Author Topic: Saltwater as an organic fertilizer  (Read 11507 times)

Mr. Clean

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Saltwater as an organic fertilizer
« on: March 08, 2013, 11:13:50 PM »
Has anyone used Saltwater as fertilizer?  There is a company that gets saltwater, condenses it, then sells it as fertilizer.  You buy the condensed saltwater and then dilute it with regular water to use it as fertilizer.  Saltwater contains all of the micronutrients. 
The Product:
http://www.oceansolution.com/

I live close to the ocean and am thinking of getting some "fresh" saltwater and trying it as fertilizer...thoughts?

Saltwater contains 35,000 ppm of salt.
Irrigation water can contain 2500 ppm of salt.
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/saline.html
So I would dilute it by at least 1:14 parts to be at 2500 ppm.  Maybe try 1:25 parts dilution to be safe.  Thoughts?
« Last Edit: March 08, 2013, 11:17:28 PM by Mr. Clean »
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Re: Saltwater as an organic fertilizer
« Reply #1 on: March 08, 2013, 11:20:42 PM »
Good way to kill your plants! Most plants are allergic to salt (with a few exceptions that actually like salt, like coconuts). Even if you use very diluted salt water over time the salt concentration in the soil will get higher and higher and be certain death to your plants.
There have been some experiments on vegetables that actually taste better watered with slightly brackish water, i think that was tomatoes, done in Israel. But for most part salinization of water sources is a big problem, not a bonus.
If there were a cheap and easy way to remove the sodium chloride from the salt water then the remaining trace nutrients would be very nice.
« Last Edit: March 08, 2013, 11:26:33 PM by fruitlovers »
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RodneyS

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Re: Saltwater as an organic fertilizer
« Reply #3 on: March 08, 2013, 11:45:20 PM »
Yeah, it sounds no bueno.

Stick to worm castings, seabird/bat guano & fish emulsion.  Proven results

Saltcayman

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Re: Saltwater as an organic fertilizer
« Reply #4 on: March 09, 2013, 02:07:19 AM »
I use seaweed, which has the trace minerals you are looking for,  but try to let the rain rinse it a bit before I put it down.   Dave

Has anyone used Saltwater as fertilizer?  There is a company that gets saltwater, condenses it, then sells it as fertilizer.  You buy the condensed saltwater and then dilute it with regular water to use it as fertilizer.  Saltwater contains all of the micronutrients. 
The Product:
http://www.oceansolution.com/

I live close to the ocean and am thinking of getting some "fresh" saltwater and trying it as fertilizer...thoughts?

Saltwater contains 35,000 ppm of salt.
Irrigation water can contain 2500 ppm of salt.
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/saline.html
So I would dilute it by at least 1:14 parts to be at 2500 ppm.  Maybe try 1:25 parts dilution to be safe.  Thoughts?

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Re: Saltwater as an organic fertilizer
« Reply #5 on: March 09, 2013, 08:36:23 AM »
Worm Castings, Rabbit manure, Liquid Seaweed, Fish Emulsion and plenty of rain water.
Good quality compost from a variety of greens and browns brought to us from Mother Nature.
Keep it simple and start thinking sustainability.
Circle of life!
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Re: Saltwater as an organic fertilizer
« Reply #7 on: March 09, 2013, 02:50:07 PM »
University of California Davis and the University of Missouri researched the effects of the saltwater.  Increasing yields of tomatos, rice, and corn by 15-22%.  This research occurred after the critical article was published.  As far as salt build-up in the soil, I believe the Na and Cl would eventually wash through the soil like how my regular fertilizer gets washed away.

http://www.oceansolution.com/Testing-Research.html
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Re: Saltwater as an organic fertilizer
« Reply #8 on: March 09, 2013, 03:06:43 PM »
how my regular fertilizer gets washed away.

It's not good for the groundwater.
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Re: Saltwater as an organic fertilizer
« Reply #9 on: March 09, 2013, 04:24:39 PM »
If you want to throw salt on your plants, feel free.  However, bear in mind that the Romans supposedly either spread salt over the farmlands of Carthage (or broke s dike holding back the Mediterranean, take your pick) after defeating them in the third Punic War.  The idea was that, if their breadbasket was destroyed, they would not rise up yet again to threaten Rome.  Supposedly a salt laden layer exists about 1 m down to this day in low laying areas around the area of Carthage.

Unless they are doing something to remove most of the salt (especially the monovalent ions), this sounds like some sort of scam.  Technology exists to do this but but I am betting it is a scam.

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Re: Saltwater as an organic fertilizer
« Reply #10 on: March 09, 2013, 05:34:06 PM »
University of California Davis and the University of Missouri researched the effects of the saltwater.  Increasing yields of tomatos, rice, and corn by 15-22%.  This research occurred after the critical article was published.  As far as salt build-up in the soil, I believe the Na and Cl would eventually wash through the soil like how my regular fertilizer gets washed away.

http://www.oceansolution.com/Testing-Research.html

Make sure to take before and after photos.  :o ::) ::) ::)
Oscar

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Re: Saltwater as an organic fertilizer
« Reply #11 on: March 09, 2013, 06:09:59 PM »
I bet some of the people trying to push zone limits, maybe growing far inland, or in pots, could help out their coconut trees with this stuff.

