Starter solutions are dilute solutions of fertilizer applied to plants at time of transplanting. They are utilized to give higher survival rate and earlier renewed growth of these plants

McCall, Wade W.

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HAWAII COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE. College of Tropical Agriculture and Human ResourcesUniversity of HawaiiGENERAL HOME GARDEN SERIES No. 16STARTER SOLUTIONS FOR THE HOME GARDENby Wade W. McCall*What Are Starter Solutions?Starter solutions are dilute solutions of fertilizerapplied to plants at time of transplanting. They areutilized to give higher survival rate and earlier re-newed growth of these plants.Why Use Starter Solutions?Many vegetables and flowers grown from very smallseed are often seeded in pots, flats, beds, etc. toproduce larger plants that may be transplanted.Transplanting is done when the plants reach suffi-cient size to be handled easily.When plants are removed from the soil for trans-planting, roots are broken or damaged causing"shock" to the plants. Uptake of water and nutri-ents are restricted, resulting in slow recovery of,stunting, or death of the plant. The use of dilutesolutions containing plant nutrients used in placeof pure water often reduces the shock of transplant-ing and results in faster establishment of the plant.What To Use For Starter SolutionsHighly soluble fertilizers should be used for startersolutions. Concentrated fertilizers; those containingmore than 50% by weight of one or more of thefollowing plant nutrients-nitrogen (N), availablephosphoric acid (P20S), and water soluble potash(K20), are generally very soluble in water, althoughsome are slow release or controlled release materials.Besides concentrated formulations, various chemi-cal fertilizers may be used.Fertilizers suitable for starter solutions may beclassified as (1) high phosphate, (2) medium ormoderate phosphate, or (3) low phosphate formu-lations depending upon the ratio of phosphate tothe nitrogen and potash in the material. The lowphosphate formulations may be further divided intohigh nitrogen, high potash, formulations of approxi-mately equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphate, andpotash. High phosphate formulations are those with3 or more times as much phosphate as nitrogen andpotash, i.e. 10-52-17, 13-39-10, 10-50-10, 15-52-9, etc. Medium phosphate formulations llh to2lh times as much phosphate, i.e. 15-30-15, 19-28-14, 6-25-15, etc. Low phosphate formulationsare those where the ratio of phosphate is the sameor less .than the nitrogen and potash, i.e. high Nwould be 24-20-15, 23-21-17, etc.; equal amountswould be 20-2b-20,21~21-21, etc.; high potashwould be 15-15-30,15-5-25, etc. Fertilizers con-taining only nitrogen, nitrogen and phosphate,nitrogen and potash, or phosphate and potash mayalso be used for making starter solutions.How To Prepare Starter SolutionsStarter solutions made with concentrated fertilizersare made by dissolving the fertilizer in water. Use2lh to 3 pounds in 50 gallons of water or one to twolevel teaspoonsful in one gallon of water. .Commercial liquid fertilizers may be used to preparestarter solutions, use llh pints to 1 quart in 50 gal-lons of water or llh to 2 ounces in one gallon ofwater.Regular lower analysis commercial fertilizers, suchas 10-30-10, 5-10-5, etc., may be used also. Toprepare starter solutions from these materials, mixone pound per gallon of water to prepare a stocksolution. Stir this solution thoroughly and allow tosettle. Use the clear liquid and mix 5 gallons ofstock solution with 45 gallons of pure water or 14ounces per gallon of water. Solutions stronger thanthese should not be used as damage to plant rootsmay occur due to too great concentration of saltsin the solution. .How To Apply Starter SolutionsStarter solutions should be used to water in theplants at time of transplanting. Use lh pint of thesolution in place of pure water for each plant formost vegetable and flowering plants. Apply one pintfor the larger vegetables and flowering plants andsmaller ornamentals. Apply one quart to lh gallonIssued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work, Acts of May 8 and June 30,1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Depart-ment of Agriculture. Noel P. Kefford, Director of the Institute and Dean of the College, Cooperative Extension Service, Col-lege of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822. An Equal Opportu-nity Employer providing programs and services to the citizens of Hawaii without regard to race, color, national origin, or sex.for larger ornamentals and up to one gallon for largetrees. Do not apply starter solutions where dry fer-tilizer has been applied in the row or hill beforetransplanting.High phosphate formulations are needed for toma-toes, peppers, lettuce, eggplant and similar plants.A medium phosphate solution is best for cabbage,cauliflower, celery, cucumber, melons and most ofthe annual flowering plants. A low phosphate, highnitrogen, high potash solution is best for ornamen-tal plants and fruit trees. However, on the highlyweathered soils of Hawaii , the high phosphate solu-tions should be used as these soils are very low inphosphorus and tend to fix large quantities whenapplied to the soil.The use of starter solutions, when properly applied,will result in earlier establishment of the plants, re-sulting in earlier maturity. Yields are increased andquality of the produce is improved. These factorsresult in greater satisfaction for the home gardeneras he harvests and utilizes his produce.*Soil Management SpecialistNOTE: The use of trade names is for the convenience ofreaders only and does not constitute an endorsement ofthese products by the University of Hawaii, the College ofTropical Agriculture and Human Resources, the HawaiiCooperative Extension Service, and their employees.Reprinted June, 1980-2M

Starter Solutions for the Home Garden

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Starter Solutions for the Home Garden

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