HUMATE SOIL CONDITIONER FOR LAWNS
Organic Soil Treatment
One of Best Performing Products
Humate soil conditioner is an outstanding organic solution for enhancing soil health and stimulating beneficial microorganisms. Just one application of humate soil conditioner is equivalent to applying 1/4 inch of premium organic compost across your lawn. This product is one of Organo-Lawn’s most remarkable lawn and tree care solutions due to its ability to revitalize soil while being more cost-effective and easier to use than traditional compost top dressing.
Improves Clay Soils
For lawns with heavy clay soil, we strongly recommend one or two applications of Humate Soil Conditioner each year. Numerous customers in the Boulder and Fort Collins areas have experienced a remarkable transformation in the health of their lawns after using this effective organic soil conditioner annually.
Humate Soil Conditioner
Humate Soil Conditioner for Lawns
What is Humate?
Million Year Old Organic Matter
Humate is a naturally occurring, organic soil amendment derived from decomposed plant and animal matter, typically found in deposits of ancient peat or lignite (soft brown coal). It is rich in humic substances, which include humic acid, fulvic acid, and other organic compounds that significantly enhance soil health and plant growth.
Key Components of Humate
- Humic Acid: Improves nutrient availability and retention in the soil.
- Fulvic Acid: Enhances nutrient uptake and boosts plant metabolism.
- Trace Minerals: Contains essential micronutrients for soil and plants.
- Organic Carbon: Adds organic matter to improve soil structure and microbial activity.
Key Benefits of Humate
Improves Soil Health:
- Enhances soil structure, making it more aerated and less compacted.
- Increases water retention, especially in sandy soils.
- Helps heavy clay soils drain better.
Boosts Nutrient Efficiency:
- Binds to nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, reducing leaching.
- Releases nutrients slowly, ensuring plants have a steady supply.
Supports Microbial Life:
- Feeds beneficial soil microbes, which improve nutrient cycling and plant health.
Encourages Root Growth:
- Promotes deeper and more extensive root systems for better drought resistance.
Reduces Stress:
- Helps plants cope with environmental stresses like drought, salinity, and extreme temperatures.
Eco-Friendly:
- Reduces reliance on chemical fertilizers by improving soil’s natural fertility.
Uses for Humate
Lawns: Used as a soil conditioner to promote lush, green grass and prevent nutrient runoff.
Gardens: Enhances vegetable, fruit, and flower growth.
Agriculture: Improves crop yields and soil sustainability.
Composting: Speeds up the decomposition process and enriches compost.
Humate is an excellent choice for anyone looking to boost soil fertility and promote sustainable plant growth!
Is Humate the Same as Compost?
Key Differences
No, humate is not the same as compost. While both improve soil health, humate is a concentrated form of humic substances derived from ancient organic deposits, whereas compost is made from decaying organic materials like food scraps and yard waste. Humate and compost are both valuable for improving soil health, but they differ in composition, function, and application
Humate
Humate Source: Derived from ancient organic matter, such as lignite or leonardite.
Composition: Highly concentrated in humic substances like humic and fulvic acids, rich in carbon and trace minerals.
Function: Enhances soil structure, increases nutrient retention, and improves microbial activity by creating a supportive environment.
Application: Typically used in smaller quantities as a soil amendment to boost soil fertility and nutrient uptake.
Granular Humate
Compost
Compost Source: Made from decomposed organic materials like food scraps, yard waste, and manure.
Composition: A mix of macronutrients, micronutrients, and organic matter in a decomposed form.
Function: Provides immediate nutrients to plants, improves soil texture, and introduces beneficial microbes to the soil.
Application: Applied in larger quantities, builds soil, stimulates beneficial microbes in the soil, and improves soil health and nutrients.
Humate Builds Soil Health
Benefits of Humate Soil Conditioner:
- Improves soil aeration and water retention.
- Enhances the availability of nutrients for plants.
- Promotes microbial activity, supporting a healthy soil ecosystem.
