"A tuberose by any other name would smell as sweet..."
by Mark Hooten, the Garden Doc
A: Recently, we received a beautifully grown batch of Polianthes tuberosa, all in one gallon pots. These are commonly called
Tuberose in the cut-flower trade. I was so happy to see them that I could
hardly contain myself from exploding with joy! It had been such a number of
years since I have even seen this plant that I had nearly forgotten about its
existence. I first grew it as a little kid "up north", after seeing it listed in
an old-fashioned mail-order catalogue, probably Gourney's. I remember doing
things like mowing neighbors lawns and shoveling snow from driveways in-order
to save enough money so that toward spring I could order a few things from
those plant catalogues...
Continue reading...
Photo: Mr Barcy meditating before planting Nutmeg
seeds
Q: I planted an avocado seed and it sprouted quickly, it has been
only a couple months and I already have a small plant. How soon will it
produce fruit? Can I grow other tropical fruit from seed?
A: Unfortunately, some fruit trees, including varieties of
avocado, mango, lychee, as well as apples and peaches - must be either grafted or
air-layered in order to produce, for 2 main reasons:
- seedlings may take a very long time until fruiting, up to 10-15 years
- seedling gives no guarantee on the quality of the fruit or variety
These fruit trees should be propagated as "clones" - both grafted
material or cuttings are actually copies of the mother plant and will keep the
same fruit qualities. Grafted trees usually start producing immediately.
However there is a number of fruit trees that come true from seed, and
take a very short time to start flowering. Jackfruit, Annonas (Sugar Apple, Guanabana, etc), Papaya, Icecream Bean, Eugenias start producing at a young age (3-4 years from seed).
Q: I am a rare plant collector and obtained a very interesing
cultivar of Monstera from you that says it's a hybrid Monstera adansonii x obliqua. Is there a named hybrid? The leaves on
this specimen that came in 1 gal pot are much larger than the plant I have
grown in a 3 gal pot for a few years, under name of Monstera friedrichsthalii.
A: Due to their diversity, it is hard to find verified hybrids in
the genus Monstera. M. friedrichsthalii is apparently an old Florida name
for what is actually technically M. adansonii. The "primitive" juvenile growth
is very different from the much larger more robust form that only occurs when
it is allowed time to climb a tree, in which case the foliage becomes very
different and much larger with many many more fenestrations (holes) of various
sizes. If you visit our Garden Center, you can see the mature form climbing
the oak tree in our Shade Garden in front of our office - we use this mature
plant for propagation. If you take a cutting and don't let it attach to a
bark/trunk and climb upwards, it will quickly revert to the wimpy juvenile form.
Seems that even climbing a pole indoors, it never actually develops into the
truly mature more complex adult stage.
Some juvenile forms growing on a tree if given too much shade, do not
develop into the larger mature form. Move it in more light and allow it to climb,
and it will look very different, but still is the same plant under different
conditions.
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.
Q: I need a tree for a space that is close to a pool and I don't
want a tree that is shedding leaves all year long. I don’t want it too big
either. The canary tree caught my attention but I need to know if it is a
tree that is dropping leaves all year. If it does then can you recommend another
tree? I live in Fort Lauderdale.
A:Canary tree is a good choice. It is free-flowering pretty little tree.
It is evergreen and doesn't shed leaves too much especially in your area with
mild winter. However, keep in mind that every plant sheds leaves. Even
evergreen trees replace old leaves with new ones. Some trees more than others.
Flowers also have a seasonal drop.
You may check the full list of compact flowering trees suitable for small spaces.
Another great choice is a Dwarf Tree Jasmine, Radermachera - also a free-flowering tree with rose-fragrant flowers
and large, architectural leaves that hardly ever drop. It has very dense yet
compact columnar shape, and is one of the greatest trees for smaller
landscapes.
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.
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.
Q: Good afternoon Anna, hope all is well. I have a question
regarding Coconut growth. When I planted my coconuts seeds I notice they had
water in it, after checking 6 months later I took one out from the pot and shock
to see if still had water but notice no water shaken inside, still, no plant
growing on all 6 seeds but no water noise inside of them. Can you indicate if
I should discard them or are they still have a chance they will
germinate?
A: Coconut seeds normally germinate within a month from planting.
If there is no growth within 6 month, chances are the seed was not ripe
enough, or didn't have proper conditions for germination.
To grow a coconut palm from seed, place the nut on top of the soil (if
in a pot, must be at least 3 gal pot) on its side, and bury it in soil
half-way. Keep it warm (75F or higher, the warmer the better), in full sun, and
soil must stay moist. Start fertilizing when the seed sprouts.
James Coconuts, one of our customer service reps, will be happy to
answer all your questions! (Anna Banana, Stevie, or Onika can help when Coconuts
is out of the office).
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.
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...
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.
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).
