Instant kelp meal tea
- Thread starter Virandell
- Start date
BAS's kelp meal tea recipe comes from Coots.
I use it when my plants need a boost/fix/or I see some sort of issue indoors in containers.
Yes I use kelp meal in my soil mix and also use it as an amendment when mixing a new soil batch. Kelp meal is my go to for most everything right up there with vermi-compost.
I add in some EWC at 1/2 cup and more water, add that after the kelp meal had rehydrated and sometimes will bubble that over night or just pour right in.
I use it when my plants need a boost/fix/or I see some sort of issue indoors in containers.
Yes I use kelp meal in my soil mix and also use it as an amendment when mixing a new soil batch. Kelp meal is my go to for most everything right up there with vermi-compost.
I add in some EWC at 1/2 cup and more water, add that after the kelp meal had rehydrated and sometimes will bubble that over night or just pour right in.
The way it sounds @bobrown14, you are recommending that any Kelp Meal of decent quality could be used? The grower would select what he or she wants and then uses it just like they would if they used the BAS stuff and follows the recipe & procedure that Coot describes on the BAS web site?
Only kelp meal I use is Norwegian Kelp (Ascophyllum Nodosum).
I wood use other with scrutiny.
I wood use other with scrutiny.
My question is more along the lines of whether the company made a difference. As in if a Kelp Meal packaged by someone other than Build A Soil is OK?
Thats fine I get my Kelp meal from different folks. Shouldn't be too expensive but its the type of kelp meal and the source (coldest waters) thats important.
Kelp can and will filter the waters. If you use kelp from polluted water your soil will be polluted and so will your plants and then you. So source is pretty important. They are very good and collecting heavy metals.
Ascophyllum Nodosum is the species you want dont matter where you get it really. I've gotten it pretty cheap from Walts... I think he's online at several of your favorite places and also I think he's got his own website. I tried several of his products I've been happy with them all. BAS is good too. Cant go wrong with BAS.
I'm trying to find 50# bags of Ascophyllum Nodosum local at feed stores. Its a staple for many animals and poultry.
My farmer neighbor just plowed a 1/2 acre patch for me.... it needs a lot of amendments. Gonna start off with manure of some sort. Hoping for sheep its close and large piles.
Kelp can and will filter the waters. If you use kelp from polluted water your soil will be polluted and so will your plants and then you. So source is pretty important. They are very good and collecting heavy metals.
Ascophyllum Nodosum is the species you want dont matter where you get it really. I've gotten it pretty cheap from Walts... I think he's online at several of your favorite places and also I think he's got his own website. I tried several of his products I've been happy with them all. BAS is good too. Cant go wrong with BAS.
I'm trying to find 50# bags of Ascophyllum Nodosum local at feed stores. Its a staple for many animals and poultry.
My farmer neighbor just plowed a 1/2 acre patch for me.... it needs a lot of amendments. Gonna start off with manure of some sort. Hoping for sheep its close and large piles.
That is the kelp I have been buying for when I first build the soil and then later when I amend it a bit after the grow.
Still up in the air as to whether I want to get into using teas of if I will just continue to add it to the soil.
Which reminds me that it is a nice Spring day and I should go outside to check the worm bins.
Still up in the air as to whether I want to get into using teas of if I will just continue to add it to the soil.
Which reminds me that it is a nice Spring day and I should go outside to check the worm bins.
I guess that I am using teas already to some point. I will add something to a gallon of water at the rate mentioned on the package and then water with that. It is the mixing and brewing and the extra steps that sometimes go along with 'teas' that I am not sure I want to get involved with.
One thing that I have been mixing up is the Soluble Seaweed Extract from Technaflora and that is as easy as adding a tablespoon or two to a gallon of water, shaking the jug and pouring onto the appropriate plants.
I keep thinking that following Coot's method looks easy. Since the pulp or whatever he called it can be put in the fridge in the coldest corner maybe it can be frozen in small amounts that could then be dropped into a gallon of water to thaw. An hour later shake the jug and start to water. Need more than one gallon then figure out how many and drop a cube into each jug.
Keep this up and I will talk myself into trying it a couple of times. Good excuse to drive to the grow shop tomorrow to say 'high' and see what options they have for Kelp meal.
One thing that I have been mixing up is the Soluble Seaweed Extract from Technaflora and that is as easy as adding a tablespoon or two to a gallon of water, shaking the jug and pouring onto the appropriate plants.
I keep thinking that following Coot's method looks easy. Since the pulp or whatever he called it can be put in the fridge in the coldest corner maybe it can be frozen in small amounts that could then be dropped into a gallon of water to thaw. An hour later shake the jug and start to water. Need more than one gallon then figure out how many and drop a cube into each jug.
Keep this up and I will talk myself into trying it a couple of times. Good excuse to drive to the grow shop tomorrow to say 'high' and see what options they have for Kelp meal.
With the liquid kelp bought in bottle concentrate the difference between that and the kelp meal is PGRs in the kelp get cooked off to make the concentrate and there's a fair amount of bacteria (good ones) in the kelp meal.
I use all 3 versions.
Liquid concentrate
kelp meal
Kelp meal tea
No particular order.... when I think the ladies need a boost.
I use all 3 versions.
Liquid concentrate
kelp meal
Kelp meal tea
No particular order.... when I think the ladies need a boost.
@Virandell, I picked up a 5 lb bag of Kelp Meal the other day, Tuesday I believe. Wednesday afternoon I mixed it up as in the instructions on the Build A Soil web site. It looked just like their picture. Then ran it through a small blender which did not seem to do much so maybe next time will use our Ninja blender instead. Next step was to put the jar into the fridge in the back corner where the cold air from the freezer blows in.
Later today I will mix 3 to 4 teaspoons of the mix into a gallon of water and use it for a soil application this afternoon.
So far it has been easy steps. Using the instant Kelp that I mentioned in a previous msg is a lot easier but that stuff is also a lot stronger, about 0-0-17 as compared to this Kelp Meal tea made according to Coot's recipe which is probably 0-0-1 or 0-0-2.
Later today I will mix 3 to 4 teaspoons of the mix into a gallon of water and use it for a soil application this afternoon.
So far it has been easy steps. Using the instant Kelp that I mentioned in a previous msg is a lot easier but that stuff is also a lot stronger, about 0-0-17 as compared to this Kelp Meal tea made according to Coot's recipe which is probably 0-0-1 or 0-0-2.
Can grind it dry in OLD coffee grinder before adding water. How I do it.
Thought about that. Figured on trying the Coot's method first to get a feeling for what that is about and to get an idea of what other growers might experience.
If you grind it first do you get any cloud of Kelp dust? Grinding first might mean being able to mix up smaller batches and not have to store the slurry mix in the refrigerator.
When I was working with Coot on another forum several years ago he suggested to grind it up in a coffee grinder. Doesn't get dusty its pretty much just like grinding coffee.
The Kelp will leave a sorta fishy oceany smell in the grinder. I have a grinder just for grinding up kelp and malted grains.
The Kelp will leave a sorta fishy oceany smell in the grinder. I have a grinder just for grinding up kelp and malted grains.
The smell reminds me of the water weeds that pile up along shore after a strong wind storm on Lake St. Clair or any of the Great Lakes. At least they smell like the Kelp Meal for the first couple of days before 'decomp' of the weeds and the small dead fish sets in.
Yeah that dead fishy smell.... smells like breakfast. Not really. lol
Similar threads
