- Humic acid research by Lee and Bartlett 1976 (Stimulation of Plant Growth by Humic Substances) From the soil science Society of America Journal vol.40,#6 nov.Dec.1976. clearly showed a specific amount of humic acids that provided optimum plant growth. Lee and Bartlett also showed that algae were also stimulated but by larger amount that corn needed (60 ppm). They showed that phosphate levels did come up when humic acids were used. In reality humic acids are required by cells just like N,P,K or zinc is required and at a specific amont above which no benefit was seen. When the fertilizer laws were first written when little was know about humic acid or even bio-chemistry in general,we have come along was since then but the fertilizer laws and University recommendation are based on thinking from the turn of the centry that sees soil as a "hydroponic media " that you add inorganic chemical salts to. These are the same people who recommended "not using " manure or compost because it didn"t have enough N,P, or K to be worth handling. All higher plants evolved in the presence of humic acids, there are not really stimulants because that are needed for normal growth,plants in natural soils had humic acids only through tillage and row cropping do we destroy humic substances and need to replace them with the decomposition products of organic matter, that can be large amount of compost to get the small amount of humic acids needed for normal corn growth about 5 pounds in a million pounds of soil ( 5ppm) or about 10# of humic acid per acre 8" deep. This may take 9-12 wet tons of a good compost, or a 20# of high grade humate. To build organic matter and structure which is done in part by soil algae and microbes a much larger amount of humic acid is required 60 ppm or over 120# humic acids for an acre foot. This requires a large amount of compost like you would use on a garden, 20 or more tons per acre. In a high grade humate from New Mexico this would only require #150 pionds or so. Humate become a very economical alternative to large applications of compost. The cost of the humate is usually cheaper than just the transportation and application costs of 12 tons of compost even if the compost is free. Plants and microbes need humic acids, plants respond to a foilar application of 20 ppm C. show a 20% increase in dry matter. In spite of the published data humic acids are still not accepted as a requirment for plant growth like NPK in fact the sale of "humic acids products" is banned in Iowa one of our biggest corn growing states. The petro-chemical industry has been very effect at discrediting the need of humus, compost or humate for years and still is, the plants and microbes still respond all the same.
+ Use of Humates in Agriculture - Introduction
- I have been working with humates for over 25 years and have seen the results of it's use on thousands of acres of crops and many livestock farms. I have been accumulating research and information on the subject and performing field and laboratory research on the subject for the same period of time. I developed a product called Humi-phos in 1973 which combined humates and ground rock phosphate in to a granular product. The humic acids release the phosphate in a dry state while mixed and even more in the soil. I have used humate and recommended humates to my clients on all kinds of crops from all the main crops grown in Montana and in Hawaii and literally everything in between.
- Low molecular weight humic acids are what provides the effect on cells. These humic acids can be produced a number of ways including composting and mushroom production and natural humification of organic matter with the aid of certain funguses. Low molecular weight humic acids take time to form; this is why the advice in old gardening books was always for "well rotted" compost or cured/aged compost. Even well cured compost only has a few pounds of humic acid per ton which would then require 7-12 tons of compost per acre to get 35 pounds humic acid per total per acre. That amount would will provide the desired effect at the cellular level of the soil ecosystem and the cells of the crop plants. This would only require 40-50# per acre of a high grade 70-80% humic acid product as opposed to the cost and expense of handling of 7-12 tons of compost. The preparation of compost is an expensive and energy intensive job and the large amount needed is expensive when compared to the approximately US$15 per acre cost of using a high grade humate. Generally we see from a 5-1 to a 8-1 return in crop value using humate at this rate and cost.
- Understanding how humic acids work and the carbon cycle
- Humic acids work on the cellular level and on animal and microbial as well as plant cells
+ What are humates and why they are not all equal
- For the aging process and the formation of low molecular weight humic acids, a million years are needed for organic matter to break down to DNA and RNA fragments which are the main cytokinnins in humate. The low molecular weight fulvic acids have an auxin like effect on cells by increasing cell permeability due to the non-ionic and ionic in humic substance which enhance and stimulate nutrient flow to and between the cells. The cells can be plant, animal or microbial, but the effect is the same which is why humates are as useful as a livestock supplement as it is for growing the corn you feed them.
- The origin of the humates used is very important and judging biological effects can not be based on content of "humic acids" alone. Biological assays are necessary to judge the effectiveness of a humate.
