What Is Seaweed Fertilizer? A Complete Guide
What is seaweed fertilizer? What are the characteristics of seaweed fertilizer? What effects does seaweed fertilizer have on crops? We ask knowledgeable readers to help explain. Seaweed fertilizer mainly refers to a natural homemade organic fertilizer made by extracting the active ingredients from marine algae. Farmers also call it seaweed plant growth stimulant, seaweed essence,...
What is seaweed fertilizer? What are the characteristics of seaweed fertilizer? What effects does seaweed fertilizer have on crops? We ask knowledgeable readers to help explain.Seaweed fertilizer mainly refers to a natural homemade organic fertilizer made by extracting the active ingredients from marine algae. Farmers also call it by other names such as seaweed plant growth stimulant, seaweed essence and seaweed ash. Seaweed fertilizer is widely used in foliar fertilizers, base fertilizers, water-flush fertilizers, organic-inorganic compound fertilizers, rooting agents, seed dressings and special fertilizers for flowers. Therefore, Zhongdiwang has compiled the characteristics of seaweed fertilizer and its effects on crops, listed in detail below for readers' reference.
Characteristics of seaweed fertilizer:
Characteristic 1: Seaweed fertilizer is rich in nutrients:
Because seaweed fertilizer uses natural brown algae or kelp as raw materials, it contains a large amount of non-nitrogenous organic matter and a variety of minerals such as potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, iron, zinc, boron, copper and iodine, as well as abundant vitamins, all of which land plants cannot match. Moreover, seaweed fertilizer can stimulate non-specific active factors in plants and regulate the balance of endogenous hormones, increase the vitality of crop roots, improve the roots' ability to absorb nutrients, and promote crop growth and development.
Characteristic 2: Seaweed fertilizer is easily absorbed by crops:
Because the active ingredients in seaweed fertilizer undergo special treatment, they are in an active state that is very easily absorbed by crops. Just 2-3 hours after application, seaweed fertilizer can enter the plant and has a very fast absorption and conduction speed. The alginic acid in seaweed fertilizer can reduce the surface tension of water and form a thin film on the plant surface, increasing the contact area. Water-soluble substances can more easily pass through the cell membranes of the stem and leaf surface into the plant cells, enabling the plant to effectively absorb the nutrients in the seaweed extract.
Characteristic 3: Seaweed fertilizer has a certain disease-prevention effect:
Because seaweed fertilizer contains special bacterial strains that control crop diseases, it can effectively inhibit and reduce the number of pathogenic and miscellaneous bacteria in the soil, use bacteria to fight bacteria, increase the number of beneficial bacteria in the soil, and improve the soil's micro-ecological environment. It has a significant control effect on the death of economic crops caused by continuous cropping, such as Fusarium wilt, Verticillium wilt, root rot and viral diseases. Moreover, the ingredients contained in seaweed fertilizer have antibacterial and antiviral effects, and seaweed fertilizer also has a certain repellent effect on aphids and root-knot nematodes.
Characteristic 4: Seaweed fertilizer can improve the soil:
Seaweed fertilizer is a natural biological agent that directly increases the organic matter in the soil, or does so through plants, and activates various microorganisms in the soil. At the same time, the natural compounds contained in seaweed fertilizer can promote the formation of soil aggregates, improve soil pore space, restore the colloidal balance lost due to excessive soil burden and chemical pollution, increase soil biological activity and the release rate of available nutrients, favor crop root growth, and improve crops' drought resistance, cold resistance and waterlogging resistance.
Characteristic 5: Seaweed fertilizer is harmless:
Because the main raw materials of seaweed fertilizer are natural seaweed and high-quality bacterial strains, produced through advanced biochemical extraction technology and deep liquid fermentation, and no hormones are added throughout the production process. Moreover, seaweed fertilizer not only promotes crop growth, but the beneficial bacterial strains in it can also degrade toxic substances in the soil and inhibit crops from absorbing harmful substances such as nitrites. Therefore, seaweed fertilizer is non-toxic and harmless to humans and livestock, and causes no pollution to the environment.
Seaweed fertilizer's effects on crops:
Effect 1: Seaweed fertilizer can regulate crop physiological metabolism, increase the flowering and fruit-setting rates, and make crops bloom and bear fruit earlier. Generally, it can advance this by 5 to 7 days.
Effect 2: Seaweed fertilizer can improve crop quality, giving fruit good coloring, fewer deformed fruits, good taste, no fruit cracking, earlier ripening and better storage and transport tolerance; seaweed fertilizer can make leafy vegetables bright green with a glossy sheen, less fiber and a crisp, tender texture; seaweed fertilizer can make root vegetables smooth-skinned and neatly shaped.
Effect 3: Seaweed fertilizer can increase crop stress resistance and has a clear growth-promoting effect on crops, with a yield increase generally of about 10%. Seaweed fertilizer can effectively improve crop root development, stimulate crop cell vitality, enhance photosynthesis, improve crops' cold and drought resistance, and has a clear preventive and control effect on aphids, gray mold and mosaic disease.
Effect 4: Seaweed fertilizer can promote crop rooting and sprouting, make weak seedlings strong, and quickly restore stunted seedlings, yellow leaves, curled leaves and fallen leaves.
Effect 5: Seaweed fertilizer can improve the soil, build up soil fertility, promote crop root development, and effectively prevent the occurrence of soil-borne diseases.
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