Q: I visited Thailand recently, and enjoyed a wonderful stir fry
made with Cowslip flowers. I would love to grow it myself. I need this vine
in my life! Do you have them in your inventory and if so, will I be able to
grow it successfully here in SW Florida?
A:By Onika Amell, tropical flower specialist. The extremely fragrant Telosoma cordata has many names: Cowslip
Creeper, Pakalana vine, Tonkin Jasmine, Dok Kajon, or Chinese violet. It is a very
sought after rare tropical fragrant ornamental, but not everyone knows that
this flower makes a delicious meal!
The flowers have a lovely lemon-like fragrance and can be found in
South East Asian food markets. It is typically fried with eggs to make omelets or
stir-fried with tofu or pork and beef. Young leaves & flower buds can also
be eaten fresh (in a salad) or battered & fried. Not only are the flowers
delicious, but they are chock and block full of carbohydrates, proteins and
vitamins A and C.
An old Chinese tale tells the story of the mystic, aromatic powers of
the Pakalana vine...
Q: I just acquired a Medinilla plant. I have a cylindrical tall
clay pot that I would like to repot this beauty into. Would like to know if a
deep pot is good for this type of tropical plants even if the medium is
lightweight with bark and perlite allowing adequate drainage. Would appreciate
your advice.
A:Medinillas are very close to epiphytes, meaning they like high air
humidity and very good soil drainage characteristics. Clay pots usually provide
good air circulation, as long as they are not glazed. If you add a lot of soil
conditioner into your mix, like orchid mix and perlite, the tall pot will
provide a good drainage. Tall pot is also great for displaying the beautiful
pendulous blooms!
Plastic pots work well too, as long as you provide a well-drained soil for the plant. If a nursery plastic pot is not pretty
enough, you may place it in a fancy planter; however, make sure never let
the pot sit in water, Medinillas do not like wet feet.
Helping Citrus and other fruit trees with Nutritional
Supplements
Q: Can you recommended a product to help with my citrus?
Combating greening and chlorosis.
A: Citrus greening is spread by an insect called the Asian citrus
psyllid. The psyllid feeds on the stems and leaves of the trees, infecting
the trees with the bacteria that causes citrus greening. Florida Citrus
growers dedicated the last decade to researching citrus greening. Officially,
currently there is still no cure, however, some Nutritional solutions have shown
promising results. To slow the progression of citrus greening in infected
trees, nutrients are applied to the leaves and to the roots. Providing better
nutrition helps trees fight against citrus greening and enables them to continue
to produce quality fruit.
We recommend the following products for use on regular basis:
SUNSHINE Epi is a natural Brassinosteroid plant hormone and a
bio-stimulant that may be very effective as citrus greening treatment. It works
through plant's immune system and shows amazing results of recovery of weak and
sick plants.
SUNSHINE Superfood, a complex micro-element supplement, maintains
plant's health and provides vigorous growth.
SUNSHINE-Honey is a basic nutritional complement, it contains essential
plant micronutrients Boron (B) and Molybdenum (Mo). These elements are essential
to vegetative and reproductive growth, cell expansion, tissue growth, and
fertility. A very common problem for most unimproved garden soils is lack of
Molybdenum and Boron as soil micro-component. This results in underdeveloped /
low quality fruit and/or premature fruit drop. Applying SUNSHINE Honey on your
fruit trees will fill that gap and help a fruit tree to form a healthy
fruit.
Macro-nutrients should be applied in combination with micro-nutrients on
regular basis:
Mango-Food - Smart Release Fruit Tree Booster (works great for all
tropical fruit trees)
Fruit Festival Plant Food - Ideal blend designed to improve fruit trees
health and vigor, and increase crop yield.
Q: I am a rare plant collector and very impressed with your
plants selection that I can not find in our local nurseries in California. I have
never ordered plants online before and wonder how they make it through the
trip and do you suggest any special care to help plants with recovery?
A: Shipping live plant in a box for several days is definitely a
challenge both for a plant and for a grower. After many years of experience
packing/shipping plants we learned how to make that trip a success. Thanks to
our special packing techniques, breaking during shipping happens very rarely.
However, in order for the plant to recover well from normal shipping stress,
some special attention required from a customer too. You will receive care
instructions with your order. Make sure to follow them thoroughly, otherwise
you may put your plants at risk. These are a few factors to consider that
affect your plant during transit. They may cause the following symptoms of
shipping stress:
1. Lack of light. Complete darkness in a box is opposite to a
bright light that the plant was used to. After 2-3 days it may cause leaf drop.
If this happens, make sure to reduce watering. Less leaves means less
evaporation, and a plant can't use excessive water which may cause root rot.
2. Extreme temperature. Hot summer or cold winter temperatures
may put a tender tropical plant into serious shock. Usually the only time when
temperature may affect the package is when it is left outside on your
doorstep. Watch out for delivery by tracking the package with a number we provide in
shipping confirmation email.
3. Dry air and lack of water. When packing plants, we saturate
root ball and then wrap it tightly in plastic so normally your plant will have
enough water supply for a 3-4 day trip unless there are unexpected delays. In
a special package, the plant usually has enough of humid environment around
the leaves, especially if there are several plants together. However if the
box was exposed to heat it may dry out, and this will cause yellowing and/or
drying leaves. In most cases this is not critical; cut damaged leaves and new
growth will appear soon.
