Seaweed can be known as an essential fertilizer. So using seaweed fertilizer for succulents can bring in some good results. Therefore I spent time researching can seaweed fertilizer be used on succulents.
Seaweed contains essential nutrients like Ca, K, Mg, S, N, Fe. There are 3 kinds of seaweeds called Brown Algae, Green Algae, Red Algae. You can use these 3 kinds of seaweeds to make seaweed fertilizer for succulents. Keep reading to know how to use them.
Table of Contents
What is seaweed fertilizer and how to make it?
Seaweed fertilizer is kind of a natural fertilizer completely made with natural seaweeds which are also known as biofertilizers or biostimulants. Seaweed fertilizer contains plant-helpful nutrients like Nitrogen, Magnesium, Potassium, and Phosphorous.
To make seaweed fertilizer, you only need some seaweeds collected from the sea and a basket of water.
Here’s how you can make seaweed fertilizer liquid at home, which can be fertilized on succulents.
- First, collect some seaweeds from the beach. There are various varieties of seaweeds. Most of them can be used to fertilize.
- Then wash them thoroughly from the normal water, as there is no salt on the seaweeds.
- Put all the seaweeds into a 5-gallon basket. Then fill in water into that basket.
- Cover the outer opening of the basket and keep it in one place without moving, for a week or two.
When you have done these steps, you can have your homemade seaweed fertilizer for succulent plants.
This seaweed fertilizing liquid is a highly concentrated mixture that is rich in NPK nutrients.
Therefore seaweed liquid fertilizer is ideal for many plants. But can it be used with succulent varieties? Let’s jump in to find that step by step.
Important facts on fertilizing succulent plants
Succulent is a variety that stores water as well as little amount of minerals on their leaves for thriving in hard periods.
So many of the gardeners keep away from fertilizing succulent plants.
But fertilizing is not for the growth of the plant. It also affected the healthiness of a plant.
I surveyed 9 experienced gardeners about “do you have to use fertilizers for succulent plants?”.
Here’s what I found.
Do you have to use fertilizers for succulent plants?
According to the information I have collected on this chart, 55.5% of people are agreeing with using fertilizers on succulent plants. According to them, using fertilizers on succulents can make them grow much faster, healthier and provide a stimulus to produce fruits and flowers. Therefore you have to use fertilizers on succulent plants.
When considering that 44.5% of people didn’t use fertilizers on their succulent plants, I found that sometimes they had to fertilize on succulents, even they don’t do it regularly.
They kept away from fertilizing because they thought that minerals stored on leaves and stems can keep the plant living and healthy every day.
And this is exactly what one of them said.
I think succulent thrive on neglect!
That’s completely wrong. Even some of them had to use fertilizers for succulent plants when they looked wilted.
What to fertilize for succulents?
Now we are going to look at what you can use to fertilize succulent plants.
The main and most important fact you need to remember when choosing a fertilizer option for succulent is to feed it with very lightweight fertilizer or well-diluted liquid fertilizer.
Because you using concentrated or non-diluted fertilizers can burn the roots and stems of succulent plants.
Another way that you can desire what fertilizer to use with succulent is, by looking at whether that fertilizer is included NPK nutrients.
But there’s a catch:
Using high Nitrogen fertilizers can bring in various disadvantages to succulents.
Such as, you will have thin and longer stems on succulents instead of that fleshy and meaty stems.
Therefore you have to find a fertilizer that included NPK formula, but also with a low amount of Nitrogen.
Note:- Don’t use slow-release fertilizers with succulent plants. They can tend to burn the roots of the succulent plants because they keep the fertilizers contacting with roots for much longer.
How often to fertilize succulent plants?
Now you know that you’ve to use a light weight or diluted fertilizer which is also low in Nitrogen, in order to feed succulents.
To know exactly how often you should fertilize succulent plants, I ran a survey among years of experienced succulent lovers.
Here’s what I exactly founded.
| How Often fertilized | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 3 Months often | 36.84% |
| A Month often | 26.32% |
| A Week often | 05.26% |
| Whenever the succulents wilted | 31.58% |
With the help of the above chart, you can get a clear idea that how often do successful succulent planters fertilize them.
When considering the above information, we can find that 36.84% of gardeners were managed to grow succulents by fertilizing once after 3 months.
Averagely that’s a very reasonable period because succulents can hold the water and nutrients on them for longer than any other plant varieties.
At next, 31.58% of the succulent growers tend to fertilize their plants when the succulents getting wilted. Even it’s not a good thing to hear, they are still managing to keep them alive.
