Seaweed fertilizer

[Kiwilaw]

In the May issue of Orchids, Kuo-Liang Hung was interviewed about the terrific results he is getting with phals. He says he uses organic fertilizer (gallic acid, indole acetic acid, gibberellic acid) mixed with chemical fertilizers. Does anyone know more about this type of fertilizer and where you get it?

[leosmith678]

It is really very good as i have experience of using it. It is contains rich and very fertile contents. It would advice you to have Neptune's Harvest Seaweed Plant Food. Also i would give you another advice to have Ascophyllum Nodosum. It is grown in the pristine waters off the coast of Nova Scotia in the North Artic.

[raybark]

None of those three chemicals can be classified as "fertilizers". The latter two are plant growth regulators. IAA is a naturally-occurring analog of indole butyric acid, a common synthetic rooting hormone found in K-L-N and other, similar products. Gibberellic acid is a very powerful plant growth regulator, but overuse can result in "leggy" plants.

I've never heard of gallic acid use in horticulture, but a quick google search shows it to be in tannin, so is available in tea, but the only horticultural application I saw was to prevent blooming in kalanchoes, so they could be "timed" for the market.

<soapbox>
We often see articles posted and anecdotes touting the benefits of additives and supplements. While there is no denying that - in some circumstances - they can have an effect on plants, I am of the opinion that if one can master the combination of basic culture parameters and apply them consistently, there is no measurable benefit to such additives. If your culture is lacking, there might be. A couple of caveats to that, though:

1) One should also keep in mind that many of these additive chemicals tend to be unstable, and are only effective if fresh, stored properly, and even processed properly to begin with. If those criteria are not met, your additions will do nothing anyway.

2) Folks will often observe a remarkable improvement in their plants upon introduction of a new fertilizer formula or additive. In many cases however, that change has nothing to do with the new product. Instead, because the "new thing" has sparked some increased level of interest or focus, the individual is actually paying more attention and doing a better job of feeding their plants more regularly, and providing better overall culture. After a while that "bump" in attention subsides, and they return to old habits, with the same old results.
</soapbox>

Wow! I’ve never heard of this before and I think they’re awesome!

[jean2]

Liquid seaweed fertilizer is one of the best fertilizers you can use on your plants. Most seaweed based fertilizers are made from kelp. This fertilizer is not only organic, but comes from a sustainable source and can be harvested without damaging the environment. One benefit of using a liquid seaweed fertilizer is that you can vary the concentrations according to what you are using the fertilizer for

[raybark]

I disagree, Jean2.

Seaweed fertilizers DO have the advantage of sustainability, but they tend to be very weak and incomplete. An analysis I saw recently showed it to be a 0-0-1, with something on the order of 1-0-4 being the norm for kelp.

They are more often added to fertilizers for their micronutrients, enzymes, and the cell division-stimulating chemicals discussed above.

[chuangxin]

seaweed fertilizer is good, and i know another organic fertilizer - humic acid fertilizer, you could google it