Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

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How to grow the Amazing Peanut Butter Tree - in one short video. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

🍯 How to grow the Amazing Peanut Butter Tree - in one short video

  • Peanut Butter Tree (Bunchosia argentea) earns its name from its fleshy fruits that boast a delightful peanut butter flavor. One of the most fascinating exotic fruit, as amazing as Miracle fruit, Peanut Butter Fruit is loved by both kids and adults... and yes, it tastes exactly like peanut butter!.. Yet it is much healthier food, with many medicinal benefits...

  • Compact in size, small tree reaching only 10-15 ft or kept as a bush, it's a perfect choice for limited spaces. Can thrive indoors, starting to fruit within just 2-3 years from seed. Watch the video how easy it is to grow:


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#Food_Forest #How_to

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Golden Queen enormous Thai. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Mago Khaew Yai, Khao Yai, Kiew Yai, Cat Saigon, Jin Huang, Golden Queen

🌈 Golden Queen enormous Thai Mango with many names and one big reputation

Mango Kiew Yai - has many names! It is also known as Khaew Yai, Khao Yai, Kiew Yai, Cat Saigon, or Jin Huang, Golden Queen... It is a semi-dwarf mango originally from Taiwan, prized in Thailand for eating green or pickled. It is a cross between Ivory and Keitt, producing enormous, very ornamental fruit - firm, fiberless, and sweet, with floral and honey notes. It stays mostly green with a pink or yellow blush depending on climate. A late-season variety in Florida, ripening August to September. The tree has a vertical, dense canopy and strong anthracnose resistance, making it a great backyard pick.

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📚 Previous posts: #Mango_Rainbow - varieties you should try

#Food_Forest #Mango #Mango_Rainbow

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Curcuma - the tropical tulip with a secret spice twist. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Curcuma flowers

🌷Curcuma - the tropical tulip with a secret spice twist
  • 🌷Curcuma, also known as Siam Tulip or Turmeric, is a plant with personality! It looks like it came straight from a fairy tale with bright, showy blooms in pink, purple, white, yellow, and even orange - that rise above lush green foliage like floral fireworks.
  • 🌷Despite its exotic looks, it’s super easy to grow. Keep the soil moist, give it filtered light, and this beauty will reward you with long-lasting blooms. This is an excellent cut flower that lasts up to 2 weeks in a vase!
  • 🌷And here's the kicker: beneath the soil, it hides a spicy secret - its rhizomes are the source of Turmeric, the golden powder used in curry and traditional medicine. So yes, your flower garden can also be a spice rack!
  • 🌷Curcuma thrives in warm zones but grows happily in pots too - just bring it inside when things get chilly. With its striking looks and health-boosting roots, Curcuma is your new garden showstopper and wellness booster all in one!


🛒 Plant Curcuma: add color, spice, and charm to your garden

#Food_Forest #Container_Garden #Hedges_with_benefits

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From seed to fruit. How to grow Loquat from seeds, step-by-step guide. Part 2: after germination. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Loquat tree (Eriobotrya japonica) - fruit

Loquat tree (Eriobotrya japonica) - fruit

✍️ From seed to fruit. How to grow Loquat from seeds, step-by-step guide. Part 2: after germination

Continued from previous posts⤴️
  • 🍑 4. Transplanting Seedlings

  • ▫️When to Transplant: Once seedlings reach about 2-4” (5-10 cm) in height.
  • ▫️Transplanting and fertilizing: Move each seedling to its own pot and add controlled release fertilizer (Green Magic is the best), or use liquid balanced fertilizer Sunshine Boosters after 1-2 weeks once the seedlings establish.
  • ▫️Watering. Keep soil in a pot slightly moist but not soggy
  • ▫️Temperature. Keep seedling warm - above 70F (21C), and protect from extreme heat over 90F (35C) . For small plants, avoid freezing temperatures during winter. As the seedlings get bigger, they get higher drought-, heat- and cold tolerance. Established Loquat trees (2-3 years and older) may take light freezing temperatures.
  • ▫️Planting in the ground. You can plant the seedling in the ground when it reaches 2-3 ft tall (50-100 cm) in frost-free areas. During chill winter nights, young seedlings can be cold protected until established.

