During the fall season, you’ll want to be in close communication with your hatchery to communicate how much kelp seed you’re hoping to outplant and the timing of when your spools will be ready. Depending on your region and the availability of wild sorus tissue, your hatchery will likely seed its spools sometime between September and November. Once the spools have been seeded, they’ll need from 5 to 8 weeks in the hatchery to mature to the size needed to be ready to be outplanted on your farm. During this time, you’ll want to check in with your hatchery approximately every two weeks to make sure the spools are progressing as planned and make any necessary adjustments to timing. 

As the date approaches for when you anticipate your spools will be ready for outplanting, you may want to check in more frequently. Once the juvenile kelp gets too big, it can start deteriorating or bleaching in the hatchery. Hatchery staff are also eager to hand off the spools so they can shut down the hatchery for the season. To keep in good standing with your hatchery, try to have all your farm gear prepped and installed weeks before the spools are ready for transfer. That way, when the first good weather window arises, you’ll be ready to get the seed in the water.