Great short video explaining what Humic, Fulvic and Humid acids are
https://www.downtoearthfertilizer.com/garden-guide/dte-tv/what_are_humic_acids/
HAGD
I followled your link. I want to Thank You for that. Your timing was perfect.
I have come up with my own Soil Amendment which has 16 to 18 different Amnio Acids in it and the juice from it is pure Amino Acide. It’s been sent out to a Lab where i’ll find out it’s N. P. K. values and qualities.
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I got a tex from my friend who’s looking into my soil amendment and the soil is Humic and when the lquid is removed the liquid is ( PURE FULVIC ACID )
Here is something I found on Fulvic Acid I have.
Humic or Fulvic Acid: What Kind are Your Plants On?
a b g
Harley Smith | July 17, 2017
Humic or Fulvic Acid: What Kind are Your Plants On?
Source: Kateleigh / Dreamstime.com
Takeaway: Discover the differences between humic and fulvic acids, and the best ways to apply them to your plants.
Do you know the difference between humic and fulvic acids? If you don’t, you’re not alone. Even the regulators at the USDA haven’t been able to agree on a definition, and it has been causing a lot of confusion in product labeling.
Nevertheless, humic and fulvic acids are some of the best biostimulant products in nature, improving the uptake of nutrients in both soil and hydroponics, and once you understand the difference between the two, you will soon discover many applications for your garden.
Humic and fulvic acids are intermediate chelators. Chela means claw, so chelates are organic molecules that attach to mineral ions like a claw, holding them tightly enough so they don’t get locked up in the soil, but loosely enough so they are available to the plant on demand.
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Humic acid molecules are larger than fulvic acid molecules and make great soil conditioners. Fulvic acids are smaller, more biologically active molecules that are faster-acting and make excellent foliar sprays. Both improve the uptake of minerals, stimulate plant growth, and improve the plant’s natural resistance to environmental stresses.
Humic and Fulvic Acid Combinations
Most humic acid products on the market are actually a combination of humic and fulvic acids. The humic acid fraction consists of larger molecules with lots of positive and negative charges on the surface of the molecules. It isn’t actually taken up through the roots, but it lightly holds onto minerals in the root zone, making them much more available to plants. It is especially helpful in soils with high clay content.
Clay particles and organic matter have a strong negative charge, and they tend to hold onto positively charged minerals too tightly for root hairs to easily take them up, meaning important plant nutrients such as potassium, calcium, magnesium and essential trace elements can be locked up by clay particles. Humic acid forms a bridge between the clay particles and the mineral cations.
Fulvic acid has a much smaller molecular weight, and is more biologically active. Fulvic acid not only surrounds mineral ions, it can also help transport them through the cell membrane and release them inside the cell.
This means fulvic acid makes a great foliar spray, allowing trace elements such as copper, iron, manganese and zinc to be better absorbed through the leaves. Fulvic acid also stimulates the metabolisms of plants, which makes fulvic acid treatments a great way to quickly correct trace metal deficiencies while stimulating plant growth.
Improving Iron Uptake
In soil, humic and fulvic acids help with the uptake of iron. Iron is one of the limiting factors in soil since it is easily oxidized and turned into rust. Once oxidized, iron becomes unavailable to plants, but humic and fulvic acids not only keep iron soluble, they also stimulate cell membranes to take up iron more efficiently.
Iron is a catalyst for chlorophyll production, so as plants take up more iron, they make more of the green pigment that harvests light energy to make sugars. Some of the sugars are used for energy to grow and reproduce, some are stored in the flowers and fruit, and some are leached from the roots to feed plant growth-promoting microbes in the root zone. Humic acid in the root zone also stimulates the uptake of nitrates and other essential elements.
Adding Seaweed Extracts
Humic and fulvic acids work even better when combined with seaweed extracts. Seaweed extracts are loaded with natural plant-growth hormones such as auxins and cytokinins. Humic and fulvic acids hold onto the auxins in an exchangeable form to amplify their effects on plants.
