Philippines Elephant Apple has spectacular blooms and amazing large
leaves that are toothed and unusually shaped. This super-tropical looking beauty
is a favorite tree among Filipino garden enthusiasts. It is endemic to the
Philippines. The tree is buttress-forming, evergreen, and shade tolerant, it is
a great container and house plant. The leaves are large, 1-2 ft long,
leathery, shining, and coarsely toothed at the margins. Its flowers are white,
large, showy, and also very large, up to 1 ft wide, with showy reddish pistils
and stamens. The edible fruits are rounded, 2-3" in diameter, with medicinal
value. Flowers last only one day, but the plant stays in bloom all summer
through fall, with multiple flowers and buds that keep opening every day.
The plant is perfect for container and indoor culture, with showy tropical
leaves, beautiful flowers, shade tolerance, and compact growth.
Q: I am
looking for a suitable vine for my home. The wall/trellis which I would like to
plant the vine(s) is a two-story wall. The area gets lots of light at midday
but not direct sunlight. Most of the light comes from the north. Our home is
in South Florida (Miami). Would you please suggest a lovely colorful vine(s)
that would flower well under these conditions? Maybe one that has
fragrance.
Q: When I
visited Thailand I bought this huge fruit at the market and the taste was
amazing and unique! Now I see you have this Jackfruit tree for sale. I am
excited to grow it but not sure if it will survive our winters. I live in Huston,
TX. Also are there any special conditions required for successful fruiting?
A:Jackfruit indeed is one of the most fascinating tropical fruit. In
spite of reputation being ultra tropical, the tree is not as cold sensitive as
everyone believes. Mature trees can withstand light frost for a few hours
without significant damage. The only thing, after cold snaps it may be not as
profuse producer as in frost-free climates. Keeping Jackfruit in a pot is also an
option in colder areas. The tree is quite unique not only about fruit but
also about growth habit. The fruit is so large and heavy that the tree has a
smart feature to produce only at the base of the trunk. This makes it possible
to keep Jackfruit tree at very short height - 6-7 ft tall. We have many
varieties of Jackfruit, and all of them can be grown in containers considering
regular topping/pruning.
From Irene &
Marjorie, PA: We wanted to share our pics with you (after Summer). I
attached also the photo of the way the tree looked before your advice (back in
April). The big is the one we almost lost and you gave us these instructions and
it came back. These were your instructions:
"The soursop is one of my favorite fruits and I was so sad to hear
yours may be dead. Good news - the tree looks great! Yes, it does have some cold
damage but I'm surprised it still has leaves on it at all! In cooler weather,
they typically drop all of their leaves and stay that way until spring. You
can remove the damaged leaves and it will resprout new growth with the warmer
temperatures."
Taking care of
Soursop after shipping Soursop - Annona muricata trees are very sensitive to temperature drops. This
always causes leaf loss. After shipping, do not water until the soil gets
slightly dry; keep it in bright shade. No fertilizer until the plant shows active
new growth. Be patient with your plant, and it should recover soon.
Soursop is an ultra-tropical tree and doesn't take any freeze. If you
live in a cooler climate, keep the plant in a pot (the good news is, Annonas,
in general, have a compact nature and are perfect for container culture).
Bring the tree indoors during the cold period, providing bright light.
We have a very interesting article about growing and fruiting Soursop
in an apartment. Check out 4534 Tropical Treasures Magazine # 7.
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.
