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Old 01-12-2009, 10:32 PM posted to rec.gardens
David Hare-Scott[_2_] David Hare-Scott[_2_] is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Sep 2008
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Default Kelp extract analysis -- anyone know?

gardengal wrote:
On Dec 1, 3:21 am, Phisherman wrote:
On Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:44:22 -0800 (PST), Father Haskell

wrote:
Bonide Sea Green brand. Bonide doesn't list so much as
the NPK. Probably wondrous stuff, but if you combine
it with other fertilizers and you don't know what's in it,
you risk overfeeding.


Use sparingly. It contains salt (taste it!) so that is another
concern. Most beneficial for the trace elements, not NPK.


It's not considered a fertilizer per se, so that's why no NPK
breakdown. But most kelp extracts come out around 0-1-1 - pretty low
in the nutrient department. And since they are an organic source, it
is pretty hard to overdo with them. As stated, the big benefits are
the trace elments they provide. btw, the salts are natural salts, not
the nutrient salts of synthetic chemical fertilizers. And they do get
diluted, as well.


The origin of the salts is not important but the type, just because it is
"natural" doesn't mean it is necessarily benign. You don't want to be
adding sodium salts to your soil, seaweed products contain these to various
degrees as they are concentrated from seaweed which naturally contains such.

David