Humic and fulvic acid. Natures superstar chelators

You may have noticed that some of our products have humic acid and fulvic acid in them. Today, I thought we would delve into their superstar capabilities and explain exactly why your plants love them so much.

This is a about to get sciencey!

What’s a chelator?

Chelators are chemical compounds that have a ring or claw shape. They wrap themselves around metal ions or in our case the nutrients in our fertiliser. Just like bubble wrap they’re now protected from becoming unwanted chemical reactions and can be more easily absorbed by plants.

Are there other types of chelators?

There are lots of chelating agents available for plant fertilisers, some natural like ours and others man made. Unfortunately, not all of them are superstars and can be environmentally damaging. Don’t worry, when you buy a Prickle and Stem fertiliser you can be assured, they won’t contain any of these.

Why do you guys bother to use chelators?

Chelators have two amazing properties. They ensure that what we put into our fertilisers remain in the form which is best for your plant. They also, make the nutrients more readily available for absorption. Nutrients like phosphate and potassium are a finite natural resource so if we can reduce the amounts required, we can improve the environmental profile of our fertilisers and your houseplants.

Humic Acid

This organic heavy lifter possesses huge chelating properties. They’re much larger than fulvic acid and behave a bit like a sponge absorbing nutrients and transforming them easily accessible forms. Once the humic acid which has absorbed our specially balanced nutrients are applied to the soil around your plant roots they act as a slow – release fertiliser, providing a steady supply of essential nutrients as your plants grow. This amazing natural process buffers supply meaning less deficiencies or harmful excesses.

Fulvic Acid