At present, almost any agricultural producer, whether a farmer, a summer resident, an amateur horticulturist or the head of a company under whose control large areas of land are located (from 100 hectares and above) is thinking about the introduction of progressive and profitable economic and technological solutions. A very promising measure from this point of view is the use of humates.
More than 50 years ago Lydia Khristeeva showed high efficiency of humates when using them to stimulate plant growth. So, having irrigated the plants with humic acids, which it received from ordinary soil, it was noted the formation of a powerful root system. Such roots allowed the flora to develop much faster. Today, the application of humates finds a response from an increasing number of agricultural lands, especially since their use contributes to ecological purity and good economic efficiency of the produce. Humates are produced in the USA, Germany, Italy and other countries.
Basically, humates of potassium and sodium are used. The difference between them almost does not exist - both are obtained by leaching.
What is the humate of potassium?
The composition of the humate of potassium and its quality is determined by the quality of the raw materials and the production process. Humates obtained from low-lying peat are characterized by the highest degree of purification, they have good homogeneity. If the raw material is brown coal, then these humates contain an increased amount of heavy metals. An additional advantage of sodium and potassium humates derived from peat is a higher initial content of humic acids and that they are more readily soluble and mobile.
How to use potassium humate?
Fertilizer of potassium humate is applied in the presowing period, for seed treatment during vegetation. Shoots of seeds treated with humates are healthy and have a strong resistance to diseases, including, and fungal. Also, they well resist drought and frost. There is a marked increase in resistance to freezing to 50%.
It is advisable to carry out treatment with humate on vegetation serially (at least twice), and there is an active development of terrestrial biomass. That is, humates in this period increase the activity of photosynthesis, therefore, and the rate of accumulation of nutrient reserves also increases. In other words, with higher yields, higher quality products are also observed.
The use of potassium humate for flowers, lawns, ornamental plants and shrubs also brings tangible results by improving their health and beauty. Potassium humate can handle any annual and perennial plant species. It promotes lush flowering, positively affects the resistance of plants to unfavorable climatic conditions, including moisture deficiency.
How to grow potassium humate?
To process seeds, seedlings and cuttings, you should prepare a solution from the calculation of 20 ml of the preparation for 250 ml of water. Soaking is carried out for 10-15 hours a day before planting.
If the potassium humate is used for irrigation, the formulation is prepared from the calculation of 50 ml of the drug per bucket of water (10 liters). For a large treated area, one can start with a ratio of 1 liter per 200 liters of water (one barrel).
Annual flowers are recommended to be processed 2 times: the first time with the formation of buds, the second - during flowering.
Perennials are subjected to a four-fold treatment with a watering solution: the first treatment is carried out in early spring. 3 weeks after this, the second treatment is performed. After the buds are formed, the third time is to apply the humate, and the last - for the fourth time - during flowering.
It is also useful to fertilize the soil with other mineral fertilizers: potassium sulfate or urea .