Organic remedy for indoor plants insect protection

Q: Winter is coming and I moved my collection of fragrant plants inside the house about a week ago. Today I noticed some aphids on my jasmine. I guess they sneaked in with the plant from the garden where it was a week ago. I don't want them to spread around and get to the nearby gardenia. What should I do to protect my plants from insects indoors?

A: Sometimes bugs attack indoor plants more than those outside in the garden. The main reason is lack of air circulation, lack of sunlight, lack of bug natural predators, and lack of plant's immune resistance due to winter dormancy. So, you need to pay extra attention at your plants health during colder months they spend indoors. Inspect leaves, especially underneath, at least on weekly basis.

If noticed first signs of insect attacks (insects and/or leaf damage such as holes, chewed edges, discoloration, dark or sticky coating), use a simple organic remedy that is handy in every house. Mix in a cup of hot water two tablespoons of any cooking oil: Canola, Vegetable, Sunflower, Olive; Neem oil is the best for this purpose, but it does have a pungent odor (bugs don't like it as well as some people). Add a few drops of dish-soap for better mixing oil in the water. You may add a clove of pressed fresh garlic - bugs hate it! Clean leaves with this solution using cloth, paper towel, and/or spray bottle.

If insects are persistent or your treatment arrived too late when a plant is excessively infested, after cleaning with the oil solution, you may use additionally systemic insecticide sprays sold in garden centers, with active ingredients of pyrethrin, imidacloprid or similar. Make sure to read product label and follow instructions.

However try the organic recipe first, it really works! You may repeat it as needed, as often as you want! See TopTropicals Video on Safe and Easy Pest Control.

Planting instructions for bare-rooted succulent plants

Q: I would like to order a few Adeniums from your selection. You website says "shipped barerooted". What do I need to know about potting these plants before I order?

A: Adeniums do not require much soil; large 4-5" wide caudex plant can be grown in 1 gal pot. After unpacking the plants, position it in a pot, size of root system. Use only well-drained soil with high content of perlite and/or sand. Cactus mix can be used too, although we recommend using our special TopTropicals professional soilless potting mix. Water once and keep in warm (75-80F) place in filtered light. Do not water again until soil dries on surface. Once the plant is established and starts growing new leaves (may take a few weeks), gradually move it into brighter light. Then you can start fertilizing it. You may place shells and lime rocks on top of adenium planting, as these plants benefit from slightly alkaline soils.

See Info sheet on Adenium care.
See full list of Adeniums.
See full list of Plumerias.
See full list of Euphorbias.

Hardy avocados

Q: I intend to gift three avocados, at least one type A and one type B, to a friend who lives in an area where the temperature never goes below 25F. The idea is to give them a ripening season as long as possible. Which combinations do you suggest, and which are the A and B?

A: When talking about "A" type and "B" type in Avocados, it is referring to the flowers. An avocado will produce both male and female flowers on the same plant. "A" type means that the flowers are female in the morning and male at afternoon. "B" type means that the flowers are male in the morning and female in the afternoon. If you plant to start a commercial growth, then it's important to create a proper mix of both types. However, in hot and humid climate a single tree produces flowers of both types, so it is not necessary to have both A- and B- types planted together in backyard. Even a single tree produces enough fruits for home gardener.

It is also important to know that while there are more cold hardy avocados, it refers to a full grown established tree. They will still need protection from the cold until they are bigger and more established. One can not expect a small tree, which was planted in June, to survive the first winter. It'll take few years until the tree is "harden" enough.

Wurtz Avocado: Fruits from May to Sept. Dwarf hybrid. It is very compact and slow growing, reaching only about 8-12 feet at maturity. Distinctive weeping growth habit. Suited for planters, containers, patios, greenhouse use. Great for dooryard or container growing. The tree can handle temperatures to 25(F) degrees. Production is good and it is a consistent bearer.

Day Avocado: Fruits July to Sept. Day avocado is green, smooth skin and is shaped like a club. The fruit is of very good quality and has a nice buttery consistency. The slender tree is relatively cold tolerant and produces July through September.

Fuerte Avocado: Fruits Nov to June. Relatively cold hardy variety. Green fruit, elongated,flavor excellent, buttery. Vigorous compact tree with decidedly alternate year bearing habit. Ripens November to June.

These three will provide you with fruit ripening during the whole warm season. For the most cold hardy avocado varieties, see this info sheet.

Virgo - 8/23-9/22. Virgo is an EARTH sign ruled by the planet Mercury, which also rules Gemini.

