, colourful, seaweed waiting to use.
I’ve subscribed. Keep the videos coming. Thanks for making it.
So nice of you
Fantastic video, great to learn that the salt is not a major issue. Just stumbled upon your channel and am loving every video. Thank you.
Thanks and welcome
I’m in SoCal, and though I can’t speak for every gardener in my region, the slugs in MY area do indeed stay away from plants thst have eggshells surrounding them. 🐌
I can see that they still come around, from their shiny dried slime, but they’re AROUND the plant, and that’s where they stop. I literally only have ONE tomato plant, so it’s not much of a garden, but after seeing about 20+ slugs on my tomato plant during the rainy season, I started scattering eggshells around it, and haven’t seen a slug on it since-caterpillars, yes…but no slugs.
You are basing this conclusion on growing one plant... and plant, by the way, that is fairly slug-proof anyway. I don't have any slug problems with my tomatoes, and I don't use eggshells and I have slugs everywhere.
@@maritimegardening4887 There were like 20 slugs on the tomato plant. I couldn’t tell you whether they would’ve continued to take residence there, had I not placed the crushed eggshells around it, but the slugs definitely loved the plant after a rainstorm.
If I use eggs, I might as well place the shells in the garden, since they’d otherwise just go in the trash.
Thanks Greg. I have been using the youtube app and it does not give me the option to search from within a channel, which is something that really PMO. Now, thanks to this I'm in. Thanks again.
Thanks for the useful info. I'm about to move to a coastal town and planning to use seaweed in a suburban environment. I hope the neighbors don't complain about the smell. Maybe if I layer it like a compost heap with leaves, straw, aged manure it will break down faster. I'm going to be putting it straight onto of the existing lawn and hope that will eventually kill the grass once the layers are deep enough.
That should work. Depending on how close to the coast you are it might smell like seaweed all the time anyway :)
It's funny that some people don't think worms like seaweed. I put a coating on my garden one fall and the next spring the area was a worm nursery! There were hundreds of baby worms! As for the slugs... I always had a problem with slugs eating my new bean seedlings. When I put seaweed over the seeded area I had no more problems. Great video btw. Nice to see another Maritimer! I'm in NB.
Thanks - sadly for me, my slugs don't mind it at all :)
Have been mulching with seaweed in the Gaspé to prepare new garden beds and wondering if it's been killing the soil with salt or helping, so really appreciated this video!
Just gathered some salt yesterday and put in on some of my beds today!
Great video just subscribed to your channel, I live in New Brunswick and have a lot of family in N.S. very refreshing watching someone near by, started mulch with wood chips last year, going to also try using sea weed keep up the good work...
Thanks,
Denis
Thanks man, good luck this spring!
that good information for all
I washed my seaweed on my lawn and the grass grew like never before in that spot after😅
Hay mate, I'm from west Australia around the mid coast, Just wanted to let ya know I had a heavy infestation of stick flees with my chooks so I put seaweed al through the run and for there beading and the very next day there were no stick flees on the chooks or on the soile , It completely eradicated them with in one night, Cant say why or anything but I can report what happened
thanks!
what a great Nova Scotian
Do you ever use pine needles for mulch Greg? You have lots of pine/spruce trees. I'm using that now. It's also a dark mulch. Putting it over straw.
I was inspired by your 'use whatever's at hand' attitude. I do bring up cardboard & newspaper, but there are leaves, long grass, pine needles and rocks here.
Yes pine needles work fine, despite people saying that they acidify the soil.
I wasn't sure if I would have to cut up the sea weed or if I could just put on the top of the soil. We also use to go to the beach and go deep sea fishing = if we caught baracuda or any other fish we would put in the rose garden and put dirt over would make the roses bloom with great abundance. The rabbits and turtles loved it. Like your show hope you stick around.
Hi Marcia glad you like the show :) I don't cut mine up and everything seems to work out fine. I tried shredding it with hay in the lawn mower once. Made a beautiful mulch, but it also made a hell of a mess of my mower!
Glad I found your channel thanks mate very informative cheers!
