Plumeria cold protection

Q: We have a purple-flowering plumeria which resides on our sunny deck during the warm months and then Winter vacations on our back porch where we can close the plastic film windows and where it stays above 50 degrees (overnite) until it can get moved outside again. We live in zone 8+ in South Carolina and I would love to plant it outside. Do you think if we ghost-covered it when alerted that we would have an overnite freeze, that it would survive being planted in the ground and recover to flower when warm? I don't believe the soil in our yard has ever frozen below the top 1/2 inch or so, and never for more than a few hours at a time. What do you think?

A: Plumerias are tropical plants, which means, they need frost-free environment. Even if the ground is frozen only on "the top ½" or so" - this may be enough to kill the plant. From our experience, plumerias can withstand a few hours of windchill frost (not frozen soil), but even if they survive, they may get some branches damage, and recovery may take so long that the plant may not even bloom the next year. So I wouldn't take that risk even with a ghost-cover cold protection. We have customers who grow tropical plants in the ground in colder areas, but they have greenhouse protection: this means, the soil is warm and the air temperature is maintained above 45-50F. For example, this Greenhouse in Virginia.

We recommend to continue growing your rare plumeria in container and move it inside when temperatures drop below 50F (recommended) and for sure when they drop below freezing. Plumeria can take a cold night (a few hours of upper 30's) as long as it is followed by a nice warm sunny afternoon with at least upper 50s. Otherwise, keep it indoors. The good news is, since plumerias are deciduous and have no leaves in winter, low light level won't affect the plant.
Just make sure to minimize watering and keep the plant on a dry side until it starts growing new leaves in Spring. You may continue fertilizing once a week with half-doze of Sunshine boosters - Sunshine TotalFeed. This will maintain the plant healthy and prepare for the blooming season in Spring.

Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Jim the Founder

Jim is the oldest cat of Top Tropicals. In fact, he is one of the Founders. In 2004 a tiny kitten showed up at first TopTropicals Nursery - a small quarter acre in Ft Lauderdale... Jim looked very important and confident and told us that he wants to stay with us because he sees a great future for TopTropicals... and he was right. Since then, Jim traveled with us through all nursery locations we ever had!

Jim used to lay on top of a warm monitor and help with our first website designs... if you look at his favorite monitor in the picture, you now can imagine how old this cat is!
In spite of his age, Jim is very active and likes to eat a lot. He believes that a good meal is key to a healthy living, and prefers variety. He eats everything: meat, fish, soup, pasta, pizza, veggies, cucumbers, salad... eats well and stays healthy!
Jim happily participates in all costume parties. Yes, it is him in a Santa costume greeting you at the top of this newsletter!

Don't miss out: Loquat Big Jim - we only have 4 plants, they all named after Jim!

Check out Video: Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals and more Cat of the Day stories.

Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Kevin Coconuts, brother of James Coconuts

Many of you know well James Coconuts who has been in charge of our Customer Service. Only recently James discovered a twin brother! Kevin Coconuts lives with Sue and Mark (our horticulturist) and helps Mark to grow all his exclusive rare plants. Here is Kevin's story told by Sue...

"...One fall day about a year ago we had a visit from a gangly little stray who seemed drawn to our home. We originally thought he was the kitty from across the street, as his markings are almost identical. We repeatedly shooed him off but the next day, there he was again. His unassuming, humble personality drew us in. Upon closer observation we could see he was a male, while the one across the street is female, so we realized he did not belong over there. He seemed to have nowhere else to go...
With his silly playful attitude, Kevin wormed his way into our hearts and we decided to accept him as one of ours. Upon entering our house for the first time, he seemed to know his way around, and within a couple hours he was fast asleep on the couch. Our two other cats (Amun & Midnight) did not seem perturbed, which is very unusual for CATS, as anyone with cats knows! We have enjoyed Kevin's warm and comical demeanor and could not imagine life without him. He is a bright light that lifts the hearts of all who meet him!"

Check out Video: Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals and more Cat of the Day stories.

Ghost Cold Protection

Q: Has anyone ever tried using heat packs under frost blankets to protect tropical plants from frost?

