This topic contains 5 replies, has 5 voices, and was last updated by diggernotdreamer 11 years, 3 months ago.
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Seaweed has been used as autumn and winter mulch for a long time as its nutrients do not wash out and it feeds and protects soil organisms over winter. I would spread it as a mulch, enough to cover the ground and most of it will probably be taken in by spring. Has anyone else done this?
I have used seaweed, of course it is was used here in Ireland quite a bit on the land. I mulched under some cabbage and kale plants with it, they like a bit of salt, I wouldn’t bother washing it, and it seemed to act as a good slug barrier, it broke down after about 9 months, takes a little while to degrade, if it dries out (fat chance of anything drying out here), it can take longer.
Living on the North Devon coast most people here use seaweed on allotments and gardens.Best collected before dogs get to it! Fortunately some Parish councils are glad to get rid of it,especially after storms.
If you spread it really thickly, I’ve done it on large areas around 4″ – 8″ deep and make sure no areas are uncovered it will be barely noticeable by spring. Unfortunately you often find once rotted, Tinsel,fishing line, netting and worse but it is so worth it.
Some people put it with newspaper in their Runner bean trench.
Did find that the improvement wasn’t so much the first year from having been spread but the second. Onions did really well. Also use SM3 Seaweed extract from org. gardening catalogue.
For centuries, seaweed or Vraic (pronounced rack) as it is better known in Jersey, has been used as a manure, predominantly for for the humble spud.It was traditionally harvested around february and brought by the cart load to spread over the fields giving the jersey royals the flavour that made them famous. used generously it will make a rich, friable soil. The microorganisms love it and no you generally don’t need to wash it.
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