As the growing season comes to a close, farmers across Alberta and Canada are shifting gears to focus on maintenance and restoration as they enter the dormant months. While harvesting may be over, experienced agriculturists know that nowis the perfect time to reset their land and get ready for the next planting season to maximize their yields.
Whether it’s been a while since you’ve had your soil tested or you’ve noticed some lingering issues with crop vitality, staying on top of nutrient availability is key to producing healthy crops and maximizing your ROI season after season. Restoring lost nutrients helps to ensure your plants stay strong against difficult environmental factors, pests, and disease, all of which significantly influence your yield.
At Norstar Agriculture, we understand the importance of knowing how to maintain healthy soil, as well as the value of relying on proven solutions like humic acid to restore balance when it matters most.
Below, we’ll explore some of the key benefits of reconditioning your soil with humic between growing seasons. Read on to learn more.
What is Humic Acid?
Humic acid is an organic plant biostimulant formed by the decomposition of plant and animal matter. It is a key part of humus, the organic fraction of soil, peat, and coal found in growing fields. Humic is particularly valuable for healthy plant growth thanks to its ability to restore soil structure and boost nutrient availability. Alongside these perks, the core benefits of humic acid include:
Soil Structure
As mentioned above, humic acid is extremely beneficial for soil structure. When applied between crop cycles, humic helps aggregate soil particles that may become compounded during the growing season and allows for better water infiltration and root depth penetration for the next growing year.
Enhances Nutrient Retention and Availability
Humic acid plays a crucial role in enhancing nutrient retention and availability in the soil by acting as a chelator and binding to nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Applying humic acid helps to replenish the soil’s nutrient content, ensuring that it is ready to support the next crop cycle and also helps protect against nutrient leaching.
Boosts Microbial Activity
Microorganisms play a vital role in decomposing organic matter, cycling nutrients, and suppressing soil-borne diseases, all of which influence plant health and crop development. Humic acid provides a stale food source for microbes, boosting their activity and simultaneously promoting a stronger ecosystem.
Increases Water Retention
Water retention is crucial for soil viability and plant vitality. As the last few summers in Alberta have reminded us, drought conditions can make retention difficult for otherwise healthy fields. Humic acid helps prevent this by increasing water-holding capacity and prevents soil from drying out between seasons for a better start to the next planting/growing season.
Why Choose Humic Acid for Your Soil Restoration Needs
There are many reasons to utilize humic acid as part of your soil restoration strategy. Some of the most popular reasons include:
- Ecofriendly: Unlike synthetic compounds humic acid is natural and organic, which helps to support sustainable farming practices.
- Cost-effective: Humic acid is often cost-per-pound more effective than other solutions and soil amendments. Its ability to restore nutrients and water retention helps avoid the need for additional products and saves money over time.
- Versatility: Humic acid can be applied in various forms, from liquids to powders, for your convenience.
- Compatability with other amendments: if you do need to use other solutions, humic plays well with other compounds for the best results possible.
Set the Foundation For Next Year’s Grow Season with NorStar
Ready to set your crops up for success in 2025?
Alongside a large inventory of fertilizing and plant nutrition supplies (including humic acid), Norstar Agriculture is pleased to offer onsite agronomy evaluation, including soil testing and more. Learn how we can help you grow by contacting our team today!
