Maxicrop Original Seaweed Extract, a Review-Do you Really Need Seaweed Extract in your Garden?

Name of Product: Maxicrop Original Seaweed Extract, 2.5 litres

 The Best Place to Buy: www.amazon.co.uk

 Product Dimensions:1 4.5cm x 10.5cm x 22cm

 Shipping Weight: 2.7kg.

 My Rating: 8/10

In this article, we will be talking about the use of seaweed extract to feed your plants in the garden. Is it well worth the money to buy it or are its uses over the top?

If you have followed my website for a while, you know how important fertilisers are. I have reviewed a large number from the best slow-release fertilisers and granular feeds such as growmore, fish, blood and bone, Q4 fertiliser and Charge biostimulant. I have also reviewed liquid based fertilisers such as phostrogen, as a great way of giving your plants a quick boost.

I have also talked about the various nutrient deficiencies and the use of sulphate of iron, Epsom salts, sulphate of ammonia, superphosphate and sulphate of potash. This will address iron, magnesium, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium shortage in plants.

The problem is that most of these are inorganic (apart from fish, blood and bone that is made from the waste of the fish and animal industries). I want to introduce a product that is not only organic but can be used as a great source of trace elements, but not too much for its nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium.

This is great for those who do not want to use manmade, artificially chemicals in their garden. The question that arises is why should you use seaweed extract in the garden and not other products.

 WHY SEAWEED EXTRACT?

Once seaweed and its benefits in the garden were only known by a few gardens; those lucky enough to live by the sea, where the seaweed can be readily harvested. For those who have concerns about the environmental impact of the fertiliser on the garden then you cannot go wrong with seaweed extract as it is a natural product.

Seaweed based fertilisers you tend to buy are made from kelp that grows quickly and to great lengths. Seaweed can provide the garden with vital trace elements that are essential for plant life.

It can supply the important second macronutrient magnesium and the important trace elements of zinc, iodine and iron. To a lesser degree than other fertilisers, it also provides the essential primary macronutrient nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

 WHAT BENEFITS DOES LIQUID SEAWEED FERTILIZER HAVE IN THE GARDEN?

As said early, seaweed has so many elements in it, which had a multitude of uses in the garden and is based on much scientific research.

Liquid seaweed is a great soil conditioner as it contains compounds known as alginates. The alginates act as flocculants with the metal in the soil. This makes the soil form large aggregates that make it nice and crumbly. If you wet it, it swells up and so it can help in the retention of water in those lazy and hot sunny days.

Seaweed contains every trace element a plant needs and it is available in a form where it can be easily absorbed, It also contains starch and sugars that are used by the plants. Any micronutrients that the seaweed provides will be readily used by the plant as it grows.

IMPROVES YIELDS

Seaweed extract increases crop yields, making them grow vigorously. It can help deter pests and diseases on fruits, vegetables, flowers, shrubs and trees, it has even been discovered that seaweed extract can help make plants more resistant to frost and make plants more resistant to stresses it is put under. It can even reduce the likelihood of stored crops going bad quickly.

If crops have been fed with seaweed extract, the quality of that crop is increased. The shelf life of fruit and vegetables can be extended if 10 days before harvesting a foliar feed of liquid sea extract is given to the plants.

If you apply it before the plant is budding, it will promote extra blooms, giving a better show.

If you are taking a root cutting and you place it in a solution of seaweed, it will root quicker. You can then use the solution to water your plant in.

If you soak seeds in liquid seaweed extract and plant it, it will germinate quicker. The plant will have large roots, bigger growth and have improved survival rates. As said earlier it can help with rooting and therefore when you are transplanting it into a new location.

 SEAWEED EXTRACT CONTAINS HORMONES

The hormones found in seaweed are auxins, cytokinins and betaines, which play a role in the plants’ actual health. They are not needed in large quantities but will have an important role. There are many forms of auxin and each one has a specific role. One of the important roles is in the growth speed of plants. In fact, auxins can stimulate the growth or retard it depending on what type of auxin is presented.

