TurfPro USA Products - contents and benefits

TurfPro USA Products come for a single natural deposit found in South Central Georgia. All of our products are derived from this deposit.

Laboratory analysis of the material "Compost Analysis Report" by Logan Labs, LLC using a burn test showed a 94.89% loss by ignition and 5.11% of mineral matter. This test showed that our raw material has a better total organic mass than competing humate deposits found in New Mexico, Canada and Russia.

Tests run by the Soil Food Web Labs on biological content showed excellent bacterial biomass and fugal biomass in a good range. It also showed the presence of natural Flagellates and Amoebae.  A further differentiating factor of TurfPro is that because of the all-natural carbon component, it contains the requisite food source needed to sustain the biology during the colonization period after the initial application. TurfPro also naturally contains a minimum of 20 unique beneficial microbes, and ongoing studies by BBC Laboratories show that TurfPro USA products can suppress certain pathogens such as Fusarium oxysporum and Phytophthora sp.  .

Trace Elements:  A Northern Analytical Laboratory, Inc. test on TurfPro showed 73 Trace Elements available in its natural state. This means the trace elements are in a form that plants can immediately make use of, both in the root system and as a foliar spray.  This is superior to many fertilizers that offer trace elements, but in most cases they are substantially wasted since they are not in a form plants can readily use.  Ultimately, they just wash through into the ground water and become an environmental problem.  TurfPro eliminates this problem.

Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio:  This is important in that the higher the carbon to nitrogen ratio is for organic matter, the more nitrogen is needed to break it down. A 1998 University of Wisconsin study states that organics with  a C:N ratio of less than 28 to 1 release nitrogen, while those with higher ratios consume nitrogen  for decomposition.  A test by Logan Labs, LLC. shows that TurfPro Natural-Granular has a very beneficial C:N ratio of 25.63 to1.

The major difference between TurfPro USA products and others is that ours is an all natural organic substance that has not been extracted by heat or chemical means. The means TurfPro USA products are the only ones that naturally preserve the valuable living soil biology in addition to the trace elements, humic substances, and lignin.

General characteristics of all Humates and Humic substances:

Ø     Humic substances stimulate plant roots and soil life (mostly fungal populations), chelate minerals (holding them for future use by plants), improve absorption of minerals for root and plant use and improve effectiveness of herbicides. (ACRESusa January 2004)

Ø     Humic Acids can bind soil toxins along with plant nutrients and they strongly stabilize soil. (Journal of Chemical Education)

Ø     Effects on Soil Fertility.  The addition of humic substances to the soil enhances plant growth both directly and indirectly. Physically, they promote good soil structure and increase the water holding capacity of the soil. Biologically, they affect the activities of microorganisms. Chemically, they serve as an absorption and retention complex for inorganic plant nutrients. Nutritionally, they are sources of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur for plants and microorganisms. All of these effects increase the productivity of the soil. (Citrus Industry - October 1989 from the University of Florida)

One gallon of liquid Humate equals 23 to 27 tons of organic manure. One pound of dry humate equals 12 ¼ tons of organic manure.

Long term Russian studies showed that humic substances bond many organic and non-organic substances into poorly soluble or insoluble compounds, which prevent the penetration from soil into subsoil waters and growing plants. It reduces the toxic effect of residual amounts of herbicides, soil polluting radio nuclides, heavy metals and other harmful substances, as well as radiation and chemical contamination.

Ø     Polyhedral influence of Humates is caused by their simultaneous influence on all compositions of future harvest: water, soil and plant. Penetrating the water, Humates change its structure, so that it becomes more organized and arranged like fragments of ice structure. As a result, the water gets the well known properties of "melted water", improving plant nutrition. Penetrating the soil, Humates restore its structure; convert soluble forms of Lead, Mercury, Cadmium and other harmful and radioactive elements, including industrial remains of poison, and environmentally dangerous chemicals, into insoluble forms. But besides that, Humates form complexes with phosphorus and micro elements which are easy assimilated by plants, and sharply increase efficiency of mineral fertilizers. Penetrating a plant, and acting to a plant on a cellular level, Humates improve germination of seeds, speed up plant development, stimulate enzyme formation, increase resistance to droughts, frost and radiation, increase cell energy, promoting formation of chlorophyll, vitamin C, sugar and amino acids and other important components. Humates regulate plant metabolism is such a way that prevents accumulation of nitrates, selectively improving penetration of cell membranes for ions of Potassium. (Dr. Boris V. Levensky, Irkutsk, Russia)

