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"Seasol" plant health promotion

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I forgot to mention i also give them a couple of feeds of composted cow manure, dynamic lifter & some garden lime a couple of times during spring & summer.

All Eyeballed amounts but i tend to go easy on this with my lophs

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I'm an ex bunnings team-member as well smile.gif seasol is marketed as a soil conditioner/improver, much like using gypsum. It also has auxins which stregthen plant cells to prevent insect and heat/cold damage. I personally think it is a good additive to plants, but I get my seaweed extract from hydro shops ($50/5litres) which is a fair bit cheaper than seasol. It is not a fertiliser, but many people who have no investment in the company swear by the product.

I know another bunnings plant guy who is into trees for life like me, and he is adamant that seasol is awesome for native plants. As in he will buy the stuff when he cant get it for free

Edited by rogdog

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Seasol is more a root stimulant, good for a transplant or after a hot spell when growth has shut down and you want to get things going again but generally I think it is way over used.

I once heard one of the gardeners on the radio say you should never put it on natives at all.

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My maidens get a seaweed extract feed quarterly, and a handfull of blood and bone at the same time. They are 3 foot tall after a year, so it cant be too bad for them.

I guess it's a case of each gardener has thier own ideas about how to garden, me, I like to push the plants pretty hard, so I juice them up while they are young. Who knows what it does to the alkaloids in the long run, but I like to see lots of continual growth

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I vote for Charlie Carp also, I think it's great how they have turned this destructive pest into a quality organic fertiliser and built a successful business in the process. A great example of an environmentally conscious Aussie company, they certainly get my support.

http://w ww.charliecarp.com/environment.htm

As for the seasol, I use it from time to time, and believe it does benefit the plants if adequate fertiliser is also available, but I wouldn't say it's value for money. Better to put your hard earned dollars towards another bag of rooster booster (dynamic lifter clone at half the price, damn it's good shit!)

Edited by Alice

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Haha starting to think Bunnings have spys planted here to keep up to date :P

I hate to admit it but i've been using seasol like fertilser. Which i will stop now that i am aware of it's value or lack there of. What i'm wondering if i can use fertiliser on seedlings, from just sprouted to 4 weeks or there abouts. Root burning and all. Also someone mentioned using organic fert opens up the possibility of fungal growth and the like.

I've got most of my seedlings in take away tubs. They have holes drilled into the bottom for drainage but i suspect it wont be enough and if i use fert then it'll be premium conditions for a lot of bacteria that the roots wont like. TTHHAAANNNKKSSS!

cheers

Edited by Yawning Man

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Since we are talking seedlings here specifically I have heard from many experienced growers that 1/4 -1/2 strength seaweed + fish emulsion is the shit as seedlings really appreciate the boost to root growth along with the mild fish juice for nutes.

The Yates stuff is totally inorganic and heavy in salts, plus they say on the label that it should only be used on damp soil and to avoid contact with new or tender growth so personally I would avoid using it on anything other than established cacti.

If you let even a small amount of it evaporate it will leave behind large crystals of salts, that said for rooted cuts and such its wonderful and promotes vigorous growth and pupping very quickly.

Not sure how good it would be for human ingestion though as it could have appreciable amounts of heavy metals in it?

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Just wondering if it's safe to use Seasol or any any other fertiliser on trich and loph seedlings. Yates cacti fertiliser got a mention but i've been unable to locate any in any of the stores i go to. Carlie carp sounds pretty good but as mentioned there's the risk of fungal growth and other bacteria. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

When sowing the seeds, I spray them down with dilute Charlie Carp. Haven't had any problems from doing so, but they seem to do pretty well.

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Seems very un-natural to try and feed a plant a fish...wacko.gif...

even if it's all broken down and what not...where on earth would a plant naturally be able to access dead fish bi-products and use them pro-actively as a source of nutrients..?

Strange stuff indeed...chicken poo however I can certainly vouch for, that stuff is simply like sprinkling magic on your plants.

Miracle grow is outrageous at promoting fat green shiny happy healthy growth quickly...cactus seem to get hooked on it and want more and more, that thrive cactus fertlizer is okay but you don't see results like you do with chook manure or miracle grow. Chook pellets are best crumbled, sprinkled around the base of the pot plant and watered in deeply, as a good slow release fert you can push the pellets into the soil or bury them deep down in the soil.

