Should I give it to my veggie seedlings? Should I apply it more than once to veggies? Should I also use all purpose granular fertilizers ?
What would be like a general schedule?
Without knowing the specific product you inquiring about, I will say that many kelp fertilizers in liquid form and the water-soluble kelp powders are processed using potassium hydroxide. Despite this processing using an inorganic compound, many still claim “organic” status.
These products are incredibly effective at giving your plants a boost in potassium levels (and increasing yields) but run a real risk of throwing off your soil’s microbiome.
Kelp Meal is much better for the overall health of your soil, but will need some time to break down in order to provide your plants it’s benefits. It’s also much cheaper to purchase.
If the Portland in your username is referring to Portland, Oregon I would highly recommend this local product. I use a lot of their soil amendments with great results.
https://downtoearthfertilizer.com/products/single-ingredients/kelp-meal-1-0-1-2/
Yes to Portland OR. Well shoot I just got this dang stuff. Maybe I’ll take your advice for next season and just use this sparingly on my flowers or something. Thanks for the advice! I’ll get some of that kelp meal for sure. I bet they’ll mark it down in the fall then I can add it and let it break down all winter. Are there any other supplements you recommend? Are you also in PNW?
This is the stuff I got https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Planet-Nutrients-Supplement-Hydroponic/dp/B00UBEL5E0#immersive-view_1688762017242
Yea, there’s no sense in wasting the product if you already have it. It’s not going to kill your soil by any means. It’s just much better for its longevity to use unprocessed amendments, and it saves you money.
As far as recommendations for other amendments, it would really depend on your soil and what you’re growing. But just to throw a few out there anyway:
Alfalfa meal will give a nice little boost of nitrogen and other trace minerals, it contains natural growth regulators, and provides a great source of food for soil microbes.
Aloe vera contains lots of nutrients and minerals, as well as natural rooting compounds - great for propagating/germinating.
And you can rarely ever go wrong with adding Earthworm castings especially if they’re homemade, as they’ll contain many microorganisms that will benefit both soil and plant.
