Humic Acid? Is it worth it, what does it do?

[TheyCallMe2K]

Im using techna flora full line.. Bc boost, Bc bloom, thrive alive b1, MagICal, Awesome Blossom, Sugar Daddy, and Bud Candy by AN for flower. There is some humic acid ment to go with this nute line that the guy at the hydro store was talkin about. He said humic acid can help absorb nutrients faster or something like that? Does that mean its harder for them to get nute burn? Can handle higher ppms? Any help is appreciated

 

[robnarley1111]

WOW! Sounds like a lot of nutrients. What is the benefit for using these nutrients all at the same time? Do you think it's more "marketing hype" than actually necessary? Or is there a certain "thing" that one of the particular nutes does for your plants/buds?

I use Dyna-Gro Foliage Pro, Epsom salts, molasses, and tap water, so I'm ignorant when it comes to enhancers, etc. So far the simple approach works for me!

 

[mechaaizen]

I was talked into grabbing a box of humic acid at my local shop. Must be a PNW thing or something.

Basically I was told it was best when transplanting Just sprinkle it in the hole before you place your plant in or add it when brewing tea. That easy.This is supposed to stimulate root growth and help break down nutrients for the plant.

With that said I am only a year into gardening and this is my 2nd MJ grow. This is my first time using it so I can't say what is or isn't working. But the veggies I have growing seem to love it. If they are happy then I'm happy.

 

[TheyCallMe2K]

From what ive learned a balance of everything is important, and its not outrageous amounts of any of it. Ppms are 1130-1230 in flower. Put it this way, Dyna-grow to you is kinda like my boost and bloom, your epsom salt is kinda like my MagICal, molasses is Sugar Daddy.. To each their own i guess haha! Im still learning though.

 

[dannyboy602]

Humic Acid provides a carbon food source for bacteria and other microbes in soil thereby breaking down organic matter and making it available for plants. Until the nutrients in organic matter are available to plants it serves them no purpose and humic acid helps move the process along.

 

[TheyCallMe2K]

Humic Acid provides a carbon food source for bacteria and other microbes in soil thereby breaking down organic matter and making it available for plants. Until the nutrients in organic matter are available to plants it serves them no purpose and humic acid helps move the process along.

So help me out here, you're saying that humic acid helps break down the nutrients that you are putting into the soil everytime you feed so that the root system can absorb and use it easier?

 

[dannyboy602]

So help me out here, you're saying that humic acid helps break down the nutrients that you are putting into the soil everytime you feed so that the root system can absorb and use it easier?

Not exactly. Salt based fertilizers that you use to feed your plants are readily absorbable. Organic matter in the soil needs to be broken down first. Bacteria do that. Humic acid feeds the bacteria

 

[green217]

Some humic acid came in by GO BOX. I only used it the first couple of weeks as directed on the box. I am now in flower, can i benefit by using it other than when you are first establishing roots in newly transplanted plants? Also would it be beneficial for cloning applications?

 

[TheyCallMe2K]

I was talked into grabbing a box of humic acid at my local shop. Must be a PNW thing or something.

Basically I was told it was best when transplanting Just sprinkle it in the hole before you place your plant in or add it when brewing tea. That easy.This is supposed to stimulate root growth and help break down nutrients for the plant.

With that said I am only a year into gardening and this is my 2nd MJ grow. This is my first time using it so I can't say what is or isn't working. But the veggies I have growing seem to love it. If they are happy then I'm happy.

I dont know what you mean by sprinkling it in the hole,, are you talking about some type of powder? The stuff im talking about is a liquid you mix into your resevoir.

 

[TheyCallMe2K]

Not exactly. Salt based fertilizers that you use to feed your plants are readily absorbable. Organic matter in the soil needs to be broken down first. Bacteria do that. Humic acid feeds the bacteria

Ok i think im starting to get it,, it helps break down the nutrients in the soil itself, like bat guano and all that stuff and make it more readily available for the roots to use? Im using a mix of happy frog, FFOF, perlite, and promix.

 

[dannyboy602]

Some humic acid came in by GO BOX. I only used it the first couple of weeks as directed on the box. I am now in flower, can i benefit by using it other than when you are first establishing roots in newly transplanted plants? Also would it be beneficial for cloning applications?

if u add it now it may be too late to make any difference in the amount of nutrients available to your plants. it does take a while for the stuff to do its thing and as many strains, unless theyre sativas, flower in about eight weeks, its hardly worth adding it so late. better to stick with some water soluble fertilizer. also humic acid isnt a root enhancer so it won't help with propagation of clones. and cuttings need to grow roots before they can uptake any nutrient.

