Seaweed fertilisers
Seaweeds are normally not used on heavy soils, only as a surface
dressing on light, sandy soils.
Kelps, and many other
seaweeds, have few insoluble fibres (they have little or no
cellulose) and if dug into heavy soils in quantity will form an
impermeable layer becasue of the large amounts of seaweed
gels that are water soluble. So, if
you are growing crops like potatoes on a light soil in lazy beds
(raised beds to increas drainage) you can spread the fronds over
the surface and they will provide nutrients and grow-promoting
substances; it is also likely that some of the material that
washes out of seaweed has anti-fungal and other properties. In
very light soils like that shown above on the Aran Islands,
layering the kelp can help
You should be aware that drift seaweed is available to all in
most areas, but cutting seaweed in some countries is subject to
license and turbary rights (inherited rights like turf and sheep
grazing;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbar) in certain areas, mostly in the SW W and NW of Ireland, and W
Scotland and outlying island. In Ireland the UK, cutting or
gathering may also be restricted in various ways on sites of
scientific importance.
Picture: Inis Oírr, Aran Islands, Ireland: lazy beds with potatoes. This is still the method employed (of necessity) to cultivate roots crops, using seaweed and sand in ridges within fields encircled with stone walls. Note the pile of sea-sand being used to make the beds. Picture © Dr Charles Nelson and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence
- BioAtlantis provides sustainable technologies from the sea to enhance plant, animal and human health.
- Connemara Organic Seaweed Company provide hand harvested, sustainable, kelp and seaweed products for human consumption through health supplements and edible products.
- Emerald Isle Organic Irish Seaweed. A family business producing seaweed as supplements, cooking, gardening and bath products.
- Irish Seaweeds Ltd are suppliers of 100% natural hand-harvested seaweeds and edible sea vegetable products from Ireland.