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!
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: 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 received my mango tree from you on Monday and it looked
beautiful. I followed the instructions and kept it out of direct sun. I watered
it a little each day when the potting mix was dry to the touch. But the leaves
are turning yellow and brown then falling off. Should I have removed the
tree from the soil it was packed in?
A: Leaf drop and dry/yellow leaves are normal symptoms of
shipping stress.
Your mango tree looks healthy overall. Considering you have high humidity
now in Louisiana, the plant should recover soon under proper care. These are
important tips:
- Keep the plant in bright shade, away from direct sun - at least for a
week, then you may start moving it gradually to semi-shade, then to full sun
within a few days.
- Do not over-water. If the top of the soil is still moist, do not
water until it dries a little bit. Mango prefers to stay on a dry side. From this
point, over-watering is more dangerous than under-watering. You may skip a
watering if in doubt.
- If it rains every day, make sure to keep the pot under the roof to
protect from excessive water.
- Do not remove original soil and do not disturb roots.
- You used the right container size and looks like you have a quality soil with good drainage. Keep the plant in this container at
least for a few months. You may step it up only when you see a lot of active
growth of branches and leaves - this means, the root system is developing fast
too.
- do not fertilize until you see new growth. Then use Mango Food Smart release.
- to help the plant recover from stress, you may use SUNSHINE-E booster and micro-element foliar spray with SUNSHINE-Superfood.
Q: I bought a Mango tree from you last month and planted it soon
after it arrived. When is the best time to fertilize it? (I am in Florida)
A: We always recommend to wait on fertilizing until the plant is
well established. If you planted your tree a month ago and it is doing well,
showing new growth, then this is the time to start giving it some food.
For a mango tree, we recommend using 2 fertilizers - water-soluble and
granulated:
Fruit Festival Plant Food
Mango-Food Remember micro-elements that are essential for healthy and vigorous
growth:
SUNSHINE SuperFood - plant booster
In Florida, this is the best time right now for fertilizing - while we
still have a few months of nice warm weather - active growth period. This will
help you Mango tree to establish well before winter rest.
Q: I have ordered dozens of trees from you and have a question
about Soursop. I have a Soursop in a container and ants and aphids are under
new leaves. Do Soursop like little water? I water almost everyday living in
southern Los Angeles it's been around 76-80F. I spray the aphids and ants off
with a mist setting on my hose. They come back every day. They're only on new
leaves...
A: First of all, you don't have to remove the ants iŠ° they
don't bother you. Ants are good insects, they do not harm plants; most likely
they are attracted by a sweet sap - aphid by-product. Ants clean up a plant,
and they may even take care of some bad insects.
It is not difficult to get rid of aphids. Use a safe treatment: in a
small spray bottle, mix 1 cup of warm water, 1 teaspoon of dish soap and 2
tablespoons of any cooking oil (if you have Neem oil or Horticultural oil - even
better, but prepare, they are pretty stinky). Spray the leaves with this
solution to a dripping point. Repeat in a few days if needed. This simple remedy
will take care of the aphids.
Daily water may be ok for the plant during hot weather, as long as the
soil is not constantly moist. Let the surface of the soil get a little dry
between waterings.
Q: I received a Tabernaemontana africana, but it is not the
compact
cultivar, from the photo, this is definitely the tree version, not the
compact version?
A: The plant in your picture is Tabernaemontana africana and it is a shrub version, not a tree. The
plants we have in stock are smaller size but very vigorous so they can be
trained into standards.
We have this plant in our garden in the ground (3 years old) and by now
it bushed out and remains under 4 ft without any pruning. Just keep in mind
this plant requires regular applications of micro-elements, because the
species is very susceptible to iron deficiency.
The supplement we use, in case you notice any leaf yellowing, is Sunshine-Superfood.
