sources for Kelp meal ??

[st3v3]

Hi,

I want to start using Kelp meal in my fertilizer mixture, and am wondering if any of you may have a good source for this product. I can't find any locally and the shipping is a significant part of the cost.

I have found this site: http://www.noamkelp.com/index.html which seems to be about the best price for a 50# bag of the stuff.

Has anyone else purchased from North American Kelp, or could recommend an alternative source?

Thanks in advance for any replies...

[fortyonenorth]

I've ordered from both Nitron Industries (http://www.gardeniq.com/store/produc...al,176,94.aspx) and Fedco (http://www.fedcoseeds.com/ogs/search...m=8731&index=4).

Kelp meal is comparatively expensive and, of course, shipping 50 lb. bags anywhere is pricey. Kelp meal is used as a feed additive for livestock, so you might try local feed stores. Here's one in Athens:

Mary's Tack & Feed: http://www.marystackfeedpet.com/index.htm

This site lists a few more. http://www.polocenter.com/health/feedusga.htm

[st3v3]

Hi 41N,

Thanks for the links, but I haven't been able to find a local source for kelp meal. I haven't ever used it, and only got the idea to try it after reading the excellent Mother Earth article you posted the other day here: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organ...ur-Garden.aspx !

The truth is, i don't have any experience using seed and kelp meal as fertilizer; How important do you think using (seed and/or) Kelp meal is in your organic fertilizer regime ??

Thanks in advance,

[geeboss]

This will be my 1st year using Kelp meal I ordered a 25lb bucket from vitaminseaseaweed ... for $45 shipped to Fairfax, VA don't know if I can post the link but if you add dot com to the end of the name you'll get their site and under seaweed-agriculture-products you'll find the item Kelp Meal. Hope this helps

I should be receiving my order next week I'll let you know what I think of it in use.

George

[fortyonenorth]

Originally Posted by st3v3

Hi 41N,

Thanks for the links, but I haven't been able to find a local source for kelp meal. I haven't ever used it, and only got the idea to try it after reading the excellent Mother Earth article you posted the other day here: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organ...ur-Garden.aspx !

The truth is, i don't have any experience using seed and kelp meal as fertilizer; How important do you think using (seed and/or) Kelp meal is in your organic fertilizer regime ??

Thanks in advance,

Greensand is a good alternative to kelp meal. It provides a bit of potassium and lots of trace elements. Seed meal is just an economical option that provides NPK - I think the article suggested 6-3-2. If you can't find any seed meals, you can probably find an organic fertilizer with a similar NPK analysis.

[Tracydr]

I think alfalfa meal adds a lot of what you get from the kelp, too. Nice thing with the horse alfalfa pellets I get is that they have molasses as a second ingredient. And, they're about $8.00 for 50 pounds. If I put some in water for a few hours they disintegrate.
Maybe some alfalfa pellets and a smaller portion of kelp would work? I bought some one pound bags of kelp on Amazon for about 10$ a bag last winter.
You can also get roasted seaweed in large bags at the Asian stores.

[Boutique Tomatoes]

I think ozbo.com had 20# bags of kelp meal for about $18 if you can't find it at a feed store, and they were doing all shipping for 4.95 a while back. I know I've seen it in feed stores here, but it was about a $1 per pound there as well so I decided greensand and azomite were a more cost effective source of trace elements.

[John3]

Originally Posted by Tracydr

I think alfalfa meal adds a lot of what you get from the kelp, too. Nice thing with the horse alfalfa pellets I get is that they have molasses as a second ingredient. And, they're about $8.00 for 50 pounds. If I put some in water for a few hours they disintegrate.

What's the amount of alfalfa pellets to a gal of water that you use?

[chancethegardener]

Neptune's Harvest has a 12 lbs of kelp meal product. They ship it for free: http://www.neptunesharvest.com/km-612.html

[habitat_gardener]

One thing I learned from Tomatoville is that hydroponics stores are a great source of organic gardening stuff, so I googled athens ga hydroponics and found this source
http://www.florahydroponics.com/prod...search=seaweed
which has 5 lbs. kelp meal for $14.
http://www.florahydroponics.com/product.aspx?id=2922

I've always used the liquid seaweed concentrates, which I find at nearly every garden center around here. Seaweed adds trace minerals.

Alfalfa is a great N source.