Humins
Humins are that fraction of humic substances which are not soluble in alkali (high pH) and are not soluble in acid (low pH). Humins are not soluble in water at any pH. Humin complexes are considered macro organic (very large) substances because their molecular weights (MW) range from approximately 100,000 to 10,000,000. In comparison the molecular weights of carbohydrates (complex sugars) range from approximately 500 to 100,000. The chemical and physical properties of humins are only partially understood.
Humins present within the soil is the most resistant to decomposition (slow to breakdown) of all the humic substances. Some of the main functions of humins within the soil are to improve the soil's water holding capacity, to improve soil structure, to maintain soil stability, to function as an cation exchange system, and to generally improve soil fertility. Because of these important functions humin is a key component of fertile soils
Humic Acids
Humic acid will bind (hold on to) cations (positively charged elements), such as Mg++, Ca++, Fe++, and other "trace elements" of value to plants. In this way, it grabs minerals locked up in the soil and also holds onto newly applied fertilizer, preventing its leaching.
Humic then facilitates the uptake of the ions (nutrients) by holding them until plants can and need to access them.
Another benefit of humic acid is that it detoxifies the soil of heavy metals. Research shows heavy metals can be "bound up" and held with the addition of humic acid and that is why we recommend adding it to pesticide sprays as in this way it will stop the pesticides killing the soil
Fulvic Acids
The size of fulvic acids are smaller than humic adds, with molecular weights which range from approximately 1,000 to 10,000. Fulvic acids have an oxygen content twice that of humic acids. They have many carboxyl (COOH) and hydroxyl (COH) groups, thus fulvic acids are much more chemically reactive.
The exchange capacity of fulvic acids is more than double that of humic acids. This high exchange capacity is due to the total number of carboxyl (COOH) groups present. The number of carboxyl groups present in fulvic acids ranges from 520 to 1120 cmol (H+)/kg. Fulvic acids collected from many different sources and analyzed, show no evidence of methoxy groups (CH3) groups, they are low in phenols, and are less aromatic compared to humic acids from the same sources.
Because of the relatively small size of fulvic acid molecules they can readily enter plant roots, stems, and leaves. As they enter these plant parts they carry trace minerals from plant surfaces into plant tissues. Fulvic acids are key ingredients of high quality foliar fertilizers. Foliar spray applications containing fulvic acid mineral chelates, at specific plant growth stages, can be used as a primary production technique for maximizing the plants productive capacity. Once applied to plant foliage fulvic acids transport trace minerals directly to metabolic sites in plant cells. Fulvic acids are the most effective carbon containing chelating compounds known. They are plant compatible, thus non toxic, when applied at relatively low concentrations
Mycorrhizal Fungi and Bacteria
Those fungi that are able to live symbiotically with living plants, creating a relationship that is beneficial to both, are known as mycorrhizae (from myco meaning fungal and rhiza meaning root). Plant root hairs are invaded by the mycelia of the mycorrhiza, which lives partly in the soil and partly in the root, and may either cover the length of the root hair as a sheath or be concentrated around its tip. The mycorrhiza obtains the carbohydrates that it requires from the root, in return providing the plant with nutrients including nitrogen and moisture. Later the plant roots will also absorb the mycelium into its own tissues.
Beneficial mycorrhizal associations are to be found in many of our edible and flowering crops. In forests the mycorrhizae create a fine underground mesh which extends greatly beyond the limits of the tree's roots, thus greatly increasing their feeding range and actually causing neighboring trees to become physically interconnected. The benefits of mycorrhizal relations to their plant partners are not limited to nutrients, but can be essential for plant reproduction
Bacteria are single-celled organisms, and are the most numerous denizens of the soil, with populations ranging from 100 million to 3 billion in a gram. They are capable of very rapid reproduction by binary fission (dividing into two) in favorable conditions. One bacterium is capable of producing 16 million more in just 24 hours. Most soil bacteria live in close proximity to plant roots and are often referred to as rhizobacteria
Actinobacteria are critical in the decomposition of organic matter and in humus formation, and their presence is responsible for the sweet "earthy" aroma which is associated with a good healthy soil. They require plenty of air and a pH between 6.0 and 7.5, but are more tolerant of dry conditions than most other bacteria and fungi
The important roles that bacteria play are nitrification and nitrogen fixation:
Nitrification
Nitrification is a vital part of the nitrogen cycle wherein certain bacteria (which manufacture their own carbohydrate supply without using the process of photosynthesis) are able to transform nitrogen in the form of ammonium, which is produced by the decomposition of proteins, into nitrates, which are available to growing plants, and once again converted to proteins.
Nitrogen-fixation
In another part of the cycle, the process of nitrogen fixation constantly puts additional nitrogen into biological circulation. This is carried out by free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil or water such as Azotobacter or by those which live in close symbiosis with leguminous plants, such as rhizobia. These bacteria form colonies in nodules they create on the roots. These are able to convert nitrogen from the atmosphere into nitrogen-containing organic substances.
Urea
Urea is a fantastic product, but unfortunately its heavy application along with other fertilizers has killed the fungi and bacteria on many farms. It is all the more unfortunate because healthy soils full of bacteria are able to make a great deal more of the urea applied through the nitrification process described above
Therefore healthy soils need less urea to do the same job, reducing damage to the environment and cutting expenditure. Along with the actions of humic and fulvic, the bacteria and fungi in Humates improve the soil and work directly on urea and other fertilizers to greatly improve their efficiency.
The brown coals or lignite’s were formed 20-50 million years ago. In waterlogged environments, plant and tree debris accumulated. As the layer of debris increased in thickness, the floors of these vast swamps subsided slowly and the plant material was decomposed by the action of micro-organisms.
To varying degrees, and depending upon the climatic conditions plant constituents, including proteins, starches and cellulose (100% organic) were decomposed under aerobic conditions (in the presence of oxygen) by a process called "Humification". This process results in the formation of thick layers of rich peat and humic materials.
As this material is covered with sediment, the combined effects of time, temperature and pressure convert the peat firstly to brown coal and then to black coals.
In the transition from brown coal to black coals humate content decreases, oxygen content decreases and carbon content increases. The older the coal the lower the humate content.