Q: I
live in California and this summer has been super hot,
with temperature above 100 degrees. This heat wave is
killing my plants! Please help!
A: If
you live in Southwest, then you are familiar with heat
waves, when temperature raises above 110F and up to 120F,
while humidity is below 10%. Scorching heat can damage and
kill unprotected young plants. Especially if they're
recently planted.
Most tropical plants came from humid tropics and they
don't easily tolerate high temperatures and low humidity.
You can tell such plants immediately. Desert plants have
small, waxy succulent leaves, which are capable to reduce
evaporation. (See list of plants tolerant to hot
and dry conditions). Tropical plants have large soft
leaves and need high humidity.
Q: Do
the mango trees you sell already have fruit? Or how long
does it take to get fruit? Are they tricky to keep up? I
live locally and have been interested in getting a few!
A: Some
of our mangos in both 3 gal and 7 gal pots have fruit on
them. All our mango trees are grafted which means they are
ready to produce fruit. So if not the same year, you
should get fruit the next year.
Mangoes in general are easy to grow plants. They are not
picky about soil and water, however they need full sun for
fruiting. When you are lucky to live in tropical or
subtropical climate, your mango will thrive in a ground,
and within 2-3 years you will have a mature tree, and a
crop every year (those who have cold winters, still can
grow a mango tree in a pot, and move it indoors for colder
period). Visit our garden center for a tour of our Mango
Gardenthat is only 3 years old and is full of fruit!
Tasting table available :) We offer over 100 varieties,
and our experts can help you to make the right choice for
your garden. To start your own mango tree collection,
depending on space available, you may begin with the
following varieties: Nam Doc Mai - one of the most
popular and delicious Asian mango Carrie - very compact
grower, reliable producer with great taste Cogshall and Ice Cream - dwarf varieties
for small yards, excellent taste Alphonso - considered one of
the best tasting
Q: I’ve
just moved to Louisiana and have been wondering whether it
would make sense to plant some tropical fruit trees in our
garden. Average lows in New Orleans are 41 deg F in
January and February, although we did hit 25 once with the
Arctic vortex. I’m interested in litchi, longan,
rambutans, and persimmons. Do you have varieties that can
tolerate Louisiana’s temperature range? I’d love
mangosteen but I don’t suppose they will survive. Do you
have any suggestions on tropical fruit trees that I could
try?
A:
Average temperatures are for statistics only; it is actual
temperatures that may hurt your cold sensitive plant. This
is what you should keep in mind when starting your
tropical fruit collection:
1) Ultra-tropical plants like Rambutan can not survive
winters below 45-50F. However, they can be successfully
grown in containers in a greenhouse or moved indoors into
a sun room during cold periods.
2) Tropical plants like Litchi and Longan may take some light
frost once established. Still, for areas with freeze our
advice is - keep them in pots and move inside in case of
cold.
3) There is a number of subtropical fruit trees that are
hardy enough to take some freeze. Persimmon, Feijoa, Fig, Cattley Guava, Jujube, Kiwi, some Eugenias and others. Please
refer to our Tropical Fruit Sensitivity Chart.
4) Remember that plant's ability to survive winter depends
on several factors, not only temperature itself. Important
factors are: wind protection (chill wind kills rather than
low temperature itself), exposure, how close the tree is
planted to the house, plant maturity and its overall
strength and health. If a plant had received good
nutrients during summer, has well established root system,
planted in enclosed area protected from winds and has
plenty of bright sunlight - it has better chances to
survive than a weak plant in warmer conditions.
5) Use SUNSHINE plant boosters for
improving cold tolerance of your tropical plant. It only
takes a few drops, and only costs $5!
Q:
I re-potted a mango tree into a five gallon pot, it looks
great and is starting to bloom. Should I re-pot again
while it is blooming or wait until spring? I will be
moving the tree into the greenhouse when the temps drop.
A:
You shouldn't re-pot any tropical plants in fall. Root
system is small comparing to a new, larger pot. And it
won't grow during fall-winter period. Therefore, you will
have large volume of soil without any root in it, which
may provoke rotting. Extra water will most likely cause
over-watering of the plant. Wait till Spring to replant
it.
