Checklist - Preparing for winter in subtropical areas
Watering. Start reducing the amount you water your plants in
early fall, once the temperature drops below 65F. 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. Last trimming should be done no later than
September - early October.
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. The last
time for fertilizer should be no later than October.
1. Plant a
tree... or a shrub, even just a small perennial will do. This plant will
make you feel good and accomplished for the whole year, until next Labor Day
(or even longer!). You will always see this fruit of your work and remember
your motivation, so things are not that bad with you!
2. Pull 66 weeds.
Needless to say, you have plenty of those in your yard at the moment.
Why 66? Just do it and see what happens. If you don't see any happy results,
pull another 66.
3. Fertilize
all plants in your garden or potted collection with slow release fertilizer and microelements. Remember, this is the last chance to give them food and
strength to survive, before winter. Starting October, all leftover fertilizer
goes to storage, even in tropical gardens.
4. Apply SUNSHINE
booster to protect your plants from cool temperature, help to go into
dormancy and rest without stress.
Remember, there are products for all your pre-winter needs: Sunshine-T for improving cold tolerance, Sunshine-BC for caudex and bonsai plants, Sunshine-H for houseplants, and general booster Sunshine-E to cover all occasions... 50 and 100 ml bottles available for large plant collections.
Sunshine-Honey should be applied on all fruit trees to ensure their next
year successful crop.
5. Add extra
mulch in those areas where it was washed off with summer rains or broke
down. One day of mulch work will provide 6 months of safe overwintering for
your plants.
6. Have a BBQ
or simply a nice meal with your friends or family. Enjoy your holiday
relaxation after hard work weekend and recharge your Happiness for many days to
come.
Q: I have
an automatic sprinkler system that waters my lawn. I purchased a tree from
you and want to plant it in the middle of the back yard where sprinklers cover
that area very well. Will it be enough water? Is there any specific time of
the day I should set up the sprinklers and for how long?
A: Do not
rely on sprinkler system until the tree is established and starts growing.
Right after planting, saturate the soil around the root ball really well. If
the weather is hot, water with a garden house daily for at least a week. Once
the tree starts new growth, you may rely on sprinkler system.
Twice a day usually is enough, with 10-15 min of zone duration. As far
as start times of your irrigation system, water first time in early morning
(as early as 4-5 am in Summer time), and second time in late afternoon, when
it cools down a little bit. It is important to give leaves a chance to dry
before plants go to bed. This will help to eliminate fungus problems as fungus
develops in dark moist environment. Usually 4-5 p.m. is a good time for second
watering in Summer. As days get shorter, reschedule second watering time to
earlier hours.
Q: What a
hot summer we have... everything I plant in the ground seem to be unhappy and
doesn't seem to grow. I water a lot but it seems not enough? leaves stay
droopy or get burned. Are there any secrets for summer planting?
A: End of
Summer is still a good time for planting in the South, because there are a
few more warm months until winter and your plants need enough time to establish
before cold season. However because of high temperatures, a few things
should be avoid to reduce stress on the plant:
1. Do not plant mail-ordered plant directly from a box into the
ground. Keep it in a pot for a week or two and gradually move the pot from
shade into permanent location in full sun.
2. Do not expose to full time direct sun even if potted plant was
adjusted to sun. Cover newly planted tree with a shade cloth or simply a bed
sheet for a few days. Use bamboo stakes to support the cloth. Even tough,
sun-loving plants may get a leaf burn if not established.
3. Do not put mulch too close to the stem/trunk. Keep it 1-1.5
inches away from the plant for air circulation.
4. Do not keep wet. Combination of extreme heat and wet is not good
for roots (as well as cold and wet). If you notice that soil dries too
quickly - water more frequently but lightly, without creating soggy hot
swamp.
5. Do not overfertilize. A handful of slow-release fertilizer is
good at time of planting, however do not try to push your plant to grow and
do not apply more chemicals or manure until you see a new growth.
6. Do not get discouraged and give the plant some time to
establish. In most cases, a new growth starts with roots which you can't see.
Sometimes it takes a few months until you see the upper part of the tree suddenly
starts growing rapidly.
Q: How to
grow Baobab bonsai properly? How long does it take to shape a nice little
bonsai tree?
