To clean or not clean grow lines
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I had a nice and thick wild set on my grow lines this past season thus no seed string. It would be no big deal to clean the lines of the remaining holdfasts and other fouling but I’m wondering if there is value in keeping it on for next season?
Does anyone know if new growth (either from seed string or wild set) prefers clean lines or a little gunk?
@mike_spranger
hey Mike, you can definitely use old line, couldn’t say if the kelp would have a preference one way or the other or if it would make a noticeable difference by the end of the season. Just clean the lines up well and check for any damage and you should be good to go. Definitely more cost effective to reuse gear where possible.
@ben_kelsey8244 hi. I don’t think I was clear in my question. I’m definitely going to reuse the lines… the question was whether new baby kelp like the shmutz that is on there from this year not do you recommend cleaning it all off?
@ben_kelsey8244
Mike, you want good contact between the seed string and grow line so I’d say clean it up as well as you can. but if you try it both ways and see different results let me know.
@ben_kelsey8244 hi. I don’t think I was clear in my question. I’m definitely going to reuse the lines… the question was whether new baby kelp like the shmutz that is on there from this year not do you recommend cleaning it all off?
@ben_kelsey8244
Mike, you want good contact between the seed string and grow line so I’d say clean it up as well as you can. but if you try it both ways and see different results let me know.
@mike_spranger I recommend cleaning your lines as well as you can. Leaving them in the sun might help the shmutz dry out and make it easier to remove, but don't let them sit in direct sun for too long because the material can weaken with extended uv exposure.