Seaweed extract question

[Bud]

WORM TEA is collected by the spraying of the worm pits. The worm urine as
well as the other nutrients are combined and recycled. The end result is a
liquid plant and soil enhancer that can be diluted to a 1 part Worm Tea to 50
parts Water. (1-50 ratio). This can be used as a fertilizer as well as
insecticide.(I buy the liquid concentrate from Ebay and use one capful to one gallon)
It is the best all-natural fertilizer available, hands down!
The Benefits of Using Worm Tea

=Worm Tea will out perform chemical fertilizer. Increasing both plant size and
yield. This is due to interaction of Worm Tea microbes with the soil microbes
and protozoa, soil particles and the roots of the plant itself.
=Worm Tea used as an inoculant for potting soil will suppress airborne
pathogenic fungi that can readily infect sterile potting medium. The organisms
in Worm Tea also produce hormones, vitamins, nutrients, enzymes, amino acids and
minerals needed by seedling cuttings and young plants. Inoculation should be
done two weeks prior to planting.
=Plants grown in soil treated with Worm Tea are healthier due to the symbiotic
relationship between the plant and the microbes in the root zone. Plants feed
the microbes and the microbes produce or make available all of the food and
medicine the plant needs to thrive.

[Otis226]

I spray all my 'chids with liquid seaweed diluted concentrate once a week during the growing season. Cover the foilage completely. According to what I've read spraying the foilage is between 8 and 20 times more effective than using it to water the plants. I don't know why. I've seen some fairly dramatic root growth on some, but not all treated plants.
Cheers,
Tony

Wow! Thank you so much for the loads of great information guys. I am now curious why my seaweed extract stinks so much. Maybe it just gone bad in the store and i need to go buy new one and smell it right there? Do you keep it refrigerated? Store has them just on the shelves, even exposed to sun in some places.

[Bud]

I have the seaweed "Mexicrop" brand...its in a shelve indoors at room temperature. I dont think you should refrigerate it or expose it to the sun. I bought the smallest (a quart @ $9.00) so I can finish it in a month and get another fresh bottle.

[tucker85]

Aren't there instructions on the bottle? I would question a product that doesn't tell you how to use it. I use Maxicrop Liquid Seaweed. The instructions say to mix one ounce in a gallon of water and spray the plants once a week. That's exactly what I do. I use a hand spray bottle and cover the leaves and roots. I've had great results from it.

Tucker, of course there is an instruction on the bottle, but it is for regular plants and doesn't specifically say "safe for orchids" or something like that and since I am new to orchids - all these questions come out. Sorry.

[Otis226]

I usually buy the powdered seweed extract now, as it is MUCH more economical to use than the pre mixed bottled types, which I started out using. Once I mix up a batch of the concentrate, (a gallon of the concentrate will make something like 15-20 gals. of the ready to use spray), I do refrigerate that, since its going to be around for quite a while. Also, my resoning being that the type of seaweed used is from very cold waters off the coast of Norway, so why not keep it cool until ready for use? (I do allow it to reach ambiant temp. beofore spraying plants). I notice that the odor of the stuff becomes more 'fishy' as its left in the warmth of my lanai, so I like to use whatever I've got in my quart sprayer in no more than 2 days, which is no problem for me.
Hope this helps
Tony

[JanS]

Here's some more info on seaweed extracts: chemically, they are not fertilizers, but rather "growth regulators". They contain auxins, gibberilins and cytokinnins as well as micronutrients. In orchids, the most commonly noticed effect seems to be increased root growth although flower color richness and potentially size may also benefit.

Some years ago I was involved in a project devising ways to map kelp density from aerial images up in Alaska as part of the state's effort to develop a kelp-harvesting industry to make plant growth extracts. The fishermen involved were selling it to apple, grape and other fruit growers who used it because it helped the fruit on the trees mature all at the same time - thus making their harvesting easier and cheaper. I believe they both applied it to the soil and sprayed the trees.

Regarding the potential dangers of spraying the stuff on orchids, from my knowledge and personal experience, it is quite safe but remember that the solution should be VERY diluted. I still use stock left over from what I got during our project - a liquid concentrate - and use 1 to 2 eyedropperfulls for a gallon of water. I don't think you get greater benefits with stronger concentrations because of the nature of the growth regulating compounds. The way the Alaska stuff was made was that the fishermen collected the kelp and ran it through a giant meatgrinder to make a mushy, watery sludge which they put into plastic barrels and let sit/ferment over the winter. Next year they put a little bit of sulfuric acid into each barrel to stop the decomposition and it was ready for shipping. I think most other brands are made similarly. What that means though is that there is salt in the mixture - and that could be potentially harmful to spray on plant leaves. But, again, the concentrations that should be used are extremely dilute and still do the job!

[tucker85]

Orchideya, What do the instructions say about mixing the product with water. Most seaweed extract products suggest a mixture concentration for use as a foliar spray. That would be a good place to start. My seaweed product doesn't mention orchids either but it does have instructions on how to mix it.
Like JanS said the most noticable result is increased root growth. Another result that I noticed was an increase in the fragrance of my orchids.

JanS, interesting info about seaweed extract. Thanks.
Tucker, I have this one:
Fertilizer - Gaspesian Liquid Seaweed Extract RONA ECO - Rona.ca
It is marked ready to use, so I guess it is already dilluted and I could just spray it directly. I have vandas in vases, it is ok to spray directly on their bare roots too, right?
Thanks a lot.