Fruitful Fruit and SuperFood...

Q: I have a large fruit garden here in Florida with many mango trees, avocadoes, guavas, and other tropical fruit. Last year hurricane Irma and flooding killed a few avocado trees, but mangos and guavas survived OK, but the sad part is, very few flowers this year and almost no fruit setting. I noticed on your website your Superfood and Sunshine-Honey boosters that supposedly help fruiting? But I am afraid it is too late now as your instructions say first application must be in early Spring? I wish I discovered earlier that my trees wouldn't want to fruit this year...

A: First of all, it is never late to give the food! You may start applications of SUNSHINE products at any time of the year. The best results will be achieved once you treat your plants on regular basis throughout the whole year cycle of metabolism.
Couple weeks ago we started harvesting our 2 guava trees. These two are the same variety (Variegated Honeymoon), planted within 20 ft from each other and growing in the same conditions. The only difference was, one was treated with SUNSHINE-Honey and SUNSHINE-SuperFood, and another one didn't get any treats in order to have a control plant.
Results are very interesting, see the picture. Both trees were heavily covered with fruit. However the one with treatments developed fruit that is much larger, much sweeter and juicier, and the most interestingly - with less seeds, almost no seeds!
To answer your question: yes, you can start feeding your fruit trees right now. It is still a Springtime. Many mango varieties have late season; even early varieties may delay their fruiting if flowering triggered by miscro-elements. Guavas have very long season and most varieties can have multiple crops throughout Summer-Fall.
Here is a simple and affordable feeding schedule to help your fruit garden recover from last year hurricane stress, and establish reliable production:
1) SUNSHINE-E - for boosting metabolism - once a month
2) SUNSHINE-Honey - for bringing sugars to the heart of the tree and boosting fruit sweetness and quality - now and in 2 weeks
3) SUNSHINE-SuperFood - for overall health, recovering from hurricane and fixing root damage from flood - now and every 2 weeks throughout warm season.
4) You may apply regular balanced fertilizer NPK as usual (we apply once a month, a handful per in-ground tree)
It's that simple. Just try and watch your trees produce again!

Check out all SUNSHINE boosters... We offer FREE shipping on them, so you can make your plants happy!

Checklist - preparing for winter in subtropical areas.
Watering. Start reducing the amount you water your plants in early fall, once the temperature drops below 65 °F. Avoid watering your plants during cool nights, as this may cause serious root rot.
Mulch. When a plant is protected by a thick layer of mulch, the root system stays healthy.
No Pruning. Avoid pruning, trimming, or pinching branch tips altogether during the fall and winter which encourages new shoots that are soft, tender, and very cold sensitive.
No Fertilizer. Avoid fertilizers during the winter. The main reason being the same as above for pruning: fertilizing promotes growth of the upper plant parts which should be avoided during the winter months.

Time to clean your yard!
In the South. It's getting cooler in subtropical areas, and garden work becomes even more enjoyable. Your garden now is in the most perfect shape after summer vigorous growth. It is the best time now to run the last trim before winter, as well as last fertilizer application. Clean up your yard without sweating off, add mulch to help plants to survive through possible winter chills. Don't forget to start reducing watering! Remember once temperatures drop below 65F, tropical plants slow down or stop growing and go into winter dormancy sleep.

Up North. When temperatures drop below 45 °F, start bringing sensitive plants indoors or into protected areas. Prepare/cover greenhouse, check availability of covers (sheets, plastic) and condition of heaters. Plants indoors will experience environment change, may drop leaves, and need different care than out in the sun. Reduce watering, check for insects once a week, and stop fertilizing until spring. Remember to pick the brightest spots for overwintering your tropical plants!

Enjoy cooler weather, fresh air, and thank yourself for a wonderful work you have done in your yard!