  • 🍑 5. Sunlight Requirements

  • ▫️Light Exposure: Loquat established seedlings thrive in full sun but can tolerate partial shade. Start seedlings in bright shade and protect from afternoon hot sun to avoid leaf burn. Once seedlings are established and new growth appears (2-4 weeks), gradually move them to full sun.
  • ▫️Why adequate sunlight (full sun) is important:

    • - promotes healthy growth
    - helps to avoid fungus and insect problems
    - is critical for future flowering and fruit production


🍑 6. Fruit production
  • ▫️Loquat seedlings start producing seed within 3-4 years from seed, providing adequate sunlight, warm temperatures and regular irrigation.
  • ▫️Grafted Loquats start producing right away or the next year
  • ▫️Fruit will develop over the winter and ripen from March through May depending on location


🛒 Shop Loquat Trees and enjoy fresh fruit benefits

📚 Learn more:
🎥 YouTube video about Loquat
📁 Overlooked fruit: tasty Loquat recipes (PDF)

#Food_Forest #Loquat

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From seed to fruit. How to grow Loquat from seeds, step-by-step guide. Part 1: planting seeds. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Loquat tree (Eriobotrya japonica) - seedlings

✍️ From seed to fruit. How to grow Loquat from seeds, step-by-step guide. Part 1: planting seeds
  • 🍑 1. Harvesting and Preparing Seeds

  • ▫️Harvest: Select ripe Loquat fruits (when they are bright yellow color) and remove 1-3 seeds from each.
  • ▫️Clean: Rinse seeds thoroughly in cool water to remove all fruit residue. Like with every fruit seeds, any pulp leftover may prevent germination and/or cause rot of the seeds.
  • ▫️Storage: If not planting immediately, wrap seeds in a damp paper towel and store in a vented container with moist sawdust or moss (to avoid drying out) at room temperature (if stored a few days) or at 40F if stored for over a week. Seeds can remain viable for up to 3-6 months. Refrigerating the fruit doesn't harm the seeds, although may take seeds longer to germinate. If the seeds are slightly dry, soak them in water overnight.

  • 🍑 2. Planting Seeds

▫️Container: Use a pot with a good drainage.
  • ▫️Soil: Fill with well-draining, soilless potting mix (no compost or top soil). Perfect seed germination mix is Abundance Mix: peat moss (or coconut fiber) - 80%, perlite - 10%, small pieces of pine bark - 10%.
  • ▫️Depth: Plant seeds 1" deep. Place them horizontally.
  • ▫️Spacing: Multiple seeds can be planted in one pot or tray (with drainage holes); space them adequately. You can use so called “community pots”, then separate the seedlings once they reach 2-4" in height.


🍑 3. Germination Conditions
  • ▫️Light: Place the pot in a bright, warm area with temperatures at least (and above) 70F . The warmer, the faster the germination. We germinate seeds in a "hot house" where temperatures can reach 100F.
  • ▫️Moisture: Keep the soil consistently moist but not wet.
  • ▫️Germination Time: Loquat seeds germinate within 2-4 weeks.


Continued in next post ⤵️

🛒 Shop Loquat Trees and enjoy fresh fruit benefits

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How to grow Dragon Fruit. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

🐉 How to grow Dragon Fruit

  • 🌵 Selenicereus megalanthus - Yellow Pitaya, Dragon Fruit Palora, is the best tasting Dragon Fruit in the world that is not only sweet, it has a great flavor (unlike most pitayas that are pretty watery).

  • 🌵This particular species of Dragon fruit doesn't mind regular water and rains but is also drought-tolerant. Watch a short video how to grow it:

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🛒Grow your own Tasty Dragon Fruits

#Food_Forest #How_to #Dragon_Fruit

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Why Mallika Mango is stealing the spotlight in small gardens. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Mallika Mango tree with fruit

🌈 Why Mallika Mango is stealing the spotlight in small gardens

Mallika mango is a top-tier Indian dessert mango with rich flavor, zero fiber, and condo-friendly size. It is a semi-dwarf mango from India known for its deep orange, fiberless flesh and intense sweetness with citrus and melon notes. The fruit is harvested mature-green and ripens off the tree at room temperature, reaching peak flavor after 2 to 3 weeks. Small but highly productive, Mallika is ideal for containers and prized for its flavor, disease resistance, and reliability. Best eaten fresh, but also excellent for juice and dried mango slices.

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📚 Previous posts: #Mango_Rainbow - varieties you should try

#Food_Forest #Mango #Mango_Rainbow

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How long until I get fruit from my Lychee tree? A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Lychee tree with fruit

💖 How long until I get fruit from my Lychee tree?
  • 🍓 Is your Lychee tree ever going to fruit? Yes!
  • 🍓 A Lychee tree grown from an air-layered plant (Litchi chinensis) can start flowering and setting fruit right away, with good crops to be expected within 3 to 5 years, but don’t expect fruit every season. Lychees are often alternate bearers, meaning they may produce a heavy crop one year and little to none the next. Factors like variety, weather, and the tree's health affect this cycle.
  • 🍓 Lychees cannot be reliably grown from seed or grafted, as seedlings lack the necessary mycorrhizal environment found under mature trees. For best results, always start with a quality air-layered tree from a trusted source.


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🎥 In the video: This Lychee Mauritus tree (very productive variety) was planted last year, and already has fruited; this is the second year crop.

#Food_Forest #Discover
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