Seaweed & Sea Kelp Extract Fertilizers: What You Need To Know About How They Work In The Lawn

In this video, I wanted to explain what the difference was between seaweed fertilizers, seaweed extracts, and sea kelp lawn and garden products because I feel like a lot of people make assumptions about these types of products without really knowing exactly how these products work.
If you look at the label for many bio-stimulants and especially root growth stimulants for plants you are likely to see Sea Kelp as a main ingredient.
RGS is a very popular product in the lawn and garden space, and one that I use on my lawn as well, that clearly identifies Sea Kelp as a main ingredient on its label.
► RGS: shrsl.com/2rsop
The problem is that many products don't differentiate between the source seaweed material used in the product because different types of seaweeds provide different hormones to our plants.
There are hormones in seaweed extracts that will push more top growth on grass for instance and others that push root development.
In my lawn, I'm more interested in root development because it's a long-term play on the overall health of my grass plant systems.
For the vast majority of people RGS and the Liquid Aeration product Simple Aerate that I featured in this video are going to be perfect for lawns but for those people that want to go the extra mile; there are specialty products out there that focus on certain hormones over others.
CytoGro for instance is a go-to product for me for delivering the Sea Kelp derived cytokinin hormone to my lawn which will push root development significantly. In fact it's such a specific product that I've included it in my Deeper Grass Roots web-based course that I offer over on my website.
For those of you interested in growing a healthier root system in your grass I think you would benefit greatly by giving a long hard look at this page over on my website: turfmechanic.c...
These style products work really well when paired with Humic Acids, make sure to see this video on the benefits of humic acids in the lawn for more in-depth knowledge bombs: • Benefits of Humic Acid...
You can price out RGS and Simple Aerate through the following affiliate links:
► Simple Aerate: shrsl.com/2gr1v
You can also take a look at CytoGro through this affiliate link:
shrsl.com/2uzh9
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[@TurfMechanic]

►►► Want to fix your lawn for the long haul but don't know where to start? I can help! Click here right now and get started today: turfmech.link/dont-know-where-to-start ◄◄◄

[@ccccclark2605]

I live in central Texas. Zone 9. Heavy clay soil over rock/kaliche. My grass grew fast and green with fish emulsion. I diluted it by the bucket and sloshed it on the grass. Very low tech. Not perfect. But the grass liked it.

[@petedetraglia4776]

RGS also contains humic acid in which chelates micro and micro nutrients allowing the plant to uptake them more easily. If your lawn uptakes more key nutrients for its growth and health then you have a better soil and lawn. RGS, Humic 12, Micro green, Air 8, and D-Thatch is what I use and the results are absolutely incredible. I use both organic and synthetic fertilizers that have rapid and long lasting release times and my lawn is loving it.

[@gramps5157]

Bought Cytogro and put it down today. In the past I put down RGS in a spot where the grass was always struggling and it work like a charm strengthening the grass in that area. That area filled in nicely and the best part, it continues to stay healthy and strong.

[@geoffkopecky3652]

How do you think the cytogro tis working? I was thinking of switching from great results of RGS like you and going with the cytogro and humic 12. ?

[@FrankC656]

Ah yes, Cytogro. I have heard of that one before but couldn’t remember the name. Thank you! New lawn renovation and it’s going to be treated like a princess.

[@TurfMechanic]

NICE - You're grass will love you for it! It's also a nice way to lower your lawns watering needs too. Deeper more developed root systems make for more durable plants. Continue loving your lawn Matt!

[@ryanharris738]

You hands down make the best videos for me to understand what i want to put on my lawn. I really enjoy how easily you can simplify the data

[@heavymechanic2]

I been using different forms of kelp fertilizer for 20+ years and settled on GS Plant Food in FL as an inexpensive source but their source ingredients are not on the label. I use fish fertilizer and humic products with my vegetable garden and also tried RGS which is more concentrated. I'm a firm believer in amending the soil with micros as most people over farm the soil and apply loads of cheap macro nutrients with limited results.

[@normanthibault2744]

Thanks for all of your info

[@rodneyyoung8096]

Personally, I've found that if you " Simply " have a load of multch and spread it out over the entire yard.. All this overload 😂 of information is unnecessary. Before I've done this i took a drill bit and welded it to a 3 foot extension. Drilling holes in my yard 6 to 8 inches deep and approximately the same distance apart. This😂 was the way to deep soke without the wasted run off of the water. Agreed with once a week deep watering. This is the first year ive done this. It's working very well. Also agree with mowing at the 4 inches. But I raised my mower at 5 inches. Tack welded it because my mower was only maxed at 4 inches. And now im going to mow approximately every 5 days. Thanks for the advice. And im hoping to use a weed killer that is grass friendly in the beginning of September. Have a great day and thank you for some new improvements for our lawns.

