Humic acid is known to be among the most bio-chemically active materials found in soil.
Humic substances can be broken down into humic acid and fulvic acid. Humic acid is a principal component of humic substances. Humic substances are the major organic constituents of soil, peat and coal. Humics can be found in upland streams, lakes, and ocean water. Humic substances are produced by the decomposition of organic matter.
Humic and fulvic acids are becoming more commonly used as a soil supplement in agriculture. I have been using and selling dry and liquid humics for about 6 years and am very aware of the benefits. I find it an essential part of a successful cropping and food plot program. Here are some benefits.
Addition of organic matter to organically-deficient soils
Increase root vitality
Reduce soil compaction
Improved nutrient uptake
Increased chlorophyll synthesis
Better seed germination
Increased fertilizer retention
Stimulate beneficial microbial activity
Healthier plants and improved yields
Here is a great article to read by Iowa State that is a great reference,
http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1193&context=extension_ag_pubs
Grandpa Ray Outdoors offers liquid humics in our 9-4-9 Plant Foods and 4-15-12 Seed Starter. Benefits of the humics in the Plant foods include helping the micro nutrients stick to the leaf surface of the plants, they help keep your sprayer tanks clean, and when the humics are washed off the plant surface they are incorporated into the soil to help with the many other benefits of humics. In the 4-15-12 Seed Starter, I'd recommend that people mix it with your glyphosate (Roundup) as it helps with plant kill, helps keep the sprayer tanks clean, it helps loosen your soils and also helps seed snap out of the ground faster.
Grandpa Ray Outdoors also has the humic booster product. That product is a combination of dry humics, sulfur and other micro nutrients. It can be spread on the ground to give those benefits but also can be mixed with your recommended fertilizer. One other option for some people can be to mix the humic booster with your recommended seed mix to help bulk that mix up to aid in broadcast spreading of it. This can help give better coverage of your field without running out of seed too fast by over seeding the area.
Hope this gives you all a little more insight as to the benefits of humics. They are relatively inexpensive and give many benefits and return on your dollar.
