Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date:

Guess what's missing? Lost and found: two cats, zero tails. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Guess whats missing? Lost and found: two cats, zero tails

Cats Matilda and Timo

🍑 Guess what's missing? Lost and found: two cats, zero tails

“Why do Manx cats make bad storytellers? …Because they always skip the tail!”

🐈📸 Matilda and Timo are Manx tailless siblings. Learn why they are tailless from this touching story: Timo and Matilda - Manx cats

#PeopleCats

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Can you name all the fruits on this tray? One of them will stump you! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Can you name all the fruits on this tray? One of them will stump you!

Papaya, Avocado, Egyptian guava and Cas guava, Barbados cherry, Peanut butter fruit

Can you name all the fruits on this tray? One of them will stump you!
  • This morning I walked the garden and came back with a tray of fruits! That’s the joy of living in Florida with your own tropical garden: something new is always in season.
  • On today’s tray: Papaya, Avocado, Egyptian guava and Cas guava, Barbados cherry… And this little red one? Peanut butter fruit!
  • At Top Tropicals, you’ll find every tropical fruit tree you can imagine. What fruits are you harvesting from your garden right now?


🛒 Explore rare tropical fruit

📚 Learn more:

#Food_Forest #Discover

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Loquat salsa: quick-n-fun exotic recipes. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Loquat salsa: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Loquat salsa: quick-n-fun exotic recipes
🍴 Loquat salsa: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

  • 🔴Dice Loquat fruit with tomato, onion, and jalapeno.
  • 🔴Great spooned over grilled fish or eaten with chips.

Loquat Salsa: Quick-n-Fun Exotic Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh loquats, peeled, pitted, and diced
  • 2 medium tomatoes, diced
  • 1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, finely diced
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Peel and pit the loquats, then dice them into small cubes.
  2. Dice tomatoes and onion, finely chop the jalapeno.
  3. In a bowl, combine loquats, tomato, onion, jalapeno, and cilantro.
  4. Add lime juice and salt to taste, stir gently to mix.
  5. Chill for 15 minutes before serving.

Serving Suggestions

  • Serve with tortilla chips.
  • Spoon over grilled fish, chicken, or shrimp.
  • Use as a topping for tacos or salads.

🛒Plant your Loquat tree

#Food_Forest #Recipes #Loquat

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Are you for real? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Are you for real?

Are you for real? Are you for real?
😰Are you for real?

"There are no strangers here; only friends you haven’t yet met." - William Butler Yeats

🐈📸 Cats Cash and Bob greeting a new comer at Top Tropicals PeopleCats.Garden

#Quotes #PeopleCats

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How do we ship plants? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

How do we ship plants?

James Coconuts managing Shipping Department at TopTropicals

James Coconuts managing Shipping Department at TopTropicals

Plants packed in boxes and ready to go

Plants packed in boxes and ready to go

Plant packing conveyer

Plant packing conveyer

Mittens is a new Shipping hire

Mittens is a new Shipping hire

🚚 How do we ship plants?

🚚 How do we ship plants?

📦 More pictures of packing plants for the previous videos:

📸 In the pictures:
  • · James Coconuts managing Shipping Department at TopTropicals
  • · Plants packed in boxes and ready to go
  • · Plant packing conveyer
  • · Mittens is a new Shipping hire


🛒 Shop plants online

📚 Learn more:

#How_to

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How do we ship plants, Part 3: it's Christmas - unwrapping is fun? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

How do we ship plants, Part 3: its Christmas - unwrapping is fun?

How do we ship plants, Part 3: it's Christmas - unwrapping is fun?

🚚 How do we ship plants, Part 3: it's Christmas - unwrapping is fun?

How to take care of your mail order plant (potted plant)

When your plant arrives, carefully remove it from the box and water it right away.
  • ▫️Place it in bright light but out of direct sun for the first few days so it can recover from shipping.
  • ▫️Keep the soil evenly moist, not soggy.
  • ▫️After about a week, gradually introduce it to more sun or move it to its permanent spot.
  • ▫️Read detailed instructions.


