Are humates effective?

[furrowtickler]

We use ligno humate in our 28-0-0 at seeding time , 1/2 lt /ac
Going to seed treat all peas this year
Follow up with 1/2 lt /ac in crop in peas at first flower / fungicide time
Wheat at herbicide and late flag / early heading.
Not economically conclusive yet in crop on canola that we have seen yet.
Seeing a 4-1 payback in peas , 3-1 in wheat.
Not a "humate" product so to speak but similar results.

[Koldkanuck]

It must work to some limit. In the old days, I remember anyone that burned coal in their stoves, would save the coal ash, and sprinkle it on their gardens. They all said it was a good source of fertilizer. Now I'm to old to understand some of this stuff, but is humates and the acids referred to in humates not similar to what's in coal or coal ash?

[blackpowder]

I beleive the Aztecs may have used charcoal as well.
But again, what specific soil #s does it aid for $5 - $10/ ac.
Not skeptical necessarily, just that every fringe product for my whole career has same sound.
Neighbors put exhaust carbon back into furrow as well (without fert) but that was a joke. Cows cant live on farts alone.
Local humate salesman hasnt a degree in ditchdigging and has no concrete answers.
If your soil or moisture #s are the limiter??
50lbs Calcium carbonate in seed row adjusts ph and does same? Shit I dont know.
Half my soil solonetzic base at 5.5 ph.

[JoeyJeremiah]

It must work to some limit. In the old days, I remember anyone that burned coal in their stoves, would save the coal ash, and sprinkle it on their gardens. They all said it was a good source of fertilizer. Now I'm to old to understand some of this stuff, but is humates and the acids referred to in humates not similar to what's in coal or coal ash?

I read a scholarly article recently stating that many gardens in Europe don't grow anything from centuries of people putting ash in their gardens. Apparently it's alkaline and after centuries of application the soil won't grow anything. I can't recall what they where recommending for remediation.

[Guest]

You're headed in the right direction hobby. Back to basics as in the photo. The chem and fert companies understand the equation, every food producer(farmer) should as well. It all starts with carbon.

[Klause]

Half this field was conventional peas... I.E. acapella, sprayed with viper, yada yada.


Other half got no fungicide. 1L/ac of a cheleated calcium/zinc product with viper, then back in with 2L/ac of an orthophos and 1L/ac of humic acid 2 weeks before this pic was taken.


Now guess which side is which.


And then guess the yield difference.

[furrowtickler]

This is lignojule, a ligno humate seed treatment on soybeans on the right ....

[blackpowder]

No conventional seed treatments on either?

[furrowtickler]

Not on that trial

[Klause]

Insure Pulse on the whole 160ac on ours.