The important role of humic substances, including humic acid and fulvic acids, is described in numerous textbooks, school books and studies. Without humus, the soil is considered infertile, whereas with 3-4% humus, the soil is considered to be highly fertile, since the decomposition of humus ensures, among other things, a continuous supply of nitrogen to the plants. The amount of humus material is constantly reduced during soil use, which reduces its nitrogen supply capacity and thus the environmental buffering effect of the soil. Unfortunately, in European areas, the humus content of soils is usually barely 1%, which is far from sufficient, even though the positive effects of humic acids and humic substances have been known for decades in agriculture.
If you want to learn more about the formation and chemistry of humic substances, we recommend article of Dr. Barnabás Hella In the agricultural sector .
Humic acid is the conductor of soil life
The most important element of soil quality maintenance and soil formation is the intake of organic substances such as humic acids, fulvic acids, which have the greatest influence on soil fertility. Nitrogen, for example, is incorporated at a rate of 1/10th of the soil carbon content. Increasing the carbon content through humic substances can improve nitrogen uptake, which in itself can be a major boost to soil life. However with the continued use of humic acids, fertiliser rates can be significantly reduced due to significantly improved nitrogen uptake, or can even be omitted.
Through the 100% organic formulation, humic acid products are fully integrated into the environment without any harmful effects. They ensure a balance between the different elements of the ecosystem, mobilising the macro and micro elements that are bound in the soil, always providing the right proportion and sufficient quantities of nutrients for the plant.
They can have a significant impact on plant nutrition and soil life by forming moderately strong bonds with important plant nutrients that allow the nutrients to be readily taken up by the plants. At the same time, they form strong complexes with toxic metals that plants cannot break down, making them inaccessible to plants from the soil.
Humic acids are directly involved as catalysts in the processes of cellular respiration in plants, i.e. they accelerate it. They thus induce the release of more energy in the cells, which has a general effect on the whole plant's metabolism. The excellent nutrient supply and the increased green mass improve the plant's vitality, its drought and stress tolerance and its resistance to many pathogens. They also contribute to the development of a dense, highly consolidated root system, which, in addition to increasing the number of metabolic channels, ensures plant stability.
The degradation process of humic acids is rather slow, due to their very long carbon chains, which are intertwined and therefore have a long-lasting effect. Due to their high pH, they improve the pH of acidic soils by default. The ion exchange capacity and redox capacity of humic acid allows it to handle extreme acidic and alkaline conditions, thus neutralising soil pH even in extreme chemistry. Thanks to its high humic acid content, it improves soil structure and stimulates root formation, thus helping the initial development and continued vitality of plants.
We can say that with a good quality soil conditioner with a high humic acid content, our plants will be healthier, we can provide them with the right environment to grow, and fertiliser rates can be reduced or even eliminated. We can develop a new sustainable agricultural technology that is not only environmentally friendly but also more efficient.
The effect of humic acids on soil
Humic acids are the most stable components of humus. They form through the slow decomposition of plant and animal residues and remain in the soil for years, unlike fresh organic matter, which breaks down within a single season. This is why their effect does not appear overnight, but lasts considerably longer than that of a conventional fertiliser.
In the soil, humic acids perform three jobs at once:
- They hold water. Their large surface area and negative charge bind the moisture that would otherwise seep into deeper layers. On sandy soil, in a dry summer, this is the difference between a healthy stand and a loss.
- They hold nutrients. Thanks to their high cation exchange capacity, they capture potassium, calcium, magnesium and trace elements before rain or irrigation washes them out. What the root zone keeps does not have to be bought again.
- They build structure. They bind soil particles into crumb aggregates. Such soil is better aerated, takes in water more readily and crusts over less after rain.
The difference between humic and fulvic acids is practical, not theoretical. Fulvic acids are smaller molecules, they move faster in the soil and the plant takes them up sooner. Humic acids are larger, they stay in the soil longer and build its long-term fertility. A good soil conditioner contains both.
How to get humic acids into the soil
This is the question we are asked most often. The answer comes down to three things: the form of the product, the timing of the application and the dose.
The form decides how much reaches the roots at all. Humic acid is sold in granular, powder and liquid form. The difference is not in the declared content but in solubility. Poorly soluble material stays near the surface, and rain or irrigation carries only a fraction of it down to the root zone, so the effects described above cannot even develop. This is why Huminexpert products are liquid and dissolve completely in water. The simplest proof of solubility is visible: the diluted solution stays just as deep black as the original essence.
When to apply it. The best time is before sowing or planting, or at the start of the growing season when the root system is forming. A second dose during the season helps in stress periods: in drought, after a downpour, or after an intervention that has weakened the stand. On lawns and in gardens an autumn application also makes sense, because the material has the whole winter to become incorporated.
How much. Depending on soil quality and crop, the dose is 15-40 litres per hectare. In a home garden this is roughly 1.5-4 millilitres per square metre: a 100 square metre vegetable plot needs 1.5-4 decilitres, so a one litre bottle lasts several seasons. For spraying, dilute with water at a ratio of 1:15-20. Shake the product before use. Because of the risk of precipitation, we do not recommend mixing the solution with other products, above all acidic ones.
With what. On large fields with a sprayer or through the irrigation system. In a home garden an ordinary garden sprayer or a watering can is enough. The material is organic, non-corrosive and non-toxic.
For home gardens, vegetables, fruit trees, lawn care and houseplants the 1 litre and the 5 litre sizes are the right choice; for larger areas the 10 and the 20 litre packs.
Humic acid and fertiliser: how they complement each other
Humic acid is not a fertiliser, and nobody should sell it as one. It does not contain enough nitrogen to replace an NPK dose. What it does is different, and more interesting in cost terms: it increases the efficiency of the fertiliser we are applying anyway.
A significant part of the nitrogen in fertiliser never reaches the plant. It leaches into deeper layers or escapes into the air. Humic acids limit this loss by binding nutrients in the root zone and releasing them gradually. In the same way they make available the phosphorus and the trace elements that are already present in the soil, only in a form the plant cannot take up.
In practice this means that with regular use of humic acids the fertiliser doses can be reduced. Not because the product replaces them, but because more of a smaller dose is actually used.
We covered this topic in detail in a separate article: How can humic acid replace nitrogen fertiliser?
Take care of the soil structure, health and vitality of your plants in a sustainable way. Look for Huminexpert's high quality, perfectly water soluble humic acid products!
"Huminexpert - reviving the original power of the earth".
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