 

[dannyboy602]

Ok i think im starting to get it,, it helps break down the nutrients in the soil itself, like bat guano and all that stuff and make it more readily available for the roots to use? Im using a mix of happy frog, FFOF, perlite, and promix.

Exactly

 

[Scroga]

I think mech might be talking about mycorhizal fungi...
Humic can suppress microbial breeding in teas

 

[mechaaizen]

I dont know what you mean by sprinkling it in the hole,, are you talking about some type of powder? The stuff im talking about is a liquid you mix into your resevoir.

What I have is Granular Humic Acid. It might be the same thing just extracted differently and broken down into a grain. I'm not 100% sure. if I am wrong someone please correct me.

The soil I use has a small amount of Humic Acids in it but I use it as a soil amendment anyway. Several products contain it and I have read that TechnaFlora's Thrive Alive and Awesome Blossoms are a couple of them. If you didn't already know that. It may be something to think about when mixing.

 

[Dr. Who]

Humic can suppress microbial breeding in teas

So will the use of Fulvic's.
So will the use of any type of Kelp (kelp contains/is a source for Fulvic/Humic acids. Fulvic's also contain high amounts of available B complex vits .
I have looked under the microscope and done cell counts. Your looking at about a 32-35% reduction in the total living microbe counts at 48hrs of brewing when adding any Kelp product!

 

[Dr. Who]

Put simply. Humic and Fulvic acids are "uptake" enhancers.

Sea Green is a newer product on the market I have been testing.....This stuff IS very good.
No matter if you run Organic (works so well you must be careful how hot you make your soil when you build it and I'm running 1/2ml every other watering) OR synthetic (you are going to need to reduce the amount of nutrient used by as much as 50%) it works!
That's right , I said it works with synthetics too.....Not sure I understand why,,but it does.
They have soil and hydro specific applications.

In soil it should be run all through out the run for any benefit in flower.

 

[dannyboy602]

Put simply. Humic and Fulvic acids are "uptake" enhancers.

Sea Green is a newer product on the market I have been testing.....This stuff IS very good.
No matter if you run Organic (works so well you must be careful how hot you make your soil when you build it and I'm running 1/2ml every other watering) OR synthetic (you are going to need to reduce the amount of nutrient used by as much as 50%) it works!
That's right , I said it works with synthetics too.....Not sure I understand why,,but it does.
They have soil and hydro specific applications.

In soil it should be run all through out the run for any benefit in flower.

Good post. I'm interested to know how it works with synthetics I'll do a little research and ill let u know what I find out.

 

[Scroga]

Are you saying fulvic is not suppossed to aid the uptake of synthetics?

 

[Dr. Who]

In a technical sense,,no and yes...You see, synthetics are formulated to be directly available to the plant, with out having to be "changed" by the bio's in the soil to be available to the plant (I left out the scientific wording for ease of understanding).
That being said. I have seen an effect to plants running synthetic's.....Fulvic's do supply to the synthetic grow those B vits and some natural PGR's that come from the Kelp/seaweeds that are mostly used as the source for them. The use of Kelp based fulvic's tend to preclude the need for things like Hesi Super Vit, Thrive Alive or any other Vitamin/PGR source supplement.
Fulvic's aid in the same way Humic's do, but because they are soluble in alkaline, acid and neutral environments they aid greatly in the uptake of N,P,K,Mg,S and a host of micronutrients. This is done because the Fulvic's are readily absorbed by the plants roots and "carry" the things listed above into the plant with ease....The use of synthetic nutrition does not "require" fulvic acids to do the job....Although many do include some in one way or another.

Danny is looking into this with both, in relation to synthetic use. I suspect that they do continue to aid in the uptake as "carriers" of these nutrients, because they so easily pick them up when in solution. The synthetics are already in solution (useable). So the Humic and fulvic acid take on these ready to go nutrients very easily and bring them into the plant faster.....Hence my need to reduce the nutrient feeding amounts when in use.....

 

[burgertime2010]

I have just the academic studies on the use of humates and the increase in yield was anywhere from 21-55%. I will say in my experience that they are overpriced and too diluted in bottle form. I bought a 1lb bag of it in powder form for 12 bucks. Use it 2-3 times. http://www.teravita.com/Humates/Chapter3.htm