Crop yields could be boosted by seaweed

[The Business Barn]

What are your thoughts on using seaweed as a 'natural' alternative going forwards?

Seaweed technology could be the answer to boosting crop yields at a time of declining chemical efficacy, with scientific breakthroughs revealing the multiple benefits of algae.

To date, a lot of seaweed is being processed and sold as plant booster however until now there has been a lack of understanding as to how the active ingredients within marine algae interact with a crop and its environment.

It’s been the work of The Olmix Group, who have invested tens of millions of euros into algae research and innovation since 2012, who have been able to showcase what marine algae is cable of, within a farm environment.

Read more on this, and the science of seaweed here >>>>

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[warksfarmer]

What are your thoughts on using seaweed as a 'natural' alternative going forwards?

Seaweed technology could be the answer to boosting crop yields at a time of declining chemical efficacy, with scientific breakthroughs revealing the multiple benefits of algae.

To date, a lot of seaweed is being processed and sold as plant booster however until now there has been a lack of understanding as to how the active ingredients within marine algae interact with a crop and its environment.

It’s been the work of The Olmix Group, who have invested tens of millions of euros into algae research and innovation since 2012, who have been able to showcase what marine algae is cable of, within a farm environment.

Read more on this, and the science of seaweed here >>>>

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• Opportunity to expand UK vineyard network
• Ideas for alternative livestock and cropping enterprises

Used seaweed 20 years ago. It didn’t work.

 

[ratchet spanner]

What are your thoughts on using seaweed as a 'natural' alternative going forwards?

Seaweed technology could be the answer to boosting crop yields at a time of declining chemical efficacy, with scientific breakthroughs revealing the multiple benefits of algae.

To date, a lot of seaweed is being processed and sold as plant booster however until now there has been a lack of understanding as to how the active ingredients within marine algae interact with a crop and its environment.

It’s been the work of The Olmix Group, who have invested tens of millions of euros into algae research and innovation since 2012, who have been able to showcase what marine algae is cable of, within a farm environment.

Read more on this, and the science of seaweed here >>>>

You may also like:

• Opportunity to expand UK vineyard network
• Ideas for alternative livestock and cropping enterprises

When SAI sold up in the 90s I bought a load of seaweed extract for little money .Spayed on everything .including half fields as trial plots and didnt see any difference. Having said that a friend of mine spays all his grass on a stud farm in yorkshire and swears by it.Could be his ground lacks something the seaweed replaces.

 

[Sonoftheheir]

Hocus pocus.

 

[Gong Farmer]

Did loads of trials back in the 80s, did bugger all. Did another last year, did bugger all. However, we won't give up, and have more trials planned this year. Wetting myself at the prospect.

 

[Fish]

Been there, done that, wast of.

 

[Brisel]

This is the stuff Glenside flog. @Two Tone has used them, I think.

 

[Two Tone]

This is the stuff Glenside flog. @Two Tone has used them, I think.

Not quite. Stuff we use here also contains Phosphite. The cost of this combined product is very good value, compared to buying Nutriphite alone.

I’m not going to suggest that it will work everywhere, but seems to here.

The reason we use the seaweed extract is because it has been shown to increase the size of the root ball.

We don’t apply phosphate here because there is far more than we need but it is locked up on our high iron and calcium soils. The application of Sulphur breaks this bond and releases the phosphate by changing from insoluble calcium phosphate into soluble calcium sulphate, releasing the Phosphate.
The value of the seaweed is that the increased root ball helps the plant extract that phosphate as it is released.

Without this benefit it might be hard to justify the seaweed unless it contains trace elements in it that are lacking within the soil.

 

[Cab-over Pete]

I used to spread it fairly regularly for a sheep dairy who thought they grazed the grass better after application.

Not spread any for years now.

I think it’s like anything else, you will only see a benefit if your land happens to be lacking in something it provides. Soil sampling has to be the start point rather than guessing.

 

[Andrew K]

Cytokinins.

 

[Cab-over Pete]

Do you mind? Kids could be reading this.

 

[Henarar]

@Kiwi Pete

 

[Kiwi Pete]

@Kiwi Pete

Cheers for the tag.
Does some great things here, but probably not in terms of growing grass.
Unfortunately macroalgae is often touted as a fertiliser, which is like calling an electric fan a heater - it is if you put it above your fireplace! But really it isn't.

I think it has been applied for about 15 years here, seems to keep input costs very low, and livestock performing nicely without pouring money into them.

Would be quite interesting if they do come up with some data that I could compare my homebrewed stuff to.

 

[Sonoftheheir]

Very expensive here. In my opinion.

 

[bobk]

It's quite nice fried with black pepper and balsamic vinegar .

 

[Oat]

It's quite nice fried with black pepper and balsamic vinegar .

Or fried crispy and with a Chinese

 

[Two Tone]

It's quite nice fried with black pepper and balsamic vinegar .

Or fried crispy and with a Chinese

Had a friend from Hongkong that would bring some here which tasted fantastic.
Bought some from Whole foods before they went bang which tasted disgusting.

 

[Mounty]

Liquid seaweed is a chelate IIRC? So I think that helps mobilise nutrients to stimulate root growth? A bit how blood moves oxygen around your body. I might be wrong but think its along those lines.

The seaweed mineral was supposed to be good in feed for foot rot.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Liquid seaweed is a chelate IIRC? So I think that helps mobilise nutrients to stimulate root growth? A bit how blood moves oxygen around your body. I might be wrong but think its along those lines.

The seaweed mineral was supposed to be good in feed for foot rot.

It seems to pay good dividends here - I say "seems to" because I'm actually afraid to stop using it, I pick it off the beach and soak it til it turns to soup.
I never realised farming could be so expensive and difficult til I began comparing what we do, to what most do....

Hence my reluctance to quit it, even if it is part of "the grieving process" of weaning the place off inputs.
It's either the kelp, or I'm a fantastic farmer - I think it's the former, TBBH

 

[Exfarmer]

keeps coming back to haunt us, I rather suspect it will be no better than it was 30 years ago. possibly a booster when fields are short of Iodine