M
MrSterling
Are any of the humic acid supplements worth buying? I don't have a finished compost heap at the moment, and am wondering what the scoop is.
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Try to get Humic Blast from Aptus.
Keep on growing
Keep on growing
I use Cytoplus from BioAg. It contains 40% Humic Acid with some seaweed and micronutrients. They also make a Humic Acid only product which I believe is 50% Humic. Both are a powder, more granular or ground coffee in texture.
BioAg's Ful-power is a great liquid Fulvic Acid product and compliments the Humic nicely. Liquid gold!
Peace,
KF
BioAg's Ful-power is a great liquid Fulvic Acid product and compliments the Humic nicely. Liquid gold!
Peace,
KF
Guest02345
Member
im giving zeus juice a run. its from nectar of the gods. its 8% humic and .5% kelp. my plants seem to be totally digging on it.
I use Humisolve from BioAg.
N
Nondual
I third the humisolve for the types of products you're talking about (extracts). Another way to go is an ultra-micronized whole humate product that starts working instantly. Tested out at about 26% HA I believe? It's been awhile. It's called Huma-Carb (liquid) and is from Advancing Eco-Agriculture. You'd need to buy direct though. They have a short write-up on their site. They use an organic proprietary suspension agent and a proprietary milling process to get the particles under 1 micron in size. It's used a lot in open agriculture as a fertilizer 'fixer' so less fertilizer is required during applications. Also helps makes 'synthetic' ferts more microbe friendly with how it works. Also acts as a substrate, not food, for microbiological activity. Super concentrated and a little goes a long way. Very interesting stuff. Can even be used as a foliar but will stain leaves so not good for table crops.
Leonardite check it <-- really informative on the benefits of humid acid
Here its 50lbs for under 30 bucks 85% Ha's
Here its 50lbs for under 30 bucks 85% Ha's
analogue
Member
Same here. Recommended.
M
MrSterling
Lotta suggestions! Thanks, all. Time to do some product research. The dry humic products are intended as soil amendments before hand? I have a few acres I might like to treat soon, so I appreciate the suggestions towards not only indoor soil but outdoors.
I saw that Humboldt Nutrients make their humic product, Hum Bolt, from Leonardite. It's liquid and 8%.
Burn1, I'd love to use ewc, but my worm farm is just getting started and I live in such a rural place that the Walmart an hour away doesn't even sell perlite, let alone ewc. So my options for anything like LC#1 seems to be bagged finished compost and mushroom compost. I wanted to look more into humic supplements because of this and because I don't understand how they "work".
Thanks and much love to all!
- Mr.S
I saw that Humboldt Nutrients make their humic product, Hum Bolt, from Leonardite. It's liquid and 8%.
Burn1, I'd love to use ewc, but my worm farm is just getting started and I live in such a rural place that the Walmart an hour away doesn't even sell perlite, let alone ewc. So my options for anything like LC#1 seems to be bagged finished compost and mushroom compost. I wanted to look more into humic supplements because of this and because I don't understand how they "work".
Thanks and much love to all!
- Mr.S
Get Fulvic acid if liquid. Mix worm casting for your humics.
How Humic Acid is Created
Humic acid is primarily found in manure, peat, lignite coal, and leonardite. Leonardite, a highly oxidized form of organic matter, is technically known as a low rank coal between peat and sub-bituminous. The humic acid used in the manufacture of Potassium Humate is derived from a type of leonardite lignite blend that differs from its theoretical formula: part of its chemical structure has been oxidized away. These broken bonds create places on the molecules where micronutrient ions can be absorbed. The oxidized sites give the entire molecule a negative charge enabling it to absorb micronutrients as shown below.
Oxidized humic acid molecule. The organic structure of humic acid is naturally oxidized, as shown by the asterisks, giving it a negative charge. Positive ions, attracted to broken bonds at the site of the oxidation, create sites for micronutrients and microflora to attach.
How It Absorbs Ions
Humic acid absorbs ions like aluminum relatively easily. We take advantage of this natural tendency by treating leonardite and Lignite with potassium hydroxide. The oxidized sites on the molecule are saturated with potassium, which is readily exchanged for all major micronutrient ions in the soil. Treating leonardite and Lignite ore with potassium hydroxide also raises its pH to 11, pushes the acids to their maximum solubility, and stabilizes hydrocolloids in suspension, as shown below.