A: Baobab,
or Adansonia digitata, is a unique addition to a bonsai collection. Native
to Africa, it has an unusual structure and appearance. Some legends say that
the tree was cast down from the heavens and landed upside down, where it
began to grow. This story is no doubt a result of its appearance in the
winter, when the upper branches of the tree look more like roots than treetops.
The Baobab has some specific needs, but if you pay careful attention to its
requirements, this tree is not difficult to grow and makes an excellent
bonsai specimen.
Keep Baobab warm, it is sensitive to freeze.
Place Baobab in a bright, sunny window. Baobabs need at least six
hours of full sunlight per day, so a window with a western or southern exposure
is best. If your house doesn’t get enough light, supplement natural light
with artificial grow lights. See article Indoor lighting for
tropical plants.
Water Baobab regularly during the growing season whenever the soil
is dry. Never water the tree when it is dormant (dropped leaves).
Prune the branches of your Baobab bonsai as often as they need it to
give the tree the shape you desire, pruning or pinching off branches that
are growing at odd angles or are too long. Trim early in the spring before new
growth appears.
Repot the baobab bonsai every year in Spring. Remove it from pot and
trim the roots back by one-third of their length, completely removing any
that are damaged or dead. Place it in a container that is twice the size of the
root ball and fill the pot with a well-drained soil like Adenium Mix.
It is believed that it takes forever to form a nice shaped tree, up to a
few years. However if you provide warmth and bright light, branches grow
very quickly, and an experienced bonsai hobbyist can make a unique specimen
within 2-3 years. And then, the tree will stay with you for 5000 years - it can
be passed from generation to generation!
From Anna
Banana: Shipping and planting during hot weather
Q: I
received email notification that my order was delayed due to hot weather. Why? And
do I need to do anything special if I plant when it is hot?
A: When
plants are shipped via FedEx Ground, it is hot in the truck! According to our
FedEx area manager information, if outside temperature is 100 degrees, inside
the truck it can be 130! We don't want to put your plants through that much
stress. We monitor the weather at destination, and as soon as it cools down a
little bit, your order will be shipped.
Plantinjg during
hot weather:
For a mail-ordered plant follow planting instructions and never
plant it from the box directly into the ground. Keep it in a pot the size of a
root ball until the plant recovers from shipping stress, re-grows root system
and adjusts from several days of darkness to a bright light. Move the pot
gradually into brighter light, eventually into a spot of its permanent home. Do
not over water the pot. Once you see new growth - the plant is ready to be
transplanted into the ground.
Use only quality soil, containing lots of organic matter (compost, peat
moss); soil conditioner is beneficial (pine bark). Plant it on a little hill,
so growing point is elevated 1-1.5" above the rest of the surface.
Put a good layer of mulch around the plant, at least 1-2" thick, and not
too close to the trunk as it may cause stem rot on contact.
Water daily with a garden hose until the plant shows active growth -
then watering may be reduced every other day or less, or you may rely on
sprinklers and/or rains.
If the sun is too hot, use shade cloth (or simply a white bed sheet) to
cover the plant for the first few days (use bamboo sticks for support). It
will help the plant to establish without heat stress. If leaves start dropping
- this may be a sign of excessive light and heat. Shading is the way to
reduce it.
Use SUNSHINE booster to help plants overcome heat stress, and shipping
stress. It really works!
Remember that a plant has a very slow nature, unlike creatures from
animal world. Give it some time and never rush it into new conditions. Go slowly
and patiently - this is the only way to get a reward of a fruit crop or a
beautiful flower.
Q: I love
fragrant plants and I want to make a fragrant garden. Your website offers
amazing selection. A friend of mine told me I should be careful with planting
fragrant plants next to each other, and that mix of fragrances may create a
funny combination. Are there any flowers that don't go together?
A: Flower
scents, unlike perfumes, are pure natural and not as intoxicating to create
funny combinations. Although some of them can be strong and even overwhelming.
Example - Night Blooming Jasmine, Cestrum nocturnum, which fragrance at night is super-sweet; however
most people like it. Reality is, even Night Blooming Jasmine planted next to
Gardenia won't create a bad mixture, although one scent may somewhat take over
another. In any case, with wind blowing in your garden, you will never be
disappointed with fragrant garden. Some plants, like Ylang Ylang - Cananga odorata, or Magnolia champaca, create very fine fragrance that can be smelled yards
away, other flowers you will need to stick your nose into.
Q: I want
to grow a Dragon Fruit. Should I use cuttings or seed? What varieties do you
recommend? How difficult it is to grow? How soon does it start flowering and
fruiting?
A:Dragon Fruit, or Pitaya is a highly prized, vining, fruit bearing
cactus, extremely unusual terrestrial/epiphytic plant. It has magnificent flowers,
stunningly beautiful fruit with an intense color, curious shape, and a
delicious taste. The night blooming white flowers can be up to 14 inches in
length. The fruit is most often eaten chilled and cut in half so the flesh may be
spooned out. The juice is used in frozen drinks and it is in a new Tropicana
Twister flavor. It is a must have for any collector or gardener with the flair
for the unusual.
It takes 2-3 years for seedlings to fruit, besides the variety pay not
come true to seed. We grow our plants from cuttings that are easy to root.
We offer many selected varieties, most of them self-pollinating. The plants are
ready to flower and fruit this year, or the next year.
Dragon Fruit Cactus is easy to grow, doesn't need much other than strong
support, full sun, well-drained soil - adenium soil mix works great - and fertilizer during hot months, and SUNSHINE-Honey applications for growing sweeter fruit. For larger fruit
bud thinning is recommended.
Q: I want
to order a plant that you have only one left in stock; however the weather is
extremely hot in my area right now. Do you have any temperature limitations
when you ship your plants?
A: We ship
plants year around and do our best to watch weather forecast at destination.
However the forecast may change to worse within a day or two while a plant
is in transit. To ensure your plants have a safe trip during extreme weather,
follow these steps:
- notify us if you want to wait until weather permitting so we hold
your shipment until further notice;
- make sure to track your package and be at home at time of delivery.
The only time when a plant can get temperature damage, from our experience, is
when the box is left on your doorstep while too hot (or too cold) outside.
- you may use your business as shipping address if no one is home
during regular business hours of delivery.
- unpack the box immediately and follow planting instructions. Keep
plant in shade until recovered; never plant directly from a box into the ground;
never plant into hot, full sun: protect a new plant with a shade cloth for a
few days until established, and water as needed.
- use SUNSHINE booster to help plants recover from shipping stress. It really works! For only $4.95 with FREE
shipping!
On the photo:
Adenium is the easiest plant for shipping!
TROPICAL GARDENING: How to grow Brugmansia (Angel Trumpet) in the ground outside.
Q: I
recently moved from New Jersey to Florida and I brought with me my Brugmansia that
I used to have as a house plant. Can I plant it in the ground now?
A:Angel Trumpet - Brugmansia - is a very popular container plant
valued for its large, stunning fragrant flowers. Originated from South
America, it will be happy to grow in tropical to subtropical climate outdoors.
These are a few useful tips to get the most out of this beautiful plant:
Light. Plant it in full sun - the more sun, the more flowers
you get, although Brugmansias tolerate shade. If the plant was previously
grown in container indoors, to avoid leaf burn, keep it protected with a shade
cloth or simply white sheet for a while and gradually open to adjust to full
sun.
Soil and fertilizer. Use fertile soil with lots of organic
matter (add compost to existing soil). It must be very well drained, Angel
Trumpet won't tolerate waterlogged conditions. Plant it on a little "hill"
elevated 3-4" above the surrounding area. Brugmansias are very heavy feeders. Once
the plant is established, fertilize on regular basis with Slow Release Fertilizer - a handful once a
month.
Water. Water daily until established. Once the root system is
well developed, the plant is drought tolerant and won't require too much
care. But at the beginning, watch the leaves - the lush foliage droops quickly
if the plant is thirsty.
Plan space. Brugmansia is a short tree, but it needs a lot of
room to spread branches with its heavy hanging flowers. Think 12" wide and
maybe almost as much tall.
Support. Being widespread plant, Brugmansia can be blown with
strong winds. Stake with strong support until established.
Propagation. Brugmansia is one of the few plants that
propagates with semi-woody cuttings; soft green cuttings usually have little
success. Other than that, it is pretty easy!
