Last weekend on GardenLine, I talked a bit about using Medina Hasta Gro 6-12-6 Liquid Plant Food as my “transplant solution,” and I ended up with a few emailed follow-up questions. I use Hasta Gro 6-12-6 to saturate the root ball when transplanting almost anything – especially plants from four-inch, six-inch and other containers up to one-gallon size.
I use a big bucket with a handle so I can pick it up and move it around. I usually go with one that’s five gallons. I add one ounce of Hasta Gro per gallon of water, and when I saturate the entire root ball, I simply do not get transplant shock. That’s probably because, unlike most “root stimulators,” Hasta Gro is nearly 100% organic - it contains just a tiny amount of synthetic urea.
As the Medina company says, it’s like having three products in one: high-quality N-P-K plant food with Medina Soil Activator to stimulate biological activity, HuMate humic acid to improve the soil structure by improving nutrient uptake, and seaweed extracts to stimulate fruiting and blooming.
For years, this amazing product has been best known as an ideal foliar feed - one whose nutrients are absorbed directly by the plant. And because of its low-salt, low-chemical formulation, it has always prevented leaf burn. Plus, the nitrogen in this formula is derived from clean urea sources and is complexed with humic acid.
So, let’s add up all the benefits:
- Gentle formulation for foliar application
- Prevents salt and chemical buildup
- Builds biological activity in the soil
- Promotes fruiting and blooming
- Excellent for transplanting
And for soil drenching, you can use it every 3-4 weeks - synthetic 1-2-1 ratio fertilizers (such as national brand with a 15-30-1 ratio) need to be applied every two weeks. And at 1 oz. per gallon of water, nothing is going to get burned with Hasta Gro 6-12-6, especially the roots. Synthetic root stimulators are well known for burning roots, because people tend to misuse anything that’s labeled “root stimulator.” Even if used at twice the dosage, an organic product like Hasta Gro will not burn anything.
I also use HastaGro when watering containerized plants. I use a dial-and-spray type applicator set at ½ ounce per gallon, so I can thoroughly drench the soil and foliar feed simultaneously without any fears.
If your containerized plant is too big for a five-gallon bucket, you can still use Hasta Gro. Just make your one-ounce-to-one-gallon solution in a watering can and slowly pour it all around the new transplant to thoroughly wet the soil.
Hasta Gro 6-12-6 is available in quart bottles with a measuring cup, quarts with a convenient hose-end sprayer, and containers of 1, 5, 30, and 55 gallons.