The Ultimate Gardening with Seaweed FAQ Video

In this video I answer the most common questions that I get about gardening with seaweed, and I also show how I use it as a mulch.
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[@garden4life622]

I collect seaweed from our inland Wisconsin Lakes every Fall to put onto my gardens to overwinter. We just go to the public parks/lakes and rake it into buckets from the shoreline. The best source of FREE fertilizer! I ask my Husband to help me and he is always feeling a little weird doing it. But it's the best fertilizer!

[@barco581]

Spot on. The key is applying in the fall. Too many people throw on tons of organic matter like seaweed in the spring and the decomposition process ties up nutrients. We lay seaweed on our gardens in late October, cover with some cow manure, and then seed with winter rye. One exception is grass though as mentioned.

[@dianeirvine1384]

Good points there. I use seaweed. Used to wash it dry it etc. now just put it over ground. Keeps it simple, best way.

[@copperjacket00]

Yes I used seaweed in the past , good stuff

[@taylordentremont3733]

Love seeing fellow nova scotians gardening. All the best from west pubnico

[@ryanferguson5645]

Great content! Plus you answered the main questions I had but didn't get clear answers on anywhere else: Q: Will salt from beach-harvested seaweed affect my garden? A: No, the amount of salt on the surface of the seaweed is negligible. There is no salt on the inside. Let the rain rinse it off if you're OCD.

[@maritimegardening4887]

Awesome!

[@jarlvonarlyon1174]

Thanks for the video, Greg. I have been wondering about using seaweed effectively.

[@maritimegardening4887]

Glad to help

[@wynnmacneil6985]

Thanks for another great video! I've been using seaweed from Bras Dor Lakes and this video cleared up a few things I was doing wrong. Definitely going to add to potato holes!

[@maritimegardening4887]

Glad it was helpful!

[@growshakephil]

For those of us who live inland, consider skimming pond scum/algae off of a pond in your area. Most pond owners and caretakers have to constantly fight the stuff, so they’ll likely welcome you if you ask to take it. It’s similar in NPK to that of seaweed, although it’s much more difficult to collect.

[@tammycomeau9993]

Really appreciated this video. Thank you!

[@maritimegardening4887]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@t0mt0mt0m]

Seaweed is great for worm bins! Great video, thanks.

[@barco581]

Here in Boston we are getting ready to harvest seaweed from the local beaches. We lay seaweed on top of the gardens, cover with some soil and composted cow manure, and plant a generous cover crop of Winter Rye. Come spring all the seaweed will be fully decomposed. Sometimes there will be just small seashells left.

[@luckychicav7981]

Hello Greg, I use grass clippings because that’s what I have available. I have a huge Arizona and cedar elm, I’ve been collecting their leaves which I need to start beds or saved them for making compost with coffee grinds from coffee shops and green waste from my kitchen. Great video and so useful for those that live where it’s available and weren’t aware they could use it. Thank you!😉

[@KateMedland]

Great info! Thanks for posting this. I'll take a bin when we next go to the beach.

[@dahutful]

I am always a little shocked at just how much people have to be told. I know that sounds mean, but this entire seaweed scenario can be summed up in …”use it if you can get it - it’s great. It breaks down into usable organic material. If you can’t get it, use grass and leaves. Don’t stress over this stuff. Don’t spend a lot of money on extra stuff. Don’t believe all the junk you hear on the Internet.” You are a very patient guy, and I appreciate it greatly. David, South Carolina

[@maritimegardening4887]

Thanks David!

[@johnandleighs.9193]

Greg check out a book called Sea Energy Agriculture by a man named Maynard Murray published around 1976. He uses dehydrated sea water to remineralize Ag soil . The product he came up with is called Sea-90 I use it and it works well having all 90 minerals in it. As for salt a soil can have up to .03 % before having any problems and salt flushes out of the soil faster than most minerals. Hope this helps. John S.

[@maritimegardening4887]

How did you determine that your soil needed to be remineralized?

[@johnandleighs.9193]

I did a M3 soil test done by Logan labs. Then balanced the mineral content of the top 6in. Useing William Albrecht soil profile measurements. I first heard of this approach when I read The Intelligent Gardener by Steve Solomon. My 8000 sq foot clay soil has improved dramatically. John s.

[@simmonds6063]

Thanks for this info! I'm intrigued and will research. I've always wondered about livestock salt supplements. They seek it out and then disperse their salty urine all over with no ill effect, in fact quite the opposite. Many know by now that urine produces the same result as miracle grow.