🌴 How to plant your mail order plant in the ground
  • ▫️Don't put a new plant straight from the box into the ground!
  • ▫️First, pot it up and let it recover and grow strong for a few weeks.
  • ▫️Once it's well established, choose a sunny, well-drained spot outdoors.
  • ▫️Dig a hole twice as wide as the pot, place the plant at the same depth, and backfill with good, rich soil.
  • ▫️Water thoroughly to settle the roots and add mulch around the base, keeping it away from the stem.
  • ▫️Keep watering regularly until the plant takes off.
  • ▫️Read detailed instructions.


🎥 Part 3 shows you how to unpack a plant. Happy Gardening!

🛒 Shop plants online

📚 Learn more:

#How_to

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Why Sphynx cats always need a sweater? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Why Sphynx cats always need a sweater?

Why Sphynx cats always need a sweater? Why Sphynx cats always need a sweater? Why Sphynx cats always need a sweater? Why Sphynx cats always need a sweater? Why Sphynx cats always need a sweater?
👽 Why Sphynx cats always need a sweater?

  • 😺 Pelmen is a Sphynx cat. Sphynx is the famous hairless cat breed. He looks bald, but really has a soft peach-fuzz coat that feels like suede.

  • 😺 Look, this summer Pelmen even got a suntan! His head is tanned while the rest stayed pale. Why? Because he was wearing a sweater outside! (Yes, he owns a whole wardrobe… the definition of a spoiled baby)

  • 😺 Why a sweater? Sweaters aren’t just for fashion. Since Sphynx cats lack a fur coat, they need extra warmth, regular baths to wash off skin oils, and sun protection.

  • 😺 The Sphynx may look like a little alien, but they’re really velcro cats - clingy, cuddly, and people-loving. The breed began in 1966 when a hairless kitten named Prune was born in Canada. From that quirky start, the Sphynx became one of the most affectionate cats around.


🐈📸 Cat Pelmen is a friend of TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden.

#PeopleCats

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10-minute recipe Bo La Lot with a leaf youve never cooked before! A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

10-minute recipe Bo La Lot with a leaf youve never cooked before!

Bo La Lot recipe with Vietnamese pepper Lalot (Piper sarmentosum)

🍴 10-minute recipe Bo La Lot with a leaf you’ve never cooked before!
  • 🌮 Forget boring tacos - this wrap will blow your mind! In Vietnam they call it Bo La Lot - beef wrapped in peppery Lalot leaves.
  • 🌮 It started as grape leaf wraps in the Middle East, but in tropical Asia grapes don’t grow, so people swapped to Lalot. Way more flavor than grape leaves!
  • 🌮 Grilled beef, garlic, onion, lemongrass - all can be tucked into these shiny green leaves. Smoky, juicy, and so good you’ll wonder why you didn't try it sooner! It's better than grape leaf wraps, because it has so much flavor!
  • 🌮 Most large leaf pepper plants will work for this recipe - Vietnamese pepper Lalot (Piper sarmentosum), Betel Leaf (Piper betle), or even large leaves of the traditional Black Pepper plant (Piper nigrum).


🌯 BO LA LOT RECIPE

✔️ Ingredients
  • · 1 pound ground beef or turkey
  • · 2 tablespoons chopped lemongrass (optional)
  • · 1 tbsp spice powder
  • · 1 tbsp curry powder
  • · 1 tbsp finely minced garlic
  • · 1 tbsp oyster sauce or fish sauce (optional)
  • · 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • · 1 tbsp finely minced shallots
  • · 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • · 2 tsp sugar or honey
  • · 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • · 1/2 tbsp salt
  • · 10-15 fresh Lalot leaves

  • 👉 Directions

  • · Preheat the grill.
  • · Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well.
  • · Wrap about 2 tablespoons of the mixture into each betel leaf.
  • · Spear 3 to 4 betel leaf wraps onto a skewer and grill until the meat is thoroughly cooked.
  • · Be sure to eat immediately.


