Question: How can I keep deer from eating my roses?

Answer: Click Here

Question:
I would like to know if I should use the yellow or orange label when applying to just purchased clematis vines. it is about a two foot vine, only a few leaves. I want big full blooms, but right now and for the next few seasons, I need it to grow fast and root well. So, I need the yellow and the orange. is it safe to use both? If not, which would be best? Thanks so much, Jeri

Question:
I was given a Hydrangea in a 6" pot as a gift.  I live in the West Palm Beach, Florida area and would like to plant the Hydrangea in my yard.  What type of light does it need, soil, fertilization, etc.  Thank you.

Question:
Monty, What can I do to protect my roses from harsh winter weather?

Answer:
Click Here to see my tips for "winterizing" your roses.

Answer:
Monty’s is a pH balanced product that does not effect the pH level for the soil around the plant. We recommend incorporating pine bark and other material that breaks down to create an acidic soil. The Yellow Label is for basic growth and the orange label is for root and bloom development.

Question:
I've enjoyed your site, and found it to be a valuable source of information! I set out to learn more about blackspot and how to control it, and found your section of "how to deal with it in established rose beds" to be very helpful. My question is about Daconil. You recommended that it be used to destroy the established spores, but said that it "would take away from the plant somewhat because how it works"...what did you mean by that? I've got my first outbreak of blackspot, and I'm very frustrated with it. My garden is two years old now, and I have really enjoyed my roses, but the blackspot is not fun. I want to kill it as swiftly as possible.

Answer:
The Daconil product is wonderful on black spot spores. However, the Daconil will inhibit the growth of the plants when day time temperatures and night time temperatures stay above 80 degrees. The Daconil leaves a film on the leaves and this causes the plant to lessen it's ability to transpire the needed CO2.

Question:
I'm starting a rose garden and would like some tips on a raised garden. What time of the year to plant, how far apart. etc.?

Help, Ofelia

Answer:
Thanks for your question concerning the raised rose bed. In our zone we start making raised rose beds this month in November because the weather is comfortable and most of the regular work on roses have slowed down. The most important reason is that this will provide sufficient time for the materials in the rose bed to break down and not take away nitrogen in the spring.

For hybrids I would go at least 15" high and for miniatures about 8-10" high. The soil should be 1/3 compost, 1/3 soil and 1/3 sand or pea gravel. Mix all material well and add dolomitic lime to neutralize the acid when the compost breaks down.

If you have further questions please e-mail me and I will answer what questions that you may have concerning roses.

QUESTION:
Can you tell me the shelf life of Monty's Joy Juice Products?

ANSWER:
Thank you for your question. Currently we have product that has been stored for over 8 years. The product has not separated and we found no problem in the effectiveness when applied to plants.

QUESTION: 
I recently attended a trade show for Hummert International in Topeka, Kansas, I was introduced to your product. We have a perennial flower, cut flower and vegetable operation. One of my main crops is hardy garden mums. I have them in various sized pots on an irrigation system. I use a Dosmatic fertilize injector. I have it on the ratio of 200:1. My mums need 300- 350 PPM/ nitrogen. How much Joy Juice would I use to make 5 Gals. of concentrate running my Dosmatic 200:1? Also could you give me the formula {calculations} for this?

Thanks so much
Kitty Glass, owner
Whispering Cedars Farm and Gardens

ANSWER:
Thank you for your question concerning Monty's Joy Juice. I would recommend 10 ounces per 5 gallons of water to obtain 200 PPM.  Our product is 1 ounce per 100 gallons to obtain 100 PPM.  If you have any additional questions please e-mail or call 1-800-978-6342

QUESTION: 
Hey Monty, I'm in Mt Washington, Ky and I bought two gallons of 8-16-8 to try in the greenhouse. We will use it in a injector. Any recommendations?

ANSWER: 
Thank you for your question about the usage.  I would like to know what rate you will be feeding and what particular types of plants will be fed. Our product is extremely concentrated, example: 200 PPM would be 1 ounce Monty's to 100 gallons of water. I look forward hearing from you.

QUESTION:
Can I use the Joy Juice on shrubs whenever I water, or just Late Summer and Fall, as stated on the label. AND do I use this instead of Miracid or in addition to? Thanks

ANSWER:
Our product can be used on shrubs every time you water. We suggest the late summer or fall because that is when some plants have reached their maturity for the season and additional nitrogen is not needed. Shrubs that require acidic soil need some acid applied so our product will not replace Miracid. I recommend forking Pine bark mulch around the base of the shrubs in the fall. When the mulch breaks down it will become acid and you will be able to eliminate Miracid (synthetic fertilizer).