I wonder what other trees might like a little bit of salt? Sea shore mangosteen? 

I thought this thread was a joke at first.  Adding salt to my garden would be herbicide.
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Re: Saltwater as an organic fertilizer
« Reply #12 on: March 09, 2013, 06:12:35 PM »
Might be handy for a mangrove plantation in the backyard...

is there a condo mangrove, for growing in pots?
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Re: Saltwater as an organic fertilizer
« Reply #13 on: March 09, 2013, 07:13:17 PM »
If you want to throw salt on your plants, feel free.  However, bear in mind that the Romans supposedly either spread salt over the farmlands of Carthage (or broke s dike holding back the Mediterranean, take your pick) after defeating them in the third Punic War.  The idea was that, if their breadbasket was destroyed, they would not rise up yet again to threaten Rome.  Supposedly a salt laden layer exists about 1 m down to this day in low laying areas around the area of Carthage.

Unless they are doing something to remove most of the salt (especially the monovalent ions), this sounds like some sort of scam.  Technology exists to do this but but I am betting it is a scam.

Yes, I heard that the Roman's spread salt on the land to prevent growing crops of conquered peoples.  I am a little skeptical because there was a period when salt was more valuable than gold. 

I have a water softerner that uses salt, once I spilled the salt solution reservoir on the ground with about 20 lbs of salt.  It killed the grass and prevented any grass for growing for months...however, after a while the grass grew back.

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murahilin

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Re: Saltwater as an organic fertilizer
« Reply #14 on: March 09, 2013, 08:07:54 PM »
Mark,
I would love to disagree with you... but I once visited a mamey farm with some of the largest, greenest, mamey trees I've ever seen in South Florida and the grower said he sprayed diluted salt water on his trees. I was sceptical at the time but 'the proof is in the pudding' and his mamey trees were green and loaded with fruit. I will looks later for some pics of the grove.

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Re: Saltwater as an organic fertilizer
« Reply #15 on: March 09, 2013, 08:09:56 PM »
Yah, you probably don't want to be watering your plants with softened water either.

Yes, I heard that the Roman's spread salt on the land to prevent growing crops of conquered peoples.  I am a little skeptical because there was a period when salt was more valuable than gold. 

I have a water softerner that uses salt, once I spilled the salt solution reservoir on the ground with about 20 lbs of salt.  It killed the grass and prevented any grass for growing for months...however, after a while the grass grew back.
Jeff  :-)

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Re: Saltwater as an organic fertilizer
« Reply #16 on: March 09, 2013, 08:26:20 PM »
I probably wouldn't be using salt water in my garden :-). But we can get away with a bit more here in FL due to the fast draining soil and massive amounts of rain. In socal, you'd be committing gardencide by doing that.

A friend of mine used gas to kill a small rubber tree. I was surprised that only a few months later weeds started growing in the area that was doused with gas. My step-father did the same thing in socal, and the soil was infertile for years.
Jeff  :-)

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Re: Saltwater as an organic fertilizer
« Reply #17 on: March 09, 2013, 08:27:32 PM »
Mark,
I would love to disagree with you... but I once visited a mamey farm with some of the largest, greenest, mamey trees I've ever seen in South Florida and the grower said he sprayed diluted salt water on his trees. I was sceptical at the time but 'the proof is in the pudding' and his mamey trees were green and loaded with fruit. I will looks later for some pics of the grove.

I wonder how much diluted the salt water he uses is. Also, what type of salt does he use and much of it per gallon of water?

Are you sure he was referring to regular salt and not Epsom salt? Just curious.
« Last Edit: March 09, 2013, 08:37:02 PM by Tropicalgrower89 »
Alexi

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Re: Saltwater as an organic fertilizer
« Reply #18 on: March 09, 2013, 09:40:42 PM »
Maybe they meant something like Potassium salt? I was watching a program on extracting sea salt out of sea water and in their process, different kinds of salts drop out of solution to form crystals at different stages. Thy had to remove their sea salt at just the right stage to avoid the bitter tastes of the other "salts" in sea water.

So maybe this company is selling a byproduct of salt extraction where the Sodium salt portion is removed for human consumption. Just a guess.

I don't understand the organic label. Salts don't normally contain Carbon. They should be proud to be selling naturally-occurring chemicals. Create some marketing spin out of it to differentiate from organics.
« Last Edit: March 09, 2013, 09:45:48 PM by fyliu »

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Re: Saltwater as an organic fertilizer
« Reply #19 on: March 09, 2013, 10:04:34 PM »
Nickel has been proven to be essential to plants, and several other elements have been proven to increase robustness and efficiency, even though they are not necessary for plants to reproduce under lab conditions: Silicon and Sodium and Cobalt.  So plants probably do best with 20-some elements.