Q: I live in California and about a month ago ordered several plants from you, including fruit trees (Carambola, Mango, Avocado) and flowering trees (Xanthostemon, Adeniums, Champaca, Ylang Ylang). They were all doing well until I tried to move them into full sun, when they got leaf burn immediately. Ylang Ylang was doing great in a shade, but I repotted it from 1 gal into 3 gal and it is drooping leaves now. It has been very hot (over 100F) and dry (humidity is less than 25%). Any suggestions?

A: Hot summer can be pretty challenging time for establishing new plants. These are some guidelines to make your summer gardening more successful and rewarding.

1. You can order plants at any time, but keep your eye on your local weather forecast and try to chose cooler periods to schedule your plant shipments. Here at TopTropcals we monitor weather at destinations, and we can also delay shipment per your request until more favorable conditions.

2. During hot Summer months, many plants are still OK to ship, and to be planted, many species are heat tolerant. It's usually safe to ship most succulents, including Desert roses and Euphorbias. Some fruit trees are pretty easy too, like Loquats, Mango, Eugenias. Many flowering trees can take heat: Acacias, Clusias, Jatropha, Sausage Tree, Plumerias and many others. Check our full list of plants suitable for hot and dry conditions. Most jasmines, including Jasmine Sambac and Trachelospermum make also a safe choice for hot weather planting.

3. Use shade cloth or simply white sheets to protect young plants and new plantings from hot sun.

4. When establishing mail ordered plants during hot weather, keep them in shade for longer period of time than average recommended 1-2 weeks. Give them a chance to establish really well. In areas with low air humidity, try to create a simple mist system. It can be purchased in your local Home Depot for only $20 and set up takes only 10 minutes! It makes a big difference and can help you save many plants from hot weather stress.

5. Although it may seem that during hot weather plants need more water due to high evaporation, be careful with watering, and check soil with your finger before watering - don't water if it is still wet. Combination of "hot and wet" can be as harmful for the root system as "cold and wet" during winter. Protect root systems from overheating: covering black pots with white cloth will work. Remember when temperature is above 90F, most of plants slow down their metabolism, which means roots slow down or even stop pumping water and become more vulnerable to overwatering. For the same reason, do not hurry to step up into bigger container if roots haven't filled yet the existing pot.

Spring is coming, plants need food! Time to fertilize...

Last winter was long and snowy in the most part of our country. Hold on fellow gardeners up North, it is almost over!
Here in Florida we have been blessed again with a mild winter without serious cold snaps. Early Spring that is already in the air. Look at this picture of flowers in our front yard now.
If the weather is already warm in your area (low temperatures above 55), it is time to start fertilizing. We are sending our love and support to tropical Puerto Rico suffered from hurricane last year, and will be happy to help you guys to restore your lost gardens!

CHECK LIST

what to do to give your garden a good kick start:

1. Slow release granulated food. Apply Slow Release Fertilizer and continue once a month. 1 tsp per gallon of pot, or a handful for in-ground plants. This will provide essential macro elements (NPK) required for a plant growth.

2. Water soluble micro-elements. Besides macro-elements, plants need many other elements that most of the time missing in soil. A lack of micro-elements causes different deficiencies, resulting in weak root systems, slow growth, deformed leaves, leaves yellowing, lack or no flowers/fruit. Apply these supplements as a foliar spray once a month to induce healthy growth and flower/fruit development. We recommend the following micro-element products to keep your plants healthy and vigorous year round:
a) SUNSHINE SuperFood - plant health booster. This revolutionary new liquid complex contains ALL microelements needed and can fix all possible problems occuring to your tropical plants - from roots to flowers and fruit. We have convenient dropper bottles of 5 ml for small plant collections, 50 ml for larger gardens, and 100 ml for professional landscape applications.
b) SUNSHINE-Micro - Microelement booster - for common iron deficiency (pale leaves)
c) SUNSHINE-Super-Iron - Microelement booster - for severe iron deficiency (severe yellowing leaves)

3. SUNSHINE plant boosters - SUNSHINE-E, -BC (caudex plants and bonsai), -H (house plants). Apply these natural plant stimulants to help plants recover from cold, dormancy, increase plant's metabolism and make a plant more readily absorb both Macro- and Micro-elements. SUNSHINE boosters also will help plants grow vigorously, withstand Summer heat and drought, and produce bigger and better flowers and fruit.