+ What the ag-chem industry doesn't want you to know about humates
- Best kept secret #1 - You can reduce the amount of certain herbicides by up to 50% by using a pint of 15% humic acid per 100 gallons of solution. This is true for most contact-type herbicides because the humic acids can increase cell permeability and are surfactants which allow better penetration of the herbicide (or foliar fertilizers) into the leaf and then from cell to cell. One big ag-chem company is now experimenting with humic acids to put in their formula because so many farmers are doing it anyway.
- Best kept secret #2 - You can usually cut back on fertilizer by 25%, especially on nitrogen, and in many cases you can cut back 50% or more on phosphate. Where phosphate availability is a problem such as on western high pH and high free lime soils, humates greatly increase phosphate availability as well as iron, zinc and manganese. This is something you need to fine-tune on your own farm by doing test plots with different amounts of fertilizer and the recommended rate of the humate you are using. The reason you can cut down is because in many cases there is more and deeper root growth and increased biological activity to release nutrients. Humates can complex nitrogen as ammonium and retain it in the root zone preventing nitification and leaching out of the root zone.
- We see an increase in organic matter in the soil in great excess of the tiny amount we add as humate. I have seen recent tests show an increase in organic matter from 4.7% to 5.5% with only 200# of 35% humate used. This would change the estimated nitrogen release from the organic matter from 139# per acre to 150# per acre. Biological activity and especially fungi and soil algae when stimulated with humic acids from humates can produce organic matter, and in the case of soil algae, just from photosynthesis and inorganic nutrients.
+ What the "organic" fertilizer industry doesn't want you to know about humates
- 100# per acre of humate replaces tons and tons of the best compost or so called "organic" fertilizers like so called "soft rock phosphates". A liquid humic acid solution, really potassium humate, has the same effect or may be better than kelp extracts or fish emulsion type products at a fraction of the cost.
- What the livestock feed industry doesn't want you to know is that by feeding 1% humic acid in the concentrate ration you can increase feed efficiency by 10-20% in certain situations . This may mean a reduced feed bill, vet bill, drug bill. I mix it in the salt for my sheep with fantastic results in lambing and general vigor. This is because it increases the red blood cell count and microbial action in the gut. Remember all cells are benefited by humic acids, and that includes all types of blood cells.
- New Mexico humates have been tested in incremental amount on crops and have shown yield increases of nearly 100% with only 100# per acre of 35-45% humic acid humate and with only 40-50# per acre of a higher grade 70-80% humic acid containing humate.
- Use of natural humates versus liquid or soluble humates?
- Foliar use of humic acid derivatives is very effective because the humic molecules can get into the cellular nutrient stream and make the cellular membrane more permeable allowing improved nutrient flow and cell division.
- Humic acids on the cellular level can reverse decline symptoms in crops by detoxifying the cell of toxic components like aluminum and phosphites, sodium, pesticide residues.
+ How much to use to get the best effect.
- Dry, natural high-grade humate from New Mexico works well at as low as 40# per acre; the more commonly used 35% grade requires 100# or more per acre and usually 200# or more is actually used because is is difficult just to spread 100# of a fairly dusty and non prilled or granular material. Liquids on the other hand are easy to apply in a small and precise amount. Therefore it would take 8 or more gallons per acre to get the effective rate for soil application with the liquids that are much more efficient due to being soluble and giving better distribution in the root zone. As a foliar, humic acids can be effective and show a green-up at a quart per acre of 12% solution with 1/2 gallon per acre being a good rate for benefits.
- The liquid is more expensive but easy to use and agronomically efficient at 8-15 gallons per acre of a 15% solution of potassium humate (12-22.5# humic acids) which equals about 40# of the dry natural product for about the same amount of humic acids which is around a 10# per acre cost verses at least at US$40 per acre cost for the liquid or soluble powder. It is an economic decision whether to use the natural or the soluble, and convenience figures in as well. You would save the cost of field spreading humate if you were going to apply the liquid concentrate as a spray band with the planter specially if you also wanted to apply trace elements for which liquid humic acid is is a great carrier and chelator/complexing agent.
- Acid soils reduce the natural humates solubility and deactivate the humic acids with soluble aluminum. Soils should be adequately supplied with calcium and be in a reasonable pH range to work. Humates are capable of modifying the pH of soils by reducing pH on high pH alkaline soils and bringing it toward neutral of moderately acid soils.
+ Soil conditioning benefits need a higher rate as does reclamation of alkali desert soils, usually 300-500# for the 35% grade and 100-250# of the leonardite grade (70%+ ). Marked soil granulation and crumb structure will occur, as will the return of earthworms as an indicator of success.
- Seed Treatment with Fulvic acids is very effective. at a 1-100 dilution of an 8% fulvic acid solution. soaking for a 30 min. or sprayed on the seed at planting.
