Calcified Seaweed

[Badger1]

Saw this stuff in bags, what is it, how do you use it and where does it come from. ???

[Badger1]

[tim]

Not quite what it might sound?

http://www.fruithillfarm.com/cat/swcalc.shtml

[Badger1]

Gosh, your right. Ta for that. Anyone here ever used it?

[tim]

Yes - loving seaweed - before I realised what it actually was!!

Now seaweed meal - a different kettle of fish!

[markfield rover]

Yes, when we took our second plot it had been covered in nasty,nasty rubber backed carpet for at least 6 years!!! so when we got back to
the soil , double dug and thought,
rain ,sun and calcified seaweed would be a real treat! That was last   October the broad beans are up and looking good!

[Gardenantics]

I use it to sprinkle into my worm bin to stop acidity building up.Seems to work fine, but the worms object to getting covered in it, so i put it on top of a batch of waste as I fill the bin. I do it maybe 4 times a year with a British Standard Handful each time.

Brian

[djbrenton]

I use it when feeding brassica as it has a slight liming action.It's also good mixed into seedling compost. Just a note, but the Soil Assocaition have taken it off the approved list because it's harvesting destroys habitat. The Cornish Calcified Seaweed company, however, harvest it before the routine dredging takes place so is actually salvaging what would be dumped otherwise.

[Andy H]

mum collects seaweed from above the tide line for me and has loads of trace elements/minerals in it so buried loads with manure and planted pumpkin on top! Also compost as much as I can get.

[Andy H]

Also considering rock salt? any one else used it?

I may start a new thread on the subject, saw it on tv.

[Andy H]

Yeah found it again after computer reset and favorites vanished!!!

Remineralisation trail...

Cameron and Moira Thomson

http://www.seercentre.org.uk/original/trustees.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3679450.stm

The later being where I first found the info after watching TV last year ;D

[Rose.mary]

I use Calcified Seaweed instead of lime. It seems to work alright for me and it is cheap.

Rosemary

[tim]

Glad you said that about 'instead of lime' - so many soils do not want lime. And it's typically 40+% calcium?

But I'm surprised that it's 'cheap' (in comparison with lime?) given the effort to produce it?

[Rose.mary]

Andy H -  do you mean rock dust? If so you can buy it from John Walker & Sons Ltd.,Unit11, Crackenedge Lane, Dewsbury, West Yorks. WF13 1QD. Telephone 01924 457811. It used to be 3-5 bags £11.99 or 6 bags or more £10.99 (I think it has gone up quite a lot now)

Rosemary

[Andy H]

Yes Rosemary, Rock Dust...

Long way to go from Gatwick though!

I may pop up to Gaping Gill in Clapham(yorks) so could pick some up then!
Kill 2 birds with some stone ;D

[Rose.mary]

Andy H - I think that includes delivery.

Rosemary

[Robert_Brenchley]

Is that Gaping Ghyll on Ingleborough?

[Andy H]

Yes thats the one. spelt both ways. The Bradford Potholing club sets up a chair that descends 300 ft in a min twice a year. Alan titchmarsh went on it on the History of britain series. Loves caves, hate heights under 40ft!
Would probably be scared, done 2 12000ft jumps from plane but cant get past the gutter on a house!

Just done salt mine caves in Poland couple of weeks ago.

Reckon there are big Q`s and have to be there early so would have to leave about 2am from Gatwick!!!!!

Have you been in the caves?

[fbgrifter]

i alaso use it instead of lime - i'm on very acidic soil.  it contains all the trace elements too.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I've never been down in the winch but I did GG once via Bar Pot many years ago. It's really impressive, with a shaft of light coming down the middle with a waterfall in it. There's enough space down there to swallow any cathedral in the country with room to spare.