The real magical additive, Ascophyllum Nodosum

[dican01]

I agree with you there; outdoor can be different from
one hill to the next. If we are talking outdoor grown only.

With that said, what makes Atlantic/norwegian sea AN
different than pacific AN?
I read that if there is a lot of human activity(boating)
in the area the AN is harvested from it will have higher
copper concentrations due to the anti-fouling paint
used on boats. So that is one subtle difference.

If the AN has the omri designation shouldn't it all be
harvested/processed the same way to keep that designation?
Shouldn't be any difference there from company a to b.
With extracts yes I could see differences, but than
I need to ask what are they removing and can it really be called AN at that point?
Even labeling it organic I would think would
be gray area since it has been processed.
Or is that being too purist?

no, i do not work for maxicrop.
yes, norwegian seaweed is different from that harvested off the coast of the pacific. norwegian kelp (ascophyllum nodosum) a brown algae, is the seaweed most used in gardening. norwegian kelp is gathered off the coast of England, Ireland and Norway and both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America where it is called rockweed. maxicrop's seaweed extracts are always extracted from norwegian ascophyllum nodosum only. this is the best possible raw material available, ensuring the maximum concentration of active ingredients. they contain the majority of organic and inorganic constituents of seaweed, betaines, cytokinins, auxin-likes, polysaccharide and proteins.
before extraction, fresh seaweed is quickly dried to prevent leaching of active ingredients. maxicrops’s extraction process is carefully controlled in order to ensure the maximum solubilisation of the seaweed constituents and provide the best quality seaweed extract available.
maxicrop has been doing this for much longer than most of their competitors and they will continue to provide the highest quality AN for years to come. i would like to see a side by side comparison of different AN. maybe i will try one myself. anyone recommend another brand of AN to test?

 

[ent]

I use this stuff:

Here's my organic mix. Not one I've given out too often, kinda a secret recipe.

40% (10gal) peat
40% (10gal) perlite
10% (2.5gal) composted cow manure
10% (2.5gal) worm casting / guano

1 Tbls./gal. Blood meal
1 Tbls./gal. Bone meal
2 Tbls./gal. Rock Phosphate
3 Tbls./gal. Kelp meal
1/2 Tbls./gal. Sul-Po-Mag
fox farms peace of mind fruit & flower (1/2 strength)


Veg liquid nutes would be fish emulsion. Then you can use fox farms big bloom/tiger bloom or botanicares pure blend pro, or another organic lineup for bloom. Don't need much more than a PK nutrient and some calmag or sensical during bloom. Molasses doesn't hurt.

 

[Hashshashin]

Its all about how you process the seaweed which is why kelpak is probably rated the highest when it comes to plant growth hormones. I don't like Maxicrop because the way the process their AN, its controlled because its a simple way! Their powder is the same as the liquid just not buying water. Not to mention that the product i recommend is Acadian AN, the best possible and not all sources are the same. If you like Maxicrop, than fine stick with it. Just like fish emulsion, maxicrop uses either heat or lye to break down the material. The process to be looking for is cell rupture, with liquid would be better but more costly.

But the cost of using a soluble sea powder that applies at .5 tsp a gal pays for itself very quick. The main thing to me is i want the PGH and the nutrients. Knowing of the way they extract these will definitely influence the way i purchase.

If you really think maxicrop is truly organic you might want to check out the contents of it besides just the chlorine in it. Oregon has an organic council which runs test on these so called organic products which are "OMRI labeled" OMRI doesnt mean much to me either except that they go paid their dues.

Like i said use what works best for you, but the best product out there, its not any of these powders. Its the cell rupture technique of Kel-pak, better for veg though.

 

[dican01]

Its all about how you process the seaweed which is why kelpak is probably rated the highest when it comes to plant growth hormones. I don't like Maxicrop because the way the process their AN, its controlled because its a simple way! Their powder is the same as the liquid just not buying water. Not to mention that the product i recommend is Acadian AN, the best possible and not all sources are the same. If you like Maxicrop, than fine stick with it. Just like fish emulsion, maxicrop uses either heat or lye to break down the material. The process to be looking for is cell rupture, with liquid would be better but more costly.

But the cost of using a soluble sea powder that applies at .5 tsp a gal pays for itself very quick. The main thing to me is i want the PGH and the nutrients. Knowing of the way they extract these will definitely influence the way i purchase.

