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:
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).
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.
No fertilizer in winter. Active growth stops.
Let the plant go into dormancy or simply have a rest.
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 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...
Q:
I have purchased many tropical plants from you throughout
the summer and now I need to think about how not to kill
them overwintering in my NY apartment. I was told that
overwatering can be a big problem for house plants in
winter. How much should I water, and how many times per
week?
A:
Overwatering in the number one cause of the houseplant
death. But be sure not to underwater, either. - Don't water on the fixed schedule, get to know
your plant's needs instead. Most plants only need watering
when the top 1/2" of potting mix is try. gently poke your
finger into the soil to test it. Some experience gardeners
go by weight of the pot - a very light pot will have a dry
mix. - Aim to make the potting mix moist, but not wet.
Most plants hate sitting in soggy potting mix, so always
let excess water drain away. - Potting mix in terra cotta pots dries out more
quickly than that in plastic or ceramic pots,
because terra cotta is a porous material. - Most plants need less water in winter because
they are not actively growing and need this period of
winter rest. However some plants are winter bloomers and they may
need regular watering providing bright light to produce
flowers, for example clerodendrums.
Q:
My rainforest plant collection thrived outdoors in our
humid summer (I live in Maryland) but of course I had to
bring them indoors for winter and now with snow outside
they are suffering. Some leaves dried and fell of. Please
advise how not to lose my babies over winter!
A:
When overwintering tropical plants indoors, think about 3
factors: light, temperature, and humidity. Light. Providing bright light is obvious, and all
indoor gardeners are doing their best to have as much
well-lit spots for their plants as possible. TemperatureTropical plants, especially those from
rainforest, do not enjoy significant fluctuations in
temperature, so avoid following places: - neat hear
register (or air conditioning vent) - in drafts - on a
windowsill behind curtains at night Humidity. Most tropical plants need more humidity
than is available in the average, centrally heated home,
but some rooms, such as bathrooms and kitchens, are more
humid than others. To created humidity, fill a tray that
is the same width as a plant, with pebbles or gravel. Pour
in water, keeping the level at just below the top of the
pebbles, then place your plant on top. The water will
produce humidity as it evaporates. Alternatively, mist the
leaves using a hand mister in the morning, so leaves dry
before night. If you have hard water, use distilled or
rain water. Grouping plants together will also increase
humidity.
"Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is
the flower."(John Harrigan.)
Q:
Our growing season is very short so I decided to start
some of tropicals from seed indoors. When should I start?
A:
It is always a good time to start from seed. If you want
to feel happier, get into gardening. If you want to feel
God, start plants from seeds and watch New Life grow from
a tiny grain.
Traditionally, people prefer sowing seeds in Spring,
especially temperate species for vegetable garden:
tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers... My grandmother up North
started them in early Spring in small pots on a
windowsill, then once the temperatures raised just above
freezing, she planted them out in garden beds, and that
early start always helped her to have the best early
harvest in the neighborhood.
When we deal with tropical plants, "just above freezing"
is not warm enough. Which means, you have to grow small
babies indoors for quite a while, providing additional
heating when needed. Heating pads always work best... When
we had large size monitors and TV's, I always put couple
trays on top of hot monitors, and even on warm top of a
refrigerator, if space by the radiator was all taken. But
that was in very cold apartment...
If you keep your living space around 75F (ideal for many
species), this is a perfect temperature to get your seeds
started. Tropical plants are not like annual tomatoes that
try to grow through the season as fast as possible. They
may take time. So the sooner you start, the more chances
to get small seedlings just in time when Spring air
outside is warm enough - at least in 70's.
A great advantage of starting tropical seeds indoors is
controlled temperature and moisture. In the plant world,
environment extremes are not good for germination process.
Mild conditions of your home or a greenhouse create better
chances for successful growth. Seeds won't get overheated
in hot Summer sun, and won't get rotten because of a
sudden heavy rain. Just keep in mind that some species
require light for good germination.
Conditions for the best seed germination:
- Soak seeds for a few hours. Adding a few drops of Sunshine Seed Germination booster
is very beneficial and improves germination rate by 30-50%
- Well-drained mix, you may use our Professional Seed Germination Mix.
Put seeds not too deep (1/2 inch deep or less) to allow
air circulation
- Keep warm (75-85F) and in bright light
- Keep soil slightly moist but not soggy.