The shipping stress symptoms are normal and once you apply some extra
attention and love, your plants will recover sooner than you think. Be patient,
don't push with too much water or light, keep warm, in bright shade, and do
not fertilize until the plant shows new growth.
Remember to always use SUNSHINE Epi - a natural bio-stimulant that helps stressed plants to
recover quickly!
In the South. It's getting cooler in subtropical areas, and
garden work becomes even more enjoyable. Your garden now is in the most perfect
shape after summer vigorous growth. It is the best time now to run the last
trim before winter, as well as last fertilizer application. Clean up your yard without sweating off,
add mulch to help plants to survive through possible winter chills. Don't
forget to start reducing watering! Remember once temperatures drop below 65F,
tropical plants slow down or stop growing and go into winter dormancy sleep.
Up North. When temperatures drop below 45F, start bringing
sensitive plants indoors or into protected areas. Prepare/cover greenhouse, check
availability of covers (sheets, plastic) and condition of heaters. Plants
indoors will experience environment change, may drop leaves, and need different
care than out in the sun. Reduce watering, check for insects once a week, and
stop fertilizing until spring. Remember to pick the brightest spots for
overwintering your tropical plants!
Enjoy cooler weather, fresh air, and thank yourself for a wonderful work
you have done in your yard!
Q: I purchased several plants from you and they all arrived in
great shape. The Wrightia is very large and vigorous but some leaves are
yellowish. How can I improve that look? Any special fertilizer?
A:Wrightias are very showy and beautiful plants, although sometimes they
are susceptible to leaf chlorosis which in other words is iron deficiency,
especially during wet rainy weather. It is not harmful to the plant and can be
corrected with microelement applications. Use Microelements once a week to
correct the iron deficiency that usually goes away within a month. Then
maintain plants health with monthly applications. It is beneficial to use
microelements in combination with regular applications of health boosting
fertilizer.
Recommended boosters and microelement supplements:
Q: On the picture, these are a few of the jasmine plants that I
have from Top Tropicals. I have bought so many plants from you over the years,
not just jasmine. I have several varieties of jasmine. They were all doing
very well. However this year I didn't get a single flower. There are a lot of
buds... But before the buds open they become brown and withered. I bought
fertilizer from you. Fertilized the plants once a month like I always do. I
water the plants once a week. I repotted the plants hoping that would take care
of this problem. Some of the jasmine plants I pruned... the plants came back
vigorous growth with a lot of buds... BUT it is the same problem! Please
help.
A: One of the possible reasons why they have flower issues is -
maybe they don't have enough sunlight. They need to be in full sun all day
long for profuse blooming and proper flower forming. However since the buds are
forming, there may be just enough light. In this case, dropping buds may be a
sign of overwatering.
Important steps - how to make Jasmine Sambac flower:
Q: We recently moved to Florida and we miss our Apple trees we
had back up North and the Golden Delicious apples. I was told they won't grow
in Florida, it is true?
A: There is a solution for apple lovers even in Tropics! Low
chill apples bear as far south as South Florida, and may be a unique addition to
your tropical garden.
Variety Dorsett Golden looks like Golden Delicious with golden skin and
sometimes a red blush. This cultivar was discovered in the Bahamas and is
crisp and juicy with excellent flavor.
Attractive and fragrant pinkish-white apple blossoms will appear during
Feb-March and give way to fruit (smaller than standard apples) in June. They
remain a small tree, growing to about 15 feet.
For best results of cross-pollination and heavy production, we
recommend a pair of low chill apples - the perfect couple Dorsett Golden and Anna.
Q: I purchased an Angel trumpet in March, 2018. It wasn't looking
very good so I asked what to do about it. Your reply was to fertilize and
keep it watered. I did & it started to improve. I went on vacation & it
reverted, dropping leaves... How do I keep it happy?
A: With growing Angel Trumpets in Florida, there are a few things
that may go wrong, although in general Brugmansia is a vigorous rapid grower. Once the plant is established,
it is very easy to grow. Looks like your plant had some troubles at the start
and is still struggling. Dropping leaves could be a sign of a root problem.
These are the main important points for Brugmansia growing:
Must be planted in a high spot, using very well-drained soil.
Brugmansias do not like soggy conditions (happens with Florida summer). They like
water, but only as long as drainage is good.
Full sun is a must for a healthy plant.
Brugmansias are heavy feeders. Fertilize at least once a month once
the plant is established:
The bottom line is, do not overwater but don't let it dry out. It's
rainy season now, maybe too much rain affecting the plant.
Try these Sunshine Boosters, they have amazing results and often help
us to bring stressed and weak plants back to life:
SUNSHINE-Power - plant booster
SUNSHINE-E - plant booster
Q: I have a bunch of Ladybugs in my garden, I wonder if they
eating my plants? Do I need to get rid of them?
A: Ladybug (Harmonia axyridis) is, in fact, one of the
best insects you can find in your garden, it is a natural predator that takes
care of many bad bugs, including aphids. Keep them happy and bring them to your
garden. Ladybugs actually are cultivated as natural pest control, and you
can even buy them for your yard, instead of chemicals!
Ladybug larvae eating aphids:
The wonderful insects that dine only on landscape pests and don't harm
good bugs or plants are called 'beneficials', and ladybugs definitely fall
into this category, but not the way many people think. It's the ladybug's larvae
that are voracious predators of soft-bodied problem insects, especially
aphids.
Photo below:
One of our PeopleCats, "Innocent" Ladybug (a.k.a. Bug)
is wondering who else she can bug next...