Fulvic acid is especially active in dissolving minerals and metals when solutions are in water. The metallic minerals simply dissolve into ionic form, and disappear into the Fulvic structure becoming bio-chemically reactive and mobile. The Fulvic acid actually transforms these minerals and metals into elaborate Fulvic acid molecular complexes that have vastly different characteristics from their previous metallic mineral form. Fulvic acid is nature's way of "chelating" metallic minerals, turning them into readily absorbable bio-available form. Fulvic acid also has the unique ability to weather and dissolve silica that it comes in contact with. (Australian study}

Growing levels of ionic radiation and the pollution of the environment by pesticides, metal compounds and other toxic elements, being characterized as having mutational and carcinogenic abilities, are very dangerous for all living organisms. That's why the protection function of Humates has serious significance. This protection function has a wide sphere of action: protection from drought, frost, radiation, industrial toxic wastes, and agricultural pesticides. The protection action of Humates is a result of a coordination with plant cells which improves general resistance. This phenomenon was discovered by Professor Khristeva and her students. Siberian and Ukraine harvests were saved many times from droughts and frosts. She proved the fact that plants treated with Humate gain resistance to radiation. It was also proved that spraying and watering of all types of vegetation with 0.01% solution of Humate, sharply activated soils, activity of microorganisms, and improved adaptation of plants to industrial pollution. Humates speed up water exchange, physiological and oxidizing processes, promoting better nutrition and feed exchange, especially when the condition of healthy nutrition is worse than the norm and polluted by industrial wastes. (Dr. Boris V. Levensky, Irkutsk, Russia)

Humate concentrates provide many of the advantages of conventional organic matter sources over a long period with less handling problems, especially in situations where there is no feasible alternative to purchasing additional supplies of humus. They have been demonstrated to have favorable effects on tissue nutrient balance, fertilizer uptake, top and root growth, and crop yield and quality for a large variety of field, horticultural and ornamental plants. They have been most effective in soils with less than two percent organic matter. (Citrus Industry - October 1989 from the University of Florida)

Humic acid derivatives have several known benefits to agriculture. University of California research scientists, scientists from other U.S. universities and European scientists have agreed on these benefits from the soil humus formation:
1. Improves soil physical properties.

2. Holds exchangeable plant nutrients.

3. Improves moisture conditions.

4. Affects the release of plant nutrients through slow decomposition by organisms, especially nitrogen release.

5. Improves trace element nutrition through chelation.

6. Has a growth promoting effect.

7. Has a high base exchange capacity - an important basis for soil fertility concepts.  (The California Farmer - University or California)

Besides being a source of nutrients for the plant, and the most important factor in structure formation, organic matter has also a fundamental effect on the physical properties of the soil (water-holding capacity) and determines to a large degree such physico-chemical properties as the exchange capacity and buffering properties; these properties are of great importance, not only in controlling the uptake of nutrients by the plant and their retention in the soil, but also in suppressing the deleterious effect of soil acidity. (Clemson University Horticultural Department)

Humic substances, like organic compounds of an individual nature, promote the conversion of a number of elements into forms available to plants . The increased availability of P205 (p205 belongs to a family of interferon-inducible proteins called the IFI-200 family, which have been implicated in the regulation of cell growth and differentiation), in the presence of humic acids has been well documented. The effect of humic acids on the conversion of iron into available forms protecting plants from Chlorosis even in the presence of a high P205 content, was demonstrated by DeKock in 1955. In the supply of trace elements and rare elements to plants, an important role is played by compounds in which they are linked with humic substances in the form of chelates. (Clemson University Horticultural Department)

