Seaweed for a Blooming Great Lawn
Seaweed promotes health, goodness and biological activity within the grass and the soil producing a greener, stronger and more disease resistant lawn.
It is important to fully understand what seaweed does in the lawn to enable you to use it correctly as part of your lawn care program. Consider it to be a promoter of health, goodness and biological activity within the grass plant and the soil.
It is not too dissimilar to why we as humans might eat fermented foods such as kimchi, kefir, kombucha or sauerkraut. These foods would not by themselves lead to a very healthy diet and we would soon end up with many health problems due to nutrient deficiencies. However, adding fermented foods as part of a balanced diet improves your microbiome, digestive transit and uptake of vitamins and nutrients for a healthier more regular you!
So, seaweed by itself has some benefits but it is not a substitute for fertiliser. It is blooming dynamite however, if applied WITH fertiliser.
Seaweed and Fertiliser Combinations
Seaweed improves the performance of fertiliser so should be applied first. As a guide we would say to apply granular or liquid fertiliser a week to a month after any application of seaweed. If you are maintaining a regular supply of seaweed into the lawn this becomes less important though you should always look to apply fertiliser at least a few days after any seaweed application.
Enhanced Growth
Seaweed contains natural growth-promoting hormones like auxins, cytokinins, and gibberellins, which stimulate root development and overall turf growth in conjunction with the nitrogen from your fertiliser
Improved Stress Tolerance
Seaweed extracts contain compounds like betaines and mannitol, which help lawns withstand various stresses such as drought, heat, water logging and disease in partnership with the potassium in your fertiliser
Increased Nutrient Uptake
Seaweed acts as a bio-stimulant, improving fertiliser uptake efficiency and enhancing the absorption of essential elements, leading to healthier and greener lawn
Soil Conditioning
Seaweed enriches the soil with organic matter, improving soil structure, water retention, and nutrient-holding capacity, creating an optimal environment for root growth
Enhanced Disease Resistance
The bio-active compounds in seaweed boost the lawn's natural defences, making it more resistant to certain diseases and pathogens.
On the practical side it is also:
- Eco-Friendly: Seaweed is a sustainable and environmentally friendly option for lawn care, as it is a renewable resource and does not introduce harmful chemicals to the ecosystem
- Safe for Children and Pets: Seaweed products are non-toxic and safe for children and pets, providing a worry-free lawn care product to the armoury
- Easy to Apply: Seaweed products are user-friendly and easy to apply, making them accessible for homeowners seeking a natural and effective lawn care product
- Compatible: Can be applied at the same time as granular fertiliser or within a few days of soluble fertiliser or weed killer
Correct Method of Use
It is important to use this correctly as you are looking to improve and maintain a greater degree of beneficial organic, bacterial and fungal activity in the soil and lawn. This means a single dose won't do much good. The second dose builds on the first dose perhaps bringing about three times the improvement of the first dose. The increasing improvement continues throughout the growing season to achieve a better healthier lawn. This continuously improving scenario is not a lot different from things we may do to improve out health and fitness from diets to exercise routines. Doing either of these for a few days or weeks is not going to make much difference but over the long-term massive benefits can be achieved!
Our two application recommendations for normal use are stated on the product and involve either monthly applications from March to October or three seasonal applications in Spring, Summer and Autumn. If starting applications towards the end of the year we suggest two monthly applications minimum to get the lawn bio system running well before winter. You can then get on to your favoured program in the new year.
Some lawns may require or need applications over winter. In particular any lawn prone to disease or drought is worth winter treating as are lawns with heavy use or older lawns (over 20 years old).
Seaweed Products
We have always put dried seaweed in our Spring & Summer fertilisers for the very good reasons above. However, sometimes this is not enough due to climate, rainfall, drought, lawn age, compaction and use. Therefore we also have a liquid product to boost your lawn bio for a better blooming lawn even in autumn and winter.