[@johnandleighs.9193]

@@simmonds6063 you can find info on KZbin put in sea -90 in the search engine. There's a talk given by the current president of the company it's good. John S.

[@simmonds6063]

@@johnandleighs.9193 I will check that out now! Thanks again!

[@Downeastwaves]

Happy New year!

[@chimicchimic2670]

I just had the time to get some seaweed yesterday for my beds before the big snow. Thank you.

[@maritimegardening4887]

Mine is all frozen in place now :)

[@antiowarr9467]

Sea weed free then use it lol My dad used it all the time in the fall we get it and spread it the same as Greg does. Their was another beach in another small town that we would get it there in early spring and it be full of worms. good vid

[@tryingagain14]

Thanks Greg. Interesting talk. I used eel grass last year on my potato experiment. I was pleased it worked well. Only thing is I had a lot of sunburn. Going deeper this year. The other thing I learned is mark where you plant. I think they all came up but I don't know. The thing I really liked is when Dad planted in rows we had to dig with tools. I dug with my hands - it was great. I agree slugs don't care. They ate my peppers after crawling all over the seaweed. It was only 10 plants but bummer

[@maritimegardening4887]

Yes - the SW breaks down so fast I find that for potatoes you need something like leaves on top of the seaweed.

[@tryingagain14]

@@maritimegardening4887 ok thanks. I also think I didn't have it thick enough. Was only around a couple of inches over potatoes that were planted right on the ground.

[@myrustygarden]

I remember watching an old Victorian Farm show and they used actual seaweed layer between the rows of strawberries so it’s been around for years. Your doing great job giving excellent advice. What no snow we have loads out here in BC 😂😂⛄️ Thank you for sharing

[@maritimegardening4887]

The snow comes and it goes. We're supposed to get a big load tonight, and it shoudl stick around for a while this time with temps dropping down to -19c in a couple nights (was +10c today this morning!)

[@annakeiller2820]

You could condense this down to a few minutes of fact...there's so much chitchat

[@martinroberts4733]

Great explanation. Thanks.

[@maritimegardening4887]

You're welcome!

[@barco581]

I was speaking with a soil scientist lately who said seaweed is a source of organic matter. It often gets way overmarketed though. Plants can't tell the difference between compost, manure, seaweed, or grass clippings. A lot of the super beneficial nutrients have to get broken down to basic elements before plants can absorb them. So yes, getting seaweed for free from the beach is good for the gardens, but it is not some super food. Grass clippings work well too.

[@maritimegardening4887]

absolutely right

[@glennathornhill8994]

My husband buried seaweed in the raised bed and a year later when I was digging it was still there. It had not decomposed so I was reluctant to use it again.

[@maritimegardening4887]

Hard to explain that. Usually it breaks down fast. All the seaweed mulch I have will begin breaking down in April, and will be gone by August

[@barco581]

That is odd. In Boston we buried seaweed last Halloween and in the spring it was all decomposed. No trace except for a small seashell.

[@michaellippmann4474]

Great video Greg! Grass clippings are my favorite mulch without a doubt. Leaves and hay number 2 and 3 but I am going to try and use the seaweed that washes up on my beach that is a walk of a couple hundred feet! Pretty obvious and I of course overlooked it. I am very fortunate to have a big lawn and lots of trees to harvest mulches. On another note - how did your leek harvest turn out? One of my favorite veggies! Have a great day and Happy New Year! Stay safe! Mike 🇨🇦 🍁 👍

[@maritimegardening4887]

Loving it in my soups! It's almost all gone now

[@smhollanshead]

@@maritimegardening4887 please give us a leek video. Many of your viewers would like to hear your leek thoughts and perceptions.

[@anitacastelli1321]

I'm building up my soil

[@arlisswirtanen7794]

Good info

[@kathleenmorgan4331]

I think but I’m not sure in the states, the shorelines are not owned by property owners. Always good to check though.

[@johnandleighs.9193]

Happy New Year's Greg I enjoyed your video a lot. Do you think having a thick layer of mulch over your beds in early spring Delays the thawing of the soil in northern climates ?

[@maritimegardening4887]

Yes - it does sometimes. A dark, thin mulch, or no mulch at all (temporarily) is best in spring for warming things up. That said, a think mulch can decrease the extent to which it freezes up (might only freeze 4" down instead of 12" down) - so the best of both worlds is a thick much that you remove or reduce in spring until seedlings are about 4-6" high

[@ken4carver]

Pretty sure get our seaweed from the same beach.

