We're stoked to be able to offer real, RAW Humates (Leonardite slow release Humic Acid) as a solo amendment.
This powerhouse amendment took millions of years to develop, and offers long lasting benefits to the garden. This is the raw material that Humic and Fulvic acids are chemically extracted from! - It provides much greater availability of these crucial organic acids, at constant background levels, and is absolute dynamite for your soil. Australia has the best Humate deposits anywhere globally, and it’s from these prime deposits that we obtain ours from.
In contrast to Humate extractions like purified Humic and Fulvic acids (which ARE useful, but do have some caveats) Raw humates offer the benefit of supplying bulk carbon to the soil, and a source of slow release Humic Acid (and Fulvic Acid) that will continue to release for extended periods of time.
Humic Acid or Humate extractions, which are quite common, generally are soluble and so while they may offer some immediate benefits, you need to apply them regularly to benefit most from them, they are also characteristically alkaline due to Potassium Hydroxide being used to extract Humic Acids from Raw Humate ore, to make them (leaving residual hydroxides which can be harsh on soil if used constantly). The extracts, while coming from Humates, are a completely different product entirely.
In contrast Raw Humates are insoluble, and so they offer a "locked-in" source; there is also no contradiction in using Soluble Humic acid in conjunction with Humate enriched soil, and because Humates are a raw ore, it does not contain the residual hydroxides purified Humic Acids do, being actually fairly acidic in PH - rather than alkaline, which makes it perfect for mixing with normally Alkaline fungal dominant composts to balance them Ph wise without harshly affecting the life within them.
This is an amendment you absolutely don't need to apply very often or in large amounts; if anything, its high Carbon level means too much of it can tie up Nitrogen.
We recommend adding 1ml per Litre of soil blend, or 0.5ml to 1ml mixed into your top dressings as a starting point. At this level its doubtful to tie up N at any appreciable amount, if you experiment with higher levels, use of an amendment that contains Nitrogen is recommended to be added alongside it.
