Mark your calendar: Christmas Countdown at Top Tropicals - 12/1/18.
Celebrate the
Holiday Season with us: "25 Days to Christmas" event
Event: Holiday plant shopping and Tropical Winter Plants
When: Saturday, Dec 1, from 10 am - 5 pm
Where: Top Tropicals Garden Center, 13890 Orange River Blvd, Ft
Myers, FL
More info: See our Facebook event or call Anna Banana @ 239-771-8081
Agenda: - 25% OFF everything and freebies for locals!
- Cold protection for tender tropicals
- Winter blooming and Winter fruiting trees and shrubs
- Snacks and drinks
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
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!
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...
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.
1. Prune. Last pruning before winter. Check the
trees and shrubs one more time. Cut away dead wood and
remove crossing limbs and branches.
2. Mulch. Continue to mulch to stop weeds and get
ready for winter. Keep mulch 1-2 inches away from the
stems. Evenings are starting to cool, so it is more
comfortable working in the garden.
3. Pest control. Check for mealy bugs and scales.
Remember that a garden with many kinds of plants has fewer
pests than gardens with lots of mass plantings. So keep up
with variety! Avoid pest magnets like Oleander, Oak,
Hibiscus which require constant spraying.
4. Propagation. You still can take cuttings but do
it as soon as possible. Days are getting shorter and less
sunlight signals thу plants to slow down their growth.
Cuttings will not root as quickly.
5. Seeds. Consider growing vegetables and
perennials from seeds. In mild cooler
conditions, seedlings have less stress and get a good
start.
Top Tropicals Powerpoint
Presentation by Anna Banana:
"Let's grow something different!"
Mark your
calendar: Anna Banana's Presentation "Let's grow
something different" Oct 16 @ 2 pm.
Learn more about rare tropicals and how to grow them in
non-tropical climate. Cold protection, water-wise, soil
improvement and much more.
Where: ALVA Garden Club
Meeting Location: The Alva Library Museum, 21420
Pearl Street, Alva, FL 33920
When: Tuesday, October 16th @ 2 pm.
Contact Phone Number for the Event: 239-728-3386
See more info about this event.
Season Colors from Kristi, TopTropicals Flower Queen
Q: I live
in New Jersey and I have a collection of potted tropical plants in my sun
room. Our Fall season comes in bright colors, do you have something with
colorful foliage for Fall?
A: For our
northern customers it's almost time for the changing of the seasons. It is a
very exciting and enjoyable time. The onset of fall means, less humidity,
cooler nights and the Fall foliage. Here in Florida we do not get the chance to
see the changing of the leaves, except maybe a few like Florida Maple Tree. So we use plants that mimic the season change, for
all year round color! These are a few examples of the plants with colorful
leaves that you may use for your Fall colors, plus remember - there is always a
big list of Fall and Winter Flowering Tropicals!
1) Easy planting. No sweat. Enjoy your gardening fun during
cooler weather!
2) Easy shipping. With cooler weather, there are less chances for
the mail order plants to get overheated in transit or at your doorstep in
case you miss the delivery. But don't wait too long, another few weeks and too
much cold will put another restriction for deliveries up North.
3) Easy establishing. Stress-free roots = stress-free plants =
happy gardeners. Cooler weather is always better for planting and quick
establishing.
4) Easy maintenance. Plant growth rate slows down during cool
period, so your garden maintenance will be minimal.
5) Winter bloomers will brighten your days! Look at these winter-flowering plants that create a spectacular show during
Fall-Winter in subtropical climates. If you grow them as houseplants, this is
your chance to have flowers in Winter!
6) House plants Many tropical species suitable for indoor cultivation are available year round, but when you
buy them in Fall - they are in their fullest and best shape after Summer
vigorous growth.
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.