4. Kickstart a sweeter fruit. To get a better and sweeter crop in Summer and Fall, you need to start first application now. SUNSHINE Honey - is natural, Amber-colored, honey-like liquid microelement product for fruiting and edible plants that will make them sweeter, tastier and more flavorful! Very effective for tropical fruits, tubers, vegetables. Great for tropical fruit trees: Mango, June Plum, Annonas, Tropical Cherries, Carambola, Citrus; subtropical fruit trees: Peaches, Apricots, Loquat and berry plants (blackberry, mulberry, etc.)

5. SUNSHINE-S. Don't forget to plant seeds! It's a perfect timing now to start your tropical garden indoors even if it is still cold outside. Soak them in SUNSHINE-S solution to increase germination rate.

See full list of SUNSHINE boosters. All these products are essential plant elements. They are not toxic and can be used safely for edible landscapes.

Condo Mango

Q: I was curious about indoor fruiting mango trees. I live in upstate New York and was thinking about trying to grow an indoor tree for fruit. I have a small heated greenhouse. Is there a variety that can be grown from seed that would suit my purposes and if not what is the most economical way I could obtain a cutting or small grafted plant? I keep my greenhouse around 60F in the winter and have no supplemental lighting. Are there any varieties that may work in a sunroom or other well lit indoor location?

A: There are many dwarf varieties of mango suitable for container culture. They are called "condo mangoes".
The most popular condo varieties are: Carrie, Cogshall, Cushman, Fairchild, Graham, Ice Cream, Julie , Mallika, Nam Doc Mai, Pickering. You may read more about them in our online catalog. You may also look into variety Lancetilla which is also a compact tree, and produces one of the biggest size fruit, up to 5 pounds. If you want some rare variety that hardly anyone else has - try Baptiste, an exotic Haitian dessert mango.

Your greenhouse should work for the winter time. Mango trees can take as low as mid 40s during winter and even lower as long as that cold is occasional. If you keep the temperature around 60, this should work well for over wintering. Just make sure to reduce watering to a minimum, because cool temperatures, low light and wet soil - is a bad combination for tropical plants, especially for mango trees which prefer to be kept on a dry side.

Many indoor gardeners have fruiting mango trees in their collection. However, keep in mind that the most important requirement for a mango is full sun. While you may over winter the plant for a few months in a low light conditions, in order for it to flower and produce fruit it needs lots of light. If moving the tree into full sun your yard during the summer is possible, this would be the best solution.

We always recommend SUNSHINE boosters for both over wintering tropical plants in colder climates, and for indoor gardening. SUNSHINE applications will help your tree to cope with cool temperatures and low light conditions. This will also dramatically increase flowering and fruiting performance. Another important factor for keeping your container plant healthy is quality of your potting soil. We offer a special professional mix that contains lots of good stuff: coconut fiber, peat moss, pine bark, and perlite. Fertilizing potted plants is also very important during the warm season, because this is the only way for them to get nutrients (which in the ground can be reached by spreading root system).

As far as seedlings vs. grafting - the only way to have a nicely fruiting mango tree is to plant a grafted variety. Seedlings start producing only after 8-15 years, and the quality of such fruit may be questionable. Only grafted plants can guarantee the desired taste of a variety. Besides, grafted mangoes start producing immediately - you may see fruit forming on plants as small as 3 ft, in 3 gal containers. However, during the first 1-2 years you will need to remove extra fruit and leave only 1-2 fruit so the plant doesn't get exhausted and has enough energy to establish strong root system.

For fun stories about growing mango, check out our Radio Show recording YO Tango Mango!

