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Abstract Humic acid is touted as an organic soil additive to improve plant growth by multiple means. Does it really work? Here's how you can find out.Objective The purpose of this project is to determine which soils will yield the greatest plant growth, root length, and root weight: soil without additives, soil with dry humic acid, soil with liquid humic acid, or soil with a combination of dry and liquid humic acid. Introduction Organic matter is an important component of fertile soil. Many different types of organic matter can be used as fertilizers to enhance plant growth, such as manure, compost, etc... Humic acid is believed to be a good organic fertilizer for certain plants. Does humic acid really work to improve plant growth? Terms, Concepts, and Questions to Start Background Research You should have an understanding of humic acid and humate, how they are produced and what their impact is on soil. Cation exchange capacity is an important term to understand how humic acid impacts soil. Bibliography Basic explanation of Humic Acid:
Similar studies looking at benefits of humic acid on growth of different varieties of plants:
Simple explanation of cation exchange capacity Impact of organic matter on soil productivity (includes brief discussion of humic acid) Materials and Equipment
Experimental Procedure
*Experimental Note
Variations Try different types of plants, vegetables, fruits, houseplants.... Try humic acid vs. fertilizer
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