Thanks man!
If its a heavy salty seaweed i can see it harming. The worms make sense. I always rinse mine off with hose.
I live in Nanaimo and after seeing your very instructive and informative video on seaweed I went down to the coast and collected some. It is now in the middle of October so I decided to transplant some Brussels sprout seedlings which are about 8 inches high. Well they were in the ground for about two weeks before I put on the mulch and guess what the slugs are having an absolute feast on my sprouts I planted eight of them and four of them look like little twigs, Slugs are not deterred by seaweed, so many videos and websites promote this fact, obviously they don't really know much about seaweed. I am a little bit confused about putting on seaweed, if I put it on in the fall do I need to put on more in the spring, thanks.
I don't think I said that seaweed deters slugs in the video. Like you, I've never found it to be much of a deterrent. Also, if you went from having no mulch at all to using the seaweed, the slugs probably enjoyed the protection that it gave them from birds/etc. Also, moved plants seem more susceptible to slug attack - as the move weakens them. Seaweed is a great mulch because it improve your soil and you can get it for free. Does nothing to prevent slugs - despite what many people say.
I collect Kelp and sea grass every couple of months along with Autumn leaves in May/June (I’m in Tasmania Australia).
I compost both along with food scraps and manure before I apply to the garden
Great stuff isn't it!
@@maritimegardening4887 it’s a great free resource if you can get it however I don’t like to use it as mulch because it gets so hard when it dries out, I prefer pea straw or sugar cane mulch.
@@davidlillecrapp2960 If you layer it under your other mulches it doesn't dry out as much and breaks down faster. Think of it as a fertilizer that you throw on before applying other kinds of mulch.
No problem. I live in Lake Charlotte Hfx co. My Father always used sea weed and sea food shells in the garden.
Hey nice to hear from someone local!
We used seaweed in our raised beds and we did hugelkultur type layers with logs and sticks on the bottom, didn’t need to water these over the last 2 summers (except when sewing seeds direct). What are your thoughts on making seaweed tea vs direct mulching with it?
I just direct mulch. In a sense, the soil gets a little "tea" every time it rains. Just easier IMO :)
Do you till the seaweed into the soil in the spring before you plant? Located outside of Mahone Bay, NS. We purchased a soil/ compost mix by the truck load last summer to start our 8 raised garden beds, but the soil crusted over on the surface and water pooled on the top. In order to save on the amount of soil needed we filled the bottom layer of the beds with rotting wood, leaves and sticks from the forest, a layer of hay, then the soil. It was almost clay like and seemed to hinder the growth of the plants. I’m sure the high rain levels this past summer didn’t help. Wondering if you have any tips on how to improve on this issue as well? I’m glad I found your channel, thanks!
I just leave it on top. Keep a mulch on your soil and it will be less likely to form a crust. Watch my conversations with robert pavlis and/or keith reid about soil science.
So nice to have discovered a maritime gardner!! (...as a write from Dartmouth, NS). How do you plant a seaweed mulched bed in the spring, that was prepared in the fall, if u want to direct sow seeds? Move the mulch out the way? Mix it in? Maybe it'll be all broken down by spring and it's not an issue? Thanks!
I wonder the same thing
A lot of it breaks down, but not all, I tried last year. Put it down in Autumn and the bits that did not break down by spring I removed and as used as mulch under my apple trees, they seemed to like it.
Congratulations!
Best wishes for the careers in the field of seaweeds and their products as well
Amazing video! Wow!
Thanks!
great video
Thanks - sorry for all the background noise in this one.
The plant like seaweed when its time to flowerings
Here I will put seaweed all around the plant only when the plant will flowering
How often and how much water do you use on your potatoes ?
I don't water them at all. Between the mulch and the amount of rain we get here I don't need to do anything
Great info. What type of wood chips are good. I’m on the west coast Canada
I find deciduous tree wood chips break down faster - but the best woodchips are the ones that you get for free :)
Please be aware that washed up dead seaweed provides an important food source and ecosystem for insect life on the foreshore. When you collect, please leave some seaweed for these organisms.
