Warning to any newbies using Seaweed extract

[Ray]

One might think of the hormones as "illicitors" of reactions within the plants.

Too little of a dose - whether that be due to the use of an insufficient amount or an ineffective product due to its manufacturing processes, storage, and age - and basically nothing much happens.

Too much of a dose, or too frequent of a properly-dosed treatment can definitely give you growth effects you don't want.

We should also keep in mind that not all seaweed extracts are created equal. Kelpak/KelpMax (the North American retail brand name), is a very potent, high-auxin material, and gives better response than any product I've ever seen, natural or synthetic. Other products may be higher in cytokinins, rather than auxins, giving entirely different effects, or might be simply weaker in active ingredients, making them less of an issue (in addition to less effective overall).

[RosieC]

Ray, with your product (as you say a potent one), do you advise use with every watering or not?

I don't know how the one I use compares to yours, but it has striking results (far more, far fatter roots than without it). I don't want to overuse it, but if using too weakly every time will actually make it ineffective then I would be better not using it every time at an effective dose.

I'm still unsure a bit how to use it for best results. It has already got some phals that were very reluctant to grow new roots for several years to produce wonderful fat new roots, so even just using it a bit has been helpful to me.

[kindrag23]

@ray I am using gro more. Its 1oz per gallon. So if I did a 1/4 of an oz per gallon each week would that be okay?

[RosieC]

kindrag, one of the problems with anyone being able to answer that question is that each brand is a different potency based on the manufacturing process, and on the source of seaweed used.

So every brand could have a different advised mixing rate

Originally Posted by Ray

We should also keep in mind that not all seaweed extracts are created equal. Kelpak/KelpMax (the North American retail brand name), is a very potent, high-auxin material, and gives better response than any product I've ever seen, natural or synthetic. Other products may be higher in cytokinins, rather than auxins, giving entirely different effects, or might be simply weaker in active ingredients, making them less of an issue (in addition to less effective overall).

All I would advise is to take note of what it says on the bottle, and keep an eye out for any growth abnormalities. That's what I've been doing.