Scorpio - 10/23-11/21.
A WATER sign ruled by both Mars and Pluto.
Scorpio's plants are often found in remote places or on poor ground. They will likely have thorns, can be red in color, and grow under adversity. The good news is, most of these plants are nearly indestructible! This makes them desirable for every gardener.
The reproductive organs are ruled by Scorpio, so these are plants that balance the hormones, regulate the menstrual cycle, help with childbirth and pregnancy. Until this century, Scorpio was ruled by Mars, and the herbs associated with it had to do with the urogenital system and the colon. Many of the herbs related to Scorpio are cleansing and revitalizing. Now, astrologers assign Scorpio to Pluto, discovered in 1930 (Pluto is said by astrologers to be a higher octave of Mars). Physiologically, Scorpio involves the processes of catabolism and anabolism, the death and regeneration of body cells. Diseases of Scorpio are often involved with the slow buildup of toxic substances in the body (carcinogens, etc) or in the mind (anger, jealousy). Scorpio loves a spice with depth and complexity. Camphor Basil adds rich flavor to every dish it seasons, and its own aphrodisiac tendencies appeal to Scorpio's lusty nature.

Scorpio Zodiac lucky plants:
Ceiba, Baobab, Pistachio, Nutmeg, Thunbergia, Combretums, Dragon fruit, Medinilla, Camphor Basil, Oregano, Vanilla orchid, Hibiscus, Various cacti and succulents, Adenium, Honeysuckle, Peppers, Cordyline, Spider plant, Jasmine, Gooseberries, Wild indigo, Bougainvillea, Aloe vera, Raspberry , Palmetto, Horseradish tree, Camphor, Allspice and Bay Rum,Jujube, Sweet Mimosa, Agave, Milkweed, Hong Kong Orchid Tree, Pony Tail, Dwarf Poinciana, Bottlebrushes, Clusias, Crocosmia, Zig-Zag Cactus, Dracaena, Fire Bush, Hoyas, Jatropha , Kalanchoe, Sausage tree, Devils Backbone, Pereskia, Red Plumeria, Firecracker, Rattlebox, Rhoeo, Calendula, Geranium, Thistles, Mint , Sage, Catnip, Coriander, Sandalwood, Ginseng, Euphorbias, Acacias.

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

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!

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!

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

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.

Check out SUNSHINE boosters - all with free shipping!

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...

Check out this plant...

Butterfly Garden from Anna Banana

Butterfly facts

1. There are approximately 20,000 different species of butterflies, the largest of which is the Queen Alexandra Birdwing with a wingspan of 11 inches.
2. Female butterflies can lay over 1000 eggs during their short lifetime.
3. Butterflies lay their eggs on host plants which usually hatch within a few days, then turning into caterpillars. The caterpillar will then eat until it sheds it's skin several times, called instars, finally emerging from the chrysalis as a beautiful butterfly.
4. Butterflies are born to breed, their goal being to mate and begin the cycle again. Most live only a few days except the Monarch which can live up to six months.
5. Monarch butterflies migrate to Mexico every fall and remain there until spring when they make the return migration.
6. Due to the continuing destruction of the rain forests, where the largest population of butterflies are found, their numbers are dwindling. We encourage you to plant a butterfly garden!!

Remember:

- A sunny, less windy location is best, however, Zebras love to float in the shade of bushes and trees.
- The more host and nectar plants you have, the more butterflies will be attracted to your garden.
- Butterflies "puddle". They like a wet sandy area where they congregate and sip minerals and nutrients from the wet sand and water.
- Rocks to rest and enjoy their beautiful garden, and don't forget a bench or hammock for yourself.

FREE butterfly garden guide from Anna Banana

For our local Florida customers, it is a perfect time now to start a garden with plants for butterflies that will appear first thing in Spring. Establish these plants now for the Spring blooms that will attract the Beauty into your garden!
Stop by our Garden Center to check out our Butterfly Plants display, or simply call Anna Banana for a free consultation on Butterfly Garden at 239-771-8081.

Hurry up while butterfly plants are on 4-day sale!

Dobi Duck @ Top Tropicals

Introducing a new member of Top Tropicals Team: Duck Dobi. Full name is Adobe (Acrobat or Photoshop - he is both active and colorful perrrson).

A customer brought us this little guy who was lost on the street, probably left behind when his Mama took her babies across the road. (Why did the Duck have to cross the road after all?)
So Kristi adopted Dobi. He has been doing great for the last couple of days, decided that Kristi is his Mom so he is following her everywhere. TopTropicals cats are excited but staying away knowing better: don't mess with Mama Kristi!
Those of you who know little secrets how to raise little ducklings please drop us a line! Dobi is our first experience in raising something different than plants or cats!