Is seaweed better used in beds where you would be putting transplants as opposed to direct seed sowing?
I've used it for both situations - can't say that one is better than the other
Can it be used for mushroom cultivation?
I have no idea sorry
What about the sand that attaches itself to the seaweed, doesn’t it need to be rinsed off?
No It's sand, its not salt
We mostly have rockweed in our area. Is that OK for the garden too?
yes
Hello from Wellington, I am on PEI and from away can you tell me if I gather the seaweed that has been exposed and mostly dry can I use it as a mulch?
Yes, I've used that kind also
Salt content - How much sodium does seaweed retain, even after a thorough washing with fresh water?
Salt discussion stasrt here : czcams.com/video/DbOjNtoHlds/video.html
Lol seriously????? Depends how much you rinse it. If you get all the salt front w i ocean iff yo ate left with the minerals inately un seaweed.... which you can easily google and find out all 60!
Keiko Bushnell once again, please.
Hi, I mulched my raised beds with seaweed last autumn. The seaweed hasn't broken down completely. Should I remove it or plant around it ? Thanks
Just plant around it
HELP!!!! I gathered seaweed and put it into my compost bays. I was aware of some jumping flies which have obviously ended up in my compost. Oh my…. Today the bays are a writhing mass of seaweed fly maggots…. What do I do? I turned it all tonight but will they mature and go or stay and just repeat the cycle… what to do? HELP 🤮
I think what you are talking about is "sand hoppers" If they came from the beach then they will not be able to live for long away from the beach. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talitridae
@@maritimegardening4887 they are definitely kelp flies. They’ve laid which is the problem but I’ll let nature take its course 👍🏼 thank you
Do you have to wash the salt out of the seaweed 1st before using it
No
@@maritimegardening4887 Great news! Our UK water has become expensive - like in so many places nowadays - so I didn't want to have to wash it. Thank you.
Hello sir ,I saw some videos that you have to wash the seaweeds before applying it to your soil or compost any comment on that.?
Pretty sure I covered that question pretty thoroughly in this video. Short version, no you don't need to if you collect it the way that I describe in the video.
do i haul back the seaweed that hasn't broken down in the spring to plant and the re-apply when plants are up?
That's right
A few of the conclusions you’ve come to you I don’t think our quote for the right reasons for example you say you collect your seaweed after a storm so I think the rain water rinses your seaweed for you therefore it is less salty when it gets to your garden therefore the slugs don’t mind it slugs and worms do not like salt (if u ever poured salt onto one you know what happens. it’s not very nice so if u haven’t I don’t suggest doing it- trust they don’t like it or look up a video)
I just got some seaweed and bio char and sand from the beach because I was down there for a bonfire and was going to do a little more research before I added it to my garden I’m definitely gonna rinse it off at least some of it and I know some people have gotten some bad results from adding it straight to the garden so I think that is safe and makes sense to rent most of the salt off.
Also from what I have researched if you put the sand noun on top of your compost and then cover that with seaweed so that it’s mulched for a couple layers above the sand and compost...The nitrogen and cellulose from the plants will actually turn your sand into SOIL pretty quickly!!
Just don’t add any sand to place oil because then you’re gonna turn it into cement and kill everything on the added to compost or super rich hummus but not to soil in your garden
I’m about to try this so I will be able to tell people first hand if it worked for sure and what I think but from my research this is what I’ve gathered and what makes sense logically and I think this is what I’m going to try
I don't understand what point you're trying to make in the 1st paragraph - the sentences seem to contradict themselves - please re-write a little more clearly so I can understand them. I know that slugs don't like salt - if that was your point. Everyone knows that slugs don't like salt.
Regarding the 2nd paragraph - you can't turn sand into soil. Sand is sand. It's tiny rocks. After a few centuries the sand may become finer sand under the right conditions - but sand cannot be turned into soil. Sand is one element that may be present in soil - along with, silt, clay, and organic material. The clay, silt and sand are unlikely to break down in any meaningful way in your lifetime in the absence of industrial machinery, or perhaps a cataclysm of some kind
What part of Nova Scotia are you from? I just picked up some seaweed today for my compost pile.
