Humic acid is *not* a molecule or compound, but rather a class of compounds which contains many different species. Spread with a spreader! And yes it is OMRI listed as ORGANIC. Nor would we be growing anything hydroponically. I just looked up Huma Green (contains humic shale, just another name for humic acid source) and their application instructions are to apply 20-lbs per 1000 sq-ft... which equates to like 5-lbs for my measly 250 sq-ft garden area... yikes! Farmers use humic acid because they want to get maximum value out of the products they put down. There’s not necessarily a best time to put down humic acid on your lawn. I mean do you really stress out over the financial cost of seed packets each spring? I wonder at the connectivity between the great plains of humate and plains grasses. If I'm to believe the stuff I read then it would appear to me that its the lack of moisture that keeps organic matter in the soil longer and so lower rainfall (compared to the forests east of the Mississippi) is why the grasslands remained nutrient rich at depth. Learn to Love Gardening Anyway, Kalmia Latifolia’s Origami-Like Flowers Shine in the Shade, Patio-Perfect Berry Bushes Like You’ve Never Seen, Great Design Plant: Wild Bergamot, Friend of Foragers, 6 Wonderfully Easy Roses for Any Gardener, Install grass sods on decomposed leaves & mulch. The solution is strained to remove the soil. I suspect this is more of a case of using more than is needed at a time to see an effect, rather than the amount used actually causing a problem. Let's subject the soil OM to an alkali solution and make observations. Without careful measurements and records keeping one's biases are very likely to control the reasoning side of the hobby leading to faulty conclusions on what works or is worth doing. However I do plan on getting a lab soil analysis this coming summer to find out what I've actually got then I'll know what and how much of it to add (or not). Of course, it was quite fertile. But is there anything as too much humic acid on the soil? “Most of those kinds of claims aren’t e… I'm very interested if you do. I have not worked any great amount into the soil in previous years so I can't report there. $22.77 $ 22. Even better quality mixes are bark based, with some peat/coir and additional drainage enhancers, like turface or granite grit being a larger component of the mix. I'll try that link again. Rule of Thumb 1/4 tsp, 1/2 tsp, 3/4 tsp, or 1 tsp per gallon based on age of the plant. Now about that linked thread.... obviously I haven't had the time to read through it but looking at his soil test analysis I'm going to guess the high levels of nutrients wasn't what made his garden under-perform, I'll bet it was that imbalance of minerals... Liebig's law of minimums? The general rate of application is 5 – 10 pounds per 1000 square feet of turf / lawn. Sometimes you might have nutrients sitting in your soil but they aren’t readily available to be used by your grass. What impresses gardeners seem to be growth rate, size, color and taste... with the last two being somewhat arbitrary. So it looks like I may well find myself doing some experimenting indoors this winter to determine if I have applied that highly inexact measurement referenced as an "excessive concentration of humic acids". Most ways people try to improve their soil quality require lots and lots of work. I think you would have to lay down several inches of the stuff before it became a problem. Nah, just his soil test tells the story. ft. so I will be spreading biochar over a much smaller area than all the gardens...so as to get more likely results. Humic acid can actually help release nutrients in the soil so that they can be used by your grass. Use 1 to 2 pounds per 100 square feet of garden, or 3 to 10 pounds per 1000 square feet of lawn. As I stated earlier, my specific intention was to increase CEC (which even Dr Kussow agrees with but then does his own calculation to say its not worth it for turf grasses... which I see some issues with his assumptions but will not bother to take the discussion in that direction for now)... and that's why I purchased and applied it. I'll know more in a few weeks here as I try to grow some indoor veggies in the stuff from my raised beds. The humic substances will provide a food source (C) to the … I believe I understand the general idea concept of humus, humates, and humic/fulvic acid (some terms being inclusive of others in referring to molecular size). I have read that Science understands there are 12 of these acids, and that the purification process outlined in the article exemplifies the idea that we have the ability to purify, but my understanding is we can only purify 4 of 12 at this time. So the dark natural wood tones of all three tables don't