Seaweed.. How best to use?

I have limited access to chicken, cow, turkey or any other quality manure but unlimited access to seaweed. Even though I rinse it and dry it in the sun I still wonder if I am just putting to much salt into my gardens. Is the seaweed they use for a store bought emulsion salt free or is it at least taken into consideration?

If I put an onion bag of the seagold in 50 gallons of water for a day or two am I getting rid of the bulk of the salt? I live close enough to the water that there is often a "salty" breeze and we use tons of it on the road so does it even make any difference?

Anyone want to trade seaweed for dung

Opps..

A picture posting failure..

Hi Rotted,
No one had answered your question, and I"m not expert on seaweed, so I googled "using seaweed in the garden." The different sources recommended rinsing it off. Most suggested spreading it out and washing with a hose OR letting it sit out during a rainfall (not that we've had much of THAT lately in MA, at least in my part of the state!)
Sounds like you're doing plenty with the prolonged soak you're using.

When you say "seagold" are you talking about the organic fertilizer product called "Seagold? " I'm pretty sure that any "store-bought emulsions" would already have been correctly de-salted for garden use.

(edited for typos)

This message was edited Aug 7, 2010 8:20 AM

Hey CapeCod.. Thanks for the response!! I do rinse and dry on netting and when I make tea 50 gallons at a time I just use the "tea" from the first couple soakings on old stable plants and when I think I have leached enough salt out of the muck I use it on more delicate stuff.

I really thought I would have had a couple of responses to a question regarding bulk seaweed use as I thought anyone within range hit the beaches for a bunch. It just has so many uses. When I said Seagold, I didn't know it was a trade name. I just like seaweed. I wonder how they desalinize seaweed??

I would have googled as well but I like to hear first hand experiences although I have used TONs over the years and never noticed a problem but I may just be missing it.

Ps... Z7a?? I'm a Z6b but I wish I was a Z7a or b. Oh yes! A pal said there was a nice nursery in Hyannis but I can't remember what they said the name was. Do you know the name of what the place might have been. If it's worth it I will take the 40 minute ride down once the tourist come back across the bridges. The cape is torture for me this time of year...

TY again for the response..John

Salt dissolves so easily in water (as we all know from the kitchen) that it surely will also dissolve easily in your soaking tub or a rainstorm. Overnight would work, I'm sure. If you are still unsure, dump the water and re-do it, then taste the water (it won't hurt you!)

When you dump the water, it will be somewhat salty so you need to be more careful of that than the soaked seaweed. A street drain would be fine or various different locations in your yard as it will leach away.

Paul

Yes, the Cape is (supposedly) zone 7a, though I'm sure there are some microclimate areas that tend more towards 6b. Though with the warming climate trends lately we might be settling into Z7!
I think you mean the Hyannis nursery called Country Gardens Nursery, where I shop all the time. As well as "regular" garden products, plus a good selection of plants, etc., they've also had a genuine commitment to organic gardening products and practices for years. Well worth a visit.
Know what you mean about "crossing the Bridge." We try to stay this side of it for the next month.