- Reduces reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
- Decreases clay content and compaction levels in soils.
- Builds healthy organic matter in soils.
- Facilitates water penetration in clay soils.
- Increases the soil’s capacity to retain water.
- Reduces water evaporation from soils.
- Stimulates beneficial microbial activity in soils.
- Increases the germination percentage of grass seeds.
- Stabilizes soil conditions.
- Fosters the transportation of microelements up to the grass and tree’s roots
- Beneficial chelating effect on Iron, Magnesium, Zinc, Copper, and many other nutrients.
- Reduces the salinity in soil by sequestering Na+
- Stabilizes soil pH.
Benefits of Organic Soils
Recommended Humate Uses
Before the Heat of the Summer
We typically apply a round of Humate to lawns in late May or early June (before the summer heat).
Seeding a Lawn
We usually apply Humate when seeding a lawn. Humate is proven to increase seed germination.
To Treat Lawn Diseases
We usually recommend an application of Humate when a lawn is diseased.
With an Aeration
After an aeration, a Humate application is recommended because it will get deeper into the soil and stimulate microbial activity in the soil at a deeper level.
Humate soil conditioner can be applied to lawns any time of year in the Boulder area or Fort Collins area.
Humate Application Season
- Any time of year (as long as there isn’t snow on the ground)
- There are no watering requirements for the treatment!
Order a Humate Application for Your Lawn
Organo-Lawn is your local professional lawn care expert and can set up a conditioning program for your lawn. Call today to talk to one of our professional lawn care technicians. (303) 499-2000 Boulder or (970) 225-9425 Fort Collins
Humate FAQs
Is Humate Soil Conditioner Safe for Kids?
Department of Ag Rules
According to the Colorado Department of Agriculture we legally cannot claim anything is safe. They even say water is not safe! That being said, if Humate is used correctly there should be no harm to humans or animals. It is a natural, organic product derived from decomposed plant and animal matter, primarily found in ancient deposits like leonardite or lignite. Humate is widely used in agriculture, gardening, and landscaping to improve soil health and plant vitality. Here’s why it’s considered safe:
For People and Pets
Non-Toxic: Humate is non-toxic and should not cause any issues for humans and animals when handled appropriately.
Low Irritation Risk: It is not harmful to skin or eyes in most cases, but wearing gloves and avoiding inhalation of dust during application is recommended for comfort.
For the Environment
Eco-Friendly: Being organic, humate does not harm the environment and is biodegradable.
No Hazardous Chemicals: It does not contain synthetic additives or harmful substances that can leach into water systems or damage ecosystems.
For Soil and Plants
Enhances Soil Health: Humate improves soil structure, promotes microbial activity, and enhances nutrient availability without introducing harmful residues.
Sustainable Alternative: It reduces reliance on chemical fertilizers, minimizing the risk of soil degradation or contamination.
When applied responsibly, humate is a non-toxic and effective soil amendment that benefits plants, the environment, and long-term soil health.
Humate is applied as granules using a broadcast spreader. Its coal black color makes it difficult to see on the lawn after application.
Humate stimulates soil microbes due to its rich composition of organic matter, humic substances, and trace minerals that create an ideal environment for microbial growth and activity. Here’s how it works:
Provides a Food Source
Organic Matter: Humate is rich in carbon, which serves as an energy source for microbes, fueling their growth and reproduction.
Humic and Fulvic Acids: These components are easily metabolized by soil microbes, encouraging their activity and diversity.
Enhances Soil Conditions
Improves Soil Structure: Humate helps aggregate soil particles, creating air pockets and better aeration, which supports microbial respiration.
Increases Water Retention: By retaining moisture in the soil, humate provides the hydration necessary for microbial life.
Boosts Nutrient Availability
Chelates Nutrients: Humate binds with nutrients like iron, calcium, and magnesium, making them more accessible to microbes and plants.
Supports Nitrogen Cycling: It enhances the activity of nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which convert atmospheric nitrogen into forms usable by plants.
