Growing tropicals from seeds.

From Kristi the Wizard of Rose: I grow many plants from seeds, both for my personal collection, and for TopTropicals. I receive many questions from customers who want to grow tropical plants from seeds. Some of them live in colder climates and try to extend growing season of their tropical collections by starting new varieties early in the year from seeds. These are a few tips that may be helpful.

Q: What do I need to do to speed up germination process?

A: Many factors affect germination. Considering you get fresh seeds (for example from TopTropicals) and Mother Nature gives them a good kick start, there are a few things that may speed up germination:

1. Scarification. Large seeds with a hard outer shell can be slightly sanded down just enough for moisture to get inside to wake up the seed during the pre-soaking. Be careful not to damage the seed. See example of Lotus seed scarification.
2. Pre-soaking. We recommend pre-soaking most of the seeds for only a few hours (3-8 depending on species. Some seeds are very sensitive to moisture and may start rotting if stay wet without air circulation. Small seeds, especially tiny ones like dust, should not be soaked.
3. SUNSHINE-S treatment. Adding a few drops of SUNSHINE-S booster when pre-soaking seeds increases their germination rate 3-5 times.
4. Temperature. Warm temperatures help germination. If grown indoors, put seeds containers or trays in the warmest spot of your house; you may use heat pads. Outdoors, putting them in full sun helps a lot, just don't let soil to dry out.

   Use only special porous seed germination mix to provide air circulation and prevent seeds from rotting.

   Q: Should I keep seeds in refrigerator before planting?

   A: Do not refrigerate tropical seeds. Stratification (treatment with cold) works only for temperate species, and some subtropical (like non-tropical Magnolias)

   Q: How do you grow eucalyptus from seeds? I tried a few times with no success.

   A: The secret of germinating tiny seeds like eucalyptus is - to sow them on top of the moist soil surface (soil must be very fine and soft), without covering. Keep container covered with clear plastic, in bright light. Use spray bottle to keep surface moist but not soggy. I have a customer who germinates eucalyptus seeds using an old fish tank, covered with a glass. Perfect environment - bright light and moist all the time.

Secrets of perfect mulch

Poor man's mulch... or natural solution? With warmer weather weeds started spreading around the garden... pulling, spraying, mulching them... that helps. Here are a few tips about natural mulch based on our own experience.

1) Do not rake dry leaves and pine needles, use them as natural mulch. A leaf is a part of a plant with the highest nitrogen content which is a major plant nutrient. After breaking down, leaves will work as a fertilizer. If you prefer to have a fancy mulch, put it on top of those leaves.

2) Do not dispose cut grass. Spread it around trees and shrubs. Hay is one of the best mulching materials. It has at least 2 exceptional benefits: a) after couple rains it becomes dense, creating perfect protection from sprouting weeds, and b) grass is actually also a leaf - so it had built up lots of nitrogen too, and works as a fertilizer.

3) Be careful with "bulk mulch" that sometimes offered by local tree service companies (usually for free). It often contains bugs, plant parts that are infested with bad insects, or simply fleas. Natural mulch from your own garden is always the best choice, proven organic and safe solution.

4) A few layers of newspaper (or even better - cardboard from your endless Amazon deliveries) placed underneath the mulch work as a great weed barrier and will make your mulching work results last 4-5 times longer. Water drains through them, and paper products are ecologically safe and biodegradable.

How to make a Mango tree bloom and fruit

Mango trees are especially beautiful during spring time when they flush out multi-color new leaves! But you want your mango be not only beautiful but fruitful as well. Here are some tips:

1) Fertilize Mango tree with a balanced slow release fertilizer starting March. Use 1 tsp of granulated fertilizer per 1 gal of soil, or a handful or two for an in-ground tree. You may add one application of foliar spray of a water-soluble bloom booster fertilizer (the one for Roses or Azaleas will work). This will give your tree a good macro-nutrient kick-start.

2) Spray entire tree with SUNSHINE-Superfood solution. This will provide all necessary micro-elements and keep the plant healthy and strong throughout the season. Repeat treatment once a month until harvest time.

