Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The big problem with using ocean water directly is obvious:
it's really heavy and you can't grow plants in salt water
because it kills them. In fact, one of the practices of ancient
warfare was to sow your enemies' fields with salt so they
wouldn't be fertile. Fortunately, only a small quantity of sea
solids is required, and when package directions are followed
not only is there no harm, but plants become more healthy
and more resistant to insects and diseases. The process is also
cost effective as, on a mini farm, the amount of sea minerals
required is tiny; so even a ten-pound bag of sea minerals from
various sources will literally last for years. (I use five pounds
annually when I haven't been able to supplement my compost
with seaweed.) There are a number of companies offering sea
minerals such as GroPal, Sea Agri, Sea Minerals from
Arkansas and others. The key is that each offering is a bit
different, so be sure to scale the package directions
appropriately.
Do not use “sea salt” in place of these products. Why not?
Because most sea salt sold for culinary use is this beautiful
crystalline white stuff from which all of the valuable trace
nutrients have been removed. There are a few unrefined
offerings of culinary sea salt out there, such as Celtic Sea
Salt, but these are very expensive for agricultural use.
Now before I go further, I want to discuss the effect of
composting on micro-nutrients. In all likelihood, your soil
will start off with some degree of deficiency. But when you
add nutrients to your soil, they will end up in your plant
materials. Then, when you compost the materials and add
them back to the soil, the elements will have been conserved.
Furthermore, the humic acid will chelate and microorganisms
in compost will hold these nutrients, whether the compost is
