This Organic Liquid Fertiliser’s Rise To the Top – Chatting with Seasol

Tell us about your liquid fertiliser

Seasol the Seaweed Solution is a complete garden health treatment that is safe to use on all plants, including natives. It’s derived from a blend of the finest brown kelps from around the world: King Island bull kelp (Durvillaea potatorum), Chile bull kelp (Durvillaea antarctica) and knotted kelp (Ascophyllum nodosum) from the North Atlantic Ocean.

All kelps are either storm cast, such as bull kelps, or sustainably harvested, which is the method used with the knotted kelps. Here the kelp is effectively mown, trimming only the top portion of the plant, which, like pruning, encourages rapid re-growth.

Regular application of Seasol will help promote healthy growth, stimulate strong root growth and enhance flowering and fruiting. It also helps plants to cope with all kinds of environmental stresses such as heat, drought and frost, and helps to reduce damage from insects and fungal attack.

Seasol helps to reduce transplant shock, improves seed germination rates and stimulates beneficial soil microbes. It also helps to increase nutrient uptake, so when fertilisers are applied they are much more effective.

What is the heritage and story of your brand?

Seasol started as a small Tasmanian-based seaweed company. In 1984 it was purchased by Eric Haynes, a coal miner from England who had migrated to Australia with his wife Molly in the 1950s.

At the time, the company was manufacturing and selling a product called Seasol, a plant health tonic and soil conditioner made from bull kelp washed ashore on King Island.

Eric quickly recognised the potential of such a product, and in the years that followed Seasol was developed for commercial horticulture. It was during this time that it proved its value as a superior plant tonic. Results in the field continued to show that Seasol improved the quality and performance of yields, reduced plant stress and helped produce tougher, healthier plants.

In the mid-1990s, Seasol was repackaged specifically for the home garden market. As a result of Seasol’s capacity to help protect plants against hot, dry conditions and its astonishing ability to stimulate root growth, it quickly became the top-selling liquid garden treatment in Australia. Such positive results paved the way for the launch of a new Seasol home garden range and Seasol’s commercial farming continued to grow and thrive.

Sadly, Eric Haynes passed away on December 18, 2017. Eric saw his dream come true, and that little product invented in Tasmania is now the number-one liquid “fertiliser” product on the Australian market.

Today, we manufacture and market organic liquid seaweed and environmentally friendly fertilisers in the retail, commercial and export sector. Seasol is still 100 per cent Australian-made and owned and organically certified, and is the only seaweed company on the retail market that takes its product from harvest to manufacture.

Into the future, we want to inspire people to change the way they grow their food and green their landscapes so we can enjoy a healthier world, today and tomorrow. Our strategy — Seasol: a better way to grow — begins with people, the environment, soil and plant health.

What has been the highlight of your brand story?

The biggest highlight for Seasol is to see how a product that was once deemed “not suitable” because it was organic is now the must-have in almost every home gardener’s plant-care regime. It’s extremely gratifying and humbling.
What has been the most challenging part of the brand’s journey?

One challenging part of the journey has been COVID-19. As Australians headed into a new world of isolation in 2020, here at Seasol we too had to learn to adapt to a different world. In the gardening sector, consumer interest was all about growing edible produce and creating a green space. Our consumer demographics revealed that it wasn’t just experienced gardeners with large blocks who were keen to grow more edible plants and beautify their surroundings in response to COVID-19. Novice gardeners and those with only a balcony were also keen to make a garden or grow a plant.
Seasol wanted to help nurture this trend by educating and supporting people rather than selling product. We took gardening back to basics through our content pieces on social media and our website.

Why is being certified organic important to your brand?

Being certified organic has always been a high priority for Seasol and its product range where possible. Beyond our environmentally friendly product range, our company supports and works with a number of organisations who, like us, are committed to making this a better world to live in. We see Australian Certified Organic certification as an integral part of this commitment.

Where can we buy your product?

Seasol is available from Bunnings, hardware stores including Mitre 10 and Home Hardware, garden centres and groceries including Coles, Woolworths and IGA.

For more information visit seasol.com.au or phone 1800 335 508.