NPK Values

[The Helpful Gardener]

I have an addition!

Found the NPK value for cocoa hulls in the American Horticultural Society's Encyclopedia (a most wonderful tome).

3-1-3.2 (not to mention lots of humic acids and trace elements)

GOOD STUFF!

Scott

[opabinia51]

I need to get a bag of those! I think I'll drive out to Home Depot today to see if they have them. (As per Val's advice)

[grandpasrose]

I hope you find them! If not, do you have a Rona store? That is where I got some as well as my farmer's co-op. Maybe I could send you some if you send me some seaweed!!!!(ya right!)
VAL

[Grey]

Seaweed would do wonders for my garden too - look it's an entreprenurial opportunity! Find a way to ship seaweed (without making the mailman keel over from the odor) and I'll send... GA clay? Not much else in abundance around here. But the clay has shown me it's pretty healthy stuff! I've never had a tomato plant like these before.

[opabinia51]

Actually you guys, there is a product called Kelp Meal that you can get. It's a dried version of seaweed. And I am almost certain that the meal would have more than just kelp in it. Probably a few members of chlorophyta like Ulva and what not and perhaps a few Red Algaes as well.

Val, if you and your husband ever do a trip to Bella Coola, bring some sealable buckets for when you are at any beaches. Or, I guess it would be Bella Bella techniquely speaking. Anyway, somewhere to the West of you is the Great Wide Pacific.

Oh and by the way. The green algae fround in lakes and ponds, works wonders for the garden. Reading Gaia's Garden will tell you why, just ask the brothers on Orcas Island, Washington USA; they put it in their permaculture garden (more like a forest) and reap the wonders.

[grandpasrose]

I know about the algae from ponds, cause we use it from our own pond. Do you know anything about the long feathery type plants that grow in the fresh water lakes? I am not sure what they are, but wonder if they might be similar?
I have put kelp meal in my rose garden, but I still think the true kelp would be better. When my grandfather was alive (15 years ago) he used to have his daughter from White Rock save plastic bags full of dried kelp off the beaches there for him so he could put them on the roses. I remember how stinky they were by the time they got here!!!!
Thanks Opa for the help.
VAL

[opabinia51]

Actually if you look at the NPK thread; apparently dried seaweed has more nutrients available for plants to use than does fresh seaweed. So, I would think that Kelp meal would actually be better. Though, I personally really like adding the Chlorophyta, Phaephyta and Rodophyta as a good mix to my garden. I also add a light spreading of kelp meal in April though.

Oh yeah, the feathery plant in lakes and ponds is actually not an algae. It is a so called primitive vascular plant. (as far as I know). I'm blanking on it's name and I don't have any nutrient values for you.

I'm just trying to think of someone whom I can ask about that.... Maybe a person in the Herbarium at UVIC. I'll get back to you.

[grandpasrose]

Probably the dried kelp has more nutrients than the fresh because it is concentrated more (no water volume).
I'm sure curious to find out about the lake plants - we have them growing out at our cabin at Quesnel Lake. If they are good, I'll haul them home!
Thanks for checking Opa!
VAL

[opabinia51]

Well, that is an interesting subject that you bring up because, the nutrients are always there, but after drying they just become more concentrated. Perhaps in the wet seaweed (with water in it) the nutrients are more easily leached from the seaweed.

I don't know, I'll have to look into that.

I'll check on that plant for you, I'm sure it would be good (it wouldn't be bad), I just don't know what the nutrient values for it would be.

[The Helpful Gardener]

Careful moving those pond plants. Many are invasives and are illegal to transport ANYWHERE, so watch out for DEP...

Scott

[grandpasrose]

What's DEP?
VAL

[The Helpful Gardener]

Department of Environmental Protection (our state level crew)...

[grandpasrose]

Oh.....I see! We don't have those up here.
I was meaning that I would bring the plants out of the lake home to put in my compost, not to put in my pond. You're very right, they would take over my little pond in no time!!
VAL

[The Helpful Gardener]

Got ya, but in our state, moving those invasives ANYWHERE is a crime. Forewarned is forearmed...

[opabinia51]

The plant that val is talking about is actually part of the local flora in our province. So, I don't think it will be a problem.