As for slow release products they are actually quite good but most people miss-use them, they work ten times better if you place a handful "in the soil" right where the roots will be growing down too, not sprinkle or throw them with gay abandon across the yard or surface of the soil, you way as well throw or sprinkle confetti for all the good it will do.

Charlie carp and seasol...???

Fish eating plants, that's some wild and wacky shite I tell ya.

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The Yates stuff is totally inorganic and heavy in salts

 

This is the problem with most commercial fertilizers you will pick up at Bunnings etc. I do like Amgrow's Organix 'Harvest'...pricey, but the best widely available commercial liquid tonic IMO.

Best fertilizer I have used is a handful of fresh worm castings thrown in a bucket of de-chlorinated water with an un-sulfured simple sugar source, and aerated with an aquarium pump for 16-24 hours. Sometimes throw in a source of cold pressed, un-sulfured bull kelp for an extra boost of nutrients and microbes. And add some liquid humates...apples, green tea...the list goes on.

You can do better than 'simple' sugars but they do suffice: treacle, corn syrup, maple syrup, raw sugar. Just go to an organic store and get the un-sulfured stuffs.

Even just compost if you don't have access to worm castings.

Ok, I'll stop now, I really get carried away talking about ferts etc. :D

Try this stuff, Natrakelp (towards bottom of page).I think you can only buy it online and it really should be refrigerated, but it's greeeat stuff.

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Seems very un-natural to try and feed a plant a fish...

even if it's all broken down and what not...where on earth would a plant naturally be able to access dead fish bi-products and use them pro-actively as a source of nutrients..?

Ever seen how salmon play a pivotal role in keeping the forests in North America/Canada healthy?

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Another ex-bunnings team member here :lol:

I vote for Charlie Carp also, I think it's great how they have turned this destructive pest into a quality organic fertiliser and built a successful business in the process. A great example of an environmentally conscious Aussie company, they certainly get my support.

"There’s only one good European Carp and that’s a dead European Carp.

Since being introduced to our waterways, European carp have been responsible for the destruction of vast areas of our precious inland rivers, lakes and streams. Their feeding habits increase the muddiness or turbitiy of the water, river banks are undermined causing trees to fall into the water.

This in turn 'chokes' the river causing many problems for our native fish such as the murray cod, golden perch and catfish. Carp in turn feed on the eggs of the native fish further endangering them.

But once dead, it’s a different story. We turn them into Charlie Carp, the richest fertiliser. Rich because Charlie Carp is made from the whole fish and not scraps like other fish fertilisers. And the richest because this environmental pest is full of protein. "

http://www.charliecarp.com/environment.htm

As for the seasol, I use it from time to time, and believe it does benefit the plants if adequate fertiliser is also available, but I wouldn't say it's value for money. Better to put your hard earned dollars towards another bag of rooster booster (dynamic lifter clone at half the price, damn it's good shit!)

 

I second that for charlie carp but now I use ecofish as it is 100% organic and cheaper, half a cup of worm wee and a splash of ecofish does the job to 5 litres of water. I dont like seasol. Blood and bone is also good

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is blood and bone ok to put around trichos?

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Haha starting to think Bunnings have spys planted here to keep up to date

I was just thinkn the same thing.

Miracle grow, for everything.

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is blood and bone ok to put around trichos?

yes mate but dont go too silly with it, blood and bone is good but applied with too heavy a hand will cause death and destruction.

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"Seems very un-natural to try and feed a plant a fish..."

i assume it would surprise you then that one of the main plant foods used by the forests surrounding rivers in northern america and canada is the left over salmon dropped by bears and wolves every year when they go up river to spawn! Analysis of metal ions in these trees have revealed that some of these ions came from the depths of the atlantic via big fat slamon and bears with a taste for fish... infact a large contribution of nutrients comes from these fish being dumped in the forest!!!

Cant argue with nature and thousands of years of evolution

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Seems very un-natural to try and feed a plant a fish...wacko.gif...

even if it's all broken down and what not...where on earth would a plant naturally be able to access dead fish bi-products and use them pro-actively as a source of nutrients..?

Strange stuff indeed...chicken poo however I can certainly vouch for, that stuff is simply like sprinkling magic on your plants.

