Seaweed For Compost?

[Eff1n2ret]

We have a house near Banchang, Rayong, to which we plan to retire within a couple of years. Having just been there for a couple of weeks and watched the gardener hack his way into the grit/clay aggregate, put down by the builders over the whole site, in order to plant a few trees, I can see that a lot of soil improvement will be required when I want to develop the garden myself.

Quite often there's seaweed washed up on Phayoon Beach just down the road, and I wondered whether it would be a suitable additive to bulk up a compost heap. Does anyone else do this? Do you have to wash it to reduce the salt?

Also, I noted a lot of posts about putting kitchen scraps on the compost heap. If the heat breaks everything down quicker in Thailand can you put anything in? A couple of winters ago the missis was putting meat and other cooked scraps in our bin in the UK, and come the spring vast quantities of maggots hatched into flies. Since then I've stopped her putting in anything but fresh vegetable trimmings, along with the garden waste.

[draggons]

Hi I was thinking of doing the same thing, I have a house overlooking the beach at Phayoon.

The only thing putting me off using it is the smell. The last month or so there has been a lot of seaweed washed up on the west end of the beach and its stinking!

Hope there's some rough seas soon to wash it off again.

[sbk]

Yes yes and yes.

My MIL collects seaweed, rinses it off and composts it regularly. The plants that get this compost do very well.

Here is the Compost guide: www.compostguide.com which states:

Seaweed is an excellent source of nutrient-rich composting material. Use the hose to wash off the salt before sending it to the compost pile.

The list of organic materials which can be added to the compost pile is long. There are industrial and commercial waste products you may have access to in abundance. The following is a partial list: corncobs, cotton waste, restaurant or farmer's market scraps, grapevine waste, sawdust, greensand, hair, hoof and horn meal, hops, peanut shells, paper and cardboard, rock dust, sawdust, feathers, cottonseed meal, blood meal, bone meal, citrus wastes, coffee, alfalfa, and ground seashells.

[Smithson]

Composting over here works really well. In the rainy season you can leave piles of seaweed to soak for a couple of days before putting it on. I would try to build up mulch on top of the existing soil, don't bother digging the compost in, just put it straight on top. From experience in three different houses this has proved the easiest and most effective method.

Any existing trees will provide plenty of leaves, you can also buy manure and coconut fibre cheaply if you live in rural areas. The latter is excellent for both draining and water retention.

[Nienke]

From www.compostguide.com, dog droppings is a no-no. Why? Anybody know the exact reason?

Nienke

[sbk]

possible parasites i believe

[Samuian]

Parasites for sure!

Using Seaweed one has to make sure the salt content is rinsed out well - salinated soil wouldn't be the result what one wants...

[TBWG]

Parasites for sure!

Using Seaweed one has to make sure the salt content is rinsed out well - salinated soil wouldn't be the result what one wants...

Hi

The salt does however discourage snails, if they happen to be a problem.

TBWG

[Nienke]

possible parasites i believe

Ok, thanks.

Now I have a worker who loves to burn. Not so much for the burning, but for the leaning on his broom while 'watching' the fire

So, I assume that will kill the parasites, but also the rest of what was once alive. How good is then the ashes of the dog poo, sand, paper, left-overs, leaves, branches, grass etc. mix?

Nienke

[sbk]

Ashes are fine but you'll want to make sure you have plenty of fresh stuff (vegetable leavings etc) to balance your compost out.

[Nienke]

Ah, ok. I understand. Never really looked in to this, always too busy with the dogs.

Thanks,

Nienke

[sbk]

Think of compost as similar to making a cake, you need all the right ingredients to get the best result.

[Nienke]

uuuuuhhhhhhmmmmmm, can't make a cake as well .....

[sbk]

dog dinner then?

[Nienke]

Ooookkaaayyyy!! NOW we are talking understandable language!