Leonardite ore saturated with potassium. Treating leonardite ore with potassium hydroxide saturates the oxidized sites with potassium, which can be readily exchanged for all major micronutrients found in soil.
We also treat leonardite ore with hydrogen peroxide. This liberates humic acid molecules from contaminants such as clay, shale, gypsum, silica, and fossilized organic matter found in the ore. These make up about 15% of the ore. Of course, not all of the remaining humic acid is active. Some is irreversibly combined with crystallized minerals and some is polymerized into insoluble molecules. Only about half the leonardite ore can be successfully converted to humic acid. The rest must be settled out of the solution before it can be used. The solution is then filtered, and prepared for distribution or dried to produce granular Potassium Humate.
Why Humic Acid from Leonardite
The maximum saturation we have been able to achieve with highly active humic acid is 16%. Humic acid salts begin to precipitate if we increase the solids content above this figure. Any humic acid product that claims to contain more than 16% humic acid solids actually contains a smaller percentage of active acids plus inactive and often times insoluble particles. The inactive and insoluble portions add nothing to the solution but instead plug irrigation and spray distribution equipment.
Humic acid extracted from manure or peat is usually not as effective in absorbing micronutrients as humic acid originating in leonardite. Similarly, lignite-based humic acid performs poorly as a growth stimulator unless it is partially oxidized. This usually adds considerably to the product's cost. Leonardite has been oxidized by nature, resulting in a highly active humic acid at reasonable cost. Humic acid extracted from leonardite is an excellent balance of effectiveness and low cost.
How Humic Acid Works
Humic acid improves plant growth in several ways:
Clay Disaggregation
Water Penetration Enabled
Micronutrient Transference, and
Water Sequestration
Clay Disaggregation
Clay particles normally lay together flat as shown below.
Soils with high clay content can become so dense and compact that they may resist plant rooting. This may happen for one of two reasons: First, the salt in the soil has neutralized the negative electrical charges which normally cause clay particles to repel each other as shown below.
Second, the percentage of clay in the soil is so high that the positive charge on the edge of a clay particle combines with the negative charge on the flat surface of another, forming a tight three-dimensional structure as shown here.
Water Penetration Enabled
Humic acid causes the clay particles to stand on end, allowing water penetration. It does this in two ways.
First, it segregates salts and removes them from the surface of the clay particle. The net negative charge resulting causes the clay particles to repel each other, loosening the soil structure.
Second, a carbon group on the humic acid molecule (carboxyl group) bonds with the edge of the positively charged particles. This breaks the attractive force between the positive charge at the edge of a particle and the negative charge or the flat surface of another (see below).
This action, called protective colloidal action, loosens soil, letting roots penetrate more easily. Humic acid's effect on clay soil is more evident as time passes. In heavy clay soils, six months or more may be needed before you will see a noticeable improvement in the soil's density. The sooner you add Humic Acids or Potassium Humates, the greater its impact on your soil and future crop production.
Micronutrient Transference
Humic acid can acquire positive ions under one condition and release them when conditions change. It picks up ions depending on the availability of a different ion to replace the one released. Positive ions are called cations and the pickup and release property is called cation exchange capacity. Humic acid holds cations so they can be absorbed by a plant's root, improving micronutrient exchange and transference to the plant's circulation system.
The transference mechanism is not completely understood, but soil scientists theorize that as the plant absorbs water, the humic acids (carrying the absorbed micronutrients) move into close proximity to the root system. Since the root system is negatively charged, when the humic acid moves close to the root, the root's negative charge exceeds the acid's negative charge. The micronutrients are released from the humic acid molecule and enter the root membrane. Some researchers, especially in Europe, believe that the shorter_chain humic acid and the attached micronutrients are actually absorbed and metabolized by the plant. Humic acid is extremely important as a medium for transporting nutrients from the soil to the plant.
Water Sequestration
Humic acid slows water evaporation from soils. This is especially important in soils where clay is not present or in a low concentration, in arid areas, and in sandy soils without the capability to hold water. In the presence of water, cations absorbed by humic acid partially ionize and move a short distance away from the humic acid oxidation sites. This restores part of the bonded ion's positive attractive force. Water sequestration by humic acid is illustrated below.
