At Kelpinor, we've recently taken KelpAGRI-asco, our Rockweed-based organic aqueous acidic extract, into new territory: flowering plants.

In a small trial with cornflower (Centaurea cyanus), we applied a 1.2% dilution from the seedling stage.

The working hypothesis was simple: the product may boost pigmentation: Brighter blooms, better visual appeal.

But by week 8, the plants had other plans.We observed another more dramatic effect:

🪴 Treated plants developed significantly longer stems: This growth pattern is commonly associated with increased levels of gibberellins, a group of hormones that tell plants to stretch upward, often just before flowering. The idea is to lift the flowers above the leaves so pollinators can find them more easily (and maybe so the plants can show off a little).

🪴 Higher number of flower buds were observed for the treated plants.

🪴 Flowering occured in treated plants earlier than in untreated controls.

This wasn’t the specific result we set out to measure (we’re still waiting to assess pigmentation during full bloom), but it’s certainly not a disappointing one. The findings suggest potential stimulation of growth and flowering pathways, a response that may extend the utility of KelpAGRI-asco beyond food crops.

This preliminary trial was run in parallel with our ongoing CE certification experiments in lettuce using the same product, which have successfully met all performance benchmarks and are now entering the final reporting phase. (Read more about the CE trials here: https://www.kelpinor.no/r-d/ce-certification-trials-on-lettuce)

We plan to continue structured flower trials in the coming months. For now, these early results represent an encouraging step toward broadening the application of KelpAGRI-asco across diverse plant categories and developing unique products based on it to achieve better flowering plants.