When to fertilize and prune tropical fruit trees?

Q: Can tropical fruit trees (Soursop, Mango, Star fruit, etc) be given plant food any time of year? Also can they be trimmed this time of year/summer?

A: True tropical plants (including fruit trees) need plant food most of the year in real Tropics, where temperatures have very little fluctuations, and active growth season is close to 12 months a year. In subtropical areas when temperatures in winter drop below 65F, plant metabolism slows down, so it is recommended to fertilize only during the warmest period (March through November). So yes, Summer is the perfect time for fertilizing your trees; their metabolism is at the highest point and they can use more food!

Trim your fruit trees right after harvesting. Obviously, you don't want to prune branches before or during flowering or fruiting. The specific time of the year for pruning depends on the plant - every tree has its own flowering/fruiting season. However, avoid pruning right before winter: young shoots promoted by pruning are tender and can be cold damaged.

Recommended fertilizers for fruit trees:

Fruit Festival Plant Food - Super Crop Booster
Mango-Food - Smart Release Fruit Tree Booster
SUNSHINE-Honey - for sweeter fruit
SUNSHINE SuperFood - microelement supplement

Plants that are not for eating

Q: On the website, it says that the pua keni keni tree is toxic. Do you know how toxic? Is it mild irritation or can someone die from ingesting any part of the plant?

A: Pua Keni Keni, Fagraea - seeds (and especially flesh of the fruit) are toxic, so we recommend to always wash your hands after handling them. Obviously, nobody in our team ever tried to eat them to check how toxic they are and if they are deadly.

In general, one must be careful when using plants for purposes other than ornamental growing, especially for consumption. While some obvious edibles (cultivated fruit, vegetables, herbs) are generally safe, but some individuals may have severe reactions - for example, many people are allergic to mangoes; other people may be sensitive to only mango leaves.

A number of plants that have parts commonly consumed for food, have other parts toxic or poisonous. Example: Potato - Solanum tuberosum - has edible tubers feeding the whole planet population, but this plant's fruit is highly toxic and even deadly if eaten. Fruit from a Potato plant look like tiny little green tomatoes since Potato belongs to the same family as Tomato - Nightshade, but it is super poisonous, while Tomato fruit is perfectly edible. So one must watch out and especially educate little children about not tasting anything directly from the garden.

As far as animals concern, in Nature they know what is poisonous and what is edible. Have you ever seen dead birds around a tree with poisonous fruit/seeds? Animals have their own sense for it. So if your concern is for pets, it is normally safe to have pets around plants with irritating or even poisonous parts. However, if your dog has a bad habit of chewing on stuff, you may use extra caution there.

Photo below:

Riki-Tiki-Tavi exploring TopTropicals Gardens.

How to grow Soursop in a pot

Q: Is it possible to grow soursop in a large pot for life?

A: Soursop, or Guanabana - Annona muricata - is actually one of those tropicals fruit trees that can be easily cultivated in a container. Most plants of genus Annona have compact nature, and these fruit trees usually start production at a young age, as early as 3 years from seed. Annona muricata seedlings take a little longer to fruit, this is why we offer grafted trees, which can start producing right away.
We have a very interesting article about growing Soursop in an apartment. The article was written by an indoor gardener who lives in a very small apartment in Moscow, Russia. He grew this tree from seed and after years of cultivation fun, he finally got several large delicious fruit! It is an amazing story. We have it published in our Tropical Treasures magazine, download the whole issue #7, get a hard copy, or you may download PDF file of the single article.

Recommended fertilizers and supplements:

Fruit Festival Plant Food - Super Crop Booster
Mango-Food - Smart Release Fruit Tree Booster
SUNSHINE-Honey - sugar booster

A Cup of Tea Plant

By Onika Amell, tropical plant specialist

A: I live in Ave Maria, Florida. I want to try my hand at growing my own tea. Which plant do I need?

A: Most people do not realize they are actually enjoying camellias when they sip their cup of tea. True tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant, an evergreen shrub or small tree.
In the fall and winter, the plant will produce small white flowers with a lovely fragrance. The foliage is shiny and dark green with a very nice informal and open look. Camellia sinensis (or tea plant, as it is commonly known) prefers a temperature between 65 and 86 degrees, which makes Florida an ideal area to grow them. However, if you live in colder zones, you can certainly succeed growing your own tea plants using a greenhouse. Alternatively, you can use containers which can be brought inside when temperatures start falling. Tea plants will usually survive a very slight freeze, though the leaves may be damaged or killed. It will not tolerate a hard freeze. They prefer full sun or light shade in the garden.
Tea plants will become small trees or large bushes if not pruned. Hardcore tea growers trim back the shoots repeatedly to a height of around 4 feet to encourage new growth and to contain the size.
Make sure to pick an area of your landscape where it does not flood or remain wet during our rainy season. Camellia sinensis does not like wet feet at all. They prefer well-drained, sandy and slightly acidic soil. If grown in a container, add some sphagnum moss to the potting mix. They will benefit from frequent applications of small amounts of fertilizer.
You will need some patience, too. Your plant should be around 3 years old before you start harvesting leaves.

Recommended fertilizers:

Tropical Greenhouse Plus - Plant Booster
Tropical Allure - Smart-Release Booster

Harvesting recipes

Now that you know how to grow the Tea, you need to check this out: the Harvesting recipes how to harvest and make different kinds of real tea: Green Tea, Japanese >Continue reading...

Dwarf and Condo mangoes - easy mangoes

Q: We leave in zone 6a, could you tell us what is the list of different types of mango plants that could be planted indoor and that they can bear fruits?