Virgo is traditionally the Goddess of the Grain, and is associated with autumn. Her plants often have finely divided leaves or stems, subtle odors, or small, brightly-colored flowers. The most beneficial plants for Virgo are high in potassium and help to calm the nerves.

In its rulership of Virgo, Mercury governs the abdomen and the lower intestinal tract and the entire digestive process. Herbs associated with Virgo assist in digestion (as do Cancer herbs) and help to reduce flatulence. The relaxing, calming scents help Virgo release stress and worries.

Virgo Zodiac lucky plants: Amorphophallus, Anethum graveolens (Dill), Barringtonia, Bolusanthus, Dioscorea, Grewia asiatica (Falsa), Hibiscus sabdariffa (Karkade), Iboza riparia, Lagerstroemia speciosa (Queens Crape Myrtle), Laurus nobilis (Bay Leaf), Lippia, Melissa, Catnip, Mint, Arugula, Piper betle, Piper sarmentosum, Psychotria, Syzygium aromaticum (Clove), Banisteriopsis, Papaya, Mesua ferrea (Ironwood), Momordica, Euterpe oleracea (Assai Palm), Jacaranda, Magnolia officinalis, Pimenta dioica (Allspice), Osteospermum, Petrea, Plumbago, Clitoria, Eranthemum, Litchi, Cashew, Pecan, Nut trees, Cherries, Lavender, Myrtles, Sansiveria, Aloe vera, Blackberry, Honey suckle, Satureja, Vitex, Mulberry, Elaeocarpus, Clausena lansium (Wampi), Feronia elephantum (Bel Fruit).

For other signs information, see full Plant Horoscope.

More useful information on Grow Lights!

By Michael Aiton, FL: When I was taking classes at Palm Beach State College for my AA degree in Horticulture, what we used in the lab for 'grow lights' was a combination of incandescent and florescent lights to get the full spectrum of red/blue/green light. I saw it as a tried and true method, and cheaper than going out and buying 'grow lights', although they are making incandescent lights harder and harder to get anymore...

Fluorescent lights are by far the most economical and easy choice for houseplants. They come in tubes or compact bulbs (CFL) that screw into regular lamp sockets, and they’re cool enough to put close to plant foliage. Generic fluorescent tubes and bulbs are higher in blue wavelengths, so look for “full-spectrum” or include a mix of "cool" and "warm" bulbs. When in doubt, buy "cool white" products, since white light contains the full spectrum of wavelengths. For maximum effect, position fluorescents about a foot away from plant foliage.

Incandescent lights give off a lot of heat and should be placed farther away from plant foliage. Incandescent bulbs give off more red wavelengths, so they can be used to supplement fluorescent light and balance out the spectrum, especially if you’re trying to encourage plants to bloom. If you want to mix the two, try using a ratio of about one-third incandescent and two-thirds fluorescent by wattage.

See more information on grow lights

Growing Mexican Flame Vine as an annual

Q: While down in Fort Myers a few years ago, I saw this plant - Senecio confusus or Mexican Flame Vine, growing over chain-link fencing. At any rate, I fell in love with the plant then and there, only to later see it up here in Wisconsin, albeit down in Madison at The Centennial House, a noted botanical garden. This has led me to believe it may be possible to use this plant up here in the north as an annual. I could really use the orange coloration in mixed containers, etc. What I would like to try to find out is, will it grow and flower sufficiently within one of our growing seasons up here to make the choice worthwhile? Again, seeing it at Centennial House at least leads me to believe it may be possible. China where the flower was admired for its beauty and believed to have medicinal properties that promoted good health and long life. The Japanese Emperor was so smitten with the kiku flower that he adopted it as his personal crest, and it remains the insignia of the imperial family today. The art of growing and displaying Kiku for the Emperor's garden represented by amazing Imperial styles: Ozukuri, Ogiku, Kengai... Imagine growing out of one stem a single chrysanthemum trained to produce hundreds of simultaneous blossoms in a massive, dome-shaped array.

A: Mexican Flame vine is a good candidate to be grown as annual, thanks to these features:
- extremely fast growing
- it flowers in small size and young age
- long flowering period (2-3 months depending on conditions), throughout early Spring into Summer, sometimes it has a second blooming season by end of Summer.
- we keep large mature plants in stock year round, so you can have blooming size specimen as early as spring once your temperatures reach 65F so the plant will feel comfortable and develop quickly.
- easy to propagate - more plants can be made for next year season.

