Seaweed extract question
 

I purchased liquid seaweed extract from Rona. Oh boy, what a stinky stuff. The package said to spray it right on the plants. Is it safe for orchids too? Or should I dissolve it with water and spray, or only add to my watering water?
How do you use it and how often?
Thanks a lot for your help.

Is it powder or liquid.? I use a powder form 1tsp. per gallon of water or mixed in with fertilizer. I've never used a liquid that you spray. someone else will have to chime in. There isn't much that I spray directly on my orchids having a variety of leaf types.
I'm too chicken!

Thank you Carol. Mine is liquid. I have mostly phals and vandas and spraying did sound scary to me, especially for phals. I would rather add it to water too. Just need to find out at what concentration. Do you add it once a week as your usual fertilizer?
Thanks again.

I use two concentrated forms of seaweed components called Companion and Essentials. They are vat grow concentrations of the best features of seaweed.

I have used them for several years and spray directly onto all my orchids of all varieties. The results are excellent.

Whatever you have will work about the same since it is probably a more diluted spray.

Yes, I think mine is ready-to-spray liquid. I am just worried about leaves. You just spray over the foliage and leave it there forever or wash it off after some time?
How often do you spray? Could phals get any rot because of leaves wet with seaweed liquid?
Sorry, for all this questions. I am just afraid to kill my orchids trying to do a good thing.

I have liquid, and I use one capful to a gallon of water and soak my vandas in a basin of it for five min once a week...
I dont know what brand you got but my seaweed doesnt smell bad at all...
I havent used it to spray the whole plants because it has a dark brown color and it might stain my blooms...

Orchids love seaweed. I use it regularly, at least once a month.

It won't hurt the leaves, but do spray the underside of the leaves also, where it will do the most good.

I also use it as a medium drench for the roots.

Buying a pre-mixed seaweed spray is expensive and doesn't go very far. I buy the concentrate and use a tablespoon to a gallon of water. I've been using it for twelve years. It has lots of good micronutrients in it, and being a vegetable product, it doesn't burn the plant.

I also mix it with a capful of worm tea liquid mix...(one capful of seaweed concentrate liquid and one capful of worm tea liquid to a gallon of water) once a week...some say it is too weak and I still need a stronger fertilizer=but I keep on reading "weakly weekly" so what more can be perfect??!!

Thank you for the suggestions and tips Bud and Orchid126. I really appreciate it.
This one, from Rona, was the only one available here, so I don't have much choice, but will watch out for concentrated.
Bud, what is a worm tea?

Worm tea is basically worm pee. It's really good for any orchids. I use it and just spray the whole plant with a little worm tea, water mix.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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! :D

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.

The origin of the seaweed used is from the Gaspesian peninsula in Quebec, and it says the dilution varies; I suggest you still add water ( empty contents in a big basin and put half water in the container and add to the seaweed in the basin and funnel it back to the container. You will have half a bottle extra of diluted seaweed. Better be safe. That is why you are having that foul smell. It is still heavily concentrated I beleive.

I see what you mean about that product. It looks like it's supposed to be used as is. I think it would be OK to spray on your orchids right out of the bottle. Seaweed is not a strong substance and I've never heard of it burning plants or roots. Just use a little at first until you see how they react. Seaweed is great to use in the spring because it encourages root growth.

I also bought liquid seaweed from Rona. Mine was in a concentrate form (Marinis). Mine was pretty smelly too. I'd be curious to know about the 'smell' as well.

If a product says it's okay for roses, then it's okay for orchids. Most products don't mention orchids as I guess they're considered too exotic for the average application.