Guide to Buying Sea Nymph Seaweed in this Q&A guide we ask Sea Nymph Ltd about their product, with questions such as are all seaweeds the same and what are the benefits from using seaweed for sports turf.
Can you tell me a bit about sea Nymph seaweed including location and how it is produced?
Sea Nymph Ltd is a Family owned and run business based in Co. Galway on the West coast of Ireland (since 1954), with 3 generations of the Casburn Family involved in the processing of Seaweeds. Specialising in products for Amenity Sports Turf since the early 1980’s. Our knowledge and experience allow us to build and improve on nutritional inputs and planners for Sports Turf Professionals who are interested in building a stronger, happier and more robust grass plant without the reliance on chemicals or synthetic products.
What are the main benefits of using liquid seaweed on sports turf?
* Promotes plant health and consistency of growth
* Strong Natural root development (no raw sugars involved)
* Photosynthesis (colour back into leaf tips)
* Resistance against abiotic stress (drought/frost, etc)
* Recovery against biotic stress (fungal disease, etc)
* Enhanced microbial activity in root zone (indigenous microbes!)
* Sea Nymph offers Multiple formulations which are tank mixableand improve benefits and performance of tank mix!!!!!
What nutrients does seaweed contain that is beneficial for turf?
Ascophyllum Nodosum Seaweed, when processed correctly, delivers a naturally balanced feed of over 58 elements. This benefits the plant by freedom from trace element deficiency & improved Nutrient uptake.
Before buying a seaweed product, what should buyers look for during their product research?
* Ascophyllum nodosum raw material is a must! (Grows in the North Atlantic only and this is the most researched Seaweed with the most published research findings for the benefits for Sports Turf.)
* Extraction process = Alkaline Hydrolysis allows Compatibility with other products (pH!!!) whereas Low pH (Cold) Seaweed Liquid extracts are cheap to process and designed for Agriculture (as trialled by E.V Casburn in the early 1980’s).
* BioAvailable Concentration (Seaweed Meal v Liquid Extract) Any liquid extracts that liquidise, crush or chop the seaweed plant into small pieces will act in the same way as Seaweed Meal. i.e.: – needs to start rotting in the soil for release of any nutrients so not a BioAvailable Liquid Seaweed and will be a slow working product. Alkaline Hydrolysis Extracts are fully BioAvailable and instantly available to the Plant.
* Origins: – Where does it come from and who makes it.
* Value for money. Sounds Cheap but how does it compare to a product with 6 times the amount of Seaweed in it?? Is it 6 times cheaper??
* Viscosity: – Watery products are mostly water!! There is no such thing as 100% Seaweed. (Ascophyllum Nodosum Seaweed is naturally 75% Water).
* Density /specific gravity (Should be one and the same so check the numbers)
What are the best conditions & timing to apply sea nymph seaweed?
Sea Nymph Super Concentrate is a pure 30% w/v Seaweed and can be used 12 months of the year. This is a fully BioAvailable product and is “Rain Fast” in 1 hour so cannot be washed out of the plant. So long as there is no frost on the leaf, you can spray. Ideally as with all liquids, spray early in the morning when the plant Stomata is open.
Are all liquid seaweed products the same?
Definitely Not!!!!
Sea Nymph Products are designed for Amenity Sports Turf and manufactured in accordance with all Published Independent Research by recognised Universities worldwide.
After application of seaweed should you expect to see any visual difference to the plant?
If spraying a pure liquid seaweed like Sea Nymph Super Concentrate, without any added minerals there should still be a visual response. An example of this would be a plant with yellow leaf tips from harsh wind or heavy rainfall should see the colour (chlorophyll) return to the tips of the plant, giving a “green up” effect without an actual green up.
Do seaweeds products work well within a compacted cricket square?
The word “Compacted” indicates firmness, which is correct, but this does not mean that there is no air space in the soil and loam. Once there is air space then a good Seaweed will work well.
When would you look to use Sea Nymph Seaweed Meal(granular) instead of seaweed liquid?
Seaweed Meal has different physical attributes to Liquids. A big part of using Seaweed Meal is the crumb effect it brings to any soil structure. It will improve the CEC in all rootzones (still the best form or Organic Humus), it will hold 4 times its weight in moisture and nutrients, so wonderful in dry sandy rootzones, reducing the leaching of nutrients and therefore keeping the plant supported longer. It will improve the physical soil structure to allow for better Air movement, Moisture movement and Root Development. All this and as it breaks down or rots in the rootzone, it will then release all the locked-up nutrients which are in Seaweeds.
