Tuesday, February 15, 2022

FULVIC vs HUMIC ACID

In our Biological Farming Group there has been a lot of references to Humic, Fulvic, and Folic acids for plant growth.  There is a lot of information online, and it gets very confusing.  Below I am providing a sample and possibly a summary of the past three years of meetings and internet searches boiled down to what basics I want to keep in mind about Fulvic, Humic and Folic Acids.

Below, --two image inserts giving information, are from Earthgreen Products.  A good synopsis of the organic acids.  More information can be obtained at < Fulvic / Humic >, and are a source for "humin" products.  Folic Acid is used for plant nutrition, but normally referred as a source of vitamin B in human health discussions.  The bottom image insert on Folic Acid is from ResearchGate. < Folic Acid / Grain >.

VERY short summary:   ---Both acids are essential for plant health.  ---All three organic acids are useful and show success in many plant growing environments.  ---Fulvics are soluble at all pH levels.  ---Humics are only soluble in alkaline solutions.  ---As stand alone products, Humics have a large molecule and are best used for soil application.  ---Fulvic has a small molecule that enters plant tissue more easily and is best used as a foliar.   ---Best performance however is with a combination of Fulvic / Humic.   ---Humic increases the permeability of cell walls, making it easier for fulvics to carry nutrients into the plant.   ---While Fulvic is the carrier for nutrients, humics make nutrients more available in the soil.   ---They also work in tandem to increase water holding capacity and stimulate root and shoot growth.  

---Folic is generally used as a foliar.  Foliar applications at several specific stages of growth showed significant plant and grain benefit; however, applications at one or two stages of growth didn't make much difference.












There are several studies at ResearchGate about Folic Acid.  I chose this one because of being done on a grain.






No comments:

Post a Comment