Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

🍒 The sweetest tropical cherry for your yard

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🛒 Plant Sweet Grumichama

#Food_Forest #Discover

🍒 What is the best tasting and most beautiful tropical cherry? Grumichama!

• 🍒 If you are hunting for a fruit tree that does it all - gorgeous looks, unbelievable flavor, and nonstop productivity - meet Grumichama (Eugenia brasiliensis), the tropical cherry you'll fall in love with!
• 🍒 Grumichama is a compact cherry tree that steals the show. In spring, the tree transforms into a cloud of delicate white starburst flowers, like fireworks frozen in bloom. The blossoms are pure white with long, golden-tipped stamens, giving them a soft, lacy glow. The entire tree hums with life - bees and butterflies swarm to sip the nectar, turning your garden into a pollinator paradise.
• 🍒 And then comes the fruit! The cherries are dark purple-black, glossy, and almost too juicy to believe. One bite and you're hooked- sweet, smooth, with hints of cherry, grape, and plum. It's our favorite tropical cherry at Top Tropicals, hands down. So good, you'll eat one - then a handful - and then realize you've picked half the tree. They're that good!
• 🍒 Grumichama tree is a dream come true for beginners. It tolerates heat, partial shade, even salt spray. It's drought-tough, yet grateful for a little water with a crazy fruit yield - up to 500 fruits per tree. And it's perfect container fruit, so even small-space gardeners in colder zones can grow it. Cold hardy to the upper 20s!
• 🍒 Even when not fruiting, Grumichama is a stunning ornamental. Shiny evergreen leaves, showy blooms, and a neat, upright form make it a standout in your landscape.
• 🍒 And the fruit? Packed with vitamin C, fiber, and even a bit of plant protein, it's a sweet treat that’s also healthy. Perfect fresh off the tree, or turned into jam or jelly - if you can stop eating them long enough.
• 🍒 Start your food forest with Grumichama. It's easy. It's beautiful. And it's the most addictive fruit!

🛒 Start your food forest with Grumichama

📚 Learn more:
Why grow Grumichama? Benefits of Brazilian Eugenia Tree - Cherry of the Tropics

#Food_Forest #Discover

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A flying bat with whiskers. Tacca. It's rare. It's weird.

• Tacca Lily - also known as the Black Bat Flower or Devil Flower, looks like something brewed up in a witch's greenhouse.
• The flower isn't really a single flower - it's a full-on performance. Giant black-maroon "wings" stretch out like a bat in flight, while long, drooping filaments dangle like eerie whiskers or jungle jewelry. Some can reach over a foot long!
• Those weird, wild filaments? They're not just for show - they are believed to help mimic the look of decaying matter to attract pollinators like flies. Creepy? Yes. Clever? Absolutely.
• The plant blooms best when it feels pampered - think filtered light, tropical vibes, and spa-level humidity. A smart indoor exotic for a bathroom with a skylight!
• It grows from a rhizome, and while the Black Tacca (T. chantrieri) is prized for its spooky looks, its Green cousin (T. leontopetaloides) is actually used to make a type of tropical arrowroot starch.
• Some gardeners say it takes a while to bloom (maybe a few months) - but once it does, it becomes the crown jewel of the greenhouse. People will ask if it's real. You'll say, "Yes, and it lives here!"
• Tacca comes in different species/colors: Black, White, Green:

Tacca nivea - White Tacca
Tacca chantrieri - Black Tacca
Tacca leontopetaloides - Green Tacca

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️ The rarest Green Tacca - Tacca leontopetaloides
• ▫️ When Bat Head Devil Flower is in bloom
• ▫️ Bat Head - Devil Flower

🛒 Shop Bat Head Lilies - Devil's Flower Tacca

#Nature_Wonders #Shade_Garden #Container_Garden #Fun_Facts

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What Mango fruits year around? Xosi Tu Quy - Four Seasons crisp Vietnamese mango perfect green or ripe.
Mango Rainbow🌈

Xosi Tu Quy, Four‑Seasons, or Jin Huang, is a Vietnamese variety celebrated for its ability to flower and fruit multiple times annually. It produces medium-to-large, bright yellow, firm, fiber‑free fruit with a small seed and crisp, mildly sweet flesh. Ideal for green-eating and pickling, it also ripens to a gentle sweetness with floral-honey nuance. The tree grows vigorously with a dense canopy and shows good resistance to anthracnose - perfect for warm, humid, tropical or subtropical yards. In Florida it typically fruits May-August, possibly longer in ideal conditions.

