Do Humic Acid Fertilizers Count as Organic Fertilizers? How to Use Them and What to Watch Out For

In agricultural production, fertilizers are mainly divided into organic fertilizers and inorganic fertilizers. Inorganic fertilizers are mainly chemical fertilizers, while organic fertilizers generally refer to materials rich in organic matter, such as fermented and decomposed plant residues or animal waste. So, do humic acid fertilizers count as organic fertilizers? How should they be used? What precautions should be taken?

1. Do humic acid fertilizers count as organic fertilizers?

Humic acid organic fertilizer is a type of organic fertilizer mainly composed of humic acid substances, formed through the decomposition of plant residues. It is widely found in soil, river mud, and shallowly buried weathered coal, grass peat, and lignite. It contains elements such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, and has some fertilizing value, but most of it is difficult to dissolve in water. If it is combined with substances such as potassium, sodium, and ammonium, dried in the sun and ammoniated, it becomes easily absorbed by plants as nutrients.

2. How should humic acid fertilizers be used?

1. As a base fertilizer

For each mu, use 300-400 kg of an aqueous solution containing 0.02%-0.05% humic acid and mix it with farmyard manure for application, or apply it as a base fertilizer in furrows or holes. In paddy fields, it can be applied together with land preparation and irrigation.

2. As a top dressing

During the seedling stage and heading stage, use 250 kg of an aqueous solution containing 0.01%-0.1% humic acid per mu and pour it near the root system (do not let it touch the roots). In rice fields, sodium humate or potassium humate can be applied with irrigation water or splashed on, to promote seedlings, strengthen panicles, and promote growth and development.

3. Foliar spraying

From the late flowering stage to the early grain-filling stage, spray 50-75 kg of an aqueous solution containing 0.01%-0.05% humic acid per mu, at intervals of 10 days, for 2-3 consecutive sprays. This can make the grains plump, increase the thousand-grain weight, and reduce the empty grain rate. Spraying between 2 and 6 p.m. is preferable.

4. Seed soaking

Soak seeds in an aqueous solution containing 0.01%-0.05% humic acid. Soak vegetable and wheat seeds for 5-10 hours, and rice and cotton seeds for more than 24 hours. This can increase the germination rate, promote earlier emergence, and enhance the rooting ability of seedlings.

5. Dipping seedling roots

For transplanted crops such as rice, sweet potato, and vegetables, soak the roots for several hours before transplanting in a 0.05%-0.1% sodium humate or potassium humate solution, or dip the seedling roots when transplanting, and soak fruit tree cuttings. This promotes fast rooting, increases secondary roots, shortens the recovery period after transplanting, and improves the survival rate.

3. What precautions should be taken with humic acid fertilizers?

1. Concentration

Humic acid fertilizers act somewhat similarly to growth hormones. During use, special attention should be paid to the fertilizer concentration. If the concentration is too high or too low, the effect on crops will not be very obvious, and in serious cases it may even affect the growth and development of crops.

2. Temperature

Potassium humate and sodium humate are hormone-type fertilizers, and generally require a temperature of 18 hours or more to take effect. If the temperature is higher than 38°C, it will accelerate crop respiration and reduce dry matter accumulation, causing yield reduction, so application should be stopped or the frequency and amount should be reduced.

In summary, humic acid fertilizers count as organic fertilizers. In addition, note that humic acid fertilizers can only fully exert their fertilizing effect where soil moisture is sufficient and irrigation conditions are good.