In fact, Virginia Tech’s 10-year study on organic biostimulants found that five parts of humic acid combined with two parts of seaweed extracts worked 50% better than either product alone. If you want more lateral root growth and more root mass, you can easily make your own humic acid and kelp root stimulant.
Fulvic Acid Foliar Sprays are Perfect for Clones
Fulvic acid foliar sprays make a great tonic for sick clones, especially when combined with kelp. If your cuttings are slow to root, or if the leaves start to turn yellow and fall off, try using a fine mist of fulvic acid and seaweed at the recommended 5:2 ratio.
Rooting hormones are actually made by plants in the leaves and transported to the roots to initiate new growth, so a foliar spray with fulvic acid and kelp is fast-acting when absorbed by the leaves.
Research shows that plants start to respond to fulvic acids in as little as four hours, and vigorous root growth and stress recovery is often evident in as little as two days. Before you give up on your precious seedlings or clones, try a little fulvic acid tonic first. (Also see: The Benefits of Adding CO2 During the Cloning Stage)
Humic and Fulvic Acids Provide Stress Protection
Humic and fulvic acids also help protect your plants against stress. In the Virginia Tech study, it was found that the 5:2 ratio of humic acid to kelp stimulated plants to make 50% more of a powerful plant protection agent called superoxide dismutase (SOD), an enzyme that sponges free radicals and protects the chloroplasts and membranes of the cell.
To be effective, SOD must be turned on by either an iron/manganese complex or a copper/zinc complex. If the enzyme is activated, a single SOD molecule can perform more than 1,000 chemical reactions per second in the cell, so if you condition your plants against stress with humic acids and kelp, plants will stay green longer and recover faster.
Improved levels of SOD can help protect plants against heat stress, drought stress, UV stress and salt stress. Just remember to condition plants against stress before the stress happens.
Humic and Fulvic Acids for Hydroponic Use
In hydroponics, both humic and fulvic acids work well, but there are minor differences. If you use RO (reverse osmosis) water, humic acid may be a slightly better choice. Humic acid contains both humic and fulvic acid fractions and it has a buffering effect on pH.
RO water alone has practically no buffer for pH. When using RO water, the pH can spike upwards during rapid vegetative growth, or crash during heavy fruiting and flowering—sometimes overnight. But humic and fulvic acids help buffer pH.
In nature, humic and fulvic acids raise the pH of acidic soils and lower the pH of alkaline soils, neutralizing both conditions, while having a moderating effect on your plants. Humic acid also adds more than 62 beneficial trace elements to the water. Since RO water is stripped of nearly all of its minerals, humic and fulvic acids make a great water treatment for hydroponics.
If you use hard water, shift the balance towards fulvic acid. Hard water is usually high in calcium and magnesium ions. Since fulvic acid molecules are smaller than humic fractions, they are better at surrounding the calcium ions to help keep them soluble and available to plants.
Fulvic acid is also more acidic than most humic acid products. Since hard water is generally higher in pH, fulvic acid may be a better choice when using well water in hydroponics. (See: The Top 4 Reasons Your pH is Out of Whack)
What’s On the Shelf?
It’s not always easy to determine which products on the store shelf contain humic or fulvic acid. That’s because humic and fulvic acids are complex molecules, and regulators have a hard time defining exactly what they are.
In most states, manufacturers aren’t even allowed to put the words fulvic acid on the labels. Ultimately, the Association of American Plant Food Control Officials (AAPFCO) is the group that decides on formal definitions and testing procedures for humic and fulvic acids.
Afterwards, the departments of agriculture in various states set labeling standards. In the meantime, look for the words humic acid on the label and check out what color the product is.
Products rich in humic acids are usually dark brown to black, and fulvic acids are usually yellow, orange, or amber.
Experiment with humic or fulvic acids to make your own custom tonics and before long, you will find the perfect recipes to grow healthier, faster-growing, more stress-resistant plants.
Written by Harley Smith
Profile Picture of Harley Smith
Harley Smith is the director of research for NPK Industries. A veteran in the hydroponics industry, Harley has more than 18 years of consulting and educating experience. He is regarded as an expert on plant nutrition and organic bio-stimulants, performing research and new product development in the US and Europe.
