How to use Monty's on tomatoes

Starting Seed – Place four (4) drops of Monty’s 4-15-12 seed starter in 1 cup (8 oz.) of water. Soak seeds overnight. Plant seeds normally. Water seeds into their cell trays with remaining solution. Add additional water as needed to moisten the soil.

While the seedling is getting established you may occasionally add 1-2 drops of Monty’s 2-15-15 per cup of water as part of your normal watering.  It is important to keep the seedling in good health and provide water as frequently as needed.  Take care to not let the seedling completely dry out or to over-water as they are susceptible to ‘wash out’ at this stage. We will continue using 2-15-15 through the early stages of development to encourage vigorous root development while keeping top growth to a minimum.  The high levels of Potassium and Phosphorous in our Root and Bloom formula are ideal for this purpose.  However, if more top-growth is desired you can use 4-15-12 which has slightly more nitrogen, but will still provide for controlled top growth.

Transplanting -  When transplanting tomatoes to the garden, remove tomatoes from  their flats or cell trays, break roots apart gently. Place the plants in a container full of Monty’s 4-15-12 Root and Bloom, diluted to 1 oz. per gallon of water. Dig your holes deep enough to cover the plant to the first limb junction. Remove your plants from the solution and ‘sucker’ the plant to the first main limb.  Plant and cover with soil.  After all plants have been planted, water in with remaining solution from your ‘root dip’ container.  Repeat as necessary until all of your flats have been planted.

In Season – Using one of the application methods described in the “General Application Guidelines” section of this website, apply Monty’s 8-16-8 Growth Formula to your tomatoes weekly until the first buds begin to form.

If your plants are showing signs of blossom end rot or are displaying other symptoms of calcium deficiency we recommend placing one Tablespoon of Epsom salts around the base of each plant, and applying Monty’s Calcium Plus at a rate of 2.5 ounces per gallon of water to the foliage of each plant. When applying Calcium Plus, apply until the leaves look like they have had a light rain or heavy dew. Calcium applications will help your plants best resist stem and bloom diseases as well as improve cell function and plant strength.

Once buds begin to open, you can begin making regular applications of Monty’s 2-15-15 Root & Bloom. Tomatoes are heavy feeders and need ample nutrients and water for optimum development. Anecdotal evidence tends to indicate that your plants will perform best when watered on regular intervals at approximately the same time of day (we recommend watering in the morning) and the plants are never allowed to complete dry out. This will produce the greatest results and prevent splitting of the fruit during the later stages of the season. Monty’s 2-15-15 can be applied semi-weekly for optimum results. Use the application method described in the “General Application Guidelines” that best suits your current gardening practices.

Determinate and Indeterminate varieties –  Determinate varieties of tomatoes usually put on one heavy flush of fruit, followed by a significantly smaller second flush. After this harvest most gardeners dig their plants up and begin making plans for their fall crops or for next season. However, by following a few simple directions you can maintain fruit bearing later in the season.  

Once you harvest the first flush of fruit, sucker the plant vigorously. Then switch back to the 8-16-8 Growth Formula as indicated above and apply regularly until blooms reappear. This increase of nitrogen will trigger a growth response in the plant and cause it to grow new limbs and set more blooms. Once bloom set has occurred, return to using Monty’s 2-15-15 formula as directed above until harvest.  By using this method you can extend the season by one or more harvests depending on other weather conditions.

In fact, one Monty’s grower, using this method, was able to keep the plant in full production until just before first frost.  At that point, he transplanted the plant into a large pot and brought it indoors and grew it under a grow light during the winter. The following spring he re-transplanted it into his garden and got a second year of production from the same plant!  While we do not guarantee this type of success with all plants, feel free to give it a try.  Having garden fresh tomatoes all winter seems worth it.

Indeterminate varieties will respond best to alternating applications of Monty’s 2-15-15 and 8-16-8 throughout the growing season.

Post- Harvest – The period following harvest is the period when you can best amend your soil to correct issues like poor pH levels, compaction, or poorly draining soils. To improve soil conditions we recommend using Monty’s Liquid Carbon soil conditioner at a rate of 2.5 oz per gallon of water. With a dial and spray type applicator, fill the reservoir with MLC and set dial to 2 Tablespoons. Apply to the soil until the ground is evenly moist, not saturated. Repeat monthly until desired soil texture or pH level is achieved.

Make sure you clear off as much garden waste and any decaying fruit as possible as this will serve as a place for plant-specific pest to overwinter. Once the waste is removed it can be placed in a compost pile and returned as nutrient rich ‘soil’ next season. Applying Monty’s Liquid Carbon to your compost pile at a rate of 2.5 ounces per gallon of water will help to feed the microbes and boost breakdown of organic matter into compost.  This application of MLC can also be used if you are attempting to breakdown manures or other forms of organic waste for inclusion into your garden.

• < Prev
• Next >