But I’m sure that, you won’t get much stronger and healthier succulents if you wait until for a wilted situation to fertilize them.
Also not fertilizing succulents until wilting can bring you long thin leaves and stems instead of that fleshy leaves and stems.
Those 26.32% succulent growers, who feed their plants as often as one month were able to manage their succulents to look awesome.
As most of them said, they don’t use tons of fertilizers. They were using less amount, which is pretty safe, enough, and comfortable for the plants.
So here’s how often you should fertilize succulent plants.
Averagely you have to fertilize succulent plants after every 3 months. But fertilize them more often in hardy climates to keeping a strong root system and maintain the colour of the plant.
While you are fertilizing succulents that much often, also remember that spring and fall are the best seasons to fertilize your succulent plants.
Is seaweed fertilizer good for succulents?
Now we are arriving to the most essential part of this article. That is about, is using seaweed fertilizer good for succulents?
Seaweed is a nutrient-rich fertilizer which also works as biostimulants.
Therefore it isn’t like traditional fertilizers that just make plants grow faster. Seaweed liquid fertilizers are doing a really essential work specially on making the succulent root system more stronger.
When considering a plant that store nutrients on there leaves and stems instead of just on roots, need an efficient water and nutrient transportation.
Therefore using seaweed fertilizer for succulents will indirectly help a succulent plant to sprout more fleshy leaves and manage them.
When considering seaweed fertilizer NPK, Prosperous is also doing a crucial job to help a plant grow much quicker and healthier.
Prosperous are generally found in living plant cells. This nutrient is advocating energy transfer, Photosynthesis, and some cellular functions.
And the main purpose of Prosperous in a plant cell is to strengthen plant cells and make them way more effective.
An effective and stronger plant cell is always helping theses succulent plants to tolerate in the hardest climates by making the limited resources enough for the plant.
Therefore a Prosperous rich natural seaweed fertilizer is good for succulent plants.
And also, Nitrogen helps to manage and maintain healthy and colorful leaves while they do affect maintain the temperature of the root system.
Therefore considering above reasons, we can conclusively make a decision about using seaweed fertilizer for succulents.
Is seaweed fertilizer good for succulents?
Seaweed fertilizer is a good natural fertilizer that you can use with succulents. Seaweed fertilizer, help succulent plants to manage efficient plant cells, longer and healthier roots as well as maintaining the colour of the leaves which are the main reasons to desire seaweed fertilizer is good for succulents.
How to use seaweed fertilizer for succulents?
Now you know mostly everything about the magical seaweed fertilizer. But how could you use them with the succulent plants?
There are 4 main ways that you can use seaweed fertilizer for succulent plants.
- As a liquid
- Mixing with compost
- Seaweed directly on to the soil
- As a powder
Considering the ease of access, I recommend using the seaweed liquid fertilizer for succulent treatments.
Because of the sensitiveness of the succulents against high concentrated fertilizers and mixtures, the seaweed liquid fertilizer has to be used in a more diluted way.
In fact, you have to use a seaweed liquid mixture as strong as 15% mixing with water.
Here’s how you should fertilize your succulents with them.
First, make the 15% strengthen seaweed and water mixture. I recommend you to make it as much as you can, to use with all of your succulent plants.
Then use this liquid with your succulent plants based on how often you gonna fertilize them again.
If you are fertilizing succulents 3 months often, I recommend using at least 175 ml of water. 75 – 100 ml will be enough for a month often fertilizing process.
Because plants absorb water and nutrients through leaves, you can also mist or spray some of this liquid onto the leaves of your succulent plants.
Even you do fertilize succulent 3 or 1 month often, I recommend spraying a little bit of seaweed liquid fertilizer on their leaves once a week.
That will encourage them to find and store nutrients easily while providing a fresh look.
Other ways that you can use seaweed for succulents
Even we did gave the priority to seaweed liquid fertilizer, you can still get the same benefits from using other forms of the seaweeds with your succulents.
Seaweed fertilize with compost
Using seaweeds on your compost pile is a great way to boost plant growth. But it happens on the other plants rather than succulents.
Tomatoes, cucumbers really love being fertilized with seaweed compost.
All you have to do is just adding the seaweed onto your compost pile. You can also add them cutting into slices if you need things to happen much faster.
Seaweed powder
Using seaweed powdered fertilizer for succulent also an efficient way to make your plant grow faster and healthier.
And also when you use it as a powder, roots can easily absorb nutrients without working hard.
This is how you can make seaweed powder.
- Collect some seaweeds and rinse them in the water to remove the high amount of salt on them.
- Then expose them to the hard sun to get dried well. Dry until it crumbles when touched by hand.
You can speed up the process by using a dehydrator. - Then you can crush them using a mortar and pestle, until it getting to a fine powder.
- Now you can use that powder on any plant including succulents.
If you feel that that you are too busy to make seaweed powder, check this pre-made seaweed powder on Amazon.
Because this powder is just only the nutrients, you’ve to be careful when adding them to succulents.
Don’t add more than 3 tbs per succulent plant.
You can reduce the risk by using them mixing with some water. It’s up to you 🙂
Seaweeds directly on to the soil
Using directly on the soil is another way that you can use seaweeds as a fertilizer.
Even though it’s not that efficient like other ways, it can still give those magical benefits to your succulent plants.
But to make this method much more efficient, I can help you to go a step further.
First, loose the soil around the succulent plant. Then put seaweed as cut them into slices. Now cover them with the soil and put some water to make it easier for the soil.
Seaweed fertilizer benefits
Using seaweed fertilizers for succulents and many other plants can bring you various benefits.
Seeds germinate quickly and grow more and huge roots quicker.
As thankful to research on researchgate.net, I was able to found that seaweed fertilizer encourages seeds to germinate seeds quicker. According to the research, seed germination happens more quickly, when the seaweed liquid was more concentrated.
Experts have tested utilizing seaweed fertilizer with vegetable plants and some ornamental plants. Surprisingly, they were able to see a clear increase in crops and flowers.
Therefore, using seaweed fertilizer for succulents can help succulents grow more leaves and flowers on some varieties.
Seaweed fertilizer encourages roots to absorb more nutrients. In fact, roots are getting more efficient in absorbing nutrients.
Using seaweed fertilizer for plants in hard seasons like winter will help the plant to stay alive in those conditions. Also, seaweed extract could work as resistance for many common diseases on many plants including succulents.
Seaweed utilized roses could get rid of the “black spots” disease, as well as it reduces brown spots on peaches.
Seaweed liquid can also work as a pesticide on your succulents and any kind of plant. I heard that liquid seaweed fertilizer could be used to repel even greenflies and whiteflies.
Another benefit of utilizing seaweed is, it can retain moisture in the soil for longer. Therefore using seaweed fertilizer for succulents will encourage them to keep growing fleshier and healthier in drying conditions.
This perfect guide from Dens garden helps me to identify some benefits of using seaweed fertilizer.
Seaweed fertilizer for indoor succulent plants
Should you fertilize indoor succulent plants?
Fertilizing indoor succulent plants is not necessary until the indoor succulents are not getting enough light. Fertilizing indoor succulents encourage leaves to stretch out instead of getting fleshier.
Therefore you shouldn’t utilize seaweed fertilizer for indoor succulents unless the plant looks wilted or diseased.
Actually, you should follow the method that 31.58% of succulent growers used when fertilizing them. Which is only to fertilize when plants getting wilt.
Personally, I feed my indoor succulents as often as 6 months.
Here’s a thing to remember.
Whenever you fertilize your indoor succulents you have to expose the plant to somewhere that getting enough light.
That will help the plant to compact nutrients easily and makes things happen more naturally by using sunlight.
If you are unable to provide that any kind of sunlight for succulents, you should have to use a grow light to provide the required light conditions for succulents.
I recommend you to use this kind of good grow lighting for your indoor plants if you wish to keep them alive even without sunlight.
FAQ
Here are the answers for some frequently asked questions about seaweed fertilizer and succulents.
Where to buy liquid seaweed fertilizer?
You can buy liquid seaweed fertilizer from an online shop like amazon. The general price of seaweed fertilizer is around 20$ – 30$. 91% of gardeners have positively reviewed online ordered seaweed fertilizers on Amazon. Therefore online stores like Amazon are good and safe places to buy liquid seaweed fertilizer.
I found the best seaweed fertilizer for you on Amazon. That’s highly rated with the productivity and worth the cost. Here’s that liquid seaweed fertilizer.
Which plants like seaweed fertilizer?
When plants were fertilized with seaweed, Soybean, Sweet potato, Sweet corn, and sweet melon yield has a huge increase. As observed seaweed utilized ornamental plants like roses were got rid of “black spot” disease. Seaweed fertilizer work on concentrating more sugar on melons and many of the fruits.
Therefore many vegetable crops, fruit trees, and ornamental plants, like seaweed fertilizer.