Garden Blog - Top Tropicals
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Save Coffee from extinct!
The most popular kind of coffee for commercial production, Coffea arabica, is already on the endangered species list. According to research, Coffea arabica plant could become extinct in as little as 60 years.
Coffee requires a forest habitat for its survival. With so much deforestation going on around the world, wild coffee species are being impacted at an alarming rate. Coffee plants grow in very specific natural habitats, so rising temperatures and increased rainfall brought by climate change can make coffee impossible to grow in places the plants once thrived.
Read the whole article
See video: Top Tropicals Showcase: Coffee plant
To reserve a cup of coffee for yourself and your children, plant the Coffee tree now!
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Spring mulching
Q: When do I start re-mulching my garden? Should I wait till summer?
A: It is time now to get ready for the growing season when not
only plants start growing, but weeds as well. To protect your garden from
unwanted invasives, keep a thick layer of mulch in areas around tree trunks and
shrubs.
Heavily mulch your garden at least once a year, at springtime. Add
mulch during the year as needed.
After mowing your lawn, use cut grass (hay) as a mulch around trees.
Hay is the best natural mulch, it compresses well after the rain or watering
and becomes very dense - weeds won't grow through it. You may cover it with
some colored mulch of your choice for a more attractive look.
Mulching is also helpful for retaining water for root systems, so
plants will require less frequent watering.
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Spring tips
Once temperatures stay above 65F, growing season starts for tropical plants.
1. Increase watering as soon as you see new buds opening and new leaves growing
2. Trim all dead or damaged wood 1-2 inches above new growth
3. Apply the following treats to make your plants happy:
- granulated balanced fertilizer
- SUNSHINE Superfood microelements as foliar spray for healthy growth, profuse flowering, and disease/bug resistance
- SUNSHINE-E to help plants come out of dormancy faster and increase metabolism. 100 ml bottles and 50 ml bottles available for large plant collections.
- SUNSHINE-Honey to fruit trees so you can enjoy sweeter and bigger fruit later this year
4. If nights are still chilly, take potted plants outside to enjoy the afternoon sun and bring them back indoors for the night.
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Fertilizing Ylang Ylang
Q: What fertilizer should we be using for ylang ylang?
A: Ylang Ylang is a free-flowering tropical plant that requires regular
feeding during active growth period (March through November in Florida). We use balanced granulated fertilizer that contains micro-elements. Apply once a month 1 tsp per 1 gal of
soil. For in-ground plants, 1/2 cup once a month.
We also apply additional micro-element treat SuperFood as foliar spray which dramatically increases
growth rate and promotes flowering.
Check out our fertilizers, plant boosters, and garden supplies:
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RARE Featured plant, finally in stock!
Vanilla dilloniana - Leafless Vanilla Orchid
Very rare, collectible and extinct species! This plant propagated at TopTropicals nursery from Robert Riefer's unique specimen, the biggest potted specimen in the World, grown in 100 gal pot, originated in 1927, awarded in 2011 with CHM certificate of Horticultural Merit by American Orchid Society. Leafless Vanilla Orchid is amazing exotic vanilla that forms a multi-branched, leafless vine reaching lengths up to 15 ft. The light green flowers are similar to Vanilla barbellata but the petals and sepals are longer and the fluted lip is a deep reddish-purple with a yellow crest. Vanilla dilloniana is distributed throughout the West Indies and had been reported on the banks of the Miami River in South Florida. Vanilla dilloniana is a very rare species and considered vulnerable, endangered across its range. Pieces of plants from the original colony have been shared and may be found in local collections.
See the .
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Champaca tree during Spring
Q: The Joy Tree that I purchased from you is going fine but the leaves have brown tips that shriveled up. How can I avoid this?
A: All Magnolias prefer rich and moist soils. These are some
useful tips for growing Magnolia champaca:
- when planting in the ground, dig a big hole and replace sandy old
soil with a rich organic mix containing compost and lots of peat moss to retain
moisture.
- water daily for the first few months until the tree is
well-established and root system is large and strong.
- use a large amount of mulch around planting
- remember that during springtime (especially March through May)
champacas go through the semi-deciduous stage and lose a lot of leaves. Sometimes
the tree may start looking drying out - all the sudden, overnight. Give it a
few weeks and you will notice new light green re-leafing that will dress up
your tree when the time comes.
