Can a liquid seaweed and liquid fish mix sprayed on the lawn seed prior to broadcasting hurt germination?

I don't think anyone knows. Why would you apply those two materials on the seed?

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David Hall
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Dirt Doctor Lawns Forum

I heard seaweed can help seed germination and can help the plant become more tolerant to cold and heat. I only have the product where seaweed and liquid fish is mixed as a lawn foliar spray, and I can't just go buy some liquid seaweed by itself because the retailers are too far away from Dalhart. I only have a chance once a year to buy all the organic materials I need for the year.

So I was wondering if the addition of the fish emulsion (liquid fish) would be too much for the seeds and burn it up. If nobody knows, I'll try it out on a test plot and post the results on this thread.

Okay, I see. I have not heard that seaweed would help with germination but it would not surprise me. The cold hardiness works on shrubs but grass is much more dependent on soil temperature than on the outside temp for how it looks. Certainly seaweed is one of the best organic materials you can use on any application, but the cost usually keeps me from using a lot of it. I spray my roses, orange tree, tomatoes, and other garden shrubs and plants every 2 weeks with a very diluted seaweed mix.

I would not use an animal product fertilizer on new anything. Generally I stay way away from all animal proteins for fertilizing because everything I've heard is that they are hot, meaning they can burn tender plants. If you dilute enough you should be okay. I have seen fish emulsion used to grow fungi in compost but that's my only consistent positive experience with it. I could be wrong about the fish being hot. If anyone has experience with it, I'm ready to learn more. I know that blood and urine are very hot proteins while hair and feathers are cold as ice but very powerful proteins.

Here's what I would do in your case. If you want to use seaweed, great. Also instead of the fish, use a grain based protein like soy, alfalfa, or whatever you can get cheap. Just do not use any corn products on a newly seeded turf. Corn products seem to inhibit secondary rooting needed to establish good solid plants. If you put all that down with the seeds on the same day with your seaweed, you should be in great shape.

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David Hall
Moderator
Dirt Doctor Lawns Forum