I'm out near Terrence Bay/Prospect Bay
yep,i got preety much yelled at from somone telling me worms dont like onions well then why have i found them eating my onion , still im not worried about it.
Worms are eating the onions you are trying to grow? That's a new one for me.
I put seaweed on my garden bed in the fall, and I am wondering what I should do once spring comes? They won't break down by then. Should I plant things right in the seaweed? I was also thinking about adding more compost to the soil - should I just mix it all up?
Just move it to the side to make your rows and plant - check out my sowing playlist: czcams.com/play/PLIGRtFpXEyAOKau_uIrE8LeBFRAEBi37u.html
We bury the seaweed in trenches in the fall and plant Winter Rye. Come spring the seaweed will be all decomposed. A great soil additive.
I've used seagrass as a mulch before but it takes a 2 or 3 years to break down.
Do you mean eel grass - or saltwater grasses?
I've always called it seagrass but I'm really not sure what it is. There are big mounds of it on some beaches in PEI. People use it to bank their houses in the winter. It's very dry on the surface and not at all heavy.
Sounds like an excellent mulch anyway - go for it!
Greetings from the North Shore of PEI (Brackley Beach). It's called "Zostera Marina" or eel Grass. It's fantastic for the garden, I've been using it for the last ten or so years. No need to rinse. I toss it in plastic garbage pails with holes drilled in bottom. It does take a while to break down but that's the beauty. Mulch, and soil amendment. Great video, new subscriber.
I'd like to use seaweed, but since the earthquake we are not allowed to take anything from the shore - and residents watch like hawks
Where are you again?
@@maritimegardening4887 Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand.
I don't live in town, but on a ridge up in the mountains. Off grid
@@lindasands1433 OK now the earthquake bit makes sense. Anyway, it's ok, you don't need seaweed - anything that will breakdown and feed the soil organisms. Preferably something that you can get for free :)
Where can you get seaweed?
I get it on the shore of the atlantic ocean
Why wouldn’t u just apply the seaweed thicker and smother the green and it will be easier and beneficial? Cheers
I'm not sure what you're referring to, can you please elaborate?
Seaweed work very good with tomato but bad with flowers
Seaweed is rich in nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Seaweed also contains iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese, boron, and molybdenum. It's good for everything.
@@maritimegardening4887 thank you for informing me
HAY OR STRAW ??
Either
I gave up after nine minutes of irritating babbling and traffic noise. This whole vid could have been distilled into about 5 minutes. Less is more.
Making videos is a learning process, so I'll own any flaws in the execution. That said, when you do them outside you're not in control of the environment. There was construction in process down the road when I was filming, and so I just went forward with the project because that's the window of time that I had to film the vid. Boiling everything down to 5 min is just not my goal. I'm sure there's a fantastic tweet out the somewhere that will answer all your questions :)
Maritime Gardening I think you did a FANTASTIC job with this video! You gave so much informative information that a true grower can really appreciate. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your personal experience with seaweed and breaking down the mechanics of how it all works. I plan on using some of the information you shared in my garden and also in a future video. Thank you so much, I really appreciate it and keep up the awesome work! P.S. I also film outdoors and near a road so I know how difficult it is to combat the noise of traffic and the natural elements of nature...many do not understand the challenges and frustrations that we unfortunately encounter...but for the ones that are dedicated to learning they understand and are just appreciative to receive the information.
@@PictureMaria1 Thanks Mariah that's nice of you to say :)
@JudeIrwin If you have nothing NICE to say don't say ANYTHING at all....... Less is more right?
My friend, you started well, then abandoned your card with questions and just rambled and babbled and went round and round. PLEASE. Don't do this. Remember, you job is to communicate a message. Know what the message is, maop it out and sell it to us point by point, summarising at the end. Finito.
This video has 8,434 views as of today... so thank you for your input, but I think I'll keep on keepin' on Okay :)