Seaweed/kelp

[Helene]

Well, as the title says, I have been thinking about seaweed/kelp lately. We dont have much good stuff for orchids in my country, so last time I had anything I ordered online. But shipping is kinda expensive (if I buy liquid stuff, the shipping is way more than what the nutrition/liquid is).

Anyway, we dont have tropical plants, we dont have weather for outdoor growing- but we DO have lots of seaweed and kelp nearby. Actually read people used it in farming before, now not many do that. We do have seaweed forest that are harvested to make different stuff with. Of course some places you are not allowed to harvest, but there are plenty of this stuff all around the coastline, and not all places are illegal.

Okay, now I`m starting to chat off topic- what I wanted to ask: I was thinking of maybe making some seaweed tea (I think its mostly the specie you call kelp in my place- or both)- and give that to my plants?

I have read that you can collect some, rinse it a bit, and let it stay in a bucket with rainwater for some weeks- until the strange ammoniac smell goes away? Anyone tried making their own?

For the garden plants outside I can use it as it is, but for the orchids I think it will be to much to put in the mix? It doesn't have much of the macrostuff, but it does contain more than 60 other goodies for plants, so its really healthy stuff.

Lol, and when it comes to this I call everything "stuff" and "goodies" cause I dont know the english word for these things.

[Orchid Whisperer]

I'm a big fan of trying to make things myself, but unless you can find reliable "how to do it" advice on the internet , I would recommend just seeing if you can mail order some kelp extract. Apparently it does matter how it is processed.

[RosieC]

Yeah, my understanding is that how it's processed can make a big difference, the active hormone/chemical can be destroyed easily as I understand it.

[AnonYMouse]

If you're willing to experiment, I found a recipe (halfway down the page). This recipe doesn't sound particularly difficult, just a long lead time. If you have an expendable plant and lots of patience, you can try.