[@jasonmaddox8913]

Cool story 🥱

[@ckrxx644]

Wtf kind of comment is this lmao

[@Dan4052]

Excellent video! Very informative. I never knew all this. Thank you for making it!

[@brendachisholm2325]

SUPER PRESENTATION. MUCH NITTY GRITTY!!!

[@TurfMechanic]

Thanks so much for the comment Brenda! I'm so glad it helps people like yourself!

[@lukeb9910]

Hey, thanks for this info. I've been looking at kelp for a while since a salesmen recommended it for a football field... I'm having trouble finding reaserch or tests using kelp that are not put out by manufacturers or salesmen. Have you done tests where you only put kelp on some of your lawn for a year to see if there is a difference? Also are there measurable results from kelp or is it all subjective? Any insight is appreciated.

[@whitke5504]

Very nice video. Have you heard of spirulina? It’s a alge supplement and been around for 100’s of years. It has a high volume of cytokinins. I’m going to try it in one of my test lawn buckets after watching this video.

[@DieselDan09]

New sub learned alot... Beautiful back drop

[@Gartferry]

Kelp is a specific genus of seaweed and includes species such as Laminaria Digitata and Laminaria Saccharina (Sugar Kelp)

[@mrdobalina3451]

What’s the best way to apply it? I’m concerned it may block my backpack sprayer.

[@Dan4052]

I have recently started watching a lot of your videos, and they are great! You have a nice way of explaining things and still being brief. Thank you. After watching this video, I ordered some Cytogro and it just arrived. I need some help from you in understanding the recommended dilution ratio and coverage. First of all, and please pardon my stupid question but it calls for .8 ounces per 1000 ft.². How does this translate into applying to a lawn with a backpack pump sprayer? I know this is dumb, but how much is .8 ounces? And how far does, say a gallon, go per 1000 ft.²? So how much do I mix per gallon, and how far should I get on my lawn with that gallon? Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated . Thank you for putting up with me.

[@henrycordero8265]

Love this video!

[@SheppyZed]

Great video. How many applications should be applied? Certain number of weeks? Once or twice a year?

[@YoMamaBoyfriend007]

Once a month during the growing season.

[@onebasecannonrush7416]

Wondering if he was going to touch on the Virginia Tech study about 5:2 humic/kelp. Gives all the credit to kelp, and then adds in oh it's got humic in it.

[@monkeyslawncareandgardenin473]

Great information!

[@TurfMechanic]

Thanks Rob, I think since so many people say how great Sea kelp is we should all try to at least have a basic understanding of what it is actually doing to improve our lawns and gardens. Glad you enjoyed the piece.

[@raczyk]

What about Sea Magic Seaweed which a a dry extract which is first diluted in water?

[@johac7637]

Like with anything living, it likes to eat, so does your grass, so the removal of clippings is like being a bulimia victim, so feed your lawns, my go to is alfalfa pellets, twice a year, it thrives.

[@Los714]

I saw that simple lawn solutions has product with seaweed and humic acid. I seen that they say where they get there sea kelp from. I’ve never used it. Do you recommend it?

[@LawnJourneys]

Good topic.

[@TurfMechanic]

I thought so; I really wanted to learn a lot of this stuff so I figure that always makes for the best topics. Thanks for the watch and comment!

[@joshua7999]

My poa annua and poa triv love this stuff

[@TheDylan6908]

Silver Cymbal has a vid on a homemade combo spray to help ease summer heat stress on lawns. One component is GS Sea Kelp. Is the type of Sea Kelp in that product more appropriate for that particular use? Or would another brand be better?

[@BrettSucks]

He is a prolific shill/salesman

[@TheDylan6908]

@@BrettSucks I guess lawn care products like most others things have to be considered with a healthy dose of scepticism.

[@TheDylan6908]

@@BrettSucks Brett, which lawn KZbinrs do you feel aren't just trying to sell someone's products and are giving you legit info!

[@meatman3042]

My yard is very high in phosphorus and I have a low ph 4,7 , so I've been dumping lime on my yard like crazy and anything I put down has a zero for p in npk . I want to put down a humic acid with fulvic because I read somewhere that the fulvic will help the root intake food better . Kinda force spoon feed is what I'm thinking it means . Would you recommend this ?

[@CorandoEG]

i live in NW Indiana. how often should i apply kelp?

[@EastCoastWingNuts]

I'm in the NE ( Mass ) I only have 2 to 3 inches of topsoil and all sand under it. Am I at a losing battle to have a nice lawn with such small amount of topsoil ? Will all my efforts just leach right out and down into the sand ?

[@nedg3740]

You can try a liquid spoon feeding program.