[@barco581]

One of the recent concerns about seaweed is potential heavy metals. This is legit and has been raised by soil scientists. Although at this time there doesn't seem to be a full consensus.

[@maritimegardening4887]

This would only be a problem for gardeners if (a) the type of seaweed that has heavy metals is the same type that is typically harvested for use as a soil amendment; and, (b) if the heavy metals were actually taken up by the plants; and (c) they tend to be deposited in part of the plant being eaten. Also - I guess a more general question is whether this is a problem for all seaweed everywhere - or just those growing near locations where high amounts of heavy metals are being leached into the ocean.

[@jimkingston5670]

aha but is Seaweed from an inland lake, Lakeweed? 🙂 Thanks for the video but just to make the point that seaweed is better than grass clippings due to no weed seeds. My grass is full of weed.

[@Michelle-vg5zh]

1) l made your microwaved parsnips tonight...delish! Thanks! 2)l did trench composting on all my tomato rows with seaweed but one in the fall a year ago, last summer the row that didnt get it got blight REALLY BAD well before the other rows. It is supposed to help the health of plants and l think it really does. I don't remember my source 😡 3)The plants that got seaweed also seemed to handle lower temps in the fall better. 4) Are you tired of answering about salt yet? I have never washed my seaweed. Seaweed on the beach gets rained on so its already washed, if it needs it. People, please, just have faith. If you can't, just wash your seaweed! 5) Last year was the first time there was an orange film on the seaweed when l collected. It's some sort of macroalgal bloom (causes red tide fromthecarticle i read). I don't understand much about it but it seems it's very toxic to fish. I'm not using seaweed with it on it just to be safe. 6) I'm not a fan of using seaweed for mulch, but love it in compost/trench composting. I'm sure my neighbors just love the smell of ocean outside ☺

[@maritimegardening4887]

That's all great to hear! I'll have to try using it with my tomatoes this summer!

[@vikramsinghzala6826]

Can Iodine connect in seaweed harm to our garden soil ?

[@michaelboom7704]

Saying that its hot I may get a load just to add in the hot composting I do.

[@grantraynard]

Where I live they use salt hay, for generations.

[@maritimegardening4887]

I used to live that when I live in a different part of the province and I could get it 5 minutes from my house - it was great stuff!

[@e.e.688]

Can I only use special kinds of seaweed or can I use any kind of plantlike material that is swept ashore? The stuff in my area looks very different.

[@maritimegardening4887]

any kind of plantlike material that is swept ashore - I just use whatever is there :)

[@barco581]

Concern about salt, one of the most commonly repeated myths about gardening.

[@helen2061]

Thanks for the seaweed info, Greg! I live on the coast and have access to lots of seaweed. I started collecting crab shells this winter left by the seagulls thinking they'd add nutrients. Any thoughts on this or other beach findings?

[@maritimegardening4887]

I'm not sure how long it takes crab shell to break down, but I'm sure they don't hurt :)

[@helen2061]

@@maritimegardening4887 thanks!

[@amywoodard2852]

Our hens got into shellfish in compost and their eggs tasted terribly fishy for weeks! Yuck

[@helen2061]

@@amywoodard2852 Wow!

[@annlyder8657]

Seaweed can be just rinsed anyway so all is good xxx

[@kenkelly8302]

when I plant my garlic in November, can I cover it with seaweed for the winter

[@maritimegardening4887]

Yes - I've done that

[@kenkelly8302]

thanks, one more thing, getting strawberry bed ready for winter, we had 3-4 nights in a row with -2 to -4, was going to cut back old leaves, we still have some green with flowers and also some berries, do I cut off the leaves with the flowers and berries, other years all I done was cover everything with seaweed and left, @@maritimegardening4887

[@vikramsinghzala6826]

Can iodine content in seaweed harm to our garden soil ?

[@maritimegardening4887]

My garden is fine after years of using it - and many people use it all the time - so I doubt it.

[@CoastalGardening]

😎👍

[@beehivewithaview9760]

How do you think seaweed would perform as part of a Hugelkultur bed?

[@maritimegardening4887]

it works great, I have videos where I've used it in them :) - like this one :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKWwep-aaMife68

[@88nollaig]

Get on with it.

[@treesha3427]

What do you mean by "seaweed from lakes"?

[@maritimegardening4887]

The stuff that looks like seaweed that grows in lakes.

[@derekandrews4916]

Wouldn't it be a good thing if it did deter slugs and snails? I thought these were pests rather than a benefit to the garden.