Check out Champaca trees:
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Featured plant. Mango Hoaloc, Cat Hoa Loc
Cat Hoa Loc Mango
Grafted Mango (Mangifera indica) - Hoaloc, Cat Hoa Loc... It is very
rare, Exotic mango variety from Vietnam. The fruit is fiberless, oval yellow,
with very thin seed. It is a rare, collectible variety.
Among Vietnamese mango cultivars, Cat Hoa Loc is the most popular cultivar
because of good appearance, texture, taste, and flavor. Its production ranks
the first among commercial mango cultivars in Vietnam.
It is known as one kind of the most famous mango in the Mekong Delta
and one of the favorite fruit by appealing color, taste and high nutritional
value. Hoa Loc mango became the reputation brand not only in Vietnam but also
in the world. With elongated shape, bright yellow skin when ripe, bright
yellow flesh, flesh architecture firm, smooth and low in fiber, are very tasty and
fragrant.
The Vietnamese Government supports the expanding of the production area
for Cat Hoa Loc mango. At the mature green stage, Cat Hoa Loc mango fruits
usually turn to full ripening within 4-5 days thereby limiting distribution
and marketing options.
So the best way to taste this delicious rare variety is to grow your own!
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Surprising Violet fragrance of the Blue Lips
By Mark Hooten, the Garden Doc
A few months ago while working among the bewildering array of great plants
we grow, I began to notice wafts of a very unique fragrance. The scent seemed
somehow familiar, yet for the longest time, I was unable to determine what
kind of plant it was emanating from. I knew it was somewhere toward the back
of the growing houses but just couldn't determine its source. The fragrance is
very distinct and wonderful and could be detected over a large area... That
scent is hard to describe, however, I would suggest a mixture of Lavender and
old-fashioned florist violets...
Then, a few weeks later, I happened to lean over a grouping of Sclerochiton plants, and THERE IT WAS!!! This might be the first flowering plant I have encountered which I might rate a full 10...
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Pisces Zodiac lucky plants
Pisces- 2/19 -
3/20. As a WATER sign ruled by both Jupiter and Moon (and Neptune, that
was not discovered until 1846, after the plant correspondences were
established; Neptune is considered a "higher octave" of the Moon), Pisces plants are
often large but hard to find, and may grow near the ocean. The most healing
plants for Pisces are those that strengthen the immune system or have an
antibacterial effect. Pisces plants may also catalyze expanded states of awareness
and be helpful in dream work.
Herbs connected to Pisces are ruled by its former ruler, the Moon
(Neptune, the current ruler, was not discovered until 1846, after the plant
correspondences were established; Neptune is considered a “higher octave†of
the Moon). Diseases of Pisces have traditionally included psychotic disorders,
various forms of substance addiction, lung diseases such as tuberculosis, and
ailments of the foot; contemporary herbalists also add immune system
diseases. Pisces is strengthened by rosemary's ability to promote an aura of
centered grounding. This protective herb helps strengthen boundaries and cultivate a
closer connection to the physical realm.
Pisces Zodiac
lucky plants: Water lily, Lotus, Clematis, Wisteria, Lisianthus, Brunfelsia, Echinacea, English Lavender, Rosemary, Coconut palm, Cranberry, Clove, Coccoloba, Sea Oats, Mangroves, Ochrosia, Aquatic plants, Colocasia, Alocasia, Aralia, Ficus trees, Banyan, Peepal, Banana, Mango, Mimosa, Olive, Anise, Vilca and Yopo, Kava-kava, Nutmeg, Anthuriums, Eucalyptus, Bauhinia,
Clusia, Caesalpinia, Callistemon, Bucida, Cassia fistula, Cordia, Calabash, Lipstick palm, Delonix, Elaeocarpus, Erythrina, Fatsia, Guaiacum, Mahoe, Koelreuteria, Kopsia, Macaranga, Pandanus, Peltophorum, Psychotria, Banesteriopsis, Tabebuia.
For other signs information, see Plant Horoscope Page.
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To prune or not to prune?
Q: We had a few nights with light frost and some of my tropical plants look sad, lost all leaves. I scratched the bark and it is green inside. Should I prune back all branches that look dead?
A: Never prune during winter time, even if some branches look dead. There is a chance you will be surprised by Spring when they sprout new leaves. Be patient and postpone all pruning until active growth starts, then cut off only damaged part, approximately 2" above new growth.