unite them, huh? There isn't any current evidence that the acids that concern you actually exist naturally in soil. In short… Humic acid can provide a healthier soil environment in your lawn. In other words it takes a great deal of time to build it up in soils... as in compost additions and cover crops tilled under for many, many seasons, which is why I believe garden soil (as long as its mineral balanced) continues to get better with age. We hobby gardeners obsess over a $20 bag of fertilizer or a $40 bag of amendment but the reality of the economics of it all is... we can all easily afford it and it will not bankrupt us. I won't say you can grow plants in 100% of this stuff, but don't wring your hands over using a little extra, especially if there is time before you actually plant for it to be integrated. water Lawn and grass: 6 to 10 oz. What does Humic Acid do? Just read the first 2 paragraphs and the boxes in the article. Is there such a thing as "too much______"wood, texture, color pop etc. For further reading on properties of humic substances http://karnet.up.wroc.pl/~weber/kwasy2.htm, "I found a research article that finds that certain plants that do NOT grow well in a soilless medium (as far as I know, hardly anything grows well in a soilless medium)". How? It does feel cramped when the temp is 48 degrees outside because I am trying to hold all the heat in by pulling everything inside the curtains. Well even though their product is quite a bit more concentrated than what I used in my garden, 200-lbs/acre equates to about 1.5 pounds for 250 sq-ft and for 500-lbs/acre would be like 3-lbs for 250 sq-ft. And since my furrow slice is ~12" that would put it at 6-lbs for the higher application rate that resulted in reduced yields. Some are the end product of compost (by far the youngest source of these molecules), another young source are peat bogs, and then there are the more ancient mined sources such as oxidized lignite, Leonardite (a specific deposit) and other such soft/brown coals. There are just so many components that it boggles me. Here is a selection taken from Wikipedia... its very neutral in its assessments. Not so. “Humus” is a general term that describes a group of separate but distinct humic substances. :). The composition of humic acid is quite complex as it is made up of various different acids belonging primarily to phenolate and carboxyl groups. I'll probably give it another week... by then the plants will be killing each other out as you can't expect to grow a half dozen or so plants in an 8 ounce cup for very long. Far better would just be to put degraded organic matter (compost) in your soil. “Soil organic matter” is material that is decomposing at various rates in the ground.Some of the most common substances we collectively refer to as “humus” include: 1. You can’t see it – the molecules are far too small to be visible – but you can definitely see the difference between lawns where there is plenty of Humic acid and lawns where there is not much Humic acid at all. Effect of Acid Soils on Plant Growth. You will see an improved soil structure, period. Second, the subtle effects of secondary issues become visible, such at the timing of polinators, the speed of growth of the cells in a tomato skin vs the ability to take on water and grow cells in the interior without splitting. Turf Renovation. At the present time, soil scientists hold a more holistic view and at least recognize that humus influences soil fertility through its effect on the water-holding capacity of the soil. Organic matter soil amendments have been known by farmers to be beneficial to plant growth for longer than recorded history. Is this all accounted for in CEC measurements? So I'm thinking germination shouldn't be an issue, I just don't want the seedlings to die after sprouting or transplanting. I am sure of an increase in cellular respiration in the presence of humates. Part of it is that everyone is gardening under different circumstances but also I believe gardeners can afford (economically speaking) to be narrow minded or money foolish (as the case may be) because our scale of gardening is so small and our livelihoods do not depend upon yields taken from the garden. Sometimes there could be too much aluminum in the soil, making it acidic. Humic acid can provide a healthier soil environment in your lawn. All that can be said are generalizations from observations made... but these are the things that are known for sure (that everyone agrees on): increases TEC (it holds onto anions as well), absorbs moisture, increases microbial activity, improves soil structure (which may be a result of the increase microbial activity)... so these things are good. I understand the great buffalo herds would kill the grass, and 6ft or deeper roots