A:There is a large group of mangoes called "Condo Mango" - they literally can be grown in your apartment! Those are dwarf varieties that can remain compact in containers with minimal pruning and successfully bear fruit providing bright light and proper care, including plant food.

The best dwarf and semi-dwarf varieties are: Carrie, Cogshall, Cushman, Fairchild, Graham, Ice Cream, Julie, Mallika, Nam Doc Mai, Pickering, Irwin, Jahangir, Juliette, Lancetilla, Little Gem, Manilita, Sia Tong, Torbert, Pim Seng Mun, Super Julie.

They produce juicy, fiberless sweet fruit. Julie is also a very popular dwarf variety, however, it is very cold sensitive and not the easiest to grow. If you get a 3 gal size mango, step it up to 7 gal when the plant reaches 4 ft; you may use a bigger container as the root system grows, up to 15 gal or even 25 gal, space permitting. Trim the tree under 6-8 ft after production season is over (summer-fall).

See more information on growing condo mangoes

RECOMMENDED FERTILIZERS:

Mango-Food - Smart Release Fruit Tree Booster
Fruit Festival Plant Food - Super Crop Booster
For sweeter fruit, use SUNSHINE-Honey - sugar booster

Erythrina vespertillio - Bat-Wing Coral Tree

by Mark Hooten, the Garden Doc

...Even in its native homeland, the species remains uncommon, and most Australians have never even heard of it!.. Now, the Bat-Wing Coral tree is likely my all-time favorite small growing flowering tree in existence. There are not enough superlative adjectives I know to properly and adequately describe it. Imagine closely packed long-lobed blue-green bat wings in groups of three on long thin stems which actually rather flutter in a breeze...

Continue reading...

Picture of the actual plants for sale:

Growing desert roses

Q: I purchased a Desert Rose and planted it in Adenium mix. I keep it in full sun with once a week watering assuming this is a desert plant that likes lots of sun. Some leaves turned yellow and now I am not sure should I move it into shade or need to water more? Or maybe fertilize with something?

A: Desert Rose - Adenium, unlike cacti and other succulents, prefers filtered light. It can grow in full sun but leaves look healthier in light shade. Watering must be very moderate, however don't let soil harden like a rock: water again right after the soil gets dry. We suggest to use special Adenium Mix. Cactus mix may work well, as well as regular potting mix, in which case it is recommended to add a bit of limestone (we simply put sea shells on top of the pot - it looks very pretty!) - because adeniums prefer slightly alkaline soil (while most of tropical plants like acidic soils). If leaves turn yellow, this may be a sign of underwatering. Use water soluable fertilizer with high phosphate as foliage spray, and only on healthy plants, according to label dosage. It helps both caudex growth and flowering. Make sure to avoid fertilizer contact with a caudex.

RECOMMENDED SUPPLIES:
Adenium Plant Food - Flower and Caudex Booster
SUNSHINE-BC - Caudex booster
Adenium Soilless Mix

Read more about growing Adeniums:
What you need for successful growing Adeniums
Growing Exotic Adeniums

Super RARE: the Honduran Moon-Torch Cactus

by Mark Hooten, the Garden Doc

The most wonderful, easily growing, giant flowering, fragrant, and floriferous species of Selenicereus I have grown is an almost unknown species called Selenicerius hondurensis. While its climbing stems are rarely thicker than a Sharpie marker, it's flowers measure 12 to 14 inches across (!), open as the sun is setting, and produce a most incredible fragrance... very rich and spreading thru the area. It smells like a combination of both white chocolate and vanilla. S. hondurensis also develops the most richly colored flowers of the Selenicerei, the outermost petals being a glowing orangey-gold. It's very stunning and provocative! It flowers magnificently, several times during the summer... Continue reading...

Recommended fertilizers:

Tropical Greenhouse Plus - Plant Booster
Tropical Allure - Smart-Release Booster

Picture of the actual plants for sale:

Planting and mulching during hot summer

Q: I would like to buy some trees and vines for my garden but I am not sure if it is a good time for planting. It's hot now in Florida. Should I wait till it cools off? If I plant now, can I rely on sprinklers?

A: Summer is always a good time for establishing plants because this is the time of the most vigorous growth. For the first 2-4 weeks, plants should be watered daily with a garden hose as you can not rely on sprinkler system yet. Mulch around plants generously - this will help:
- Maintain moisture
- Maintain soil temperature - protect roots from heat
- Reduce weeds and grasses
- Provide nutrients to the soil, and
- Reduce wind erosion from uncovered soils

Shipping plants during hot weather. Ship plants now or wait until it gets cooler

Q: Can you ship my plants now or should I wait until it gets cooler? Daytime temperatures here are around 90F.

A: Top Tropicals ships year around. In transit, packages are usually kept in a temperature controlled environment. In hot summer time, it is still safe to order plants in mail, as long as the box is not left at your doorstep in full sun.

Keep your eye at the weather forecast and if temperatures get to extremes (over 95F daytime), we strongly advise that you be present to accept delivery. As your package may be left on your doorstep by the carrier, this prolonged exposure to heat may be harmful to the health of your plants.

If no one is available to accept delivery, we suggest that you contact our customer service to postpone shipment until a later date or coordinate an alternate delivery address, or simply use your work address for delivery - so you can get your plants without delay. You may also use the delivery address at FedEx pickup locations to avoid delays!

We monitor the weather at destination before shipping. When daytime temperatures in your area are over 90F, your shipment may be delayed to ensure plants have a safe trip and do not overheat in the delivery truck. See information on shipping process and terms.

Please contact us for more info on holding orders during hot weather.