Miracle grow is outrageous at promoting fat green shiny happy healthy growth quickly...cactus seem to get hooked on it and want more and more, that thrive cactus fertlizer is okay but you don't see results like you do with chook manure or miracle grow. Chook pellets are best crumbled, sprinkled around the base of the pot plant and watered in deeply, as a good slow release fert you can push the pellets into the soil or bury them deep down in the soil.

As for slow release products they are actually quite good but most people miss-use them, they work ten times better if you place a handful "in the soil" right where the roots will be growing down too, not sprinkle or throw them with gay abandon across the yard or surface of the soil, you way as well throw or sprinkle confetti for all the good it will do.

Charlie carp and seasol...???

Fish eating plants, that's some wild and wacky shite I tell ya.

 

Dude think about it plants grow near water, and fish swim and die in water. Not rocket science. Mr.Stay Puft has proved that fish feed is common for plants to feed off and makes them super healthy.

Where on earth?

Most places on earth have water, plants and fish! I have noticed that you get some really healthy plants near water. When I went to thailand I seen this first hand!!!!

Worm casting and worm wee is also magic for all plants.

I am sure that there aint many chickens in mexico shiting near loph's! :)

Lighten up a bit chiral, you always seem to find a downer in someone post

Edited by sharxx101

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What about all the fossilised marine life in the middle of the outback? Many parts of the earth have been covered with water that leaves due to environmental forces leaving behind fish etc carcasses.

I have a worm farm going and it produces way too much worm wee for me to use. Any adelaideans interested can pm me for freebies

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I am sure that there aint many chickens in mexico shiting near loph's! :)

 

I'm sure there is sufficient avian fauna available to supply faecal fertiliser for lophs!

Chickens were introduced to Mexico by the Spanish.

of course there are turkeys which were domesticated there in pre-Columbian times.

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Ever seen how salmon play a pivotal role in keeping the forests in North America/Canada healthy?

 

yeah somewhere i read that nutrients from fish in the form of bear & bird droppings are pretty much an utterly vital part of the nutrient cycle in northern forests & without it many ecosystems would begin to break down & be severely affected

edit: bah, i've just read mrstaypuft's post...

Edited by xodarap

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"Seems very un-natural to try and feed a plant a fish..."

i assume it would surprise you then that one of the main plant foods used by the forests surrounding rivers in northern america and canada is the left over salmon dropped by bears and wolves every year when they go up river to spawn! Analysis of metal ions in these trees have revealed that some of these ions came from the depths of the atlantic via big fat slamon and bears with a taste for fish... infact a large contribution of nutrients comes from these fish being dumped in the forest!!!

Cant argue with nature and thousands of years of evolution

 

Awrighty then...now lets consider for a minute that a plant or tree doesn't have a choice in what hits the ground for breaking down, it usually doesn't and that's how plants are poisoned or die back...so okay then,..sure enough a bear might drop a fish here or there...strange that they would leave anything, would have thought they eat the whole fish, but anyways, the fish bits breaks down into it's constituent parts, is processed by fungi and worms and lichens etc.. and becomes part of the soil layer. What evidence is there to support that these fish bi-products are of any benefit whats so ever to tree's or plants...

Sharxx I'm not being down, I would just like to know so I can log this information into my data bank...the way I'm seeing it is that there is a lot of fish bi-products come out of industry and some clever dick has developed a magic plant tonic with it...Lisa's lil slurry anyone. Why waste all those fish gizzards and bones etc, when they can be ground up to an oil and fed to plants...it's a bloody great idea if the evidence to support the claims is backed up with science..in which case I have to know, usually am flexible on but this is just pure static science IMO.

Plants can tolerate a lot crap flushed into the soil layer, but they only need what they need, sometimes a new chemical introduced into the layer can have adverse affects, mutations, gross over feeding, can lock up other nutrients and prevent the plant from feeding, burn roots, change pH to drastic or can even introduce unwanted trace amines and acids into the cell structure of the plant that when consumed by humans can make them sick, poisoned, cross species barriers for mutatant variances, cancer, reduced natural alkaloid levels and warped growth patterns that may get passed on through cloning or seed.

Plants living next to water look healthy, hmmm...this does not in any way suggest that they are feeding of fish bi-products, it means they have adapted to grow strong fat root systems that can support the plant against water movement and a possible liking for the pH of soil around river banks etc..which would more than likely be a very sandy and possibly alkaline. There may be some very minor fish bi-products make it into the river or lake bed sand at the edges but there is a lot of micro-organisms in water that all play their part in disposing of any dead or decaying fish. Same for the Salmon in Canada, I find it hard to believe actually that any scraps left by a bear would not be snapped up by birds, or wolves or just about any other wild animal in the area.