would rot, over millenia leaving vast quantities of organic material and humates that I believe they just dig up now. All this has me concerned somewhat. Here is a gentleman who has unfortunately blown out his soil with phosphorous and N from compost and manure: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/4201134/soil-test-results-now-what?n=52. I've searched the web and cannot find any reputable source that will tell me what to expect. There are a lot of broad generalities being made here, most of which are unsubstantiated or have no basis in reality. monomer thanked daninthedirt (USDA 8b, HZ10, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa), Look to acid-loving plants, like conifers and rhododendrons, to help your low-pH garden thrive, As glorious as their high-maintenance kin for a fraction of the work, Knock Out roses make even beginners look like garden stars, This shade-tolerant shrub, also known as mountain laurel or calico shrub, thrives in East Coast woodland gardens, Small enough for pots but offering abundant fruit, these remarkable bred berries are a boon for gardeners short on space, The moors aren't all moody, as this prettily colored evergreen shrub proves. Even though humic and fulvic acid can be extracted from the same place, it’s important to note that there is a difference between the two. Effects of humic acid lawns on soil structure . A reason for concern if applying pure humic or fulvic acid. So its more like .15% OM would you say? Humic substances are formed by the microbial degradation of dead plant matter, such as lignin and charcoal. Perhaps when I'm retired a year from now I'll choose to spend my free time earthmoving clay from my sub-soil into the raised beds and then waiting around for the organic matter to free up those clay clods... this being a more suitable approach as I expect I will have far more free time than money then. Hence the need for compost and fertilizers. I didn't read through all the posts yet, but since I have some first-hand experience with this subject, I am going to post my observations. If you were at all familiar with growing in containers you would be aware that using any sort of actual soil is NOT recommended. ← Click to see on Amazon . If the soil is too acidic, it can be because of a calcium and magnesium deficiency, which is just as bad for plants as it is for humans. The ones that are called "soil-less mixes" are not that cheap. humic acid - too much of a good thing? The issues pertinent to the OP's question is that you CAN add too much of anything to a garden soil and that can affect plant growth and health. In the central Rio Grande, spreading the clay-ish stuff that gets dredged out of the irrigation canals onto the fields is common, and because it's mostly clay and the fields can be mostly sand it works. In compact soils, humic acid can help remove water retention and soil aeration, making the soil … For a really in-depth understanding of humic substances and its use in agriculture below is a link to a very thorough article which is actually a pair of articles, however be forewarned... it is very detailed, well referenced, and a really long read: http://www.fertitech.com/site/DefaultSite/filesystem/documents/Humic%20Substances%20as%20Agronomic%20Inputs%20in%20Biological%20Agricultural%20Systems,%20a%20Review.pdf. The label states: FOR ESTABLISHED LAWNS: Apply 10 lbs. Humic acid helps to create a stronger, more resilient root system. Epilog: Due to the weather (really cold and snowy) I'd been putting off my trial planting experiment. Do you have a suggestion beyond humic acids to offer? It can help build the root mass and overall root health. But your interpretation of the known science is arguably as valid as mine. Observations now show the presence of charcoal. He has no minimums Lol. Keep in mind that humic acid is only called an acid because it has weak organic acid functional groups scattered around on enormous molecules. Then apply every 6 weeks at the 1 oz per 100 sf or 6 oz per 1000 sf. Since coal is organic matter you can get humic acids from coal. Considering this, if adding an extra 500-lbs/acre of that same fert the following year proved to not increase the yield or worse actually decrease the yield, then you can bet that application rate would not be tried again, ever. STRONGER HEALTHIER PLANTS. humic acid to 1 qt. Make sure to water the lawn regularly as a general rule when dog spots are a problem. Or will the garden veggies just grow really well? All they need is sunlight, oxygen, water and access to nutrients. I don't think anyone is saying that that acid, in itself, is a good thing. Just a thought...did you ask the manufacturer of this stuff what they think about that application rate? “There are so many people jumping on the