🛒 Shop Mango varieties

📚 Previous posts: #Mango_Rainbow - varieties you should try

#Food_Forest #Mango #Mango_Rainbow

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💚 The fiery plant that fights sugar: Nature secret insulin?

• Costus igneus - Insulin Plant, also known as Fiery Costus or Spiral Flag, this vibrant tropical plant is famous for its potential health benefits - especially for people managing diabetes. Nicknamed the insulin plant, it's believed to help lower blood glucose levels naturally.
• Its lush, turmeric-like leaves spiral around upright stems, with a glossy dark green top and a striking light purple underside. The plant grows up to two feet tall and forms elegant clumps from underground rhizomes.
• In warm months, it produces bright orange, cone-like flowers that stand out beautifully in the garden.
• Beyond its beauty, the insulin plant is credited with aiding digestion, reducing cholesterol, boosting energy, improving skin health, supporting weight loss, relieving stress, and promoting heart wellness. A real botanical multitasker!

🛒 Grow your own sugar-fighter - order the Insulin Plant

📚 Learn more:
Most interesting edible gingers

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Shade_Garden #Fun_Facts

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One look and you're hooked: Macaranga! 🐸

• 🐘 These leaves are bigger than your head!

Macaranga grandifolia – the Elephant Ear Tree - came from Hawaii. It has leaves so huge, they look like elephant ears or jungle umbrellas! Each one can grow over a foot wide, with a glossy, rounded shape that's pure eye candy.
• 🐘 Macaranga is easy to grow - perfect for a frost-free garden or in a big pot.
• 🐘 Macaranga is a real conversation starter. It looks like something straight out of a rainforest dream. Big, bold, and totally tropical! Fast-growing, it brings that lush, exotic vibe instantly to your garden.
• 🐘 Hard to find, super cool, and ridiculously showy - you’ll want this beauty front and center. Once you see it, you have to have it!

🛒 Get your giant leaves - Elephant Ear from Hawaii

#Nature_Wonders #Trees

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⚡️ Five best tropical fruits to naturally boost your energy

How to boost your energy without coffee, or taking medications and supplements? Naturally - from your #Food_Forest! These 5 tropical fruits are not only delicious but packed with nutrients that support natural, sustained energy.

• 🔥 Banana - Packed with vitamin B6, potassium, and natural sugars, bananas provide a quick yet steady energy boost, perfect for pre- or post-workout fuel.
• 🔥 Mango - Rich in natural sugars and B vitamins, mangoes help convert food into usable energy while also supporting digestion for better nutrient absorption.
• 🔥 Jackfruit - Loaded with vitamin B1 (thiamine) and complex carbohydrates, jackfruit fuels the body steadily and supports healthy energy metabolism throughout the day.
• 🔥 Avocado - A powerhouse of monounsaturated fats, B vitamins, and potassium, avocados help sustain energy levels and promote healthy circulation for optimal vitality.
• 🔥 Macadamia Nut - Loaded with thiamine (B1) and healthy fats that support nervous system function and long-lasting energy without blood sugar crashes.

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️ Fuel Your Day Naturally: Grow Plants That Boost Your Energy
• ▫️ Tropical fruit helath benefits guide - Part 1 and Part 2

🛒 Shop Energy-Boosting Plants for Natural Energy

#Food_Forest #Discover #Remedies #Bananas #Avocado #Mango #Jackfruit

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🌴 Why is my palm tree turning yellow?

Yellowing leaves are a common concern with palms and can be a sign of several issues, most commonly: nutrient deficiency and pests or disease. Additionally, leaf yellowing may be a sign off overwatering or poor drainage, underwatering, or cold damage.

• ✔️Nutrient deficiency

Nutrient deficiency is the most frequent cause of palm issues. Palms are heavy feeders, and even a slight imbalance can lead to yellowing. Lack of nitrogen, magnesium, iron, or potassium is the leading cause.
• ✔️Signs of nutrient deficiencies:

▫️Magnesium and Iron deficiency is one of the top culprits, especially in sandy soils. It causes older fronds to turn yellow with green veins.

