As we head into winter, most gardeners will be taking time out to take care of the most fundamental building blocks of any gardening – our soil. As that quirky gardening meme goes, “despite everything we’ve achieved, we owe our existence to a 15-centimetre layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains”.
That, and the fact that good old Mother Earth has been around forever, and survived everything that has been thrown at her. Lucky for us, another prehistoric gift nature has given us is the miracle of humic acid, the amazing chelator that everyone will advise you absolutely need to take care of your soil.
To some, humic and fulvic acid is a still a bit of mystery, but the truth of it is actually very simple. Humic substances are all the good stuff that has broken down in the soil over millennia.
The liquid black gold that is humates attracts minerals and deposits them in crystals around the root zone of plants for uptake. It’s used as a soil conditioner and the effects of treating soil with it lasts for years, cutting down on the use of synthetic fertilisers.
In fact, humic acid already exists in most soils, but it, just like other minerals and bio-stimulants, gets depleted over time. So, when your soil has been worn out over a season, humates is just the thing to treat it to.
Humates are critical precisely because as claw molecules (aka chelators) they transport nutrients from the soil to the plant because they hold on to ionised nutrients, preventing them from disappearing.
Organic humic acids also promote the use of beneficial fungi which are missing in many soils. They improve nitrogen productivity, are microbe friendly, reduce phosphate lock-up and are a great source of water-soluble carbon, which is really great from healthy soils.
They also help to clean soil of toxins.
Remember that humic acid is a long-term relationship – what you’re trying to do for your soil is keep it in the game consistently. Benefits include: better seed germination, stabilization of soil pH, higher uptake of nutrients from soil, aids in water and nutrient retention in soil, improves microbial activity in soil, assists in better root growth, aids in enhanced plant growth and generally improve total soil condition.
Our humic acid, which is extracted from nutrient-rich coal, comes in liquid form, so it’s super easy to use. And we’ll let you in a little secret – it’s not only good for grass – it’s also great for lawn. This writer has used it and fulvic acid exclusively on his grass for years, minus any topsoil or other fertiliser, and it’s the perfect picture of health!
So do yourself a favour – supercharge your soil this autumn! Head over to our shop for the best humates in the house!
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash Words: Keith Henderson