humic acid bandwagon thinking that it’s some sort of silver bullet.” He dismisses some manufacturers’ claims that their products contain only humic acid and no fulvic acid (or vice versa). Putting down humic acid is a great way to get the best out of your lawn without adding more fertilizer. What I read was that you should apply 1/2 pound per square yard of garden bed. A carbon is a carbon is a carbon? ", "Excessively high concentrations of humic substances can result in a reduction in root weight. This is particularily useful in sandy soils. That's the rule for containers. A 10% increase in yield may mean paying the bank loans back on time or being able to purchase more needed equipment. I put it into one 4 by 4 raised bed and I'll be danged if I didn't observe a difference in the radishes and lettuce grown in it verses the 4 by 4 twin I had next to it. I got my biochar from Fedco. Humic substances are very resistant to further biodegradation. Monomer - It's hard to grow heavy feeders without feeding them because they tend to take everything you put on their plates and use it to grow fast and big, crowd out the competition, and make seeds. Should You Kill Your Lawn and Start Over? For optimum plant growth humic acids (HAs) and fulvic acids (FAs) should be applied at relatively low concentrations.". Just wait, because the answer is in the fruiting. "Excessively high concentrations of humic substances can result in a reduction in root weight. In the article I linked to in my above posting there is good coverage of the confusion with nomenclature... and more. It’s important to note that this process doesn’t happen overnight. Perhaps if I do read that whole thread, buried in it will be an answer. Its essentially ancient material that hasn’t yet turned into coal. When plants and animals die, other organisms consume the fresh material. TEC? It works well if you’re trying to get a fungicide, herbicide or an insecticide into the plant. I believe you are correct about Michigan soils... seems I remember reading somewhere that 90% of Michigan soils are sandy loams. …, careforyourlawn.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. I get what you are saying. I found a really complete history of humic substances over the last 300 years online... yeah apparently they've been trying to figure out the mysteries surrounding organic matter for at least that long. We must begin by understanding that there is a difference between soil organic matter and humus. This may result in nutrients not being as easily available to the plants but would be easily remedied by applying additional nutrients (after a soil test) to accommodate the extra TEC sites you added. Now that you know a bit about humic acid and how it’s made, let’s cover a few ways to use it. What can I expect to happen in the spring? Some adverse affect that soil science doesn't yet understand??? By the way, humic acid is not an acid at all (it s a misnomer) however fulvic acid really is an acid (with a pH around 3). What happened? Feel free to apply often during the season as biochar is a long BUILD UP process. I know enough to walk away before that happens. It helps to improve the soil structure and the transfer of nutrients between the soil and your grass. NOTHING. Perfect for growing grains (which are essentially just more grasses)... it was misguided farming practices caused by ignorance of the soil food web that destroyed the topsoil and caused it to blow away. Formations of complex sugars and such must take some time. I've concluded that was not a good way to make bio-char. Conclusion: Wood chips do not likely contain charcoal. For optimum plant growth humic acids (HAs) and fulvic … Then an acid (pH 2, I believe--and no soil's natural state is pH 2) is added to the solution and what precipitates out has been named humic acid. In my opinion, your arguement for simply adding organic matter as it produces the humic family is not only on point, but most specifically the single best idea, given that 8/12 humic family acids are not understood, just described, and attained by the degeneration of lignin heavy organic material from the hardwood vs pine forest materials. I don't know for certain if it will be a big help or just a fancy fancying. There may be other fertilizer(s) included in the bottle which can green up the grass quickly. Humic Acid is the soil science equivalent to a supermarket delivery truck. What is the immediate response I get after applying these products C they must be good! If my understanding of what these humic acid molecules are like is correct, then it will not dissipate much in the soil... theoretically the larger molecules will last for many years (from hundreds to thousands of years) to come and I don't believe such large molecules are likely to move (leach) a whole lot through the soil horizons... especially since it was in a granular form. I've heard from two landscape firms and a guy who used to be in golf course maintenance that regular use of humic acid to lawn and garden soils can help unlock the nutrients locked up in our heavy clay soil. The acids held back the toxin metals, the plant mass became the coal. It's great you're putting a lot of thought into things, and you're right about farmers vs. gardeners. A study on the effects of humic acid on plant growth was conducted at Ohio State University which said in part “humic acids increased plant growth” and that there were “relatively large responses at low application rates”. There’re no negative side effects of applying humic acid. Then this past fall (like October timeframe) I added approximately 30 lbs of oxidized lignite granules to 250sq-ft of raised beds (beds are 12" high) and worked it in very well... marketing claims for this particular stuff are something like contains 70% humic/fulvic acids, though I don't understand what that really means since there are no standardized testing methods that I'm aware of for measuring this sort of stuff... actually even the whole description itself is fuzzy (also due to no standardize testing methodology or defined terminology or explanation the specifics of calculation of percentages that I'm aware of). Mix humic acid to the appropriate dilution rate according to the planned application: Soil: 1 liter humic acid to 5 gallons water (up to one acre of coverage) Foliar (leaf): 1 liter humic acid to 5 gallons water (up to one acre of coverage) Drip systems: 2 oz. Soils for containers are always modified in some way to ensure proper drainage and aeration. The garden was not robust that year. I have the time and money to splurge a bit i would say.". I've done a lousy, at least ineffectual job, of presenting my point. Adding some local clay to your raised beds would increase ion holding power - if you have local clay. 70% of 30 lbs. Fulvic acid can actually pass through the leaves and into the plant tissue. That isn't what this discussion is about. It acts as both a bio-catalyst and bio-stimulant for your grass. http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/publ/Nature%20528,%2060-68,%202015%20Lehmann.pdf. Today makes it one day short of two weeks since PLANTING the cups and all plants have at least two sets of real leaves! Well two weeks ago, I finally got around to scooping up soil from the beds and putting it into large plastic cups. Now I'll take the rest of this posting to do some rambling... stuff I think about: I've been looking at a LOT of application rates for similar products (granular humic acid) and it appears they are all locked into the application rate of 1-2 lbs per 100 sq-ft (some give it per 1000 sq-ft and some in acres but all convert down to the same application rate)... so I'm thinking there must be something to it... based upon some piece of research perhaps? There are many products that Doc says are the “industry’s best”, but this humic acid for lawns simply wins that title. I don't pay much attention to marketing claims, as the whole purpose of those is to get you to buy it. Example: Additions on a gardener's small scale of a say 5 pounds per 100 sq-ft of some fert or amendment resulting a 10% yield increase is likely to go unnoticed to the gardener... however to a farmer scaled up at 1 ton/acre that would be 1000 tons for a 1000 acre field but to the farmer that 10% increase in yield could mean an extra $100 per acre which becomes an extra $100,000 in profit for the whole field... You can bet that would be noticed and so even if it cost him $40,000 to purchase and apply this fert or amendment it will be a repeated practice in the future... in fact that farmer will likely try to make even more profit by pushing the envelope with the fert or amendment so as to not be "leaving any money on the table" so to speak. My guess in answer to your question is 2 part. 100% ORGANIC. Yep, and everyone who grows in containers lathers them with fertilizers. With no two molecules looking alike how do you represent it or study it? Thanks to all who participated in this thread, in the end I think I managed to find the answers I came looking for and profited knowledge-wise along the way. Andersons has done a lot of research on the product and I’ve found it to work great! Another discrepancy is Dr Kussow's assessment of the North Carolina study... he writes, "Data averaged over all rooting depths for the entire growing season revealed that non of the products significantly affected bentgrass root length or root numbers." I think the above explains why there is always so much disagreement among gardeners about what amendments or ferts or practices are best or