Flowering plant for a front yard

Q: I need your expertise. I had a plant in the front of my house that when I moved in (two years ago) wasn't doing well. It was infested with grasshoppers and snails. I treated it with a pesticide and fertilizer and it flourished. Had beautiful flowerings and was almost the size of the mulch area. Then the property management company hired some terrible grass cutters that I believed destroyed it. I would come home and find the red mulch and leaves from the plant all over the front lawn. And since then it has gone down hill. I am attaching a picture. As of now the larger of the remaining two trunks (out of six that were there) is falling over and it doesn't seem to be doing well. So I was wondering if you can recommend a nice plant that I can replace this one with. Nothing extravagant but nice enough to fill in that area. Also since I only lease here don't want to get to pricey either. Thanks for any advice and plants you have.

A: The plant you have is called Spider Lily. It is one of the easiest landscape plants that doesn't require much care and is great for low maintenance yards. In your case, besides possible damage from the grass cutter, looks like the plant is very old judging by the thick woody stem. It is not a bad idea to replace it with something more pretty rather than trying to baby it. Other suggestions for this location would be something easy and low maintenance, especially if you don't have reliable sprinkler system in that area of your yard and don't want to spend time hand-watering with a house:
Sweet mimosa - grows into very large bush, Pony tail, Dwarf poinciana, Powderpuff, Clusia, Devils backbone (smaller bush 3 ft tall), Cordyline, Ti leaf - these are very colorful.
There are more low maintenance plants you can chose from.
And always remember that traditional "landscapers" that only mow grass, may not be experts on plants. You may always call TopTropicals Garden Doctor and get professional help with keeping your plants healthy. We are always here to help your garden!

10 plants that can make you happy.
3D garden ideas.

3D garden ideas.
Q: Can you make my yard bigger and prevent it from freezing?

A: Yes, we can make your backyard bigger by adding a 3rd dimension - trees as a upper level, shrubs as a second level, vines in between, low growing perennials below them. Add ground covers and potted plants as separate specimens in between in-ground planted trees and shrubs. One more separate dimension is orchids and other epiphytes that happily grow on the trees. This multi-level structure will allow you not only collect so many plants, but also maintain them in a natural environment, similar to how they grow in a wild.

As far as preventing from freezing - it depends. You can use greenhouse, cover plants, create microclimate under large canopies, etc. Some tropical plants are tolerant to light frost, once established. If it gets below freezing in your area for more than a few hours, and especially if you have numerous nights with frost throughout winter, we recommend to keep plants in pots (BTW, this way you save space and can collect even more!). Pots can be moved to protected area during cold nights. The more established the tree, the more chances to survive colder temperatures. You may also use propane heaters during cold nights.
We also use plant booster SUNSHINE boosters to increase plants cold tolerance.
Cold protection is a lengthy subject. Here is some more information on cold protection. Also, we recommend to check out our magazine Tropical Treasures (about pushing the limits of tropical gardening) for a detailed article on cold protection.
These are specific articles on Zone-Pushing in different issue #s regarding dealing with cold. See downloadable issues:
(#1) Growing Tropicals in Nontropical Climate, Three Freezing Nights in Southwest Florida
(#2) Temperature drops - an alert or a rehearsal?
(#5) Dealing with cold snaps, Cold hardy beauties
(#7) When winter is around the corner, Growing exotic Cordyline in colder climate
(#8) When the weather outside is frightful
(#9) Winter champions
(#11) Ready-for-winter checklist for in-ground plants
(#13) Winter checklist
(#18) Dealing with cold damaged plants
You may also order hard copies.
If temperatures drop below freezing in your area, remember to add Heat Pack to your order!

10 plants that will make you happy.

Everyone wants to be happy. Did you know that growing plants is not only fun but can also make you happy? In our new series we will introduce to you 10 plants for your tropical collection that will make you happy.
Visit our Facebook, YouTube Channel and stay happy!

Check out this video: 10 plants that will make you happy. Plant # 1 - Rose Apple.

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!

