THEY'RE COLLOIDAL
Humates were created by the decomposition (composting) and compaction of prehistoric plant material over 75-million years old. During the decomposition process, plant material is pre-digested by microorganisms, resulting in a rich black spongy layer of decayed organic material called compost or humus. Humus is both a soil conditioner and a plant nutrient.
The decomposed plant matter that has been converted into humate contains at least 72 trace minerals that can make your soil healthier by feeding plants and microorganisms that keep the soil healthy. These minerals had previously been extracted from the soil by living plants and incorporated into their bodies in a colloidal form.
A very small molecule that can pass through the cells walls as the plants grew. Once the plants died and decayed, the nutrients were released and stored in the compost. They are now available in an ideal form for new plants to use. Because they are still in colloidal form, plants can uptake the trace minerals quickly.
To summarize:
Humates contain plant minerals which are digested or have been pre-assimilated by the minerals. The ‘quick response’ of this product is the direct result of the fact that a plant mineral was predigested which eliminates the time required for total dissolution.
THEY'RE POLAR (CHARGED!)
An additional feature of humates are that they are polar (charged), so they tend to attract and hold water. Because it has been pulverized, it has a larger surface area to hold more water. Its presence in the soil helps to keep water near the roots of plants, allowing for a reduction in the frequency of watering. It also helps to lower stress on plants during times of drought.
SOIL BUILDER
Many people in nutritional and agronomy fields predict humates will eventually change the farming and eating habits of the world.
Slowly but surely, humates are being recognized as an excellent soil builder to replace minerals in mineral deficient soils.
SOIL CONDITIONER
Humates are also soil conditioners, much in the same way that humus itself is. In compacted clay soils, it opens up tiny pores between clay platelets, so soil can hold more oxygen and roots can “breathe.” In sandy soils, it acts like tiny sponges, filling up the relatively large pore spaces between grains of sand, holding water and nutrients close to plant roots so they don’t dry out as fast.
HUMATES VS. SYNTHETIC CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS
Still not convinced? Here are some additional benefits to consider. When properly applied by you or a professional service, our natural-based fertilizer offers the following advantages:
- Our products have been used on residential lawns and landscapes, municipal properties, college campuses and agricultural land for years. They have been shown time and time again to improve soil conditions, increase plant vigor and growth and not harm the environment. Numerous scientific papers have been written about the use of humates as fertilizer. The bottom line is, our products work.!
- They improve the health and growth of plants as well as increase seed germination rates and produce stronger seedlings. Our natural fertilizers meet a plant’s nutritional needs for trace minerals and other elements in a gentle, time-release manner, it naturally strengthens plant root systems, increases yield as well as sugar content of fruits and vegetables. It also provides for faster turf and plant recovery after mowing, pruning, or other damage. Furthermore, because the humate has high ion-exchange capacity, it allows for better retention and utilization of the fertilizer at the root of the plants and prevents leaching away of nutrients at the root zone.
- They help bind up organic pesticides in the soil resulting from chemical weed & feed products, thereby preventing these chemicals from leaching into the water supply.
Humic acid is highly polar and electron deficient, it tends to bind up large organic molecules such as synthetic pesticides in the soil. This helps prevent runoff and facilitates breakdown of the pesticides by microbes. Many agricultural operations routinely apply humates after spraying pesticides, letting them work in order to prevent the chemicals from migrating off the land via irrigation and runoff. - They help promote natural decomposition by supplying nutrients that soil micro- and macro-organisms need to survive. Our products help the natural food web do its work to decompose dead plant and animal matter in the soil making these nutrients bio-available for plants to uptake through their roots. In the case of lawns, this means that mechanical thatching is not required once the health of grass is improved, since micro- and macro-organisms will digest the thatch naturally.
- Our lawns work to avoid runoff issues, so they are soil and water friendly. Our products are comprised of humates, composted (predigested) plant matter from the Cretaceous Era that has since become compacted compost, it will not chemically burn or kill soil-building micro-organisms the way synthetic chemical fertilizers can. In fact, unlike many synthetic fertilizer products watering immediately after application is not required to prevent burning of lawns and plants, but neither will watering (or a natural rain) cause the products to dump excess nutrients into the soil, storm drains, ponds, lakes, streams, or the watershed. They are naturally time-released, so plants get needed nutrients at just the right time.
- They provide nutrients that are naturally time-released. Just like many synthetic fertilizers that use sophisticated time-release technology to liberate nutrients for plants over the growing season, our products release slowly, so nutrients are neither wasted nor washed into groundwater, lakes, or streams. This makes our products much safer to use near waterways and helps protect your financial investment.
- We're natural, not synthetically derived or packaged with pesticides. Our products contain No herbicides, No insecticides & No fungicides or other toxic synthetic ingredients. Neither do they contain any manure or animal by-products. Finally, no binders or inert ingredients are added to our formulations, so all of the product you purchase goes to improving soil and plant health.
