Three interesting varieties of Avocado

Q: I intend to gift three avocados, at least one type A and one type B, to a friend who lives in an area where the temperature never goes below 25F. The idea is to give them a ripening season as long as possible. Which combinations do you suggest, and which are the A and B?

A: When talking about "A" type and "B" type in Avocados, we are referring to the flowers. An avocado will produce both male and female flowers on the same plant. "A" type means that the flowers are female in the morning and male at afternoon. "B" type means that the flowers are male in the morning and female in the afternoon. If you plant to start a commercial growth, then it's important to create a proper mix of both types. However, in hot and humid climate a single tree produces flowers of both types, so it is NOT necessary to have both A- and B- types planted together in the backyard. Even a single tree produces enough fruit for a home gardener.

It is also important to know that while there are "more cold hardy" avocados (hardy to as low as 15F), it refers to a full grown established tree. Young trees still need protection from the cold until they are bigger and more established. One can not expect a small tree planted in June to survive the first winter with a hard freeze. It'll take a few years until the tree is strong enough.

These a few rare varieties that may be of your interest.

Poncho Avocado
Very cold hardy variety. Produces medium to large green fruit. It survived temperatures around 10F near San Antonio, Texas (Zone 8b). Mature trees can take temperatures down to 15F for short period of time without significant damage.

Anise Avocado
This avocado has strongly scented leaves that smell like Anise. Very rare variety. Fruit is of excellent quality, creamy and buttery.

Catalina Avocado
Catalina is a very nice mid-season pear-shaped fruit that is especially rich and creamy. It is an extremely popular variety in South Florida in the Cuban Community. The Story of this variety says...
...Catalina is an amazing avocado floated across from Cuba, 60 years ago just before Fidel Castro took over the Island Nation. Wise Cubans jumped into the ocean to escape the Castro regime and tossed in some favorite scions for us to enjoy here in the States. We owe a great debt to poor old Don Miguel Cruz de la Santa Maria Espinoza Sanchez Alvarez Jr. who sadly was lost at sea. His amazing scion wood, wrapped in cellophane and aluminum foil floated over, washing ashore on Miami Beach. His shiny little package was miraculously picked up on the shoreline and immediately grafted and cared for by keen-eyed avocado lovers in Miami...
So be sure to think about this story every time you eat a Catalina!

These three Avocados will provide you with fruit ripening during the whole warm season. See more information on avocado varieties and the most cold hardy cultivars.

Check out our full selection of avocado varieties. They are 15% OFF today!

Top Tropicals New Year Resolutions

We take this opportunity to extend our grateful thanks to all visitors and friends of our garden and website. The entire Top Tropicals team wishing you a Happy New Year with Happy New Plants!

In 2019, Top Tropicals plans include (but are not limited to):
- improved design of the website, online store and shopping cart
- many new introductions of rare flowering plants including Red Jade Vine, lots of new Adeniums
- rare fruit trees, including Mangosteen, Nutmeg, Clove and more
- extended selection of rare tropical seeds
- many new videos of rare tropical plants
- free and discounted shipping
Stay informed with our Newsletter updates!

New Year Resolutions for Gardeners in 2019

January is the month to plan and dream about your yard and garden. Grow your garden a few steps at a time each year: pick a few resolutions for 2019 and plan accordingly. Next year, a few more, and so on until you build the garden of your dreams.
This winter, resolve to:
- Hang a bird feeder.
- Order seeds of some rare plants so you can have an early start.
- Prune a tree into an espalier - it's a perfect time before Spring.
- Ask your grandparents what they grew in their gardens.
- Build a raised bed for succulents.
- If you live in a warm climate, plant a fruit tree or two.
- Start a compost pile.
- Plant a palm tree.
- Try some plant boosters to improve your plants hardiness.
- Chose Flowering trees, shrubs and vines suitable for areas in your garden that still have room...
- Install a rain barrel.
- Eat outside as often as possible.
- Show a child how to plant a tree.
- Provide a water source for bees and butterflies. They are not only cool, but also pollinators that will help to set fruit and seeds!
- Call TopTropicals for garden advise - what to plant, where to plant, and how not to kill it!
- Plant a berry-bearing tree or shrubs to feed the birds. Mulberry, Blackberry, Tropicals Cherries - are always good choices. They are 15% OFF now, offer expires 1/8/19.
- Rake and save fallen leaves for winter mulch for your garden beds.
- Save seeds from flowers to plant next year.
- Give plants as gifts all year long.