If you really think maxicrop is truly organic you might want to check out the contents of it besides just the chlorine in it. Oregon has an organic council which runs test on these so called organic products which are "OMRI labeled" OMRI doesnt mean much to me either except that they go paid their dues.

Like i said use what works best for you, but the best product out there, its not any of these powders. Its the cell rupture technique of Kel-pak, better for veg though.

nice. thanks for the info. the maxicrop powder is different than the liquid. it is the powder/granules that i use. it has no chlorine and some nitrogen (1-0-4). i have had great success with maxicrop's powder for over 5 years now. i am open to testing something else, and i think i will try out kel-pak. i am currently testing roots organics extreme serene (0-2-2, AN and quillaja saponaria) alongside maxicrop with similar results.
i hear what you are saying about the way it is processed. that is what is going to make the difference here. thanks again for the info Hashshashin. i will check out kel-pak for sure.

 

[IPlay4Keepz]

Does any1 know of a good distributor in the US 4 Kelpak? I cant find anybody that carries it. I'd love 2 try it and any help sourcing it would be much appreciated. -Keepz

 

[dican01]

this seems to be ALL i found on google:

Hydro-Gardens
P.O. Box 25845
Colorado Springs, CO 80936-5845
888-693-0578
[email protected]



KELPAK, Quart 4.0 lbs $15.50
KELPAK, Gallon 12.5 lbs $49.95
KELPAK, 2x2.5 Gal. 46.0 lbs $184.95
prices do not include shipping and handling

hope it helps. i will probably get some from here in a couple of weeks.

 

[dican01]

just found some info on kelpak too for all who are interested...

http://www.kelpak.com/

nice website

 

[dican01]

something important to note. kelpak is not AN. i have never used the stuff and am still curious to try it but it is for sure not AN.
ascophyllum nodosum is a large, common brown alga, being the only species in the genus ascophyllum. it is seaweed of the northern atlantic ocean, also known as norwegian kelp, knotted \kelp, knotted wrack or egg wrack. it is common on the north-western coast of europe (from svalbard to portugal) including east greenland and the north-eastern coast of north america.
ascophyllum is very popular amongst the science community and has been claimed to be both the best known seaweed on the planet as well as the most researched by the academic community.
kelpak is ecklonia maxima.
ecklonia maxima, sea bamboo, is a species of kelp native to the southern oceans. It is most typically found along the southern atlantic coast of africa, from the very south of south africa north to namibia. in these areas the species dominates the shallow (up to 8 m) temperate water kelp forests offshore.
from the holdfast attached to a rock or the large holdfast of another kelp, a single long stipe rises to the surface waters, where a single large pneumatocyst holds a tangle of blades at the surface.
the species is of economic importance: it is harvested for both an agricultural supplement and as food for abalone raised on farms.

i am very interested now to do a side by side with kelpak and maxicrop.

 

[JayBee]

For those of us who prefer to pay for the water, and/or need something for the hydro rez... any info on House and Garden Algen (super expensive) or BCuzz growth? Any others that folks recomend and that are easily available at hydro shops?

Thanks for all the good info here, you all got me excited about the seaweed now.

JB

 

[ent]

I went to a buddies house and noticed this.

He hasn't even used it yet and he had it for a few years. The kelpak is growing something inside that looks like a jellyfish. I might have to take it off his hands if has a shelf life long enough.

 

[JayBee]

just ordered a quart of kelpak for my hempy buckets. will let you all know how results are when i get it. also want to try something for my resv in ebb and flow system. sugestions? recently saw the technaflora extract powder too...

 

[dican01]

for an outdoor source of potassium, i like to use greensand. anyone else use this stuff? it is not as soluble as seaweed (which is a good thing outdoors, where it can break down and slowly release over time.) still has all of the trace minerals, but doesn't contain auxin, a plant growth hormone that in is AN. i still use AN outdoors as a foliar feed and as a compost tea additive because of this, and the instant results you get from AN.
greensand also comes from the ocean. mined from the bottom of the ocean floor. anybody used wood ashes, ground rock potash, or potash salts?

 

[dican01]

just ordered a quart of kelpak for my hempy buckets. will let you all know how results are when i get it. also want to try something for my resv in ebb and flow system. sugestions? recently saw the technaflora extract powder too...

nice. where did you order from? please post results. i plan to order some myself in a couple of weeks here.