[@TurfMechanic]

You are definitely at a disadvantage with such a shallow layer of top soil and sand underneath it but as Ned G said a spoon feeding program should be your primary method of fertilization for the next 12 months at least if not more. That means lots of small feedings so you can minimize leaching. The long term solution is to build the soil up over time and that means adding carbon components and organic material to it as often as you can. For you specifically you will benefit the most by core aerating with a machine that can pull deep cores in the four to five inch depth range two times per year. Make sure to make enough cores per square feet to make a differences, minimum 20-24 cores per square foot. Crazy as it sounds if you remove the cores from the ground and then apply a thick top dressing of straight biochar and brush as much of it into the cores as possible you should be able to push water and nutrient holding capacity deep into your ground over the course of a year. If you did this once in the Spring and once in the fall you could actually achieve a replacement of sand 3 inches deep around your property with soil building and water holding biochar in the vicinity of 15-20%, assuming you actually get the job done right instead of getting it done quickly for cheap. After top dressing with biochar and brushing it into cores as much as possible, then you should top dress with a mixture of peat moss, greensand, and compost to improve trace nutrients in the top soil, increase water holding capacity, and add organic matter in the compost for both soil conditioning and slow nutrition. Then actually re-spread your pores back over the lawn so you don't lose top soil mass. Since you have so little I wouldn't water to remove or discard any of what you actually have. Then apply some full and regular apps of RGS or a combination of Humic Acid and CytoGro through the growing season to push those roots as deep as possible. I'd also add extra fertilization to your plan using as much Alfalfa Meal as possible as this stuff contains naturally occurring Tiacontinol which also stimulates deep rooting. First season would be a lot of work but even in a single season you could make great progress on your lawn's water and nutrition holding capacity. Look at this as a fun experiment in lawn and soil biology. It could cost you a good bit but spread out over time it's the same cost of any other hobby you could take up.

[@EastCoastWingNuts]

@@TurfMechanic Thanks for the reply, You too Ned ! I'll try the spoon feed method, light and often

[@jackriley7967]

EastCoastWingNuts, give us a update on your progress this coming spring.

[@CuriousinNY]

@@EastCoastWingNutshi there east coast. I also live on the east coast and am wondering how your lawn is doing. Were you able to use the suggestions lawn mechanic gave you?

[@michaelsteele5495]

I am in the process of converting my lawn to Zoysia via plugs, potentially this should really help my plugs spread and fill in. Do you know of any granules? I do better with granules

[@HiddenAgendas]

kelp is best applied as a foliar spray.

[@lestar83]

Hi, should i apply kelp on my tilled soil and then put topsoil on it with seed or is it recommended to put the kelp directly on seed? Thanks

[@TurfMechanic]

If it was me I'd put it down then spread top soil over it. I like incorporating stuff under soil as often as possible. I don't know of a benefit of kelp on seed so I'd get it in the soil and wait for that seed to start growing.

[@lestar83]

@@TurfMechanic perfect. Thanks

[@CCCC-tq8yo]

6:43 my back and head

[@Garricher5958]

Do you ever need to mechanically aerate your lawn by a plug aerator?

[@TurfMechanic]

I mechanically aerate twice a year in March and at around the 1st of Sept. I do this in addition to ocassionally running an electric dethatcher and applying semi-regular apps of liquid aeration. I've documented both mechanical aeration jobs from this year on the channel if you want to give them a look.

[@douglassamuel3943]

What if you want to push top growth (shade, dog traffic)can give a couple examples 🤔🙄

[@TurfMechanic]

If I wanted to emphasize top growth then I'd simply use kelp instead of cytogro and then utilize a higher nitrogen fertilization strategy. I don't know of any products at the moment that hormonally focus on top growth at the sacrifice of bottom growth.

[@harperexplores9349]

Can’t a person use a PGR and RGS together? I mean, since you are blocking the Gibberelic acid with the PGR then you don’t have to worry about pushing growth with the RGS.

[@TurfMechanic]

That sounds reasonable...never considered that combo before though. I'd have to do more research before saying more than that though.

[@CuriousinNY]

@@TurfMechanicI’m curious what your research found about using PGR and RGS together. Please advise. Thank you.

[@TurfMechanic]

@@CuriousinNY I never got around to this one. Never made it into my to-do list. I'm still curious but it seems to me like it's just a workaround if you happened to have both products on hand.

[@brochman8307]

Laminaria & Ascophyllum are not the same Algae they are totally different and have different properties. There are also different types of Laminaria with different properties.

[@CCCC-tq8yo]

2:27

[@CCCC-tq8yo]

I like sushi

[@gmog7857]

You have been talking for hours why?

[@TurfMechanic]

🤔 🤷‍♂️