Marq1340
Well-Known Member
Which brand of kelp and alfalfa do you use?
Not sure how true this is but I've heard cold pressed kelp holds more of the the benefits vs heat pressed.
Organic bloom booster or molasses?
- Thread starter elfo777
- Start date
Not sure how true this is but I've heard cold pressed kelp holds more of the the benefits vs heat pressed.
pahpah-cee
Well-Known Member
Most reputable companies source their kelp from the North Sea area. You want kelp harvested from cold water because that area has the least pollution so you’ll get less heavy metal accumulation. Cold extracted is best because it preserves the kelp the best, as opposed to heat which damages it
I can get down to earth for cheap at my local hydro store. Neptunes harvest was on sale a few months back on Amazon and I bought some 12lb’ers of kelp for $40 for 12lbs. If you need to foliar spray I would probably just buy that sea-k from greenleafnutrients since $10 of it will make a few hundred gallons.
If you live near feed store I would check with them first. Kelp and alfalfa are very common with live stock. Horse people demand high quality feed so you can get some nice stuff in bulk. Pick up a bale of alfalfa for next to nothing.
elfo777
Well-Known Member
I am going to buy cold pressed ascophyllum (sp?) I was wondering, does it last a long time once opened?
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pahpah-cee
Well-Known Member
I’d wager they probably add some sort of acid to persevere it. None the less, I wouldn’t worry about it. Keep it out of the sun and extreme heat and it should last a while. If I found 50 year old kelp I would use it without a worry.
One thing to note here^ most feed stores carry alfalfa that is grown with heacy pesticide usage. I do not use the stuff my parents feed their pet goats for this reason.
pahpah-cee
Well-Known Member
Good to know, any way we can tell?
I mean most livestock feed is grown as cheaply as possible, and for most purposes it's not the end of the world when it comes to the steak or the eggs youre eating. But the medicine I'm smoking? Gtfo here with those roundup soaked inputs!
It goes for most soil inputs if it is organically grown or at least labeled non-gmo and pesticide free, or OMRI listed (but that isnt even an applicable standard here.) The DTE stuff is great, but expensive as hell compared to the alternative.
Check out Organic Alive'S Alfalfa FPE. I already have too many veg FPE's in rotation ao I don't use that one, but their fermented insect frass is stinkyyyy fire
pahpah-cee
Well-Known Member
This looks good to me. $26 for 40# at tractor supply co
- Certified Organic - Can be an important part of a holistic approach to equine health and well-being
- Non-GMO - Free from genetically modified organisms and other harmful chemicals, providing peace of mind for horse owners concerned about the quality of their horse's hay
- Natural Fertilizer - Can be used in gardens or flower beds, providing a natural and sustainable solution for gardening enthusiasts
- Made in USA - Made in Idaho with care with the highest-quality forage in the USA
I stand corrected. I didn't know TS carried this. Grabbing a bag next time!
Week4@inCharge
Well-Known Member
I've noticed some good results using the black strap molasses and a gallon of the stuff is super cheap. It's not a mistake the blackstrap molasses is in a lot of the bottled and dry packaging out there. Probably the main reason they work at all, and that dry kelp takes forever to break down vs the almost immediate results with the molasses.
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BongChoi
Well-Known Member
Maybe look for potassium silicate. Agsil 16H. It can be useful to have around if you want to add K quickly.
Phytoplankton
Well-Known Member
Kelp and molasses is comparing apples to oranges. Kelp is a fertilizer. Molasses provides little to the plant directly, other than a few micronutrients. What it does do is feed the microbes in the soil, which then decompose the organic matter in the soil and make nutrients available to the plant. There's two issues, the microbes basically use up all the sugars within a day or so and then their numbers crash back to normal levels, and if you're using synthetic nutes, it's also not that effective. One more thing, if your using it outdoors, it has a tendency to attract pests (possums, raccoons, rats, dogs, etc.). I've used non-sulphured molasses several times, and really saw no appreciable difference in plant growth, yield, or bud production.
Week4@inCharge
Well-Known Member
we're just speculating that they crash to normal levels. If there's something in the soil for them to consume, like Kelp for example, then they'd still be around.
Phytoplankton
Well-Known Member
No, not speculation, actually they have done many studies. The molasses provides the microcrobes with "free food" (sugar), their numbers spike and they in turn are able to process more organic matter (Kelp, compost, etc) into available nutrients, but when the sugar is gone, their population goes back to a normal level.
Week4@inCharge
Well-Known Member
Sounds right, I need to use compost teas more regularly for my indoor grows. Because these small pots ain't handling it.
Anyways, I wonder about products that have the dry molasses, if it's just really the molasses doing all the work. (Recharge)
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https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.868350/full hellowhat do you think about this study of using amino acids on cannabis ?
Week4@inCharge
Well-Known Member
It's added to some proprietary amendments already so it has to be useful