which is a waste of money and effort. Apply HumiChar™ anytime during the growing season to lawns. Leonardite is the source material for most of the products containing humic acid. I'm sure they don't make the stuff but since their name is on the bags, I'm sure they'll have some way of contacting the people that actually do produce the stuff that goes into the bag. Want a great looking lawn? The calculated weight of carbon loss is then multiplied by a factor of 1.72 to estimate total soil OM (active and stable) as reported on a soil test. If your pH is very low already, that's a potential problem area. You’re probably going to be thinking that this sounds too good to be true! Fruiting was impacted by high levels of humate, but the body of the plants rocketed up. You can Its just hobby gardening so in the end that's all this is for us... just a hobby... passing time. When you water your grass, the water won’t just drop straight through the soil. Your email address will not be published. Your email address will not be published. But an increase of .3% OM? Yeppers, its pdf and I found it safe. So what's the truth about humic acid and its use? Douglas County … One example of many container recipes is here ... http://extension.psu.edu/plants/gardening/fact-sheets/general-gardening/homemade-potting-media. It is great for: Growing hay; Treating your lawn; Germinating helper; Directions. And that many frequently touted additives are unnecessary, as they are already present in sufficient concentrations in a correctly amended and cared-for soil. Humichar ™ should be used on ALL lawn and turf types as well in ALL garden soils. "Many people think you can grow plants in pure compost. Last summer we grew an excellent crop of many vegetables so I'm figuring it couldn't have been too far off pH-wise. is 21 lbs carbon X 1.72 = 36 lbs of OM. But nobody has cooked both a great and fast BBQ. What is still left in solution has been named fulvic acid. Apparently the ball is still in my end of the court... Maybe you'll get bushels and bushels of vegetables. Interesting. Just visit the Container Gardening (or Houseplant) forum if you dispute this. Humus is a sturdy substance that isn’t decomposed any further. Others have pegged CEC much higher for instance fulvic acid (the lighter fraction of humic acid) at 1400. https://www.houzz.com/discussions/lordy-lordy-margos-dsvw-vd~1091285 Photos, videos, cartoons, pics of leg lamps and moozzes are highly encouraged!!! That's another question for another thread for another time. Your concern is that adding a brown coal type substance to your soil has resulted in over applying humic acids. That's the rule for containers.". I'm sure in another week it'll be a different story for them as well). | How Low Can You Mow? A real can of worms that you have opened monomer. adding 36lbs of OM would increase OM% by 0.3%. The rational for the practice of employing humic acid in the garden is not really the topic of focus here though it was discussed much earlier in the thread. Its fortunate that as the soil warms the populations and the activity level of the microbes increases... the addition of organic matter urges this response on however I don't want to be working in more compost or organic ferts in mid-season. As with charcoal, surface area is paramount to its absorption abilities. Certainly based upon farmer experience. And the effect on the supply of necessary requisites are exquisitely efficient. Feel free to get back next season and report what, if anything, you see in your garden that is different, but your plants should be ok.". Here’s What Humic Acid Can Do for Your Lawn, Lawn Care Etiquette | Being Courteous Neighbors, How to Level a Large Lawn – Ultimate Guide, Mushrooms in Your Lawn and Getting Rid of Them. Humic acids are essentially what's left of organic molecules that have been re-arranged and degraded by years of weathering reactions in the soil and by microbal action removing bits until it can no longer be broken down further (at least not easily)... this means these last residual complex molecules will remain essentially unchanged (for the most part) in the soil for hundreds of years to come along with their ability to attract and hold onto cations AND anions to increase a soil's storage capacity. I didn't take the humic acid seriously since it sounds like pretty benign stuff really (mainly all carbon molecules with, I'm sure a small amount of impurities/ minerals along for the ride), I was just looking for a "cheat" to boost my soil's CEC but once I found out how much over the application rate I had added to the soil, I decided maybe I'd just better find out a bit more in case this stuff is actually potent in some other way than I'm aware of.

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