Deep in the bed of virtually every ocean and sea, there lies a large plant-like organism that survives incredibly harsh conditions through the sheer power of its natural vitamins, nutrients and hormones. The turbulent waves and swarms of kelp eating animals mean that in order to survive, it has to propagate easier and grow much faster than your average plant. Hydroponics supply companies harness everything that makes kelp such a powerful, fast growing and disease resistant plant by distilling it into seaweed plant food. Seaweed plant food can make a fantastic addition to your overall nutrient and supplement strategy, especially if you are growing organically, but only if you know how to do it correctly. Here are the best ways you can ensure that you are getting the most out of your kelp based plant food.
Spray it On Your Leaves – Though most seaweed plant food is produced with the expectation that it will be used primarily in the root zone, it can also make for a fantastic fertilizer. This can be particularly helpful you if you want to protect your plant from disease. Kelp contains natural antibiotics that can help keep harmful bacteria at bay. In addition, foliar feeding can help give your plants an extra boost of vitamins and hormones that they might not be receiving through their roots.
Use Fulvic Acid – To create a root zone that is truly ideal for the vitality of your plant, you would do well to invest in a hydroponic product that contains fulvic acid. Just like the old saying goes “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink,” you can bring nutrients to your roots, but that doesn’t guarantee that they will absorb them rapidly. To do that, you have to make sure to include fulvic acid. This product will convert the compounds in your root zone from something that may not be useful into nutrients that will help your plant grow to its potential.
Use Humic Acid – While it is certainly possible to get an added advantage out of just using fulvic acid, if you really want to experience the most benefit from your seaweed plant food, you should also include humic acid to your nutrient solution. They serve similar functions and are derived from the same source, but differ in the conditions that render them soluble. These two products work in unison to make sure that the nutrients that you provide your plant are actually usable by your plant.
Increase Nutrient Concentration – Don’t assume that the nutrient concentration that worked well before you begin using seaweed plant food will still work after you begin using kelp extract. By using seaweed fertilizer, fulvic acid and humic acid, you will be increasing nutrient uptake by an amazing degree. But this increased metabolism won’t help much if you don’t have the nutrients to help you. Experiment with increasing your nutrient concentrations slowly to see if your plants react favorably to the changes.