There's not a shred of scholarly material that proves HA has a measurable impact on plant growth (this was the case as late as 2016 - haven't seen any since either). With that said, there is a general consensus that HA can help improve soil quality in some extreme circumstances.

https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/newsletters/hortupdate/hortupdate_archives/2002/jun02/art4jun.html

 

My problem with it, not really with Humic Substances and acids, is the way it is promoted. That does it a real disservice. Per the hype it will do everything and anything, including your laundry. Humic, and even more so fulvic acid acts as a chelating agent (and lb per lb has an enormous CEC--it is, of course, the stuff of OM) which can help hold and make nutrients available to the turf. That could be particularly advantageous for sandy/low CEC soils.
My question is how long does it work?

 

My problem with it, not really with Humic Substances and acids, is the way it is promoted. That does it a real disservice. Per the hype it will do everything and anything, including your laundry. Humic, and even more so fulvic acid acts as a chelating agent (and lb per lb has an enormous CEC--it is, of course, the stuff of OM) which can help hold and make nutrients available to the turf. That could be particularly advantageous for sandy/low CEC soils.
My question is how long does it work?

I know we've talked about it briefly before, but we're working with Eon 75 on fairways with CEC in the low 2s and areas around our bunkers where the sand collects via wind / bunker rake removal. I'm very interested to see the impact in 2-3 months, then again in 6-8 months. The stuff we're using is labeled @ 1lb/k and is said to last through the year....we'll see.

 

I feel like it does something. I have only put down one application of it in a glandular form right before spring, and i can tell you my grass is definitely greener than anyone else in the area, and i have only just started getting my lawn going as the previous owner only watered and mowed it. And that was even before i started spraying FAS.

Its not super expensive so i think ill keep putting it down, i may look into spraying it once i build a sprayer.

 

I've done a lot of online research on humic acid, and the concensus of the not-obviously-biased sources was that it can help nutrients become more available for plants. When there's sufficient available nutrients already in the soil, though, HA yields no incremental benefit. Any potential benefits are only noticeable in less than ideal soil conditions and/or in new or transplanted plants.

Now, I'm not saying HA is snake oil, as I bought some earlier this year and intend to use it on my own lawn beginning next week. It's just that it's effects are waaaay over-marketed, with some being straight up lies.

 

I quite like Matt from The Grass Factor's take on Humic Acid:

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5CxqZd2HM0[/media]

 

I bought a pound of humic/fulvic/kelp powder from kelpforless for $22 shipped. It will make dozens and dozens of spray apps. For the money I thought it was worth a shot to help my crappy, sandy soil. We'll see how it does- I've only applied one app so far.

 

I have been using it for around 3 years. I can not say for sure but I believe that it is working and helping drive roots. I did a video on how long some of the roots in my sod are. The roots I have on Kentucky Bluegrass are 6 to 8 inches. I believe that this has something to do with the humic acid. I can not say for sure but I believe it does. That video is here.

 

I put it on twice last year and once this year. Personally I can't tell a difference but then again the yard was terrible before we moved in.

 

FWIW: While researching the chelate characteristics, I came across this study:
http://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/thesdiss/vandyke2008c.pdf
Keep in mind that study was done with a very specific situation (soil texture, pH and turf), However many times the characteristics of a substance exhibit themselves consistently regardless of the circumstances/conditions. Although I never saw any effect one way or another (I didn't do a control, so nothing to compare to) I used to apply granular until my local source stopped carrying it.

 

Does anyone mix HA/Kelp with their FAS applications? Any reason that wouldn't be compatible?

 

Does anyone mix HA/Kelp with their FAS applications? Any reason that wouldn't be compatible?

I was reading this https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=211&start=100 yesterday. Check out the last three posts. That should answer your question, at least with respect to HA.

 

Thanks that does answer my question - I am also using the Kelp4Less Extreme Blend, so sounds like I will do multiple applications...

 

How often would you apply humic acid? I just bought a bottle and applied it yesterday.

 

I'd also like to know how often HA can be applied. I understand the skepticism as I too am in that category. But it's fairly inexpensive and won't do irreparable harm. So why not try it?

 

I'd also like to know how often HA can be applied. I understand the skepticism as I too am in that category. But it's fairly inexpensive and won't do irreparable harm. So why not try it?

Two times per year should be good (not counting intermittent applications of products that contain humic acid). More than that and you're probably not gaining much. It's not the quantity you put down but the consistency in applications over multiple seasons that help amend your soil and improve turf. After 2-3 seasons you will see .... your herbicides will stunt the grass less and your roots will grow deeper even though you are cutting shorter to encourage thick growth.

 

Thanks @Ecks from Tex. Appreciate your help.

 

Interesting study.
Cooper, RJ et al. Influence of humic substances on rooting and nutrient content of creeping bentgrass. Crop Science
38(6):1639-1644, 1998.

 

Here is the article

http://www.jhbiotech.com/docs/Humic-Acids-on-BentGrass.pdf

 

Hie related is HA to the GCF products of Air8 product, De-Thatch, RGS?

 

Hie related is HA to the GCF products of Air8 product, De-Thatch, RGS?

GCF products are primarily HA-based products.

RGS - humic acid, fulvic acid, and seakelp.
Air-8 - partially unreacted humic acid that completes the reaction once in the soil, the reaction is supposed to do the aeration.
De-Thatch - has some humic acid in it, but the "dethatching" component is really the molasses and yeast - creates additional microbial activity to munch the thatch.

 

@adgattoni Thanks for the explination.

So on one camp I see grassfactor talking about how HA seemingly helped his yard, a lot of people here are talking about it and say they have good success.

However, in the other camp you have scientific data (or maybe just lack of research, like the article viva posted) stating that HA doesn't help. It's hard to argue this.

So I honestly don't know what to believe.

 

All I know is it is not that expensive and easy to put down with everything else I am doing so why not give it a try

 

Everything I've learned about HA I've posted here:
http://www.carolinaorganiclawns.com/humates/

If it reads like an ad, it's because it is.

 

@adgattoni Thanks for the explination.

So on one camp I see grassfactor talking about how HA seemingly helped his yard, a lot of people here are talking about it and say they have good success.

However, in the other camp you have scientific data (or maybe just lack of research, like the article viva posted) stating that HA doesn't help. It's hard to argue this.

So I honestly don't know what to believe.

With no research to corroborate or debunk the claims being made, it's one of those things that you just choose to do if you feel like it. Personally, I hate spending time and money on something that isn't going to have any real measurable impact on my turf. With that said, I was given the opportunity to try some and I'm now in the process of working with HA in a few, very specific areas (CEC in the mid 2s). I'll test again in 3-4 months and see if those numbers climb any.

http://turf.arizona.edu/tipsoct00.htm