• ▫️Potassium deficiency causes yellow or orange spots on older fronds.
• ▫️Nitrogen deficiency leads to overall pale yellowing, especially in new growth.

• ✔️How to fix?

Use a slow-release fertilizer with high Nitrogen content, like Green Magic, that includes all these elements; with 16-6-11 grade and 6 months release, it turns plants green very quickly! You can also use a balanced liquid fertilizer like Sunshine Robusta. Additionally, a supplement of magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt) and micro-element supplement containing chelated Iron can help, like Sunshine Superfood (amino-acid based natural product).
• ✔️Pests and Diseases

Pests and fungal diseases can lead to yellowing. Check for signs of scale, mites, or fungal and bacterial problems, especially if yellowing is uneven or spotted.
• ✔️Signs of pests:

▫️Thrips cause silvery-yellow streaks or mottling

• ▫️Spider mites, especially in dry conditions, cause yellow speckling
• ▫️Scale insects can suck sap and weaken fronds
• ▫️Mealybugs often found in leaf bases and crowns

• ✔️How to fix?

Inspect your palm regularly and treat pests early with neem oil, insecticidal soap, or horticultural oil.
• ✔️Lethal yellowing

Lethal yellowing is a serious disease caused by a phytoplasma, a type of bacteria-like organism. It affecting mostly Coconut palms and some other species like Phoenix (Date) palms. It causes premature fruit drop, yellowing of fronds starting from the lower ones, and eventual death of the tree.
• ✔️How to fix?

Unfortunately, there's no cure, but early removal of infected trees can slow the spread. Disease-resistant coconut varieties are available.
• ✔️Other causes

▫️Overwatering or Poor Drainage: Too much water can suffocate roots and lead to yellowing. Make sure the soil drains well and let it dry slightly between waterings.

• ▫️Underwatering: Dry soil for too long will stress the palm. Water deeply but infrequently.
• ▫️Cold Damage: Exposure to cold temperatures can turn fronds yellow or brown, especially in tropical varieties.

✔️In most cases, leaf yellowing isn't fatal, but it's a sign your palm needs attention. Focus on balanced feeding, proper watering, and pest checks to keep your palm healthy and green. Trim only fully dead fronds - yellow ones still provide nutrients to the palm. With proper care, your palm should green up again.

🛒 Shop garden supplies

#How_to #Fertilizers

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🐉 Why every collector wants the Gothic Black Dragon Anthurium

• 🌑 A living shadow

Anthurium Black Dragon is one of the most prized centerpieces of the Top Tropicals plant collection. This rare and exotic hybrid is celebrated for its deep, dark foliage that looks as if it were painted with charcoal or ink. It belongs to the coveted "dark foliage" group of anthuriums - a favorite among collectors for its dramatic, gothic elegance.
• 🌑 It changes color with light

This plant changes color like magic! What sets Black Dragon apart is its ability to transform. In bright filtered light, the leaves darken dramatically - almost jet black. But in lower light, they fade to a mysterious greenish-maroon. It's like having two plants in one, depending on how you position it.
• 🌑 Its spadix and spathe are weapons of style

Unlike many anthuriums that flaunt bright reds or whites, Black Dragon keeps it sleek and sinister with a brown spadix and dark-brown spathe - adding a sense of surreal drama when it flowers. But wait to see the real show when is sets fruit - cascades of bright red berries!
• 🌑 Tropical but tough

Though exotic-looking, it's surprisingly resilient. With the right humidity and warmth (typical of most anthuriums), it's a slow but steady grower - ideal for collectors who want something dramatic yet manageable indoors.
• 🌑 A collector's hybrid, not found in the wild

Black Dragon is likely a man-made hybrid created by crossbreeding dark-leaved species like Anthurium watermaliense or Anthurium forgetii. It doesn’t grow in the wild, which makes it even more of a sought-after trophy in aroids circles.

🛒 Get your own Black Dragon

📚 Learn more:
The most unique plant in your collection

#Container_Garden #Shade_Garden #Nature_Wonders

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