| Kelp
is a large underwater plant that accumulates
a number of nutrients. It is used in food
supplements for animals and humans, cosmetics
and a variety of other uses. For plants
kelp is used as a foliar spray and as
a soil amendment, compost ingredient or
irrigation feed. Wet seaweed gathered
on the beach, washed and composted, can
be a good biological source of potassium
and a wide variety of trace elements,
including ingredients that can improve
soil texture and tilth. Kelp also contains
relatively concentrated amounts of plant
auxins, growth regulators and stimulants,
gibberellic acid and cytokinins. These
components promote plant health in a variety
of ways from root stimulation of transplants
and cuttings to delaying decay in mature
crops. Most commercial soluble aquatic
plant products are based on the kelp species
Ascophyllum nodosum, harvested from the
North Atlantic off the coasts of Canada
and Norway. |
