What Are Humic Acids for Plants?
Humic Acids are formed through the breakdown of plant, animal, and microbial remains; or through microbial activity in humic rich substrates. They are commonly harvested from a material called leonardite.
Leonardite deposits were formed over millions of years and are a naturally oxidized carbon rich mineraloid, found mainly in surface mined deposits throughout the Dakotas, among other locations. This carbon rich compound is pure organic matter broken down through the process of humification; which results in the formation of humic acids.
Humic acids are one of three main components of what are called humic substances. Along with humic acids, fulvic acid and humins are the major fractions of this powerful biostimulant.
For simplification, these substances are typically referred to collectively as humic acids.
- Humic Acids: A mixture of organic acids which are soluble in water under alkaline conditions and are important as nutrient binding (ion exchange) and chelating agents. Humic Acids contain more than 60 mineral elements, and are effective in binding soil minerals and improving soil structure.
- Fulvic Acids: A mixture of organic acids which are water soluble under all pH conditions. They are more chemically reactive than humic acids, and are able to transfer trace minerals directly from plant surfaces to plant cells, making them powerful in foliar applications.
- Humins: The insoluble portion of soil organic matter. Makes up at least 50% of the organic Carbon in soil. Contains a high nutrient and water holding capacity, and maintains soil stability and fertility.
Humic acids play a vital role in overall soil fertility and plant performance. In addition, they are a major contributor to the Carbon cycle. A soil that is rich in humic acids produces plants which are more tolerant to stress, healthier, produce higher yields, and have greater nutritional value.
What Do Humic Acids Do For Your Plants And Soil?
- Improved Root Mass and Growth
- Enhanced Nutrient Availability and Uptake
- Higher Crop Quality and Yields
These recognized benefits of Humic Acids show what they can do for a successful grow. From carbon sequestration, improved soil structure, mineral chelation, and more, humic acids act as a complete soil conditioner and plant performance enhancer.
Humic acids act as an organic catalyst that maximizes physical, chemical, and biological performance.
Enable Humic Acids To Become Instantly Valuable To Your Grow
Soils are greatly improved physically with the addition or presence of humic acids. A living soil rich in humic acids encourages microbial activity and helps contribute to the Bio-Intensive methods that maintain healthy soil composition, and great plants.
The chemical and biological benefits of humic acids gives plants a well conditioned living soil to thrive. The benefits are even greater when you start with a marginal or depleted soil. In sandy, depleted, or high salt soils, humic acids greatly increase organic matter and carbon content, allowing soil microbes to multiply and in turn boost bioavailability of nutrients and chemical processes that naturalizes soil and grows better plants.
How Do Humic Acids Physically Improve Soils?
- Improves soil tilth and workability
- Improves soil structure
- Increases soil aeration
- Increases nutrient and water holding capacity
- Reduces erosion and nutrient leaching
How Do Humic Acids Chemically Modify Soils?
- Aids in the breakdown of rocks and minerals
- Increases the buffering (pH) capacity of the soil
- Improves the chelation (solubilization) of Macro (NPK) and Micronutrients
- Retains nutrients to be released to plants as needed
- High ion-exchange capacity (nutrient availability)
Biological Benefits Of Humic Acids On Plants and Soils
- Improves cell division, respiration, and photosynthesis
- Increases permeability of plant tissues for increased nutrient use efficiency
- Stimulates microbial activity
- Improves seed germination
- Stimulates root development
- Promotes enzyme and hormone (IAA/ATP) plant growth regulators
The bottom line:
Adding humic acids to your grow gives you a healthier, stronger, self-sufficient soil and awesome plants.
Enjoy increased seed germination and plant root development with a humic acid rich soil. Seeds treated with humic acids benefit from enhanced cell division, respiration, and seedling development. This works in part because humic acids affect the permeability of plant membranes, allowing plants to more easily attain the nutrients they crave.
Beneficial bacteria, fungi, yeasts, and other soil microbes also benefit and work synergistically with humic acids. These microbes thrive because of the high carbon content of humic acids, using them as food/energy source. Beneficial bacteria and fungi assist in soil aggregation, nutrient fixation/solubilization, and release organic acids, hormones, and enzymes. These help to create a living soil ecosystem; and give plants the tools to protect against pathogens and boost growth.
Humic Acids Increase soil organic matter content and sequester carbon in soils, thus improving soil structure and nutrient/water holding capacity. Allowing for increased cation ion exchange of minerals and nutrients which increases bioavailability. This maximizes nutrient use efficiency, allowing your plants to use these macro (NPK) and micronutrient inputs as needed. As well as avoid the accumulation and leaching of nutrients which harms plants and contributes to the degradation of waterways and the environment.
When you incorporate Humic Acids into your grow, you will use less fertilizer, less water, have healthier plants and lower potential environmental impacts for increased crop quality, performance and yields.
Humic acids are an essential element for Bio-Intensive agriculture and horticulture. And when used in combination with the other Biostimulants contained in GreenEden Inoculants, your plants will thrive.
Simplify The Science
Living Soils = Amazing Plants = Awesome Quality and Yields
GreenEden gives you easy to implement solutions for the best plants, massive yields, and production. Living soil amendments that enable you to Boost Your Grow the Natural Way.