🛒 Grow Leaf Pappers for tasty, peppery recipes

📚 Learn more:
📱 Growing" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" > Lalot Pepper

#Food_Forest #Recipes #Container_Garden #How_to

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Moringa omelet: quick-n-fun exotic recipes. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Moringa omelet: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Moringa omelet

Moringa omelet

🍴 Moringa omelet: quick-n-fun exotic recipes
  • 🟡Whisk eggs with chopped Moringa leaves, garlic, and a dash of soy sauce.
  • 🟡Pour into a hot pan with some cooking oil and cook for a minute or two until fluffy and golden.
  • 🟡A green power-packed breakfast!


🛒 Plant Moringa tree and harvest superfood year around

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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Date:

Guava Tree Plant Care

Tips from Top Tropicals Plant Expert - Tatiana Anderson

Guava trees for sale in 3-gallon nursery pots, healthy young plants 
with green 
foliage.

Where to Plant Outdoors

Guavas love full sun — aim for 6–8 hours of direct light. They’re adaptable to many soils but do best in well-drained, organic-enriched mixes. Plant them in a spot where you can water easily; guavas are thirsty trees during fruiting.

Container & Indoor Growing

Don’t have space or live in a cooler climate? Guavas thrive in large pots. Use well-drained potting mix. LINK TO OUR SOIL Keep them on a sunny patio during warm months and bring them indoors when nights dip below freezing. Compact varieties like Dwarf Hawaiian Rainbow or Tikal are especially good for pots.

Winter Care

Mature guavas can handle a light frost (down into the high 20s F), but young plants need protection. If planted outdoors, cover them with frost cloth on cold nights. Container guavas can be wheeled into a garage, greenhouse, or bright indoor window until the weather warms.

Watering and Fertilizing

Water deeply once or twice a week, more often in hot weather or when fruit is developing. They don’t like soggy soil, but they won’t complain about short floods either. Fertilize 3–4 times a year during the growing season with a balanced fruit tree fertilizer. Guavas especially love potassium and phosphorus for strong flowering and heavy crops. We recommend liquid crop booster Sunshine C-Cibus and balanced controlled release fertilizer Green Magic.

Pruning

Prune after fruiting to keep them compact and open up airflow. Remove crossing or dead branches. In containers, trim back vigorous shoots regularly to manage size and encourage more fruiting wood.

Pests and Problems

Guavas are generally tough and pest-resistant. The main thing to watch for in humid or rainy climates is mealybugs - those cottony white clusters on leaves or stems. They're easy to manage with neem oil or a quick spray of horticultural soap.

Fruit time

Guavas fruit young - often within a year or two.

Pollination

Guavas are self-pollinating, so you'll get fruit even with a single tree. Planting more than one tree, however, often boosts harvests and gives you a longer fruiting season.

If you've ever wanted instant gratification from a fruit tree, guava is it.

Ruby Supreme Guava tree with a large ripe yellow fruit, variety known 
for sweet pink flesh and reliable 
harvests.

🍴 Guava Recipes

With all that fruit, the next question is always: "What do I do with it?" Here are our favorites:

  • Cas Guava: Make Agua de Cas

    Boil halved Cas Guava fruits with sugar, simmer, strain, and bottle. Dilute with water when serving. The concentrate keeps for months in the fridge.
    Check out the recipe.

  • Hawaiian Gold: Make Drinks

    Perfect for Mojitos or Margaritas. Sweet, tangy juice pairs beautifully with lime and mint. Learn more

  • Araca Pera: Guava Wine

    Famous in Brazil, where the fruit is turned into a vibrant rosу wine. Locals say it’s the taste of summer in a glass — and yes, you can make it at home too. Learn more...

  • Quick snack: Guava Grilled Cheese

    Spread guava paste or fresh mashed fruit with cheese, grill until golden. Sweet and savory heaven. Learn more...

  • Simple Guava Juice

    Blend ripe guavas with water, ice, and a little sugar if you like. Instant refreshment.

✅Ready to Grow? Whether you want fresh juice, sweet fruit, or even your own guava wine, we’ve got the best varieties in stock right now. Your future self, sipping guava juice on a hot summer afternoon, will thank you.

👉 Order your guava tree today

Tabby cat sitting between a glass of yellow guava juice with white 
guavas and a glass of pink guava juice with green guavas and cut pink guava 
fruit.