Encourages Beneficial Microbial Communities
Fosters Diversity: Humate creates a hospitable environment for a wide variety of microbes, promoting a balanced and resilient ecosystem.
Suppresses Pathogens: A healthy microbial community encouraged by humate can outcompete harmful microbes, reducing disease pressure in the soil.
Stabilizes Soil pH
Humate can help buffer soil pH, creating a more neutral environment in which microbes thrive.
By providing nutrients, improving physical conditions, and creating a favorable chemical environment, humate acts as a catalyst for microbial life, which in turn enhances soil fertility and plant health.
We recommend watering your lawn on the next scheduled watering day. To effectively incorporate the Humate into the soil, water for one complete normal cycle. While not watering will not damage your lawn, the Humate will not start to take effect until you water.
The results of using Humate may not be immediately noticeable compared to the quick effects seen after applying fertilizer. However, while the initial results may take some time to appear, they can last for 6 to 12 weeks, making it a long-lasting option. Over time, your lawn will gradually develop a deeper, darker green color, enhancing its overall appearance. Common results include a richer green hue without excessive top growth, thicker blades of grass, and increased resistance to heat stress and foot traffic. Humate is truly a remarkable product.
Humate is a non-toxic substance that should not harm your pets or children. Although humate is an edible product often fed to cows and other farm animals, we do not recommend consuming it.
We cannot speak for other companies’ Humate, but our Humate is sourced from one of the richest deposits in the world. It is 100% pure, and the results are noticeably better. Less expensive Humate products typically contain lower levels of Humic and Fulvic acid. As a result, these lower-grade Humate products need to be applied at higher rates to achieve similar results, and they may take up to four months to become available for plant uptake. In contrast, our Humate starts working in just 3 to 8 weeks. Humate is a complex product, and not all Humate is created equal.
Humate resembles crushed coal and has a jet-black color. It is quite challenging to see on a lawn after application.
Humate usually lasts in a lawn for 6 to 8 months. We recommend applying it once each season, and twice or more for very poor soils or lawns affected by Necrotic Ring Spot Fungus.
Humate can be safely applied at a rate of 100 lbs per 1,000 sq ft, which is ten times the normal application rate. Multiple applications will not cause any damage.
Humate is a natural promoter of seed germination. When Humate is applied, it can increase grass seed germination by approximately 25% compared to using grass seed alone. Therefore, applying grass seed with Humate results in an 85% germination rate, while grass seed used on its own yields a 60% germination rate.
Soil Amendment
Enhances soil fertility by increasing microbial activity, boosting cation exchange capacity, and improving nutrient availability for plants.
Fertilizer Additive
Increases the efficiency of fertilizers by reducing nutrient leaching and minimizing waste, ensuring nutrients are better utilized.
Plant Growth Enhancer
Promotes robust root development and improves resilience to environmental stresses such as drought and soil salinity.
Environmental Applications
Supports soil reclamation efforts, mitigates heavy metal toxicity, and aids in the restoration of degraded lands.
Seed Germination: Use humate as part of a top-seeding package to significantly improve seed germination rates and establish healthier turf.
Clay Soils: Apply humate to amend heavy clay soils, commonly found in Colorado lawns, to enhance soil structure and water drainage.
Lawn Fungus Treatment: Necrotic Ring Spot: We highly recommend appling humate to lawns affected by Necrotic Ring Spot.
Ascochyta Leaf Blight Fungus: Consider using humate for lawns suffering from Ascochyta Leaf Blight or Dollar Spot to support grass health and heat resistance.
Heat and Drought Stress: Apply humate and water deeply to help lawns recover from heat or drought stress and regain vigor.
Tree Transplanting: We highly recommend applying humate when transplanting trees to encourage strong root development and reduce transplant shock.
Reclaiming Dead Soil: For lawns with “dead” or severely depleted soil, apply humate in multiple applications to restore it to a healthy, living condition.
Premium Lawn Care: Use humate consistently for homeowners aiming to achieve the best-looking, lushest, and healthiest lawn possible.