1. In India, we’ve noticed that some suppliers are offering Humate flakes at a lower price point. While cost is certainly a factor, it’s important to understand the distinctions between our product and theirs.
– Yes, you know what the distinctions is, will be better to help you to convince the clients. To understand the price, you must know the cost for each point.
Humate products have following few points which will effect the market price. Leonardite, potassium or sodium hydroxide, ocean freight. These costs change, the final price will change accordingly.
The market has different prices, without considering cost of ocean freight, have two points.
– First is leonardite, different kinds of leonardite, such as different material source places, different humic acid content in leonardite, the final price level will be different, but wont be big.
– A significant point is the hydroxide, in the market, sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide will have around 214USD-285 difference, no matter in China or overseas. Same leonardite material, adding around 11% hydroxide to produce same humic content of humate, sodium product will be cheaper around USD23.54-31.35 for per K2O. Means each additional K2O will rise around USD23.54-31.35. 10%K2O will be around 235.4-313.5 difference. Maybe i calculated not very exactly, but these number are a fluctuation range in this year.
Based on same source and same humic content of leonardite, the final product appearance are totally same, there must be some distributors who are selling fake product to make more money. No matter in India or other countries. Even in China, we have clients who are dealing like this.
- I’d like to understand the operational differences between their product and ours. Could you please explain how their product works compared to our own?
– If they are sodium humate, then for most of plants, wont have big problem. As in China also have agriculture use sodium humate, even the national analysis standard.
But there are some plants which will persecuted by the Na+, such as wheat corn rice. When the Na+ concentration of soil solution exceeds 0.2%, it will significantly hinder the absorption of nutrients and water in vegetables, leading to an imbalance of vegetable nutrition, thus affecting yield and quality.
This means, if you use sodium humate for soil application, wont have problem in current few years. But if use for foliar application, it will cause the sodium persecution directly.
And will have direct manifestation when using potassium humate and sodium humate for foliar application to compare.
- Can farmers observe the differences between our product and others? If yes, What are those differences?
– Farmers can’t, as our experience, most farmers dont know how to test the fertilizer, even they don’t know where the laboratory is. So they just check the product quality by eyes. But problem is sodium humate is totally same appearance with potassium humate. Another way to observe the differences is to use these two products for foliar application. Like i mentioned above.
- We’re aiming to supply our product for use on paddy, chillies, tomatoes, and palm trees. What is the suitable stage for applying our product?
Base fertilizer: Use potassium humate for root fertilization, supply potassium element, plenty of organic matter to soil, help to improve soil condition.10-20 kgs per 666㎡. Can improve drought resistance ability, cold resistance, disease and insect resistance.
Water flush: 5-10kgs per time per 666㎡. Dissolve evenly into fertilizer tank to make potassium humate liquid solution. Generally apply fertilizer during seedling stage, growth period, flowering phase and fruiting period, total 4-5 times.
Soaking seed, soaking root: Dissolve into water to make 1:2000 concentration potassium humate liquid solution. Soak 10-24 hours.
- Do farmers notice differences in plant growth regardless of when they start using our product, or is the difference more pronounced when applied from the beginning of the plant’s growth?
Using potassium humate product, in one week, farmers will notice the differences on plant leaves. And yes, if apply from the beginning, will also effect the sead buding ratio, growth potential. Especially use it in winter days and in greenhouse.
- What is our recommended application strength for Humate flakes to farmers, and what differences can they expect to see when using Humate flakes compared to not using them?
Application method is same with the above.
For the difference, here i have few points for you, pls check:
- It can improve soil physical characteristics, improve soil aggregate structure, reduce soil compactness, and achieve a good condition.
- Increase the cation exchange capacity and fertilizer retention capacity of the soil to absorb and exchange plant nutrients, improve the slow-acting effect of fertilizer, and increase the soil’s fertilizer and water retention capacity.
- Activities to provide beneficial soil microorganisms.
- Promote the decomposition of man-made (such as pesticides) or natural toxic substances and their effects.
- Increase the slow balance capacity of the soil and neutralize the pH of the soil.
- The black color helps to absorb heat and plant early in spring.
- Directly affect cell metabolism, improve crop respiration and photosynthesis, and enhance crop resistance to stress, such as drought resistance, cold resistance, disease resistance, etc..
- Release the nutrient elements needed by plants after decomposition.
- Strengthen roots and increase yield, improve crop quality and increase the sweetness of melons and fruits.
- As the product is currently available in various forms, is there a noticeable difference in using the flakes form, especially when compared to granules, powder, or liquid?
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Flakes form product has few advantages than other few product.
- Compare with granule, the granule is only used for soil application, cant be used for water flush application or foliar application.
- Compare with powder, flakes wont cause air or working environment problem.
- Compare with liquid, as humate is a kind of strong water reducing agent, means it has strong capacity to absorb the water. The highest concentration of huamte solution is just 25%, it means 1 ton humate could produce more than 3 tons liquid.
But there is no absolutely good product, if farmers just use for soil application, then granule is also ok. If don’t want to use high cost product, also feel it’s complicated to dissolve humate into solution, then liquid will be good choice.
- Is it feasible to encourage farmers to reduce the use of complex fertilizers and opt for Humate flakes as an alternative? if yes, what are the recommendations per acre?
- Yes, could suggest farmers to reduce the quantity of NPK fertilizers, as the humate function I just mentioned, humic acid can stabilize nitrogen and release slowly to a large extent. It can release phosphorus immobilized in soil by Al3 + and Fe3 +, meanwhile chelating trace elements to promote its absorption and utilization by plants, and greatly improve soil fertility. In China Humic Acid Association, they have data showing humic acid could rise the utilization of urea from 35% to 50%.
- For the recommendations dosage, we suggest you can have a reference on question 4. Our recommendations is also not very exactly, depends on different soil condition, there will be different dosage. It’s related to the soil testing and fertilization, or experience from farmers and local distributors.