QUESTION:
Sirs, a quick couple of questions please. I bought the Ortho hose end sprayer, set it to 2 teaspoons, to it I added 4 oz. of Monty’s Joy Juice and 12 oz of water and sprayed it around the bases of 45 rose bushes for a period of about 8-10 seconds per plant. As you can imagine I've got over half of the solution left in the sprayer. My questions are, is this enough Joy Juice to use or is it to diluted or is it not being sprayed on long enough ( it sure doesn't seem like enough solution is being used ), how often should I reapply the Joy Juice and finally can I save any unused portion of the Joy Juice/water solution in the sprayer till the next go around??? I'm a total rookie at this so I thank you for your time and patience.

ANSWER:
Based on the amount of your solution left in the sprayer your water pressure only moved about 24 gallons of water. In order to apply one gallon of diluted Joy Juice you would need to spray around the base of the plant for an additional 8 seconds per plant. However, this amount should only be applied when the plant has not had any water. The solution in the container is ok to save and can be reused at a later date. I would reapply weekly on all plants.

QUESTION:
Can the 8-16-8 be applied to corn or soybeans at a mixture of 4-5 gallons of water including the 8-16-8 per acre? What would the correct formula be for corn or soybeans? Basically, I'm trying to find out if your products are applicable only for garden use or can I really use them effectively on my farm. We use a helicopter to apply the mixture and the maximum mixture is 4-5 gallons including the applicable products per acre.

Farmer Paul.

ANSWER:
Thank you for your question concerning Monty's Joy Juice. We currently have farmers throughout North America using our product on soybeans and corn. The current recommended application rate is 8 ounces per acre on both corn and soybean. I would suggest the 8-16-8 formula be used on both crops. If you have additional questions or rates of applications please e-mail me at Dennis@montysjoyjuice.com . I look forward to hearing from you and hearing about your success stories.

QUESTION:
Monty, My husband just returned from a business trip and brought me back a gallon of Monty's Joy Juice for my roses. I've been doing a regular weekly feeding of 1 Tbsp. per bush of:

1st week -Peter's 20 x 20 x 20
2nd week -Epsom Salt
3rd week - Fish Emulson
4th week - Bloom Buster

Here's my question - Using your product, what should I delete from my program?

Look forward to hearing back from you.
Marie McVay

ANSWER:
Thank you for your question concerning the use of Monty's Joy Juice on your roses. I would replace the Peter's 20-20-20 and the bloom buster. Our treatments include the use of Epsom salts and we sometimes supplement with alfalfa or fish emulsions. I would also recommend using our product once a week either as a root drench or as a foliar spray. Good luck with your roses this year and I hope to hear from you again when you have noticed the results of Monty's Joy Juice.

QUESTION:
Derby Day I planted about a dozen impatiens. To date they have not responded to anything I have tried. I have been using 2-15-15 and recently I have been using 8-16-8. The plants are stunted and leaves are yellow. Please advise what I am doing wrong.
Thanks,
Sam Alexander

ANSWER:
My first question is how much water have you applied. Is the location of your impatiens in a shady location. Impatiens require shade and need water but too much will cause the foliage to yellow. Try adding some Epsom salt with your joy juice mixture ( 8-16-8 ) 1/2 teaspoon per 1 gallon of diluted joy juice. The plants should turn green within two days or if the roots are damaged I will make further suggestions.

QUESTION:
I've heard wonderful things about your products and want to try them.  Could you please tell me if the products are organic or not?  I appreciate your time!

Sincerely,
Camille Rohrer

ANSWER:
Our product is 98% organic. Our product has less than 2% of Urea nitrogen that is a synthetic product.  Some people consider Urea to be an organic product because it is widely used. A key ingredient to our product is a humic acid that assists in helping the plant take up nutrients.  If you have additional questions please e-mail me and i will be glad to help you.

QUESTION:
I am concerned about my two cats and Monty's Joy Juice.  I want to try the indoor/ houseplant formula and I am wondering if it is safe to use since I have two cats that seem to enjoy sneaking a nibble on my plants every so often.  Please let me know as soon as you can as I am anxious to try the product.
Thanks
Rick

ANSWER:
Thanks for your question concerning the safety of your cats when Monty's Joy Juice has been applied to indoor plants.  I have two cats as well and one loves to chew on any plant as well as cut flowers.  All of these plants have a sufficient supply of Monty's Joy Juice and they have no ill effects. Our plant food is rated as a food grade product.

QUESTION:
What is the ph level in the plant food?  I just heard my mom talking to her friends about gardening and stuff and she said the ph for her homemade plant food was always 6.5 and she likes that level..

Arlen

ANSWER:
Our product is between 6.5 and 6.7.  Our product will not change the PH of the soil which is another great benefit thay Monty's Joy Juice provides.

