Kelp!

[cantman]

I've decided to add kelp into my routine and keeping my babies healthy, vibrant and disease free is my goal! The four products I am considering are:
1) Saltwater Farms SeaCom PGR
2) Saltwater Farms SeaStart PGR
3) Sea Magic-dry soluble seaweed extract
4)Maxicrop-liquid seaweed
I know the SeaCom and SeaStart are more concentrated and may offer more "bang for your buck", but do any of you have opinions about the other products? I was also concerned when I learned that the Maxicrop Liquid seaweed is 1% chlorine. I'll be using kelp for foliar feeds, and also as an ingredient for making "worm tea". Does anyone have insight if the chlorine in the Maxicrop will kill the "good stuff" in the worm tea?

[tnkrer]

I asked for kelp recommendations earlier this year and I am using kelp for the first time. I can't say that I have seen any amazing improvement in plants compared to last year. I alternate with weak fertilizer and kelp+fish fertilizer.

Here are the recommendations I got. kelp fertilizer recommendation

[RayR]

Saltwater Farms is good stuff, they are the only kelp extracts that claims a ppm concentration of cytokinins. It's manufactured by North American Kelp, it's the same product that they sell to the Ag market as SeaCrop16.

Sea Magic is just a soluble kelp powder, pretty much like other soluble kelp powders out there. Price is a bit high on Sea Magic I think.

Maxicrop Liquid seaweed claims a chlorine content, but is that from chlorine treated tap water that they may use in producing it or is that chlorides that are from sea salts? I don't know. If it is actually chlorine then 1% chlorine in the concentrate is nothing to worry about as you are diluting it with water. (Are you using chlorine free water?)

[cantman]

RavR-Maxicrop is claiming "1% chlorine" on their liquid seaweed product. That sounds high to me, that's 1 part per 100. I use chlorine as a water sanitiser at 1.5 parts per million. What's the story here?

[kurt]

Originally Posted by cantman

RavR-Maxicrop is claiming "1% chlorine" on their liquid seaweed product. That sounds high to me, that's 1 part per 100. I use chlorine as a water sanitiser at 1.5 parts per million. What's the story here?

In a nutshell.
http://puyallup.wsu.edu/wp-content/u...d-extracts.pdf

[Wi-sunflower]

This may or may not be of concern, but I wanted to put it out so you can decide for yourselves.

I belong to 2 Facebook health groups that are all about Iodine for our health. Kelp is a product that is routinely put down as not suitable for humans any more. Most of the Kelp pills are contaminated with Arsenic due to pollution, and since Fukishima, radioactivity too. Some of the Kelp collected in the north Atlantic near Iceland are still RA free but I'm not sure about the Arsenic.

I don't know if either would transfer to the soil and then the fruit, but it would be worth looking for some assurance from a University or some one before contaminating your gardens.

Carol

[Mike723]

I personally use maxicrop's liquid seaweed as an additive to my compost teas.. The small percentage of chlorine doesn't seem to effect my teas, as they are teaming with life when I view them under 400x magnification.. Hope this helps..

[RayR]

Originally Posted by cantman

RavR-Maxicrop is claiming "1% chlorine" on their liquid seaweed product. That sounds high to me, that's 1 part per 100. I use chlorine as a water sanitiser at 1.5 parts per million. What's the story here?

After looking at the chemical analysis of a bunch of Kelp products, they all have chlorine in them, kelp meal, kelp powders and liquid kelp. So it's a natural component of kelp. The question is what form of chlorine compound is it?? Surely it's not chlorine gas or Sodium hypochlorite.