In winter, a potted plant can be cut back and kept in semi-dormant state indoors - garage, enclosed patio, with temperatures around 50F and above. Some gardeners from North prefer to plant a tropical specimen with a pot into the ground (make sure to add extra drainage holes), and when winter comes, it makes it easier to dig it out and save till warm season.

Grow lights overview

By Benjamin Thorton. If you are an avid gardener living in a place where there are distinct seasons, then you probably know the feeling of dread that sets in when summer ends, because that means that soon you will have to harvest what has grown and put gardening on hold until next spring. However, there is a way how you can continue gardening even when it is cold and snowy outside, and that is to use grow lights to create an indoors garden. So if you want to find out more about what are grow lights and how to use them, then keep on reading...

For more information on grow lights, visit T5fixtures.com, a website that provides all the latest information on indoors gardening and lighting, that you can use to facilitate plant growth. Have this information as a guide to growing healthy, big-yielding plants without having to leave your house.

This week only, 20% OFF on all plants well suitable for indoor culture. Most tropical plants can be grown in containers and many of them indoors, but this selection is the best for beginners, check them out!

Growing mango in hot Arizona

By Mike D, Mesa, AZ. Despite to what you may think, mango can be successfully grown in desert Arizona climate. It has good heat and drought tolerance. It's possible providing the following:

1. Winter protection of a young plant when temperature goes around or below freezing. Try to plant trees in locations where they're protected from cold wind. Minimal temperatures vary widely. Areas which are closer to downtown are few degrees warmer, while outskirts can be very cold.
2. Some people are lucky enough to live in areas with good soil. However, most of us will have a so-called hardpan (extremely compacted desert) or caliche (layers of soil cemented together by calcium carbonate). Check with your local county extension office to determine how to deal with such conditions. Gypsum is usually used to loosen compacted soil.
3. When planting, dig a large hole making sure it has good drainage. Plant tree as usual, add mulch around it. It helps to conserve moisture.
4. Best time to plant is late Fall or early Spring, so mango can get established before Summer heat.
5. Plant where tree gets few hours of sun.
6. Water a lot until established. Once established, water when soil is dry.
7. Small plant may need protection from summer heat. Use shade cloth.
8. Mango requires very little nitrogen fertilizer. In hot climate, overdosing nitrogen may result in quick plant decline. Use balanced low nitrogen slow release fertilizer or avoid nitrogen completely. If you use mulch, then decomposing mulch provides enough nitrogen. Foliar spray of micronutrient solution is recommended during active growing period. Read more...

Top Tropicals Video: Orchids 101. Part 1.

Part 1. What is an orchid? Orchids come in many shapes, sizes and colors. There are approximately between 25,000 species as well as over 250,000 of hybrids. It's one quarter of a million! Learn about these amazing plants from series of Orchid videos with our orchid expert Robert Riefer.
Check out this video: Top Tropicals Orchids 101. Part 1. What is an orchid?...

Stay updated with TopTropicals Videos by subscribing to our channel at YouTube.com/TopTropicals and get our latest video news of what's fruiting and blooming!

Growing gardenias indoors

From Brian B, WI: Just wanted to share this photo of one of the plants my parents got from you 3 months ago.

Q: Gardenia taitensis is my favorite gardenia. I would need to keep it indoors under a grow light. Is it worth trying to grow indoors or is really difficult? If so, can you recommend and indoor plant that has big fragrance and blooms often?

A: When growing gardenias indoors, four most important factors must be taken in consideration:

1. Bright light (Southern window and/or proper lighting set up)
2. Proper watering (gardenias love water, but roots are very sensitive to excessive water)
3. Rich organic soil with perfect drainage characteristics, regular feeding with high phosphate component and micro-elements containing Iron or Ferovit.
4. Insect control (inspect underneath leaves regularly and apply systemic or on-contact treatments as needed). See Top Tropicals video on easy insect control.

We definitely recommend Gardenia taitensis (both single and double flower varieties) for indoor culture. Another species, Gardenia vietnamensis, is even easier in cultivation as it takes wide range of conditions and may tolerate slight overwatering (unlike other varieties which are more sensitive). These three mentioned gardenias are somewhat tolerant to low light conditions. Under a proper care, they will grow successfully even in bright shade, however for blooming they require as much light as you can provide. Properly adjusted growing light may be helpful. You may refer to our article about indoor plant lighting in our magazine Tropical Treasures, Issue # 15, or website page.