Garden Blog - Top Tropicals
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Taste of Mango
Mango harvest season is over, and now it's the time to plant young Mango trees for the next year season of flowering and fruiting. When choosing a mango tree, researching your location for proper growing conditions is relatively easy. But refining your decision-making process based on the taste of mango is both easy and fun (and filling)! However, since it is often difficult to find a convenient source for sampling a wide variety of mango fruits; we at Top Tropicals sat down and tasted a handful of varieties for you... Just another opinion on taste!
Pickering - Sweet, juicy, fiberless, with a hint of an apricot fragrance. (A universal favorite amongst the group.)
Nam Doc Mai - A slightly fibrous marmalade-like texture, with a sweet and floral flavor.
Cogshall - Very little fiber with a slightly tart and piney flavor.
Florigon - A mild, even flavor. Not too sweet, not too tart, and fiberless.
Mallika - A fiberless cantaloupe-like consistency. Slightly tart, with some semblance to non-acidic orange juice.
Valencia Pride - Slightly fibrous, with a tangy near citrus flavor.
Glenn - Very mild flavor, less sweet compared to other varieties, but very refreshing.
Read more about Mango varieties...
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Shopping for gifts is not an easy chore!
6 important steps for successful Holiday Gift Plant Shopping
1. Make a list of friends and family members that absolutely
require your special plant attention. Obviously, a live plant is the best
present!
2. Set deadlines for shipping gift plants. Remember good timing
is 50% of a good surprise!
3. Set a budget and call our Customer Service to help you pick the right plant that fits
your needs and finances. Check out current sales and deals to get more for your dollar, and low cost offers.
4. Buy plants for plant lovers, or simply for those who
appreciate the Nature, and the Beauty. Check out fragrant gift plants, fruit, and spice plants - these are always win-win! A gift certificate can be a great option so they can pick what they like,
and it is not time sensitive!
5. Prepare. Remember that live plant requires some attention.
Prepare pots, soil, and planting instructions beforehand so your beloved ones
can enjoy a happy plant for a long time.
6. Don't forget about yourself! Take advantage of BOGO deals to get One for Present, One for Me! Personally, here at Top
Tropicals, we all buy at least one plant for ourselves for each holiday!
Happy Holidays!
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Elephant Foot Yam seed production
Q: Very interesting information about Amorphophallus in your recent newsletter! (which I always enjoy BTW). I would like to purchase those fresh seeds, and I have a couple of questions. Did you have to hand pollinate that flower? I've heard it is not easy to set a fruit. Also, is this an edible variety?
A: From
Mark Hooten, the Garden Whiz. These Elephant Yam seeds were produced as
a result of hand pollination between two different Amorphophallus
paeoniifolius plants grown from entirely different sources. Both plants over ten years
old. One corm originated from a traditional Chinese market here in Ft. Myers,
while the other came from a Hindu market in Naples. As both were being sold
for eating (the prepared corms of the sweet types are a popular Asian
vegetable), we know they are of the "sweet" type, not the acrid type which is the
commonest in cultivation. The flowering occurred this last April, with the fruit
spike maturing in October which is very fast considering it may take up to a
year to mature this fruit!
The flowering image shows three different flowers all emerging from a
single clump of the Chinese plant which has developed over the years, each
flower being a couple of days apart. This is the plant which made the
fruit-spike, one of its flowers having been hand pollinated by the Hindu store plant on
the other side of the property. Notice all of the large blue flies swarming
the fully mature and very stinky flower!
Check out Fresh seeds of Amorphophallus paeoniifolius. Only a few packs left!
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Amazing root growth after treatment of SUNSHINE-SuperFood!
This Sansevieria grandis leaflet planted indoors in a plastic cup was treated with SuperFood once a week, along with regular monthly N-P-K, for a couple of months. On the photo, you actually see not just a ginormous root but a whole new plant started forming through the colossal size root sucker trying to find its way out. A pretty impressive result for a small plastic cup! The cup was protected from the sunlight, sitting inside of a dark planter. The plant received filtered light sitting on a windowsill with Eastern exposure.
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Q: What is the best time to start tropical plants from seeds? Should I wait till spring?
A: 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. Fall is a perfect
time to start tropicals from seed.
Traditionally, people prefer sowing seeds in Spring, especially
temperate species for a vegetable garden: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers... My
grandmother up North started them in early Spring in paper cups on a windowsill,
then once the temperatures went just above freezing, she planted them out in the
garden beds, and that early start always helped her to have the best early
crop 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. 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 take
time. So the sooner you start, the more chances to get small seedlings just in
time when Spring air outside is "warm enough" for those tropicals - 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 the germination process. Mild conditions of your home or a greenhouse
create better chances for successful growth. Seeds won't get overheated in the
hot Summer sun, and won't rot because of a sudden heavy rain. Just keep in mind
that some species require light for good germination.