Since water is a dipolar molecule and electrically neutral, the end of the molecule containing the oxygen atom loosely bonds to the ion. The hydrogen or negative end of the water molecule is partially neutralized, and as a result, increases the hydrogen end's positive attracting force. The oxygen (or negative) end of another water molecule bonds with the hydrogen end and this continues until the attractive force of the water molecule is dissipated.
This effect reduces the evaporation rate by about 30% as shown below. Humic acid can significantly reduce water evaporation and increase its use by plants in non-clay, arid, and sandy soils.
Microorganism Stimulation
Humic acid becomes a source of phosphate and carbon, stimulating microflora populations. It also provide sites for microflora to colonize. The bacteria secrete enzymes which act as catalysts, liberating calcium and phosphorous from insoluble calcium phosphate, and iron and phosphorous from insoluble iron phosphate. As the calcium, phosphorous, and iron elements are liberated, they are absorbed by the humic acid present, making the elements less available to the bacteria.
The bacteria are further stimulated to secrete additional enzymes, liberating more calcium, iron, and phosphorous, until both the humic acid and bacterial populations are satisfied. In the same way, trace nutrients are also converted into forms more easily used by the plant.
Seed Germination
Humic acid's effect on seed germination is similar to its effect on rooted plants. Humic acid, carrying both micronutrients and water, is drawn into the seed through the pore, stimulating growth of the radical. The mechanism for transference appears to be similar to that of indole butyric acid, but the exact method is unknown. Not only do seeds germinate faster when humic acid is present, but a higher percentage of seeds germinate. Increased seed germination rates cut seed costs and improve plot usage. Enhanced stimulation of seed germination using Humic Acid Solution can compensate for cool or rainy conditions and give growers a wider margin of safety.
Fertilizer Use
Whenever possible, use Humic Acid Solution with fertilizer. Humic acid's ability to absorb fertilizer components and increases their release to plants is well documented. If you make judicious use of humic acid and fertilizer, you will improve the performance of marginally fertile soils, of soils with low native organic matter, and of crops grown in arid regions.
I've used raw Leonardite in my top dressing, you can use it in your tea mixture, you can add it to you compost heap, or you can even make your own extractions.
i believe the industry standard for humid acid products are derived using acid extraction with yields a much lower % of HA's hence the 8%.
alkaline extractions on the other hand can produce products in the 50+% range i believe
but the raw products have much higher HA% and are much more affordable, easy to use, and work pretty darn fast.
Humic acid is primarily found in manure, peat, lignite coal, and leonardite. Leonardite, a highly oxidized form of organic matter, is technically known as a low rank coal between peat and sub-bituminous. The humic acid used in the manufacture of Potassium Humate is derived from a type of leonardite lignite blend that differs from its theoretical formula: part of its chemical structure has been oxidized away. These broken bonds create places on the molecules where micronutrient ions can be absorbed. The oxidized sites give the entire molecule a negative charge enabling it to absorb micronutrients as shown below.
Oxidized humic acid molecule. The organic structure of humic acid is naturally oxidized, as shown by the asterisks, giving it a negative charge. Positive ions, attracted to broken bonds at the site of the oxidation, create sites for micronutrients and microflora to attach.
How It Absorbs Ions
Humic acid absorbs ions like aluminum relatively easily. We take advantage of this natural tendency by treating leonardite and Lignite with potassium hydroxide. The oxidized sites on the molecule are saturated with potassium, which is readily exchanged for all major micronutrient ions in the soil. Treating leonardite and Lignite ore with potassium hydroxide also raises its pH to 11, pushes the acids to their maximum solubility, and stabilizes hydrocolloids in suspension, as shown below.
Leonardite ore saturated with potassium. Treating leonardite ore with potassium hydroxide saturates the oxidized sites with potassium, which can be readily exchanged for all major micronutrients found in soil.
We also treat leonardite ore with hydrogen peroxide. This liberates humic acid molecules from contaminants such as clay, shale, gypsum, silica, and fossilized organic matter found in the ore. These make up about 15% of the ore. Of course, not all of the remaining humic acid is active. Some is irreversibly combined with crystallized minerals and some is polymerized into insoluble molecules. Only about half the leonardite ore can be successfully converted to humic acid. The rest must be settled out of the solution before it can be used. The solution is then filtered, and prepared for distribution or dried to produce granular Potassium Humate.