Some tropical plants like Durian, Breadfruit, Cacao are
rare in plant collections and require true tropical
environment for successful growing and most likely
greenhouse conditions unless you live in mild tropical
climate like Hawaii. These plants are hard to find and are
not cheap. They can be shipped to you in original
containers via Express mail and usually take trip well as
long as there are no delays or overheating (or cold)
during transportation. To enjoy your rare plant collection
gem, please make sure to follow these recommendations:
- Keep your eye on delivery, track the shipment and make
sure package is not left outside in the heat or cold.
- Unpack immediately and put plant in humid, warm
environment with filtered light. Remember, "warm" for
tropical plant means 78-85F.
- If a plant is wilted, put clear plastic bag over leaves
to increase humidity for a few days. Keep the branches
covered with clear plastic, in shade only - to avoid
overheating.
- Keep soil slightly moist and don't let dry out. These
plants like water as well as good drainage.
- Keep plant in original container until recovers from
shipping stress. If necessary, re-pot in 2-3 weeks in
bigger pot with rich organic potting mix, containing a lot
of peat moss, and perlite or bark for good drainage.
- Grow these plants in warm and mild conditions, in
filtered light, high humidity, with no temperature
extremes. Remember to keep these plants at temperatures
above 50F at all times.
Tropical Planting Breaks the Rules. Should I plant in the ground before Winter?
Q:
Winter is coming and I still have a few plants I want to
plant in the ground. Should I keep them in pots and wait
till spring?
A:
In subtropical areas, if temperatures don't drop
below freezing, you can continue planting in the ground.
In fact winter planting has some unique advantages - less
heat stress on a plant and root system, mild environment -
help the plant to establish better. Besides, no-sweat
garden work is much more enjoyable, and you can get done a
lot!
As the weather gets cooler, many of you move your potted
tropical plants indoors.
Please
remember: 1. Leaf drop. Lower air humidity, lower light and
short day may cause some leaf drop. This is normal for
seasonal environment change. Learn more about leaf drop
and deciduous plants from this info sheet
(PDF). 2. Reduce watering as winter coming. Under lower
light and in cooler temperature, plants won't need much
water; some plants go dormant and only need minimum water.
Excess water may damage roots and kill a plant in winter.
3. No fertilizer in winter. Active growth stops.
Let the plant go into dormancy or simply have a rest. 4. Insects. Watch for insects by inspecting leaves
regularly. They may attack plants more likely in the
indoor conditions.
Visit Top Tropicals nursery and see
spectacular flowering plants and tropical fruit trees in
pots that we ship to you.
This is the second video of a 3-part story about Top
Tropicals. The "
moz-do-not-send="true">First Part showed some of our
garden specials.
Make sure to get back soon to see -
Part 3: Meet customer service team and shipping department
crew...
Stay updated with TopTropicals Videos by
subscribing to our channel at YouTube.com/TopTropicals and
get our latest video news of what is fruiting and
blooming!
Take
advantage of the late season tropicals! Brighten
up your winters with spectacular flowers and winter
producing fruit trees!
Many Floridians move up North during hot summer months,
our snow-bird season usually starts late September and
ends by Mother's Day in May. Many of our local seasonal
customers planting those flowering and fruiting species
that they can fully enjoy while staying in Florida. Below
you will find a few specials that are in bloom right now.
Check out full list of winter bloomers and
late season plants, and download a PDF chart of the most
interesting tropical plants that will flower and fruit for
you in Fall, Winter and early Spring. Some of them are
ever-blooming, others are late- or early season.
Visit our Garden Center in Ft Myers FL
and see those blooming specials right now at our front
office display!
From
Anna Banana, our Garden Center customer advisor. Cool weather - no sweat. Here in Florida we are
blessed to have warm winters. We just went to the beach
for Christmas! Winter time is not only a good beach time,
but also the best planting time here. Why? I always refer
my customers to Murray Corman's article Tropical Planting Breaks the
Rules. "...Wintertime does not just mean hard work
for tropical gardeners. It is also a time to enjoy the
fruits of our labor. Winter-blooming plants and the
visitors they attract - birds, bats and butterflies - make
the garden as enjoyable in winter as any other time of
year. Tasks performed during the spring and summer up
north have to be done during the fall and winter here.
Why? The answer is elementary: It's too hot! Taking
advantage of the coolest months of the subtropical year
for heavy chores like planting trees has a twofold
benefit: The gardener can make hay while the sun shines
without getting heat stroke and the plants appreciate the
moderate temperatures, enjoying a break from the stress of
93 degrees in the shade..." Continue reading...
