The Benefits of Kelp As A Biostimulant
If growing plants is your passion you’ll want to ensure you give your crops the best nourishment available. Sure, fertilizers provide that all-important N-P-K factor. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are essential macronutrients your plants need for healthy growth. But if you don’t add a great biostimulant to your soil to enrich it with essential micronutrients, you’re not giving your plants the best start in life.
About Kelp
Organic kelp fertilizer is one of the best biostimulants on the market bar none. You’d be hard-pressed to find an alternative that has such an impressive range of benefits. Kelps are large brown seaweeds which grow in shallow oceans up to 50m in length. Their voracious growth rate means kelp is superabundant. This means it can be sustainably harvested without harming its marine environment. Kelp is packed with over 70 vitamins, trace minerals, enzymes and growth hormones. Many of these trace minerals are not found anywhere else but the ocean. Kelp is 100% natural and contains no harmful chemicals, which means you can use it without fear of harming the planet.
Application
Kelp can be applied either as a liquid solution, or you can add it in its dried form to an existing fertilizer. In fact, you’ll find using kelp reduces the amount of fertilizer you need, saving you money. By varying the concentration according to crop and area, you’re in complete control how much fertilizer you need to use.
The most effective way to apply liquid kelp to your plants is by foliar feeding. It still works great if you water it onto your soil, but spraying it onto your leaves can offer up to 20% more benefit. You may find it helps to deter greenfly too when applied in this way.
Plant growers who use soilless methods (hydroponics) are finding it invaluable as an addition to their nutrients mix. With hydroponics, the mineral nutrients solution is the growing medium. Vegetables often grown wholesale without soil include tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. Using liquid kelp increases size, yield and richness of colour. Root systems love it!
Soil
Before we get on to the amazing benefits kelp brings to plants, let’s first look at how it promotes soil health. After all, your crops will only be as good as the soil you grow them in. Kelp contains some very interesting starches called alginates. These react with the metals found in the soil to form long cross-polymers, which act to trap the moisture in the soil. They also help to aerate the soil, improving its crumbliness. But that’s not all. These alginates are full of carbohydrates on which microorganisms that are great for your soil love to feed on. These microorganisms proliferate, multiplying the available nutrients in your soil.
Benefits
Now, here’s a list of reasons why kelp is so good for your plants:
- Promotes more efficient uptake of available nutrients from the soil, increasing protein content. You’ll enjoy a stronger crop - as well as bigger yields - as a result.
- Increases the number of chloroplasts in the plant. This means more green pigment chlorophyll is available for photosynthesis. Your plants will not only be of far higher quality, but they will also look more vibrant and natural and have richer foliage.
- Kelp contains carbohydrates, which are the building blocks of plants. This means stronger roots and bigger leaf blades.
- Increases resilience to plant stress events, such as frost, fungus, disease and transplantation.
- Roots grow faster and develop more mass. Moisture from the soil is more readily trapped by the roots, increasing the hardiness of the crop.
- Harvested fruits and vegetables have a longer shelf life and are less prone to softening. Cut flowers maintain their radiant beauty for longer. Kelp increases profitability by making your crops a more saleable asset.
- Soaking seeds in liquid kelp before planting improves seed germination. The kelp also strengthens root growth and invigorates early seedling development;
Revive by Bushboy Organics
As you can see, there simply isn’t any reason not to use liquid kelp or add kelp to your fertilizer. 100% natural, it’s one of the best organic biostimulants around and completely safe to use however you apply it. The Bushboy Organics range includes Revive, 100% soluble kelp in powder form. A 1 kg packet of Revive produces over 3,600 litres of liquid kelp at less than 5 cents a litre! Note: WE SHIP TO THE USA
Kelp is also added to the Bushboy Organics All-In-One organic fertilizer. All-In-One is a premium plant fuel biologically engineered to turbocharge your soil. All-In-One can be used indoors and outdoors on vegetables, house plants, even marijuana.
If you’re passionate about growing plants, you should seriously consider using kelp as a natural biostimulant. Easy to apply and very cost-effective, once you’ve seen for yourself what kelp can do for your crop you won’t want to do without it ever again.
References
What is Kelp Meal: Tips For Using Kelp Seaweed Fertilizer On Plants, by Amy Grant
The Many Benefits of Liquid Kelp Fertilizer – Epic Gardening, updated Jan 18, 2019
The Benefits of Liquid Seaweed Fertilizer, by Cindy Lawson, updated May 09, 2019
Liquid Seaweed Fertilizer – Grow Great Vegetables
Why Kelp Can Be a Hydroponic Grower’s Best Friend – Advanced Nutrients, Mar 27, 2014