Why Humic Acid from Leonardite
The maximum saturation we have been able to achieve with highly active humic acid is 16%. Humic acid salts begin to precipitate if we increase the solids content above this figure. Any humic acid product that claims to contain more than 16% humic acid solids actually contains a smaller percentage of active acids plus inactive and often times insoluble particles. The inactive and insoluble portions add nothing to the solution but instead plug irrigation and spray distribution equipment.
Humic acid extracted from manure or peat is usually not as effective in absorbing micronutrients as humic acid originating in leonardite. Similarly, lignite-based humic acid performs poorly as a growth stimulator unless it is partially oxidized. This usually adds considerably to the product's cost. Leonardite has been oxidized by nature, resulting in a highly active humic acid at reasonable cost. Humic acid extracted from leonardite is an excellent balance of effectiveness and low cost.
How Humic Acid Works
Humic acid improves plant growth in several ways:
Clay Disaggregation
Water Penetration Enabled
Micronutrient Transference, and
Water Sequestration
Clay Disaggregation
Clay particles normally lay together flat as shown below.
Soils with high clay content can become so dense and compact that they may resist plant rooting. This may happen for one of two reasons: First, the salt in the soil has neutralized the negative electrical charges which normally cause clay particles to repel each other as shown below.
Second, the percentage of clay in the soil is so high that the positive charge on the edge of a clay particle combines with the negative charge on the flat surface of another, forming a tight three-dimensional structure as shown here.
Water Penetration Enabled
Humic acid causes the clay particles to stand on end, allowing water penetration. It does this in two ways.
First, it segregates salts and removes them from the surface of the clay particle. The net negative charge resulting causes the clay particles to repel each other, loosening the soil structure.
Second, a carbon group on the humic acid molecule (carboxyl group) bonds with the edge of the positively charged particles. This breaks the attractive force between the positive charge at the edge of a particle and the negative charge or the flat surface of another (see below).
This action, called protective colloidal action, loosens soil, letting roots penetrate more easily. Humic acid's effect on clay soil is more evident as time passes. In heavy clay soils, six months or more may be needed before you will see a noticeable improvement in the soil's density. The sooner you add Humic Acids or Potassium Humates, the greater its impact on your soil and future crop production.
Micronutrient Transference
Humic acid can acquire positive ions under one condition and release them when conditions change. It picks up ions depending on the availability of a different ion to replace the one released. Positive ions are called cations and the pickup and release property is called cation exchange capacity. Humic acid holds cations so they can be absorbed by a plant's root, improving micronutrient exchange and transference to the plant's circulation system.
The transference mechanism is not completely understood, but soil scientists theorize that as the plant absorbs water, the humic acids (carrying the absorbed micronutrients) move into close proximity to the root system. Since the root system is negatively charged, when the humic acid moves close to the root, the root's negative charge exceeds the acid's negative charge. The micronutrients are released from the humic acid molecule and enter the root membrane. Some researchers, especially in Europe, believe that the shorter_chain humic acid and the attached micronutrients are actually absorbed and metabolized by the plant. Humic acid is extremely important as a medium for transporting nutrients from the soil to the plant.
Water Sequestration
Humic acid slows water evaporation from soils. This is especially important in soils where clay is not present or in a low concentration, in arid areas, and in sandy soils without the capability to hold water. In the presence of water, cations absorbed by humic acid partially ionize and move a short distance away from the humic acid oxidation sites. This restores part of the bonded ion's positive attractive force. Water sequestration by humic acid is illustrated below.
Since water is a dipolar molecule and electrically neutral, the end of the molecule containing the oxygen atom loosely bonds to the ion. The hydrogen or negative end of the water molecule is partially neutralized, and as a result, increases the hydrogen end's positive attracting force. The oxygen (or negative) end of another water molecule bonds with the hydrogen end and this continues until the attractive force of the water molecule is dissipated.
This effect reduces the evaporation rate by about 30% as shown below. Humic acid can significantly reduce water evaporation and increase its use by plants in non-clay, arid, and sandy soils.
Microorganism Stimulation
Humic acid becomes a source of phosphate and carbon, stimulating microflora populations. It also provide sites for microflora to colonize. The bacteria secrete enzymes which act as catalysts, liberating calcium and phosphorous from insoluble calcium phosphate, and iron and phosphorous from insoluble iron phosphate. As the calcium, phosphorous, and iron elements are liberated, they are absorbed by the humic acid present, making the elements less available to the bacteria.
The bacteria are further stimulated to secrete additional enzymes, liberating more calcium, iron, and phosphorous, until both the humic acid and bacterial populations are satisfied. In the same way, trace nutrients are also converted into forms more easily used by the plant.
Seed Germination
Humic acid's effect on seed germination is similar to its effect on rooted plants. Humic acid, carrying both micronutrients and water, is drawn into the seed through the pore, stimulating growth of the radical. The mechanism for transference appears to be similar to that of indole butyric acid, but the exact method is unknown. Not only do seeds germinate faster when humic acid is present, but a higher percentage of seeds germinate. Increased seed germination rates cut seed costs and improve plot usage. Enhanced stimulation of seed germination using Humic Acid Solution can compensate for cool or rainy conditions and give growers a wider margin of safety.
Fertilizer Use
Whenever possible, use Humic Acid Solution with fertilizer. Humic acid's ability to absorb fertilizer components and increases their release to plants is well documented. If you make judicious use of humic acid and fertilizer, you will improve the performance of marginally fertile soils, of soils with low native organic matter, and of crops grown in arid regions.
I've used raw Leonardite in my top dressing, you can use it in your tea mixture, you can add it to you compost heap, or you can even make your own extractions.
i believe the industry standard for humid acid products are derived using acid extraction with yields a much lower % of HA's hence the 8%.
alkaline extractions on the other hand can produce products in the 50+% range i believe
but the raw products have much higher HA% and are much more affordable, easy to use, and work pretty darn fast.
I just switched over to full organic recently and I wanted fresh ewc. I searched google for ewc and my state to find where I could buy some near where I live. The 30# bag I purchased at a nearby family garden center was $30. The first place I checked online was $35 shipped. Give it a try at least, if you haven't already. Worth the week or two wait if that's your only option for now. I'm just starting to look into my own worm farm.
Best of luck.
N
Nondual
Good stuff too!
N
Nondual
I've been getting it for 2 years. They set up a bottling plant/line last year. Oh I have a little behind the scenes info and stuff
. I'd show a pic of the gallon bottle/label but that's at home. I use a little in every watering. Even when composting a little spritz now and then as I'm layering and turning. The Amish guy behind the whole thing is pretty cool. They offer a free regular newsletter and you can get on their email list now for the electronic version. John knows his shit 
. They have been talking to some people about getting their products mainstream retail distributed. It's kind of a bitch to do that because of the state-by-state registration process. It's a 100% organic product though.Don't mean to sound like a broken record but Huma-Carb is primo for large scale applications. The great thing about Huma-Carb (uber fine Leonardite) is that it maintains the humin fraction that extracts exclude. Helps build soil over time.
N
Nondual
Was thinking about open field applications and the stuff from Mesa Verde Resources out of New Mexico might be better if you wanna go a whole humate product and dry broadcast. Once the particle size gets down to a certain point it becomes like trying to handle smoke. MVR claims their material (Micromate) is down to about 15 microns but think someone tested and said it might be more like 40-50. Micromate comes dry. They now claim a 'revolutionary' new micronizing technique. Maybe because Advancing Eco-Agriculture's micronized product was better and they needed to catch up lol. One definite advantage to AEA's product is the organic suspension agents. You'd need a larger size if you want to dry broadcast and work into the soil and MVR has different grades. I know BioAg uses material from New Mexico for their products and Dr. Faust said it's the best deposit he knows of. Don't know if he buys from MVR though. If I'm remembering correctly AEA's material comes from the original Leonardite deposit in North Dakota. There's a pretty big difference between the material from NM and ND. Can't remember the specifics but two totally different types of plants and environments when the deposits were formed.
Figured I throw a shot up of the Huma-Carb label for fun. Pretty sure those application rates are per acre. I was thinking about experimenting with some in an indoor coco grow. It's supposed to stay in suspension about 5 days once diluted. Got a batch once when they were experimenting with suspension agents and the liquid was a decent gold color.
Figured I throw a shot up of the Huma-Carb label for fun. Pretty sure those application rates are per acre. I was thinking about experimenting with some in an indoor coco grow. It's supposed to stay in suspension about 5 days once diluted. Got a batch once when they were experimenting with suspension agents and the liquid was a decent gold color.
M
MrSterling
Wow, this thread took off!