QUESTION:
Just a quick question.......can I use Monty's Joy Juice in a hose end sprayer???  If so, how can I tell when each plant has had enough, and it's time to move on???    

Thank you
Jeff

ANSWER:
Thanks for your question concerning how to apply Monty's Joy Juice.  A hose end sprayer can be used to apply Monty's Joy Juice.  However, the water pressure, the type of plant and current rainfall amounts determine how much water should be applied.  Our rule for roses is to count to 12 for each rose bush and a less time is required for smaller plants.  If you are trying to only foliar feed 1 -2 seconds is all that is needed.

QUESTION:
Something has eaten all the green leaves off of one of my miniature roses. All that is left is the stalk coming out of the ground. There are other miniature roses near by untouched...maybe whoever it was got full. Who knows?!! Anyway, what suggestions do you have for keeping ...probably a rabbit? from eating my roses? I have miniatures, floribunda, tea, and grandiflora in the same garden around my back patio.

Thanks!!
Debbie

ANSWER:
I believe that you may indeed have a rabbit problem. The best defense against the rabbits is rabbit fence. Chicken wire can be purchased in about 16" width. Place this fence around your roses until the plant has matured. The rabbit only wants to chew on the young tender growth. I think that the rabbits have a problem with rose kanes once these harden. The rabbit fence can be removed once the roses have reached maturity.

QUESTION:
Which formula is best for Hydranga shrubs? Should I use a different formula for annuals and perennials?

ANSWER:
I would recommend the 2-15-15 formula for hydranga shrubs. the root development is extremely important when trying to maintain these plants. The annual and perennial flowers should be fed with Monty's 8-16-8. However, later in the season you may want to mix the two formulas together to show down the amount of growth.

QUESTION:
Hello I live in Canada I’m 21 and I want to get some Monty’s Joy Juice for my moms birthday. I am wondering how much I should get. I don’t have a lot of money so it would be great if you could guess a tiny tiny bit over what I might need: ) She usually grows about 100-120 plants. Thanks so much for your time hope to hear from you soon.

ANSWER:
Glad to hear from you and thanks for your question. Based on the information provided that you mother cares for approximately 100 plants I believe that the 64 oz. 8-16-8 bottle and the 32 oz. 2-15-15 will maintain the garden throughout the season. However, if you want to have her try our product the trial size is a wonderful gift as well. The first recommendations would cost $ 62.40. The second would cost $ 21.50. Depending on what you order please inform us that this is a birthday gift and we will include a birthday wish inside our packaging.

QUESTION:
I have sapling dogwood and redbuds from Nolin RECC. What and how much Monty's Joy Juice should I use?
 
Coffman

ANSWER:
Thank you for the question.  I would recommend our 2-15-15 on seedlings because you will want to increase the root system on these young trees.  I would suggest feeding every other week. 

QUESTION:
I use Funginex at the recommended rate and Maneb at half the recommended rate to spray with. Can I mix your product in with it and spray all at the same time?

Steve

ANSWER:
Steve,  I wanted to thank you for your question concerning the mixture of our product with pesticides.  We have mixed our product with both pesticides that you mentioned over the past few years.  We recommend using our product along with several pesticides. 

QUESTION:
Last November I planted a golden maple tree.  At the present time the tree has a 11/2 inch wide trunk.  My questions are:  Will Monty's Joy Juice have any effect on the growth of this tree at this early stage?  The Joy Juice I have purchased is 8-16-8, and 2-15-15, so which formula would give the best results if applicable?  

Sam

ANSWER:
Thanks for your question regarding Monty's Joy Juice. I would recommend a BI-weekly application of the 2-15-15 on the newly planted tree. The first objective in maintaining the health of a tree is to establish a good root system. The 2-15-15 will generate tremendous root development. Once the tree has leafed out I would begin the BY-weekly application of the 8-16-8. Continue feeding until cool weather arrives in the fall. If you have additional questions please e-mail us.

QUESTION:
This year, my roses are not producing blooms like they have in the past.  Any advice?

Kathleen Travis - Shepherdsville, Kentucky

ANSWER:
Visit Gardening Tips.  This month's feature story is "Eight Essentials for Growing Vigorous Roses."

QUESTION:
I'm confused about which formula to use on my outdoor garden.  What's best?

ANSWER:
For spring through summer, an 8-16-8 formulation will promote healthy root growth.  For mature plants in late summer through fall, a 2-15-15 formulation will enhance and maximize the development and size of vegetation and foliage.

Visit Monty's Rose Calendar - Get Monty's Month-By-Month tips on how to grow award-winning roses.

Agricultural Application Instructions - How to use Monty's Plant Food on crops