Proper fertility applications are a cornerstone of summer stress management. Unbalanced fertility applications can sacrifice root growth for excessive top growth at a time when increased or sustained rooting amounts can help turfgrass survive the heat and drought of summer weather.
Much like the important roles that nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium play in plant health, the importance of carbon cannot be denied. If not maintained properly, carbon can act as a limiting nutrient. With turfgrass constantly depleting carbon in soil, returning carbon can be a crucial step in building a stronger, healthier lawn better able to withstand summer stress.
THE VALUE OF HUMIC
Soil organic matter consists of plant and animal residues at various stages of decomposition. As much as 80% of this material is represented by humic substances, a highly-reactive, carbon-rich material that is recognized by most soil scientists and agronomists as the most important component of a healthy, fertile soil.
Humic substances, including fulvic acids and humic acids, provide many benefits to both soil and plants. Introducing humic to soil increases soil microbial life, prevents nutrient leaching, and improves water holding capacity.
When choosing the right humic solution for your lawn care regimen, remember to check the label for the guaranteed analysiss which will include the percent of humic in the product. Most liquid humic products contain only 12% or 8% humic acid. Granular options tend to be higher with Humic DG tipping the scales at 70% of the highest quality humic acid.
THE VALUE OF BIOCHAR
Similarly, BioChar also builds rich, carbon-heavy soil that requires less fertilizer for plant growth. It improves soil health with particles designed to attract nutrients, beneficial bacteria, microbes, and water, making all these more available for plants.
BioChar DG is a soil amendment made from the carbon skeleton of wood, or other organic matter, through the process of super heating. Every small piece of biochar has millions of molecular bonding sites that hold water, nutrients, microbes, fungi, and bacteria that would otherwise be washed away or die from harsh conditions. Once introduced to your soil, biochar will stay for years, helping build the soil profile. BioChar DG applications result in rich, carbon-heavy soil that feeds itself and the plants growing in it.
THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
While both Humic DG and BioChar DG add carbon to your soil and promote stronger plants, it can be hard to choose which one your soil needs. We take the guess work out with HumiChar, which combines both the short-term and long-term effects of Humic DG and BioChar DG in a 30/43 blend.
All three of these soil amendments are beneficial to all turf and soil types and can be used alongside any fertilizer program. They are also each OMRI Listed and made with The Andersons’ patented DG Technology.
Soil amendments like Humic DG, BioChar DG and HumiChar can be applied all year round but it is especially important to apply them at the beginning of and during the growing season. By applying amendments in early spring, you begin to support healthy microbial activity, creating the ideal environment for your grass to start off the new growing season in.