The claim that plants need 90 elements is religio-philosophical:  Panglossian rubbish--- Everything that is, is good, because the Creator placed it here for a reason.  So drink Radon, Mercury, Lead, and Cadmium and feel sanctimoniously giddy!
Har

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Re: Saltwater as an organic fertilizer
« Reply #20 on: March 09, 2013, 10:34:16 PM »
Nickel has been proven to be essential to plants, and several other elements have been proven to increase robustness and efficiency, even though they are not necessary for plants to reproduce under lab conditions: Silicon and Sodium and Cobalt.  So plants probably do best with 20-some elements.

The claim that plants need 90 elements is religio-philosophical:  Panglossian rubbish--- Everything that is, is good, because the Creator placed it here for a reason.  So drink Radon, Mercury, Lead, and Cadmium and feel sanctimoniously giddy!

lol Har

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Re: Saltwater as an organic fertilizer
« Reply #21 on: March 09, 2013, 10:49:03 PM »
Well heres a perspective for you guys on the subject. For the last almost 20 years I have run a business dealing in maintaining high end marine aquariums. A huge part of what we do is hauling fresh made seawater out to clients houses and do whats called partial water changes. Usually 30% of total volume. We drain out old water and pump in new. We usually drain out to the curb or to a sewer clean out. But in certain cases ive had clients that had neither and they have instructed me that they are ok with us draining the water on a side yard, this is after ive warned them that such may sterilize the ground.

 Well here is what ive seen in these instances......ive drained literally thousands of gallons of seawater over years and years on lawns, near trees, and misc plants (at these clients who ok'ed it) and expected to see them all suffer. Ummm nope. Not even a little. No yellowing, no negative anything. I was a shocked as anyone. So I dont know if there is a beneficial side of it, but im here to say it isnt necessarily a death sentence. And btw this is Phoenix with our slow draining clay.
« Last Edit: March 09, 2013, 10:52:27 PM by amadioranch »

fruitlovers

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Re: Saltwater as an organic fertilizer
« Reply #22 on: March 09, 2013, 11:24:32 PM »
Mark,
I would love to disagree with you... but I once visited a mamey farm with some of the largest, greenest, mamey trees I've ever seen in South Florida and the grower said he sprayed diluted salt water on his trees. I was sceptical at the time but 'the proof is in the pudding' and his mamey trees were green and loaded with fruit. I will looks later for some pics of the grove.

There is no doubt in my mind that some trees may benefit from salt, like coconuts, some other trees may be resilient to salt, for example sea grapes (Coccoloba uvifera), and some trees may have special applications for uses of salt at certain times, for example, it's already been brought up how ocean spray mist on mango flowers may reduce anthracnose. So i'm sure there are some special applications such as these. But to sell and recommend salt water as a general ALL purpose fertilizer is close to criminal in my way of thinking. Many municipal areas already have high salt concentrations that are injurious to a vast majority of plants. To add even more salt is really looney tunes. Even use of sodium nitrate fertilizers is generally discouraged due to presence of sodium.
BTW, a lot of research on effect of salts on plants has been done in Israel, just because they have a big problem with salinization of their water sources. Many rootstocks have been developed there that are resistant to salts, and growth of crops been researched that are resistant to and even improved by watering with brackish water.
 
Oscar

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Re: Saltwater as an organic fertilizer
« Reply #23 on: March 10, 2013, 12:29:08 AM »
Well heres a perspective for you guys on the subject. For the last almost 20 years I have run a business dealing in maintaining high end marine aquariums. A huge part of what we do is hauling fresh made seawater out to clients houses and do whats called partial water changes. Usually 30% of total volume. We drain out old water and pump in new. We usually drain out to the curb or to a sewer clean out. But in certain cases ive had clients that had neither and they have instructed me that they are ok with us draining the water on a side yard, this is after ive warned them that such may sterilize the ground.

 Well here is what ive seen in these instances......ive drained literally thousands of gallons of seawater over years and years on lawns, near trees, and misc plants (at these clients who ok'ed it) and expected to see them all suffer. Ummm nope. Not even a little. No yellowing, no negative anything. I was a shocked as anyone. So I dont know if there is a beneficial side of it, but im here to say it isnt necessarily a death sentence. And btw this is Phoenix with our slow draining clay.

That is very interesting.
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fruitlovers

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Re: Saltwater as an organic fertilizer
« Reply #24 on: March 10, 2013, 12:46:55 AM »
About aquarium experience: a plant not suffering is very different from a plant benefiting. A fertilizer is supposed to make a plant benefit, not just be able to tolerate it.
Here is a list of tropical fruit trees that have some tolerance to salt:
http://www.fruitlovers.com/salt.html
http://www.echonet.org/content/fruitInformation/636

Short excerpt from Echo link above (common knowledge to most):
Salts in soils cause problems by inhibiting the growth of most plants, and killing many. The salts render less water available to plants, because the salt ions attract water. The most common symptoms of this are leaf burn and drought stress (even if the plant is well-watered). Often chlorosis (yellowing of the leaves) is another common symptom.



Oscar