Sea Nymph Seaweed Meal is a “Virgin” material. This means it has not been used in another process before it is bagged, and all the beneficial nutrients are still in the fresh material. Our product can be either applied as a top dressing or directly into the rootzone when doing renovations, but either way will allow the product to start breaking down and give a physical and nutritional benefit over a 3 – 6 month period.
With summers becoming drier and hotter, are there any products you sell to help the plant through these turf stress periods?
Sea Nymph Super Concentrate and Ascophite Plus are both designed to maximise plant health through Abiotic stress periods. These products do not need to be watered in and will not scorch even in the driest conditions. These products are easily absorbed (BioAvailable) by the plant and do not put the plant under any extra pressures to absorb and utilise the product. Using Sea Nymph Super Concentrate on turf suffering from Drought Stress (Footprinting of the leaf), will show leaf bounce back 1 hour after applying.
Sea Nymph Ascophite Plus is excellent for Stadium environments where High Temperatures and restricted natural Air Flow can have a detrimental effect on plant health. This is something I’m happy to discuss on a one to one with anyone who works in this type of setting.
Seaweed is said to break down the soil structure, could you over apply to a sports pitch?
I’ve never heard this being said by anyone who understands the Physical Attributes of using a good Seaweed Meal or Liquid. A good Seaweed will only improve the structure of any surface by way of soil health and microbial activity which helps the release of locked up Nutrition. I would very much be an advocate of keeping everything in balance though. Seaweeds have always been known to give the best results when used “Little and Often”.
Community Questions
You get granular fertiliser containing seaweed, are these a substitute for applying a regular programme of liquid seaweed applications?
It’s fantastic to see so many companies starting to understand the benefits Seaweed can bring to Sports Turf. As mentioned above, there is a difference in the mode of action between Granular and Liquid Seaweeds so one does not negate the benefits of using both forms in your nutritional programme. But a good Bioavailable Seaweed Liquid will deliver quicker recover results to a plant under stress time and time again.
How does seaweed applications complement a regular programme of granular applied NPK fertilisers?
Applying a good Bioavailable Liquid Seaweed between granular NPK fertilisers will show better nutrient uptake, nutrient retention and less obvious tail off from the granular NPK fertiliser. Assuming you are using a 10 – 12-week granular product which will most likely start to tail off around week 8 or 9, using Sea Nymph Seaweed Liquids at the recommended monthly rate will start to show the tail off period stretch out or the drop off a lot less obvious. This only improves over time as the plant and soil start to benefit from the “Little and Often” approach as mentioned above.
I’ve used various seaweed concentrates and most have included different varieties of seaweed. UKelp is a South African kelp-based product. Is there any science behind the variations impacting the grass differently to another variety?
There are many factors to consider when a company decides to start manufacturing any product. Location is certainly a very big one when it comes to sourcing raw material for Seaweed products. Cost of harvesting is another major factor when it comes to what raw material you want to use as some types of Seaweed are easier and therefore cheaper to get due to where they grow and what rules or laws are in place which dictate how and even if you can harvest.
Ascophyllum Nodosum Seaweed only grows in the North Atlantic so is not “Locally” available to anyone manufacturing in South Africa. There are as many sea plants as there are terrestrial plants so plenty to choose from, but Ascophyllum Nodosum is the most researched of them all and has been called “The Sea plant of Choice” due to the beneficial attributes that it has been identified to have and why almost 80% of companies choose to use Ascophyllum Nodosum as their raw material source. With regards to research, Ascophyllum Nodosum is the most researched Seaweed for plant health benefits and has the most published research papers and predominantly on Alkaline Hydrolysis Extraction. (This is why Sea Nymph Use this Process).
Every seaweed will have benefits. Laminaria Digitata (also known as Oarweed, Kelp, Tangle, Strapweed or Coirleach) which has been used as a raw material for liquid feeds is better suited to Cosmetic Manufacturing due to the different attributes of this particular type of Seaweed. It is also easier to harvest than others.
Saccharina latissimi (also known as Sugar Kelp, Sweet kombu, Sea belt and Devils Apron) is an edible seaweed which is sweet tasting when dried but is also being used as the raw material in a Plant Liquid Feed. Again, easy to harvest.
The list goes on and on regarding the types of Seaweed being used but the documented research continues to point at Alkaline Hydrolysis Extraction of Ascophyllum Nodosum Seaweed for plant health benefits.
Finally, please remember “There is nothing new under the Sun” so anytime you hear a salesperson telling you they have a new Seaweed Liquid that uses a unique extraction process, he’s only repeating what his supplier has told him to say. We call it “Sales Blurb”.
Stephen Casburn
Sea Nymph
(Galway Bay Marine) Ltd
www.sales@sea-nymph-ireland.com