Happy gardening in 2019!

NEW VIDEO:

Dwarf Barbados Cherry

Malpighia punicifolia - Dwarf Barbados-Cherry, Dwarf Acerola. This dwarf form of Acerola makes a wonderful low-growing shrub or beautiful bonsai tree with edible fruit. Profuse bloomer, it is also a nice ornamental! Due to its shallow and smaller root system, Acerolas can be interplanted with other crops more closely than many trees. Acerolas grows in marl, limestone, clay and other heavy soils as long as it drains well. Has the highest vitamin C content of any fruit. 1 Cherry is equal to 12 oranges. Used in jellies, jams, freezes without losing its vitamin C content. The plant is drought tolerant and easy to grow.

Malpighias are available from our store

Stay updated with TopTropicals Videos by subscribing to our channel at YouTube.com/TopTropicals and get our latest video news of what is fruiting and blooming!

Seven rules of cold protection for tropicals

Q: I was always wondering how you guys manage to grow true tropical trees in Florida? I live in Puerto Rico and we have Breadfruit trees growing here in a wild... but my sister lives not far away from you, in Orlando, which is much colder, and I wonder if I can get her a Breadfruit tree for Christmas?

A: Your sister can grow a Breadfruit tree in Orlando either in a pot (and bring it indoors during cold periods) or in the ground inside a structure (an elclosed conservatory with heating system). See our customer's Greenhouse in Virginia. Cold protection of tropical plants is a lengthy subject and we have many interesting publications about it in our managine Tropical Treasures and on the website. In a nutshell, when growing tropicals outside of tropical climate, you need to follow these 7 rules:

1. Cut watering to a minimum. Cold+wet kills tropical roots.
2. Water thirsty plants before a cold night. Jucy leaves have fewer chances to be cold-zapped.
3. Wind protection is more important than a temperature drop. Plant tropicals close to a house or surrounded by other trees.
4. Duration of a cold period is more critical than the cold itself. If expecting long cold hours, bring up all available protection resources. Christmas lights or propane heaters - as long as there is a heat source, everything helps!
5. Remove plastic covers during the daytime so plants don't get "cooked" in the sun. Fabric covers are better than plastic.
6. Grow ultra-tropicals in containers and bring them inside the garage or even indoors during the cold.
7. Use SUNSHINE plant boosters and feed your plants well during Summer to improve cold hardiness.

   Related topics:

Mangosteen fever

Mangosteen availability. Yesterday we received 6 Mangosteen trees from Hawaii - on the photo Anna Banana is holding one of these very much wanted trees. We had 378 customers on a waiting list for this amazing fruit tree. After we sent wishlist notifications, the plants were all sold within a couple hours for $349.95 each on "first come, first serve" basis. We even over-sold one... our shopping cart could not catch up with so many requests! We also had 12 smaller size (1 gal pot) plants, and most were also sold right away. As of now, only 3 plants left.

We know many people want this tree, and we apologize that we had only a few. We are searching all our sources around the world for these plants and seeds to supply the Mangosteen for you!

ATTENTION to all Mangosteen seekers! Please re-submit your request for Mangosteen using our Wishlist form. We will find more plants for you, as well as will grow them from seeds. Be on top of our Mail-list news and make sure to re-submit a wish-list request for this plant, since your original request was removed as soon as notification was sent.

You may follow the BUY button below, and if all plants sold out, simply click on a link "Notify me when available". We will notify you as soon as we have the Mangosteen back in stock!

How to grow the biggest fruit on Earth...

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.

5 secrets of Jackfruit successful production:

1. Frost free temperatures (occasional cold spells are not critical if SUNSHINE-T cold protection booster is used)
2. Soil rich of organic matter (compost, manure, peat moss)
3. Moist soil and regular watering
4. Constant pruning and keeping under 7-10 ft
5. Regular application of fertilizer, microelements and SUNSHINE-Honey for better quality fruit.

   Read more about Jackfruit tree

Check out Jackfruit trees, currently at 10% OFF!

Recovering Soursop after shipping and cold

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

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...

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...