Contrary to popular belief, humic acid is not a fertilizer. It’s a soil amendment with powerful remediation properties that support nutrient uptake. If you’re tired of spending money and time on fertilizers that aren’t giving you the desired results, humic acid may be the solution you’ve been looking for.
Humic acid conditions soil, helping stimulate plant growth, especially seed and root development during germination. It also stimulates metabolic growth hormones. Humic acid works well when combined with a nutrient-dense fertilizer. When combined, humic acid and fertilizer increase nutrient absorption, resulting in better-quality yields.
What Is Humic Acid Made Of?
At Norstar Agriculture, our NOR-Hum humic acid product contains carbon, as well as 81% humic. This high concentration of humic promotes soil structure stability, with humic particles binding soil particles together. Humic acid helps create micro-pores in soil, allowing water to be absorbed more efficiently. These micro-pores facilitate healthy micro-biome activity and increase microbial diversity by using humic acid as a nutrient source.
Unlike other humic acid amendments, NOR-Hum does not contain humins. Excess humins can clog water irrigation pipes, ultimately affecting crop growth. This is known as plugging and occurs because humins are water-insoluble. Humin particles are composed of tightly bound organic material, making it unable to break down on fields.
Balancing pH for Thriving Soil
Unlike cement kiln dust, agricultural lime and some fertilizers, humic acid doesn’t change soil pH substantially. Instead, humic acid balances soil subtly, buffering both acidic and alkaline soils. When paired with a pH-changing fertilizer, humic acid can help neutralize extreme pH changes.
Humic acid also assists in balancing soil pH during the decomposition process. Healthy soil is home to various organisms. When these organisms eventually decompose, overall soil pH may lower over time. As organic matter breaks down from microbes in the soil, carbon dioxide and other natural gases are released. These gases, in turn, release hydrogen ions, which acidify the soil. Using humic acid as a pH buffer is beneficial for nutrient-productive soil conditions.
Granular and Liquid Humic Acid for Crops
Humic acid is a highly versatile soil amendment available in liquid and granular forms. Granular humic acid works well for long-term soil amendment, gradually breaking down over time with soil moisture and water. On the other hand, liquid humic acid typically sees substantially quicker nutrient uptake boosts and can be used as needed throughout the growing season. While both are reasonable to use, liquid humic acid is beneficial in its substantially quicker root-to-shoot absorption.
Our NOR-Hum humic acid is a concentrated liquid solution with an application rate of ~1-4 L/acre. NOR-Hum makes soil blending simple, as it can be tank-mixed with other fertilizers and spread over fields uniformly.
Ready To Discover Premier Soil Management?
At Norstar Agriculture, we strive to support Canadian farmers with sustainable agriculture solutions. We stock over 50 products and are a certified OMEX dealer. Our team of skilled agronomists is here to provide expert soil guidance so you can see yields that reflect your dedication. Contact us today to get started and check out some of our soil remediation resources.