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Hi @garrigan62
Thanks for sharing this. I hope your soil amendment exceeds everyone’s expectations and you do well. You’ve helped me a lot in the past few years. But I gotta tell ya this is killing me. Just made Subcool’s super soil and have it baking in the driveway. Used the recipe you posted that very few seemed to be interested in. I had or purchased everything EXCEPT the powdered humic acid. After reading all the great stuff about this, am regretting it. But it’s all good eh…and thanks again for sharing your knowledge.
Cheers 
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You’ll like that soil and the best thing about is you can reuse it over and over.
When you get your grow going tag me in and i’ll follow your grow and i’ll tag you in mine when I use my new amendment.
And Thank you for the kind words. I love what I do here and seeing fokes succeed is awsome
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Will do @garrigan62 !!! Looking forward to this. Thanks again!!!
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Hey don’t for get the Fulvic Acid as far as I know as of wright now Fulic Acid is for vegg but like I said i’m not clear on this as of wright now. I’m waiting on my test results and then I’ll know the N P K of my amendment and where it should be applied.
And you still need to use the Humic Acid from what I read in your post it sounded like that you regret getting it I sure hope not cause that’s part of the building blocks you need in your soil. I also posted a Tea which is powered by fungi, and micro’s. Ill get that to ya here shortly.
WELL THAT WAS QUICK… LOL
Here is a link …
Now along with just water I would mix up a couple of gal’s of this stuff and give it to the ladys. But now I have a different type of tea and need to see how to and it to there diet lol
But what I like using is this stuff
Will
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@garrigan62 this is AWESOME!
I’ve been using the botanicare organic line of luiquid nutes and they aren’t cheap, plus they have a shelf life and you never really know if they are still viable. Can’t wait to do it all naturally and get rid of the Monsanto stuff (but they have employed a lot of my relatives in Idaho so I can’t bag on them too much).
Your’e correct about not using the humic acid in my super soil. So I found this powdered product on Amazon. Since my super is already cooking, it will be very difficult to mix in a dry powder. So I thought making a drench would be much better. Does that make sense?
Otherwise I followed the recipe using the maximum amount of worm castings and original Roots Organics for the base soil (not the 707 that I had been using). My understanding is it has all of the other nutrients in it so it you don’t have to mix your base soil. But it’s expensive too and I’m on a pretty tight budget, but I splurged to start with until I get this down. I use filtered or RO water so there is no chlorine to kill the living stuff. You mentioned reusing your super soil. Does that mean you ammend it with dry nutes, or use the teas, or both?
For my organic tomatoes (the store bought stuff tastes like crap lol) and peppers, I made my own soil last year with about 15 different things and am reusing it just adding worm castings and some organic Aggrowin fertilizer, and rock dust. The thought was to practice on my veggies before trying it on my girls. It worked really well. I’ve read the old roots can be a problem so am trying bokashi for the first time to deal with that. That soil is in 7-35 gallon trash cans cooking as well. When I reuse the super soil, would bokashi help in the same way?
I’m planning on getting the microbial tea you suggested and read your other linked thread about making the Lactobacillus Serum (I copied and pasted that one) and also the AACT micro tea. I’m a bit fuzzy on the feeding regimen. It looked like you use the lacto stuff as a foiler spray so
I have 2 more questions: Do I need all three of these and what is the feeding regimen?
Sorry for the long winded response and bazillion questions. Trying to learn all this stuff and I REALLY APPRECIATE your help!!!
Thank you again!!!
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You ask me any thing you need to ask , that’s how we all learn by asking questions and I don’t mind at all.
But first let me say that this micro, fungi, and special Tea’s are new tome also and I am changing my way of growing to be all organic. I call it " GROWING THE EASY WAY " if you can setup your soil to where you only have to water and give them a taste of tea from time to time. What could be better than that and the FULVIC ACID help prevent deficiencies . I just finished my 2nd grow with no deficiencies.