Me thinks that maybe this is more about animal shit and not random fish scraps that supposedly litter the thousands of hectares of Canadian wilderness.

Dunno why all this jumpin on me about bloody charlie carp and seasol...all's I wanted to know was why and how does a plant benefit from an english carp fish cake juice feed...particularly when the only evidence given to support this is Mr Stay Pufts salmon and a few oaks or pine trees in the far north west of Canada...that hardly declares Charlie carp or seasol the number one Ethno juice for all you hippies.

I think some of you are a little to precious about your fishy oils or are working for commission in an undercover way for the brand or labels....damn Seasol and Bunnings nazi's.

Internet blackouts and fertilizer snobs...wow.

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It will be just fine... And its organic, which is a total plus. sometimes i add a little fish emulsion for the trich's (pedros) Trouts says miracle grow is best but prefer to keep it organic. Only use seasol on your lophs though they don't handle nitrogen to well. But it is said a little nitrogen will increase alkaloid content in pedro's but that is only speculation. Hope i have helped.

Cheers,

Charlie.

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Lol... chill out peoples... all i was pointing out is that a comment about it being unnatural to feed plants fish was not well thought out... believe it or not thousands or salmon are dumped in the forest by bears and other carnivores during salmon sporing season (not because the bears have decided that it is a great fertilizer for the forest they reside in) simply because there is so much food at this time of year... and it just so happens that the coniferous forests in these areas benefit greatly from this (like i said evidence of chemicals usually found in deep sea water environments detected in trees, there are journal articles on this but i really do not care about proving myself enough to search for them)...

i have not hid the fact that i work for Bunnings, or the fact that i think seaweed solutions are way overused and over promoted (and for the most part a waste of time)... i can guarantee that i do not get kickbacks from any companies and think most of the major chemical manufactures are full of shit anyway (and these major companies would not really care what a bunch of ethno nuts use on there cacti)... and i simply pointed out that charlie carp is in fact a great source of bio-available nitrogen in a form that is quite gentle on plants (including seedlings)...

Oh and for the record I think Bunnings is a bully who has runied the small hardware and nursery stores but for the most part it is beacuse cheap a-holes like the majority of people out there will not pay an extra few dollars for quality Austrlian made things that has led to demise of the locals (that is stores and manufactures) it really annoys me when people preach to me about bunnings and then i see them in there on the weekend buying the $200 dollar chinese mower, only to come back to me and complain how crappy the chinese mower is... it is the consumer who drives the market and unfortunately the consumer is usually a dimwitted, cheap, ignorant fool! Bunnings simply pays the bills so i can better my education!

Edited by Mr Stay Puft

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so okay then,..sure enough a bear might drop a fish here or there...strange that they would leave anything, would have thought they eat the whole fish, but anyways, the fish bits breaks down into it's constituent parts, is processed by fungi and worms and lichens etc.. and becomes part of the soil layer. What evidence is there to support that these fish bi-products are of any benefit whats so ever to tree's or plants...

 

University of Victoria, British Columbia (source)

The Salmon Forest Project

Nutrients tend to flow from the land to the sea but recent studies by researchers in Alaska, British Columbia and Washington have focussed attention on the immense schools of migrating salmon that return nutrients from the open Pacific Ocean to coastal rivers and terrestrial habitats. Our research group has observed that black bears and grizzly bears throughout the British Columbia coast transfer large quantities of salmon carcasses from rivers into forests and these nutrients are incorporated into a broad diversity of plant and animal taxa. We are using nitrogen and carbon isotopes to quantify the uptake of salmon-derived nutrients by mosses, herbs, shrubs, trees, insects (Multiple Honours projects, MSc by D. Mathewson, PhD by M. Hocking), songbirds (MSc by Katie Christie), bears and wolves (MSc by D. Klinka, PhD by Chris Darimont)(see additional projects on Lab Members Page and Publications) . One of the results to emerge from our studies has been the detection of salmon signatures in the yearly growth rings of ancient trees and this offers new opportunities for identifying historical salmon abundance (tree rings ).

Edited by xodarap

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