SUNSHINE in a bottle - your help during winter

Q: I have been using your new plant hormone SUNSHINE for plants after shipping, and I must admit it does make a big difference! They recover right away. I order plants online very often, and usually it takes up to a week or more until they start showing new growth. After SUNSHINE treatments, they look fresh within a day or two. My question would be, for improving cold tolerance, what do you recommend? I live in Florida and it is still warm here, should I start spraying my garden now or should I wait until cold spells?

A: SUNSHINE is very effective plant stimulant that helps tropical plants survive different kinds of stress, including cold, heat, drought, low light, etc. At TopTropicals gardens and nursery, we have been using this hormone for many years to protect our plants from unfavorable conditions, and it saved us many rare tender species, and lots of money!
The sooner in Fall you start treatments, the better. Don't wait until cold spell. SUNSHINE works slowly and in very low doses. The mechanism is actually about boosting, building up the plant's own immune system. Low doses once a week, even every other week will work just fine, so you will need very little of the product. For less than $5 you can help expensive rare plants to go through winter painlessly. Recommended application is only 2.5 ml/1 gal of water, to spray every 1-2 weeks throughout winter period.

Start spraying your plants with SUNSHINE now, to help them survive short winter days, build up insect resistance (especially for plants indoors), and what is most important, to remain strong through lower temperatures. These are our suggestions:

- SUNSHINE-T - thermo-protection booster. It is specially formulated for winter protection of tropical plants. To improve cold hardiness even more, spray 1-2 days prior to cold with 5 ml/1 gal solution and after that, continue applications with 2.5 ml/1 gal solution every 10-15 days throughout winter period.
- For large plant collections, and in-ground gardens in subtropical areas, take advantage of very cost effective bulk items 50 ml and 100 ml bottles of SUNSHINE.
- Don't forget that SUNSHINE is only a stimulant, and not a plant food. While regular fertilizer should be avoided during winter months, it is always beneficial to apply microelements through foliar spray. During cooler period, chances of chlorosis increase, because at low temperatures iron is difficult so absorb by roots especially in moist soil, hence iron deficiency! Our new Iron supplement SUNSHINE-Super-Iron microelement booster will help to avoid yellowing leaves and to maintain your plants strong and healthy during slow growth period. Ultra-potent, highly absorbable iron mix, with chelated Iron with DTPA (instead of usual EDTA) that is better soluble in hard water and more effective for chlorosis. This mix contains both EDTA + DTPA chelated iron in higher concentration than regular micro-elements mixes.

See all SUNSHINE booster products in our store. For advanced information on SUNSHINE plant boosters, history of use, formulation, and frequently asked questions, visit our manufacturer's website TTLaboratories.com.

Best plants suitable for containers. Check out our large selection of plants that are easily grown in containers. This week only, 20% off!

Top Tropicals Video Presents: Doctor Noni

Top Tropicals Video Channel. We are happy to introduce to our customers our new project - Top Tropicals Video. Gardeners have been enjoying our Tropical Treasures Magazine with its unique stories on fascinating plants, their history, plant clinic and Do-It-Yourself projects. Now you can have more fun to visit actual tropical paradise by watching our short movies in your convenience - from your computer, or simply on your smart phone. In our future video tours, we will be showing both popular and rare exciting plants and how to grow them. We will be sharing little secrets of how to make these plants happy, so they will make your own life brighter and happier. Stay updated with TopTropicals Videos by subscribing to our YouTube channel at YouTube/TopTropicals and get our latest video news of what's fruiting and blooming! Our today's video story -

Doctor Noni - life sustaining plant. Many people have heard about the mysterious and miraculous Noni fruit, yet few know exactly what it is. This odd-looking fruit grows on a beautiful tropical tree from Polynesia - Morinda citrifolia, that actually belongs to a Coffee family! The Noni fruit, also called Cheese Fruit for its special odor, has unique health benefits. It is said that this plant food is to be used when we are feeling really ill or really old... Do you want to know how to have your own FREE fresh Noni juice year round? Check out this Movie: Doctor Noni - life sustaining plant...

Choosing the right Mango for your garden

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

See full list of our mango varieties, all fiberless and great sweet flavors.