KELP MEAL

SOIL AND PLANT IMPROVER

From seaweed found in the cold, clean, nutrient-rich waters of the Atlantic Ocean comes the 100%

organic and healthy cocktail for your plants and soil.

Kelp meal helps plants grow bigger, quicker and increases their quality and yield.

• Soil water content is increased up to 8 times with coarse kelp meal and up to

16 times with fine kelp meal;

• Natural nutrients and minerals are added to the soil and slowly released over a period of

• Evaporation and run-off of precious soil water is reduced by up to 50%;

• Loss of soluble nutrients, specifically nitrates though leaching, is reduced by up to 9 times

• Soil quality is improved by:

o Increasing soil organic matter and nutrients

o Increasing soil aggregate stability

o Increasing soil aeration

o Decreasing compaction

o Buffering against soil pH and temperature extremes

• Kelp meal is odour-free when applied;

• Kelp meal reduced labour, fertiliser, water and energy costs

• Kelp meal retains expensive soil additives in the ground,

reducing the risk of nutrient-rich run-off.

APPLICATION

Kelp meal can be used dry if the soil is watered immediately after application, but

works best when pre-hydrated (swollen in water) prior to mixing into the top 10-15cms of soil. Add

dry kelp meal to the recommended volume of water. Allow to hydrate for 6-8 hours

in a shaded place or overnight and then mix evenly into the soil prior to planting. When watering

intervals do not exceed 7 days, use 1% Kelp meal. In very arid, sandy soils or when

watering exceeds 7 days, use 2% kelp meal.

USERS OF Kelp meal

Organic growers/farmers/herb growers:

• Irrigation costs and soil salinity levels are vastly reduced;

• Plants are “drought-proofed” when water is temporarily unavailable – experiments have

shown that, after 3 weeks with NO water, maize grown in soil treated with Kelp meal was still unstressed for water;

• Not only does kelp meal save money by decreasing the necessity for

frequent water and nitrate additions, Kelp meal also slow-releases essential

plant nutrients, adding vital nutrients to the soil for up to a year;

• Vegetables grown in soil treated with Kelp meal are larger, juicier and full of

flavour;

• Vegetable seed germination rates and plant yield is greatly improved by Kelp meal treatment;

• Kelp meal produces high-quality crops in a shorter period of time;

• Kelp meal is 100% natural and contains no harmful additives so the users can

be assured of the healthiest vegetables and fruit for consumption.

Horticulturists:

Kelp meal can be used economically for:

• Rapid golf green and playing field turf establishment;

• Lawn establishment and maintenance of already established lawns – the addition of

Kelp meal will ensure that these remain green and lush, at the same time

reducing maintenance and water costs;

• Ornamental plant establishment and maintenance;

• Rapid rooting of cuttings under dry conditions – costs on mist irrigation can be reduced;

• Rapid seed germination and establishment. Kelp meal prevents seed

trays and seedbeds from drying out and reliably releases water nutrients and germination

stimulants to developing seedlings.

For the home and office/indoor and outdoor plantscapers/potted plants:

• Kelp meal ensures that more water and nutrients are available to plants,

increasing humidity around the plants and preventing wilting, as well as improving plant

performance in low light conditions;

• A larger, healthier plant is obtained for lower maintenance, replacement, labour and water

costs.

Soil rehabilitation:

• Kelp meal increases the soil organic matter and nutrient content.

• Kelp meal helps prevent pollutant (especially di- and trivalent metal cation)

leaching to groundwater;

• Kelp meal helps prevent nutrient-leaching and water eutrophication;

• Kelp meal provides pH adjustment and increases nutrient availability in

processed and artificial soil formations;

• Kelp meal remediates salinized, acidic and alkaline soils.

PROPERTIES OF Kelp meal

Kelp meal is an environmentally-friendly and biodegradable natural product

derived from seaweed – but without a strong seaweed odour when applied. The seaweed is freshly

harvested from the cool, clean, nutrient-rich waters of the Atlantic Ocean before being washed, pH

balanced, processed, dried and graded into the various Kelp meal sizes.

Research has shown that pre-treatment of arid soil with only 1-2% Kelp meal results

in up to 3 times improvement in plant growth, condition and yield. This is due to the hydrophilic

(water-loving) and buffering properties of Kelp meal that can hold many times its

own weight in water. By capturing and storing water in the soil, Kelp meal increases

the level of moisture available to plant roots, decreases water evaporation and run-off, and also

helps prevent the leaching of soluble soil nutrients, such as nitrates. Kelp meal also

protects plant roots against extremes in temperature and pH, decreasing the risks of frost and acid

or alkali damage to roots.

Kelp meal contains necessary soil elements for plant growth and has a narrow

carbon: nitrogen ratio that ensures that nitrogen will not become limiting.

Kelp meal has a pH of 5.8 – 6.5, which is optimal for plant nutrient uptake and a wide

pH buffering range of between 4.5 – 9.0, ensuring that Kelp meal can be used in, and

will ameliorate, a wide range of soil conditions.

Kelp meal coats soil particles, thus stabilising artificial soil formations, increasing

aeration and reducing compaction. By acting as a potent negatively-charged ion-exchanger and

chelating agent in the soil, Kelp meal decreases the leaching of soluble cations and

enhances soil fertility, whilst increasing the availability of many key nutrients to plant roots. These

effects, combined with the water and nutrient boost of Kelp meal, significantly

increase plant productivity and decrease plant dependency on expensive water and fertiliser

additions during droughts.

Kelp meal is not just an inert substance – it is a heady cocktail of vital elements and

soil improvers, resulting in minerals and vitamins lasting longer over a period of time.

Our kelp meal was developed and tested by plant, soil and seaweed scientists of the

Botany Department of the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.