For the best seed germination:
- Use only well-drained mix - we recommend special Seed Germination Mix #3, professional grade. Put seeds not too deep
(1/2 inch deep or less) to allow air circulation
- Soak large seeds for a few hours with Sunshine-S solution
- Keep warm (75-85F) and in bright light
- Keep soil slightly moist but not soggy
- Apply micro-element booster SuperFood to baby seedlings for vigorous growth
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Flacourtia indica - Governors plum
Governors plum, Madagascar Plum, Batoko palm - is a tropical or
subtropical small shrubby tree. It is cultivated in tropical regions as a hedge plant
and for its deep red acid fruits resembling small plums. The fruits are
about one inch wide and can be eaten fresh or made into preserves. They are sweet
and sour, with a texture and flavor similar to a plum. Fruits mature after
one to two months from flowering.
The tree is easy to grow, self-fertile and doesn't require much care,
not fussy about soil and very forgiving if you forget to water it.
Seeds germinate readily, but it takes a while until the seedling is
ready to be transplanted into a big pot or in the ground. If you plant them now,
by spring you have a chance to get the little tree ready to go!
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Lighting for overwintering tropical plants indoors
Q: Days are getting shorter and darker... I brought my tropical plants indoors for overwintering (I live in Atlanta, GA). Could you give me some advice on what lamps should I use for additional lighting of my plants?
A: Indoor
plants are very unlucky: they have to grow in "caves," and everybody knows
that plants don't grow in the caves. The luckiest plants win sunny windowsills,
but even there they dwell rather like in underbrush under tall trees, where
the sun illuminate them only early in the morning or in the evening, and its
light is diffused by foliage.
Usually domestic plants are in desperate lack of illumination not only
in winter, but also in summer. No light - no growth, no flowering. So, plants
need extra light to compensate the lack of illumination in the "room-cave"
conditions.
Before you will start any practical actions to help your plants, you
need first to decide whether you are going to set an additional illumination,
or provide full lamplight. In the case of just additional illumination, rather
inexpensive luminescent lamps will do, and you don't have to think about
their spectrum. Continue reading...
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Improving cold hardiness before winter: fertilizer and micro-elements
Q: I live in New Jersey and it is getting cool here, with temperatures in the upper 40s, but my tropical plant collection is in a heated sunroom (still around 70s). Should I continue fertilizing my plants? And if yes, my second question about deciduous Sugar Apple tree. Should I continue fertilizing it until it drops leaves?
A:
First of all, even though you live outside tropical
climate, your plants enjoy warm temperatures year round,
and can be treated like if they were in a Southern
garden.
Plant nutrients, both macro-elements (regular
fertilizer) and micro-elements (such as iron, manganese,
magnesium, copper, and other elements) play an important
role not only in overall plant health but also in plant
hardiness.
The rule of thumb is, even in warm climates we cut off
any fertilizer by the end of October. You still have
time for the last treatment this year (next will be in
March, or when your plants start showing new growth).
You may apply just a bit of slow-release granulated
fertilizer, or water-soluble by foliar spray, diluted
1/2 of label strength, to all evergreen species in your
collection.
The most important application before winter is
micro-elements and other plant boosters that will help
you plant collection survive winter months with a
shorter daylight and cooler temperatures. Now it is a
perfect time to make these simple steps:
1) Miscro-element applications, any one of: Superfood, Iron Supplement, Greenleaf.
2) Sunshine-T application: for
improving cold hardiness, plus immune system resistance
to insects and deceases.
3)
Sunshine-Honey application for all fruit trees to
encourage bigger and sweeter fruit next year.
Regarding your second question. Deciduous tropical plants like Annonas, Adeniums, Plumerias, etc - do not need regular fertilizer at this time, however, go ahead and apply microelements Superfood complex, as well as Sunshine-Honey, while leaves are still green. These two will give a kick-start to provide better flowering in spring, and production of sweeter fruit later.
Check out SUNSHINE boosters - all with free shipping!
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Alyogyne: Blue Hibiscus with prismatic effect of peacock feathers...
By Mark Hooten, the Garden Whiz.
Certain plant families contain many members which I consider outstanding and requiring much admiration. One of these families is the Malvaceae, known as the "Hibiscus (or Mallow) Family". This group contains many members whose ease of growth and visual impact is undeniable. Among those which really stand out is a group of species from far-off Western Australia called Alyogyne. They are especially special! Continue reading...
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Bilimbi, Cucumber tree, Tree Sorrel
Ethnic names are: Kamias, Belimbing Asam, Belimbing
Buloh, Bimbiri. This rare exotic fruit is very popular
in Thailand, Malaya and Singapore. In India, where it is
usually found in gardens, the bilimbi has gone wild in
the warmest regions of the country. Outside native
habitat, Bilimbi is hard to find plant, very few growers
produce them, although it is not so hard in cultivation.
The bilimbi is closely allied to the carambola but quite
different in appearance, manner of fruiting, flavor and
uses. The only strictly English names are "cucumber
tree" and "tree sorrel". "Bilimbi" is the common name in
India and has become widely used. Many people are more
familiar with the close ralative - Averrhoa carambola - Star
Fruit, which foliage looks very similar to bilimbi. The
bilimbi leaves and taste of fruit are quite similar to
those of the
Phyllanthus acidus - Otaheite Gooseberry),
although these plants are not related.
Continue reading...