- They help condition & aerate problem soils. Our granular products help improve the health and vitality of plants by conditioning the soil and changing its structure. In hard clay soils, which retain too much water, the highly negative charge of our products causes clay platelets to flocculate (clump up). This helps make the clay more friable, breaking it up and creating pore spaces to hold oxygen for plant roots and microorganisms, while also improving drainage. In drying sandy soils, which have trouble holding moisture, the polar, hydrophilic nature of our products cause them to grab onto and bind up water so more moisture is held near the roots, and plants can go longer without watering.
- They help prevent or mitigate compaction of fine soils and promote better soil drainage. Crushing of fine soils pushes oxygen out of pore spaces between clay and silt platelets. Plant roots and microorganisms need oxygen to breathe so compacted soil supports less life. Compacted soil is also harder for plant roots to penetrate, so roots stay shallow and need frequent watering, which can lead to plant failure and erosion. Addition of humates help increase the cohesive forces between soil particles so they form larger aggregates that are less likely to blow away wind or float away during rain or irrigation. Improvement of soil texture or crumb also helps improve the workability of the soil, which is beneficial when planting and growing turf, gardens, and crops.
- They make trace minerals available in the topsoil. Plants that have very deep root systems, which can penetrate down into the subsoils naturally have an advantage in accessing trace minerals. But plants with shallower root systems that grow in the top 6 inches of soil must compete with all the other plants and animals in the soil to access trace minerals. In soils that have been chemically fertilized or have been extensively farmed, these trace minerals have been used up and are no longer available to plants. But our products replenish the soils natural mineral reserves, thereby helping promote deeper, healthier root growth as well.
- They help temporarily buffer the pH level of soils. The pH of our products helps temporarily buffer soil , mitigating problems with soils that are too alkaline or too acidic. In fact, the products are very helpful for tying up salts in soils that have had high exposure.
- They make plants hardier. Because our products supply more than 70 vital nutrients and minerals, they help promote stronger, deeper root growth (for food storage) and healthier leaves and stems (to make food). These nutrients also help plants carry out normal metabolic processes. Over time, that means the plants have healthier immune systems to fight pests and disease and adapt to changing climate conditions.
- They help hold moisture in the soil. The polar (charged) nature of the humic acid molecule and the electron-deficient nature of its carbon component attract water, which is also polar. The high surface area of the pulverized humic acid means there are more active sites on aggregates to bind with water. By improving the structure of loose soils, helping bind water near plant roots, our products hold water where it is needed most by plants. This helps reduce the frequency and duration of required watering, reducing water bills and saving you time & money.
Detoxing The Home From The Ground Up
Michigan Healthly Living
April, 2021
Use Humates for Rich Soil, Hardy Plants and a Healthy Body
A healthy home starts with the ground underneath it, and healthy ground starts with humates. Also called humic acid, humates add trace minerals to and remove toxins from soil. They can even supplement drinking water, leading to immunity-boosting and other health benefits. Jeff Copeland, owner of A1 Organics LLC, has been working with humates for over 20 years. Copeland says that humic acid is a large molecule. “Because of its size, it’s able to chelate, or bind to, toxins such as heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides and environmental chemicals. In essence, humic acid is a detoxifying molecule.”
This toxin-binder contains more than 70 trace minerals that in prehistoric times were a living part of plants. The blend of both major and minor trace minerals yields results superior to other mineral supplements, according to Copeland. The minerals are in what is called a colloidal state. This allows these minerals to be more bioavailable than any other form of mineral and thus more beneficial to the animals, plants and soil microorganisms that feed on them. Soil that is nutrient depleted, whether because of lack of plant diversity or overuse of chemical products, can be renewed through humates, with better pH and water retention. The combination of humic acid, carbon and organic matter in garden
plots and lawns is a healthy, eco-friendly one.
Plants can germinate better and 'uptake' trace minerals quickly when humates are in their soil. Humic acid helps soil and plants hold water and nutrients better, meaning better yields with less use of resources such as water. Copeland explains, “Plants grown where humates are used have stronger, deeper root growth (for food storage) and healthier leaves and stems (to make food). These nutrients also help plants carry out normal metabolic processes. Over time, that means the plants have healthier immune systems to fight pests and disease and adapt to changing climate conditions. Liquid humic acid can be applied to plant and root drenching and deep root feedings and can be safely mixed with most fertilizers. No binders or fillers are added.”
Humates even have a place inside the home because humic acid can be added directly to drinking water and other beverages for human and pet consumption. Two new related products, which can be found on the A1 Organics website, are a fulvic/humic proprietary concentrate and a sports water drink. “Humates are great for getting plant-based trace minerals, detoxing the body and helping to build immune strength,” Copeland says.
LINKS
For a deeper look into humates please visit the following websites: