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.
Swiss cheese plant is a jungle climbing relative of the philodendron
from Mexico and Guatemala. It is seen in gardens in tropical and subtropical
areas, growing well in partial sun or shade. The plant begins bearing fruit
after three years. The large deep green, cone-like fruit is actually an unripened
flower spike, covered with hexagonal scales that dry out and separate as the
fruit ripens from the base upwards, revealing the white pulp. It takes a
little longer than a year to mature to an edible stage. The fruit tastes kind of
like a cross between a sugar apple and a pineapple.Very perfuming smell and
taste! It's so amazing, can't figure the consistency, but totally a pineapple
sugar apple cross... But wash the black specks off before eating - they will
sting your tongue.
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.
Looking for the rarest plant? This is the one!
Stifftia chrysantha is an exotic, rare flowering small tree with
spectacular flowers, endemic to the vast tropical savanna ecoregion of Brazil
called Cerrado. It grows into a bushy, attractive tree between 8 and 15 ft tall
and starts flowering within 1.5 - 2.5 years from seed. It is a very rewarding
plant that blooms 9 months out of the year, starting in Winter with great
intensity during July-September, with each flower staying on the plant for
several weeks. Seeds ripen from September through November.
The tree belongs to Aster family (Compositae) and has nothing to do
with Powderpuffs which are from Bean (Fabaceae) family. The flower has 30 to 40
green, imbricated scales with short hairs, and actinomorphic corollas are
orange below and darker above. After flowering, the inflorescence blows apart,
which would scatter seeds. The dried center remaining is very attractive, like
a small dried flower, and lasts for many months.
Stifftia can be grown in full sun to partial shade and is relatively
cold tolerant, can take short cold spells. The plant doesn't like wet feet
and heavy/soggy soils; requires very well drained, acidic soil. We strongly
recommend to use our professional soilless mix. Let soil
slightly dry between waterings. It can be grown in full sun to partial shade and is
relatively cold tolerant, can take short cold spells. If grown in a pot, try
to keep the container shaded because roots don't like to be overheated. The
plant needs monthly applications of slow
release fertilizer as well as extra iron - use micro-nutrients to
keep leaves green and healthy.
See more pictures of this beauty.
How to get shade quickly... and stay away from oaks
Q: I just
moved from Tennessee into a new house in Florida and there are no trees on
the property, the yard is brutal hot. What can I plant so I have some shade
real quick? I like Florida shady oaks, how long will they take to grow?
A: First
of all, do not rush into oak solution. Oaks are beautiful shade trees, however
they have at least 2 problems:
a) Oaks are slow growers and unless you are willing to wait some 20
years... you won't get that desirable shade that quickly.
b) We have hurricanes in Florida... sometimes. A hurricane can damage
any tree, however with oaks it may be the worse case scenario - the branches
of those giant trees are huge, hard and heavy and in unfortunate situation
when you need to remove or trim a broken tree, it may cost you... a few thousand
dollars.
These are solutions that are more economical and practical:
2) Do it right. Even if you are planting a smaller tree, 1-3 gal
size, it may become a nice shade tree within 2-3 years and start providing
your driveway with desirable shade. The keys for fast growth are -
a) Good soil. Dig as big hole as possible and fill it with good
rich soil containing compost. See planting instructions PDF.
b) Water. Do not rely on sprinklers and rains. Water your tree
daily for the first week, then at least twice a week for another month. After
that, irrigation system will be enough.
c) Fertilizer. Put a few handfuls of fertilizer in a planting hole. Then fertilize once a month during warm
season. Apply micro elements for even better results and faster growth.
3) Ask experts.Contact our office for advice. We will suggest the most
suitable shade tree for your yard based on features of your property: location,
soil, exposure, etc.