3) For sweeter fruit, apply SUNSHINE-Honey solution several times:
- early spring before flowering
- at setting buds
- right at the beginning of setting fruit
- after harvesting, to provide the tree with all good micro-nutrients before resting season.

What you need for successful growing Adeniums

1) Adenium plants - from TopTropicals Endless selection of Adeniums. We have double flower, red, purple, yellow and even black flowers!
2) A small pot with excellent drainage is a must. Position the plant in a pot, size of root system.
3) Adenium soil mix. TopTropicals Adenium Soilless Mix. Use only well-drained soil.
4) Lots of light. Adeniums need lots of light for heavy flowering. However from our own experience, in super hot climates, they look healthier in filtered bright light. After initial planting, once the plant is established and starts growing new leaves (may take a few weeks), gradually move it into brighter light.
5) Little water. Adeniums like a neutral to hard water. Acidic water tends to sour the soil too fast and may cause root rot. Water plants preferably in the early morning, and allow them to drink up throughout the day. Watering can be done daily to every few days. Do not water again until soil dries on surface. Never allow your plants to sit in a saucer of water, but don't let them to dry out too often - this causes adeniums to go into early dormancy. Adeniums do not like both over-watering or drying-out.
6) Fertilizer. To make your plant develop a large swollen base/trunk, you'll need a good quality fertilizer. Use slow-release granulated fertilizer for overall plant health, and liquid water soluble fertilizer for swelling up trunks that is also used to increase flowering. It shouldn't be too high in nitrogen, the middle number should be the highest (similar to 10-50-10). Never apply fertilizer directly on roots and do not liquid feed when a plant is thirsty: always water first slightly to avoid root burn and leaf drop. Do not wet leaves.
7) SuperFood micro-elements. Besides macro-nutrients provided by fertilizer, Adenium needs micro-elements for balanced development of root system and especially caudex: Sunshine-SuperFood.
8) SUNSHINE-BC. Spray leaves with SUNSHINE-BC once a month to encourage young growth, profuse flowering and large caudex.
9) Growing caudex. There is a secret how to create a large swollen caudex: raise the plant a bit every time you re-pot it, so that the upper part of roots will be a little exposed. The plant will form more roots that will go down.

See full list of Adeniums - plants and seeds.

Avocado, Lychee and Mango setting fruit... give them some FOOD!

Q: Do I need to fertilize tropical fruit when they set fruit?

A: It is traditionally believed that mango and other tropical fruit shouldn't be fertilized during fruiting period. It is true to an extent: you don't want fruit to burst from fast excessive growing. Instead, try to feed fruit trees wisely, because they still need proper nutrition to produce flowers and fruit.
Our spring specials of Lychee, Avocado and Mango are full of buds and some already set tiny fruit (see examples on the photo). Here is the feeding plan for these plants once you receive your mail order:

1. Once received the plant, pot it into container size of the root ball and let establish for couple weeks. Use SUNSHINE-E to help the plant recover from shipping stress and establish root system.
2. Apply SUNSHINE-Honey right before flowering, and next time at setting fruit, to provide sweeter and bigger fruit, eliminate fruit cracks and help resist fungus and other fruit diseases.
3. Use balanced granulated fertilizer, 1 tsp per each gallon of soil. Apply once a month during Spring-Summer season. This gives the plant balanced macro-elements (NPK) necessary for overall plant health. Do not use on fruit trees fertilizers with high Nitrogen content.
4. Apply SUNSHINE SuperFood micro-element booster to keep fruit trees vigorous, develop strong root system and avoid deficiencies.
5. In case of signs of chlorosis (yellowing leaves with darker veins), give the tree SUNSHINE-GreenLeaf and watch the leaves turning green quickly.

NEW SLIDESHOW: Top Tropicals - We Grow Happiness!

Look at these most spectacular flowers of the Tropical World.

You can have them... We can ship!
Whether you live in Tropical Florida or Downtown New York, you can grow tropical plants and enjoy the beauty of fragrant flowers and exotic fruit. Bring some happiness into your life and let us do the rest - grow these plants for you and give you some advice how to keep them happy.

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!

When does the Spring begin?

Q: Many refer to Astronomical Spring on March 20, as the first "official" day of spring. But some will argue that spring begins a few weeks before, on March 1st. When does the Spring begin?

A: Most people consider the first day of spring to be the Spring Equinox, which will start this year at 12:15 p.m. EDT, March 20th. This is because, astronomically speaking, the sun is directly overhead of the Equator as the Earths tilt begins to point the northern hemisphere towards the sun.
As the earth rotates around the Sun, the Sun will be situated directly overhead at mid-day at different times of the year. The Vernal (Spring) Equinox is the day the Sun is again highest in the sky at noon over the equator as the apex progresses north. The day the Sun is straight up at noon over the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn (23.5 degrees N and S latitude) are the summer and winter solstices, respectively. Many refer to Astronomical Spring on March 20, as the first "official" day of spring. Most meteorologists say that spring begins a few weeks before, on March 1st, because they observe seasons over different time periods. Meteorological spring began March 1, summer begins June 1, fall begins on September 1 and winter begins on December 1.

Varieties of Guava

Q: We were just in Australia where guava juice was available in the markets. Pretty sure I can grow different varieties of Guava's here, as I have 3 already, but wondering if it would be psidium guajava or littorale as the best bet for making the pink juice we enjoyed. Thanks so much, your plants are so healthy when they arrive!

A: Both species are used for commercial juice making. We grow lots of Psidium littorale - Cattley Guava, Strawberry Guava - and we make delicious juice. Psidium guajava - Tropical Guava, Guajava - is less juicy, fruit is somewhat dry, but it still has a great flavor; you may need to add water to blended pulp. And sugar - add it to both kinds of fruit!

Check out our Guavas!

Cleanest fruit?

"Dirty" fruit: According to the Environmental Working Group research, Strawberries are top the list of the 12 "dirtiest" fruits and vegetables grown commercially. Spinach is the second, followed by (in order of contamination) nectarines, apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, pears, tomatoes, celery, potatoes and sweet bell peppers. Each of these foods tested positive for pesticide residues and contained higher concentrations of pesticides than other produce. This causes of course chronic health implications. Children are of special concern as younger bodies have greater susceptibility to pesticides than adult bodies, the report emphasizes. Pesticides may induce chronic health complications in children, including neuro- and behavioral problems, birth defects, allergies, asthma, and even cancer...

"Clean 15": Avocados lead 2018's clean fruits and veggies list, that also includes: mangoes, papayas, pineapples, kiwi, sweet corn, cabbage, onions, frozen sweet peas, asparagus, eggplant, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, cauliflower and broccoli.
Obviously, home grown fruit and vegetables are even better. Such fruit as Custard Apples, Sapodilla, Sapote, Jackfruit, Dragon Fruit, Passion Fruit and other rare varieties of tropical fruit, are even better for you because they are not grown commercially, and the choice from your own organic garden is the healthiest for yourself and your family!
Plant them today and get your cleanest fruit tomorrow!

Check out all tropical fruit trees and all tropical spice plants.

Mango Fralan - a new exciting discovery

Q: I am looking for a special mango called Fralan. It is the most popular mango in Vietnam where I am from. Do you have this variety?

A: Fralan is a relatively new variety of Mango, originated from Thailand, with green skin. In Thai, "Fralan" means "Thunder" - as the fruit cracks when peeled. It also has another meaning "Foreigner" as people from the West seem to speak too loud for Thai ears. This mango has no turpentine aftertaste unlike some other varieties. Its flavor is superior. The flat seed is similar to Nam Doc Mai, it has no seed coat which is a good advantage, leaves more room for flesh and makes it easier to eat.
Fralan can be eaten:
a) when green - it is crunchy, sweet, producing cracking sounds (=Thunder)
b) when yellow (fully ready) - very soft, no fiber whatsoever
The tree is early-middle harvesting season depending on climate and has a DWARF habit! Which make is excellent choice for potting culture. See full list of Mango varieties from our store.