As for the B0kASHI I wouldn’t but that’s me I would just stick with the game plan at hand.
and NO you don’t need all three but there good to have. Lactobacillus is more form composting. The AACT TEA you could use twice a month Mix the AACT WITH WATER. I put one oz to a gal. you can spry it on to.
FULVIC ACID is awesome sprated on. It goes to work right then and you’ll see a bid difference in your plants within a couple of hours awesome stuff brother
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@garrigan62 That answers my questions perfectly. I will follow this feeding schedule and let you know how it goes. Will tag you when I start my outdoor journal soon.
Thanks so much again…I really appreciate it!
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This video gives insight using Humic, Fulvic and Humid acids to detox your body. I know it’s not relating to growing plants but hey without us humans the plants wouldn’t have a chance to grow…inside anyway…lol
Like LAB it seems to benefit both plants and animals…
I know this guy is advertising his products for sale but the info/application to a healthier you seems worth the investigation.
Also can anyone provide a good source for the Fulvic acid water soluable powder?
I just started looking for it but would like suggestions if someone has already purchased some.
Hope this helps and HAGD
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That looks like the color according to the article.
Here ya go hope this helps
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=fulvic+acide+powder&ref=nb_sb_noss_2?tag=greenrel-20
@garrigan I’m still trying to digest this all lol (have about 20 internet tabs open at the moment). Doing a lot of product research. At the moment I’m watching a video on fulvic acid made by kelp 4 less. Looks like they are a good source for affordable ingredients. It looks like you make 1 quart of fulvic acid concentrate using 3 tablespoons of powder. Then use 1 oz of concentrate to 1 gallon of water to make the foliar spray. Was thinking I will use this as needed if any issues, or once every 2 weeks. @Skydiver thanks for the link! Watched that video too. Am not sure I’m going to drink it though…
I’m going to not use the OG Tea Product, but rather just use the AACT Tea and make it myself. I was on their website and it appears that both products do the same thing, it’s just easier to use given you don’t have to brew it. The mix is 1 ounce of tea per gallon of water. Was going to use this once every 2 weeks also. Will substitute kelp meal for the extract. The stuff I read about this suggest the kelp meal was as good or maybe even a little bit better compared to the extract.
I’m a little fuzzy on using the Lactobacillus Serum. How often do you use it? Was going to make a smaller batch so it doesn’t take up a lot of room in the refrigerator. Will use the Hydrolyzed Fish stuff since I have it. Looks like the ratio is like 1/1000 to one quart water.
For my super soil mixture that’s cooking, will make a humic acid drench so I follow that recipe.
Jeez this is fun and I’m sorry to be such a pain in the arse bro!!! Thanks again!!!
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FYI: Link doesn’t go to fulvic acid. At least for me
Just about to place my order. I’m not using Amazon this time. For whatever it’s worth, found this website
https://www.kelp4less.com/ and they have everything at reasonable prices with free shipping. Some good instructional videos too. I’m going with the fumic/humic acid blend they offer rather than buying each one separately. Also they say yucca extract works great as a wetting agent for foliar sprays. Might try that too.
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@DaGoose thanks for the link. It looks like they have many many products one could use for natural grows!
Just an FYI looking through their offerings…comparing prices to where I normally buy amendments on Amazon for DTE (Down To Earth) products
Feather Meal 5 pounds
Amazon $15
Kelp4less $32
Just and FYI. I think they will have some things that aren’t easily accessible elsewhere but may be pricy compared to other sources for some of their product offerings.
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@Skydiver that’s great to know! I’ve spent the ;last 4 1/2 hours looking at stuff and researching and it’s time to stop I think and making a word document with everything in it. Just watched the video on yucca extracts. Sounds like it’s a great wetting agent when used at 5 grams per gallon. Gonna watch a bunch more videos after I take a break and clear my head. 
@DaGoose
Yucca Yucca Yucca…lol
I haven’t used Yucca as of yet but I have seen it repeatedly in many articles and recipes thanks for the heads up/reminder!
Once you finish your spread sheet if you can post it here.
Thanks again and HAGD
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