Can I Use Seaweed on My Lawn? How to Do It

Seaweed is often disregarded as non-essential for gardening and lawn care, but did you know that it’s actually quite beneficial? There are countless nutrients that prove to be vital for grass, which is why so many homeowners are starting to use seaweed on their lawns.

You can use seaweed on your lawn in liquid, solid, or granular form. Make sure that you buy it pre-treated from a company since you can’t use it right out of the water. There are over 70 vitamins and minerals found in seaweed that can increase the growth rate of your grass.

Throughout this article, you’ll also learn the following information about using seaweed on your lawn:

• Different types of seaweed that’s intended for lawns and gardening
• Numerous reasons to choose seaweed
• The best lawn seaweed on the market
• How to use it effectively

The Benefits of Using Seaweed on Grass

The benefits of applying seaweeds to your lawn are numerous, and the results are unbelievably impressive. Let’s look at some of the positive effects of using seaweed on your lawn grass:

• It facilitates healthy plant growth: According to Den Garden, seaweed is known to contain over 70 minerals, essential plant growth hormones, vitamins, and nutrients. These include Magnesium(Mg), Nitrogen(N), Phosphate(P), and Potassium(K), Betaines, Auxins, Cytokinins, etc. 

In contrast to manure and other lawn amendment substances that need to decompose first, seaweed is quite the opposite. It facilitates healthy and vigorous plant growth regardless.

• You don’t lose it to the wind: Mulch and other fertilizers are easily blown away by the wind. On the other hand, seaweed is resistant to strong gusts of wind, especially when it’s wet.

• Soil aeration is improved: Like peat moss, seaweed improves soil aeration and aids the transfer of minerals and nutrients to the soil. When you’re trying to grow grass in small patches, such as on an apartment balcony, this is especially beneficial.

• You don’t have to weed or water the grass all the time: Just like mulch, seaweed is a soil conditioner that helps to retain the required moisture level in the soil. Therefore, it reduces the need for regular watering of your lawn. Likewise, seaweed ensures that the necessity of weeding is significantly reduced.

As Organic Authority puts it, unlike bark mulch that sometimes contains seeds that could germinate into weed, seaweed is seedless. For more information about growing plants through mulch, review my article here.

• Pest deterrent: Garden pests, slugs, and birds don’t like seaweed because of its saltiness and sharp edges. Hence, your lawn is protected from pests.

• Disease prevention: Seaweed ensures that you only grow healthy plants that are strong enough to resist disease and fungus attacks. 

• The variable concentration of the mix: Seaweed is exceptionally beneficial in this area, especially when you’re using its liquid variant. Whether for a lawn or a house plant, the mix’s concentration can be varied accordingly. For house plants, a more potent level may be preferred, while a diluted blend will just be right for lawns.

How to Use it in Your Garden

Before diving into the seaweed application in your garden, it’s essential to note that there are several forms of seaweed fertilizers.

Seaweed fertilizers are available in powdered, granular, and liquid form. The liquid variant is the most widely utilized because it’s soluble and readily usable by plants. It also tends to provide quicker results than the solid and granular forms. 

How Do You Use Seaweed in Your Garden?

Whether it’s on your garden or lawn, seaweed fertilizers will produce amazing results. However, it is essential to understand the application of seaweed fertilizers, especially the liquid variants, because the manner of use will greatly determine the outcome.

Since the concentration of liquid seaweed fertilizers is quite high, it’s important to dilute the mix to prevent damage to grassroots and seeds. Also, ensure that you take some time to read the instructions of dilution rates carefully. Not all grass grows the same way; hence, seaweed fertilizer requirements will vary.

To use it in your garden or lawn, follow these guidelines:

1. Apply within 36 hours: After gathering with an enclosed sack, ensure that you apply the seaweed within 36 hours to avoid breakdown and difficulty when spreading it.
2. Ensure that it’s about 4-6 inches deep: Seaweed will shrink after its initial application; hence, the need to ensure that it’s evenly and thickly spread, and at least 4-6″ deep into the soil.
3. Reapply every week, at another 4-6 inch depth: After the first application, seaweed will become crispy and stiff, so you’ll need to reapply it after about a week. The second application ensures that your soil is well-mulched for the next 4-6 weeks, regardless of the weather (dry or damp).
4. Keep plant stems away from wet seaweed: After spreading the seaweed around the plant, as a good planting habit, ensure that the stems don’t directly contact the wet seaweed to keep them clear.

The Best Seaweed Fertilizer for Lawns

Seaweed fertilizer is packed with natural, harm-free, and essential plant micro-nutrients, and its efficacy is undeniable. Here are the best seaweed fertilizers for your lawn: 

1. Maxicrop 5000 kelp Meal

The Maxicrop 5000 Kelp Meal is kelp of Norwegian origin, and it encapsulates about 60 essential plant nutrients and minerals. It’s first dried, subjected to a patented process, after which blending and grinding occur.

According to the nutrient ratio, it’s rich in Potassium and Nitrogen. Maxicrop kelp meal will ensure that your grass is never deficient in the required nutrients. This product is available in 5-pound packages.

2. Neptune’s Harvest Fish & Seaweed Fertilizer

Neptune’s Harvest Fish & Seaweed Fertilizer is a renowned product, and it offers excellent results. It improves plant lifespan and helps them to grow stronger, healthier, and more colorful gardens and lawns. It’s also easy to mix and can be applied by using a sprayer, drip line, or simply by hand. If you wish to get this product, it’s available in 18 ounces, 36 ounces, 5 gallons, and 128 oz. 

3. Maxicrop Liquid Seaweed

The Maxicrop Liquid Seaweed is a 100 percent seaweed kelp extract, and it initiates healthy cell growth and strong stems/roots. It contains trace elements that are as important as enzyme system activators.

According to the nutrient ratio, it’s rich in Potassium. This product is available in 32 ounces, currently.

4. Bloom City CleanKelp

The Bloom City CleanKelp is designed and manufactured in the USA. It boasts ease-of-use and nutrients of the highest quality. It’s a pure blend of organic seaweed and kelp that helps to protect naturally occurring enzymes. This kelp is simple to use, suitable for lawns, gardens, and grass, and almost all other plant life.

This product can be found in four different sizes; 320 oz, 640 oz, 32 oz, and 128 oz.

5. Marphyl Marine PhytoPlankton

The Marphyl Marine PhytoPlankton is a liquid micro seaweed organic fertilizer/soil enhancer from Vancouver, Canada. It’s purely organic and natural, and it’s recommended for use on lawns, gardens, trees, plants, etc. Marphyl marine phytoplankton is sufficiently rich in NPK, and it offers plants the desired nutrients for healthy growth.

You’ll find this product available in three different sizes; 16.9 oz, 33.8, and 1.05 gal. It’s recommended that you use this soil enhancer once per week on a 1:20 basis, i.e., one part of soil enhancer to twenty pieces of freshwater.

Final Thoughts

Seaweed might not be the first fertilizer that comes to mind, but it definitely should be. Now that you’ve seen the plethora of benefits that your lawn will receive, you’ll be able to enjoy a full, lively, green lawn throughout the year.

Here’s a quick recap of the post:

• Seaweed comes in three forms for grass fertilizing: Solid, liquid, and granular.
• Try to spread the seaweed evenly to prevent it from clumping or drying out too quickly.
• Always test a small patch of your lawn or garden before performing a full application.
• Apply the seaweed with three days of receiving it for the best results.
• Seaweed can prevent pests, diseases, and other unwanted issues.