Benefits Of Humic Acid For Plants

Humic acid has the uncanny ability to chelate harmful toxins in the soil, protecting the plants from absorbing toxins from the earth. Toxins are everywhere, including in the soil. Pesticides, heavy metals, and traces of petroleum products are harmful compounds plants can absorb from the soil.

Humic acid is an essential element for farmers. Let's discuss the benefits of Humic acid for plants.

1. Protects from Harmful Molecules
   
   Think of humic acid as a barrier that prevents plants from absorbing harmful molecules. Pollutants bind with humic molecules; these are locked up and washed away from the soil instead of being absorbed by plants.
   
   
2. Boosts Soil Moisture
   
   Not all soils can retain water. Loose soils like sandy, low-clay, and arid soils, for example, can be quite dry because the looser particles cannot hold moisture; it's washed away more quickly or evaporates faster than average soils.
   
   Humic acids can attract and retain moisture. The negatively charged humic acid attracts and attaches itself to water molecules so they are not flushed away. Humic molecules are so good at boosting soil water retention that it minimizes water evaporation by up to 30%.
   
   
3. Boosts nutrient uptake in plants
   
   Humic acid improves nutrient uptake in plants. It boosts nutrient uptake through foliar and soil amendments. Here’s the thing: not all soil nutrients are absorbed by plants. Some need organic acids to facilitate the absorption of certain nutrients. That's where humic acid comes in. It makes certain nutrients accessible to plants – even from fertilizer.
   
   This is the reason why humic acid is often paired with fertilizers. In soil applications, humic acid is a negatively charged ion that binds with positively charged nutrients such as phosphorus, magnesium, and calcium so plants can better absorb these nutrients through the plant's root systems. The root systems are negatively charged, attracting more positive ions bound to the humic acid molecules, making inaccessible nutrients more available for absorption.
   
   
4. Promotes Microbial Growth
   
   A complex ecosystem within the soil supports plant life and microbial life. Microbes are beneficial to plant health but are quite fragile because of pollutants in the soil.Humic acid is a part of this cycle; it boosts the microbial population in soil by promoting a healthy microbiome.
   
   Microbes are also washed away when the soil is loose. Humic acids support microbial life by being a source of carbon, which is the microbes' primary food source. Humic acid also serves as a shelter for beneficial critters. Essentially, humic acid offers food and shelter to microbes.
   
   
5. Decreased Toxins:
   
   Not only humic acids don't just make humic acids more available. They decrease harmful toxicity in soils. Countless toxins like heavy metals and lead have been introduced in many years, and the benefit is significant in today's soil environment.
   
   Humic molecules and toxic molecules are captured and locked up. They are not uptaken by plants, and eventually, they have flushed away, unlike nutrients. In today's increasingly challenging growing environment, this vital process keeps plants healthier.

Final Thoughts

After reading the article, we hope that you have learned the benefits of humic acid in plants. Always purchase humic acid from a reliable supplier.