Quote:
Originally Posted by Hermitian
Since the native kelp in our area is pretty much void of plant hormones and nutrients, I'm guessing that the sea salts are what your plants are relisshing, which is is a pretty poor statement about the rest of your plant nutrients.
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Actually, Hermitian, your statement appears to be in ignorance of the facts.
Ascophyllum is not the only species used for horticultural extracts. A good summary is found here:
http://www.seaweed.ie/uses_general/extracts.php
Note that the same researcher(s) who originally identified the cytokinin-like activities of seaweed extracts (Blundon and co-workers) subsequently identified the betaines as important contributors to the benefits observed. Their recent work indicated that glycine betaine is found throughout the Laminariales. Trigonelline was also found in two spp. of Laminaria which are used in commercial extracts.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22908566
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20433077
The plant hormone and osmoregulatory effects of trigonelline are reported here:
http://www.plantphysiol.org/content/128/1/7.full
I think it's reasonable to conclude that your mileage may vary, depending on not only the species (or mix of species) but also according to the prior results, the location where it was collected... but no reason to assume that no benefit can be obtained from bulk seaweed of mixed spp. found on a California beach.
According to this publication, you have around 700 species of algae on the California coast.
http://www.cnps.org/cnps/publication..._Vol32-No1.pdf
As for what is likely to be found on beaches,"...most people head for sandy beaches, where they encounter rotting masses of seaweed washed ashore, often giant kelp
(Macrocystis) intertwined with feather boa kelp (Egregia), teeming
with hungry critters, such as kelp flies and sand hoppers.."
Macrocystis spp. are not devoid of hormonal activity or horticultural value, according to this assessment of a commercial product:
http://openarchive.acadiau.ca/cdm/re...HTheses/id/542
and this:
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF02206260
and no doubt I could go on, but why bother.