Humus is derived from the breakdown, under the right bacterial conditions, of organic matter whose origins have come from decomposed green vegetation. Humus is a valuable source of humic acid. The salts of humic acid are known as humates.

Humus by itself is not a fertilizer, as it does not supply nutrients in the conventional sense, but rather affects their availability.

Vicmill manufactures natural fertilizer products which have a balance of minerals and nutrients and which also contain humus.

The humus complements the minerals and nutrients in the fertilizer, and ensures the fertilizers achieve the best result for the soil and plants.

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• Recent scientific studies show that the fertility of soil is determined to a large extent by the humate content in the soil. One of the most important features of humic acid is its ability to bind insoluble metal ions, oxides and hydroxides, and to release them slowly and continually to plants when required.
• Humates determine to a large extent the uptake of nutrients by the plant and their retention in the soil. There is evidence that even small amounts of humates in the soil have a definite, positive effect on the growth and development of plants, resulting in improved seed germination, root growth and quality of yields.
• Besides being a source of nutrients for the plant, soil scientists recognize that humates have a fundamental effect on the water-holding capacity of the soil, which directly influences soil fertility.

• Improve & regulate the water-holding capacity of soil
• Act as a natural chelator for plant mineral nutrients & promote their uptake by the roots
• Enrich the soil in organic & mineral substances essential to plant growth
• Retain water soluble nutrients in the root zones & reduce their leaching
• Reduce soil erosion by increasing the cohesive forces of the very fine soil particles
• Promote the assimilation & utilization of phosphates by plants
• Promote the conversion of nutrient elements (N P K + Fe, Zn and other trace elements) into forms available to plants
• Enhance the uptake of nitrogen by plants
• Stimulate growth & proliferation of desirable micro-organisms in the soil
• Stimulate seed germination & root growth, which helps achieve better uptake of nutrients
• Increase vitamin & mineral content of plants

For soil to remain fertile, humates must be replaced or added. Vicmill's fertilizer and soil conditioning products provide an efficient means of replacing humates in soil.

Vicmill products are made with materials such as reactive phosphate rock, magnesite, kiln dust, potassium sulphate, gypsum, rock minerals, nitrified brown coal, humates and elemental sulphur.

Vicmill manufactures many different natural and organic fertilizers which all have unique properties that contribute to improving the quality and fertility of the soil.

Vicmill can also add trace elements to its products to provide exactly the right mix of nutrients to suit the requirements of an individual property.