- 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.
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.
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.
