Kelp baskets

[Wildflower]

Does any one know how to make kelp baskets? I live on the Pacific coast where kelp is plentiful. I have seen these but am having a hard time finding any info on making them.

[zebraman]

Hey WildFlower;I too live on the west coast and gather kelp for my garden but have no idea of basket woven out of kelp.Is this basket Twined or woven as in the conventional sense?Photo?-

[longshot]

try primitiveways.com i think there is an article on using bull whip kelp for some sort of craft.


ls

[Wildflower]

Here is link to the sort of basket I would like to try.

http://www.spa-licious.com/itoolkit.asp?pg=products&specific=jnnngoi8

What I would like to know is; do you wash the salt out of the kelp before working with it?

Primitiveways.com had a lot of info on kelp but none for making baskets out of kelp.

Thanks for any help

[zebraman]

Hey Wildflower;I use Kelp in my garden and it does not take salt from the ocean.In the photo the kelp stems are dried and then flattened(Probably with boards and bricks or stones.The main part of the basket is woven like a splint basket.Near the top it looks twined(thinner material and the lip has another reed of something else with the ends rolled over and woven back into the twined area.-After you dry/flatten it I would re-soak it in warm water for 20-30 minutes before weaving with it.-

[Wildflower]

Zebraman- Thanks for the info, I am going to gather some kelp this weekend and give it a try.

So when you use kelp on your garden you don't have to wash it first? Is there any special preparation before working it into the soil?

Thanks for all your help.

[zebraman]

Hey Wildflower;I dry it in the sun and then shred it.It does contain a natural growth hormone,so don't use a lot of it on your tomatoes.I also dig some in with compost.works really great for nitrogen loving plants.It also contains most of the trace elements that plants need for healthy growth.-