It has been discovered that seaweed with the help of trace elements form enzymes that make its own auxin in plants.

Cytokinins play an important role in initiating and activating the growth process. This is because cytokinins mobilise the nutrients within the leaves. It has been found that cytokinins help to make the plant marginal frost resistant.  It can take up to -3 degree Celsius and it can slow the ageing process of the plant.

Betaines help the plant to be water-resistant to help in the uptake of water, especially when the conditions are dry. This helps the plant to resistant stressful conditions.

 WHY FOLIAR FEEDING IS BETTER THAN APPLYING DIRECTLY IN THE SOIL?

If you want to use the product you need to apply it as a foliar feed. It is a more efficient and effective way of administering it to the plants. Up to 20 times more effective. You spray the liquid seaweed extract via a sprayer until the leaves are starting to drip. The plant will soon absorb the fertiliser and by the next day, the plant will start to benefit from it. By using it this way, those nasty aphids seem to stay away. A bonus.

 HOW IS LIQUID SEAWEED FERTILISER MADE?

Any seaweed that is found and harvested from the beach are weighed, dried, milled and processed until all the natural goodness is released. The nutrients then become available to the plant via its foliage or the soil that it is planted in. The plant will then romp away as the nutrients are readily available to it.

When harvesting the seaweed they ensure that it is sustainably obtained from natural resources. The seaweed is harvested under the optimal growing conditions so that they are picked when they are the healthiest and producing the best yields.

Liquid seaweed extract uses no volatile solvents, only water, no acids, and no bases. It is truly organic and is organically processed. This is why the nitrogen: phosphorus: potassium ratio of the product is 5:2:5.

 WHAT ARE THE RECOMMENDED DOSAGE RATES?

It has multiple uses in the garden and the following is recommended for these uses:

• For germinating, add 10ml (an inner capful) in 9 litres of water and then apply it 12 hours after the seed is sown.

•  If you are propagating root cuttings in soil, add 20ml (2 inner capfuls) of product in 9 litres of water and then apply every time you want to use it.

•  For transplanting plants and to avoid transplant shock, add 20ml (2 inner capfuls) and apply it to the planting hole.

•  If you want to use it to grow on plants, apply 45ml (4 and a half inner capfuls) of product in 9 litres of water and apply every 7 days.

•  For fully grown plants, apply 45ml (4 and a half inner capfuls) in 9 litres of water and apply every 10 to 14 days.

•  If you plan to use it with fruit crops, apply 45ml (4 and a half inner capfuls) in 9 litres of water and apply it before and during flowering.

• For lawns and tuffs apply 50ml (5 inner capfuls) in 9 litres of water per 20 square metres of area once every month during the growing season.

 PROS

•  An organic product that has multiple uses in the garden.

• Can be used for lawn, fruits, vegetables, shrubs and trees, as long as you stick to the recommended dosage.

•  Value for money, as 2.5 litres of the product can make up 450 litres of solution and can, therefore, last a long time.

•  An environmentally friendly product that is naturally farmed sustainably.

 CONS

•  It can stain clothes so should be used carefully.

•  It is not rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium, so it may be advised to use it with other fertilisers, such as growmore to get the maximum benefit.

WHY SHOULD YOU BUY SEAWEED EXTRACT?

It is such a wonderful product that you wonder how you cope before it was discovered. I have used it on my vegetables with great success and have seen it used in so many gardens with such good results. I try to base my opinions on what I have seen and not based on speculations. This, I believe is very important to gauge how good a product is.

They use seaweed extract in a lot of sporting grounds throughout the country and if this is not a stamp of approval, then I do not know what is. If you are keen to try this product then you can do so here.

If this article has piqued your interest and you have questions that need to be asked and comments to be made, please do so in the comment box below.

Happy gardening.