 

[dican01]

For those of us who prefer to pay for the water, and/or need something for the hydro rez... any info on House and Garden Algen (super expensive) or BCuzz growth? Any others that folks recomend and that are easily available at hydro shops?

Thanks for all the good info here, you all got me excited about the seaweed now.

JB

have you looked into hygrozyme? i don't grow hydro, but have heard amazing stuff about this from those that do. this stuff is all natural too. i use it even though i grow in soil. i would recommend you check out this stuff for sure. should be available at most good grow shops.

 

[JayBee]

Thanks Dican- i cant remember the website off the top of my head, but i found it on google. only one place that sells it i think.

I have been using cannazyme for while, recently went through a bottle of sensizyme and now been experimenting with hygrozyme. Have not actually done any scientific side by side generally been using the cannazyme in my ebb and flow and hygrozyme in hempys. I use about 50% perlite and 25% hydrtoton and 25% vermiculite in my hempys by the way.

Ya know? I really, really, like ganja, a lot...:bong-hits:

 

[Over There]

RE: KELPAK

The KELPAK product is used in agriculture because it's a clear liquid and flows easily through the water irrigation/spraying systems - it's easy to apply and cost effective.

Unlike Maxicrop and other seaweed processors who use some form of an alkaloid extraction process, KELPAK uses a mechanical process whereby the 'juice' of the kelp is the end result. That in and of itself would be okay except that they also manipulate a specific set of auxins (plant hormones) to achieve root-growth enhancement.

RE: Bull Kelp (Nereocystis Luetkeana)

Bull kelp is found on the West Coast of the US - particularly along Oregon, Washington and on up to British Columbia. There is a product made from this seaweed/kelp out of Vancouver, British Columbia called KELPGROW. It like KELPAK is used primarily in the agriculture industry. The manufacturer uses a different process than either Maxicrop or KELPAKl - I'll explain that in a minute.

There is another seaweed extract product made from this variety from Eco-Nutrients.

Both of these 2 products differ from all the other major products from around the world (including China, India, Vietnam, et al.) in that the kelp is processed using enzymes, i.e. hydrolysate. Just like the process to make fish hydrolysate, i.e. the application of lactobacillus strains to break the matter down.

RE: Maxicrop

Maxicrop is processed in Norway along with about 4 other companies who play in the 'spot market' in the kelp industry. Maxicrop uses an alkaloid extraction process that involves heat - limiting the microbial activity. It is shipped in the dry form to their plants around the world.

Here's where the rub is from my perspective - it's the mixing of the seaweed extract (powder) with the local water at the plant in Illinois that brings about the chlorine issues. And for whatever reason they add soluble potash to the base mix.

The best soluble seaweed extract that is derived from Acophyllum Nodosum is out of Nova Scotia, i.e. Acadian Seaplants, Ltd. They use an cold-process method of extraction which maintains high microbial activity levels. One of their product lines is human food-grade and is the one that you'll find in the various herbal supplements found at a health food store.

This is the product that is widely used by nutrient manufacturers because of it's purity and solubility - 99% and if you source it correctly it's 1/2 the price of Maxicrop Seaweed Powder.

Over 99% of the kelp MEAL sold in North America comes from this plant as well. It's sold under several names at the wholesale level and is available through feed stores, farm stores, etc. Especially where horses are raised and bred - like humans and plants, horses benefit from the addition of kelp meal/products to their diet.

For good solid information on the application of kelp and seaweed extracts, the work of Dr. T.L. Senn is the best place to start.

BTW - simply adding kelp meal to a bucket of water and let it sit for a couple of days is a very effective way of adding 'AN' to your gardens and pretty inexpensive.

OT

 

[dican01]

thanks for the info over there.

 

[L-Immortal]

The algen from H&G I have used as a foliar only in dwc,coco, and now full organic grows.Algen gets an A+ in my book. Before you go and say look how expensive remember the max dose is 2ml/g (last's forever). Try it I assure you tour girls will love you for it.

 

[dican01]

ordered some kelpak today.

 

[xX Kid Twist Xx]

i remember reading somewhere not all AN is the same also, because of the water temperature difference were it lives. and the AN from Norway is the best because it has the most extreme temperature swing from 20 below to over 100 degrees. there is a little excerpt about this in the another AN thread here, but i read it in greater detail somewhere else