Most horticultural research in the past 50 years has focused on wild wrack seaweed, Ascophyllum in particular, because:

• Its exceptional range of plant growth regulators have significant effects on phyto hormones and by this means the rate of division as well as the elongation of cells
• Its own hormones or auxins help protect against pests such as aphids, red spider, botrytis, and root nematodes
• Its unique polysaccharides act as soil conditioners
• Its phenols help initiate and assist root development
• Micronutrients and compounds assist the organic balance in all plant functions particularly at times of stress such as flowering, maturation, transplanting and during periods of extreme heat, drought or frost

• Its natural chelating properties ensure that minerals and trace elements remain available to the plant rather than leeching out of the soil in the manner of artificial mineral dressings
• Applied around the root, it helps develop and maintain a healthy, natural soil ecosystem and stronger rooting, encouraging beneficial soil microbes to release nutrients and growth-stimulating compounds which are otherwise locked in the soil
• The natural balance of nutrients is as important in plants as it is in humans because its design already caters for its relationship in the natural environment; for example although seaweeds are low in phosphorus, in trials plants absorbed increased amounts of phosphorus from the soil because other nutrients in the seaweed made it more available to the plant

• It is the only natural source of all the minerals and trace elements: zinc is vital for protein, cell elongation and respiration and manganese is vital to the enzyme system which condenses soluble amino acids compounds into proteins; iron and copper aid chlorophyll formation plant respiration and oxidising enzymes; boron aids cell division and strong internal tissue, pollen formation, sugar use, and the development of conductive vessels for the transport of hormones; and without molybdenum, the plant cannot utilize nitrogen and the nodule bacteria of legumes cannot function effectively.
  This is just one reason why the symptomatic treatment of soil and plants is as idiotic as the symptomatic treatment of human health conditions when treatment is not holistic and seeks to remedy the basic imbalances from which the symptoms arise. And why in the long run, conventional NPK and other synthetic chemical fertilisers have done more harm than good.