HUMIC AND FULVIC SUBSTANCES

• Aid plant tissues requiring free oxygen for aerobic respiration, and thus provide metabolic energy to all higher plants.
• Combine with sunlight and photosynthesis to furnish metabolic energy.
• When used as a dilute solution for foliar spray, cause plants to experience a notable uptake of oxygen, thus increasing plant growth.
• Not only assist plant respiration, but also increase the production and productivity of microorganisms.
• Assist plant respiration; for example, the combination of various plant root storage tissue and humic and fulvic substances serve as hydrogen acceptors.
• Produce energy involving photosynthesis, enhancing this process which includes the biochemical manufacture of complex organic materials, especially carbohydrates from carbon dioxide, water, trace mineral, and inorganic salts, along with sunlight energy for chlorophyll production.
• Increase the chlorophyll content in plant leaves when the plant is provided with root nutrient or foliar spray.
• Accentuate plant cell reproduction by stimulating the production of nucleic acids for DNA and RNA activity.
• Directly influence the development of enzymes and the net enzyme synthesis.

WATER: ITS PROPERTIES AND RESULTS
Water has unique properties with respect to cellular activities that make life on earth possible. It has been calculated that living things consist of from 70% to 90% water. The chemical properties of water are absolutely essential to the development and continuation of all life. Water, which forms more than three-fourths of all cell tissue content, has the highest known di-electric constant. This property of water is responsible for the ionization of the infinite number of molecules that water holds in suspension or in solution. Water is also one of the most important catalysts known.

Humic and fulvic acids are soluble in water and make available to plants certain nutrients and trace minerals that would be unavailable otherwise. One of the valuable characteristics of humic substances is the ability to absorb and retain quite large amounts of water. In addition, fulvic acid helps water penetrate and permeate plant cells, assisting nutrient uptake and water storage during drought conditions. Fulvic acid may balance water during drought conditions and assist in the accumulation of soluble sugars, helping to prevent wilting.

The oxygen atoms of water satisfy their requirements for electrons with this stable arrangement. Carbohydrates are a basic source of the hydrogen ions, that are released by means of oxidation. Electrolytic solutions and colloids, which make up the bulk of living cells, are especially adapted to electro-chemical processes. Electrolytes in solution, especially in water or aqueous solution, conduct electrical current. Consider for a moment water, with the ability to hold material in solution and colloids. Now add the most powerful natural electrolyte known to organic matter, fulvic acid, to the water. The water now dissolves, transports, and amplifies this material and its electric action.

The following are highlights of this subject:

• Under drought conditions, humic and fulvic acids help balance water and assist plant transpiration, the transport of water and nutrients of the cell tissues.
• The balancing phenomenon of fulvic acids produces a reduction in the amount of water required.
• Humic and fulvic acids assist the balance of water under drought conditions by increasing plant respiration, thus helping the plant "breathe" better while under stress.
• Fulvic acids aid water in assisting the penetration and permeation of plant cells and thus assist in nutrient uptake and water storage within the plant cells during dry times.
• Fulvic acids can assist plants during drought to accumulate soluble sugars and thus help to prevent wilting.
• Humic and fulvic acids have a very positive effect on the water holding capacity of the soil. These humic substances also allow the reduced supply of water in its very thin film to be more easily released during drought conditions, and thus be made available to the roots of the plants.

• Fulvic acid electrolytes in water solution conduct current for life giving energy.
• Water dissolves, transports, and amplifies fulvic acid and transports its electric action throughout the plant.
• Water vapor or humidity tends to cluster around and bond to fulvic acids, which is referred to as sorption.
• Humic and fulvic substances reduce soil erosion by increasing sorption and increasing the binding force of the very fine soil particles to the electrolytically charged water.

Soil Biology and what it means

All of the acids and trace elements are mostly ineffective without good soil biology. This is where the plants gets most of the food they need to be healthy and disease free.

Web sites with additional information:

Humic Acid Research Group: Northeastern University -

http://www.hagroup.neu.edu/aboutusfrm.htm

US Department or Agriculture -

http://soils.usda.gov/sqi/concepts/soil_biology/soil_food_web.html

Dr. E. R. Ingham -

 http://www.rain.org/~sals/ingham.html