A: The reality is, the heat packs used for shipping do not have enough heat capacity to create efficient warming effect. From our own experience, the best way is to use small 25W incandescent bulbs which produce lots of heat (considering observing all safety precautions and fire safety). Some gardeners use Christmas lights. See picture of our plants in the ground during a cold night. We called them Ghost Cold Protection! ;)

See more columns on cold protection:
Seven rules of cold protection for tropicals
About Cold Protection
Cold protection - winter action for your plant collection
Tropical Treasures articles

Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Anna Banana's Kiki and Bandit

Everyone knows and loves our Anna Banana - the Heart of Top Tropicals Customer Service. Today she found herself another exciting project... to build a Cat Play Room! She sacrificed her whole living room and the whole paycheck for that.
The girl kitty with a black face is Kiki Tails. She is a bobtail. Bandit is a black and white boy with a white tip on a black tail. Anna Banana got them when they were just 7 weeks old. Kiki and Bandit were born on August 26, 2019, in Buckingham, just down the street from Top Tropicals Nursery!

Call Anna Banana's direct line 239-771-8081 to say hi to Kiki and Bandit! We will follow up on these babies and soon will update you with their new stories. Stay with us!

Now, here is Anna Banana's million-dollar question to her favorite customers: how do Cats and Plants go together in your garden or indoor plant collection? Tell us how your cats help you to grow plants, with pictures! The Winner will receive a FREE plant of $50 value! Participating stories and photos will be featured on Top Tropicals Facebook page.

Please use our contact form to submit your stories with pictures, with a subject "Cats in the Garden Contest"

Check out Video: Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals and more Cat of the Day stories.

When to apply super boost?

Q: Just wanted to know best time of day to apply super boost as spray and watering? Only listed to make sure night temp doesn't drop below 65F...

A: As a rule of thumb, plant's needs in fertilizers are very low in the cold season because they consume less nutrients during dormancy. For tropical plants, when minimum temperatures drop below 65F - we stop applications of dry (granulated) fertilizers until spring, to avoid root burn.
Liquid Sunshine Boosters are exceptions from this rule to a certain extent, for 2 reasons:
- they are amino-acid based which means, salts do not build up in the soil, and thus will not burn the roots even with slower plant metabolism.
- concentrations/formulas are mild and designed for as frequent as daily watering

1) When a plant goes into full dormancy (drops leaves and does not show any new growth), you may stop fertilizing with any Macro NPK products (both dry and liquid)

2) If a plant is evergreen and continues growing during the cooler period, and especially if it is a winter bloomer, mild liquid fertilizers can be applied, depending on the stage of plant development.
Robusta and TotalFeed are used for vegetative growth and pre-flower.
Megaflor and C-Cibus are used for winter flowering/ fruiting plants during the bloom stage.

See full list of liquid boosters

3) Micro-elements can be used all year round for all plants that are not dormant (do not drop leaves)

4) Always use Sunshine-Epi as a foliar spray to activate immune system and unlock protective mechanisms, BEFORE applying other boosters. It is especially important during Fall-Winter for improving cold tolerance and disease resistance.

5) Always apply foliar spray and/or drench the soil with solutions in morning hours so the plant has time to process the nutrients during daylight when metabolism is the most active.

6) Avoid any dry fertilizers during winter

Trimming Mussaenda bush

Q: My wife and I bought a Dona Evangelina from you this year. It thriving and has grown to 6-8 ft. It has become top-heavy and in wind, it falls over. Main stems have split twice but still continues to grow. I usually prune Dona Luz back to 3-4 ft and am wondering how much you would advise me to lop off your plant. Any advise will be appreciated.

A: Mussaendas, indeed, have very fragile stems that break often, especially in Florida wind storms. The good news is, these plants grow vigorously once established.
You did a good job trying to tie together the split stems and in fact, cracks do grow back together as long as the dressing is tight. Try to use green tape or even electric tape to tighten the broken spot.
However, do such repairs only if it is critical for a plant. When possible, simply cut off the broken branch and give the plant a chance to grow a new stronger branch. You may trim the bush pretty short. Mussaendas respond well to pruning which promotes more side growth and makes the plant bushier.
Keep in mind that during cold weather, Mussaenda may drop all leaves and go into dormancy until spring.

RECOMMENDED FERTILIZERS:
Pink N Good Daily Plant Food - Flower Booster
Tropical Allure - Smart-Release Booster

Hardy Plumeria Pudica

Q: I have ordered plumeria pudica from you in March and it is thriving really well here in Rancho Cordova, California. The current temperatures are ranging from 68 to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. My USDA zone is 9b. Does this plumeria pudica survive outside with temperatures dropping in coming winter in CA?

A: From our experience, Plumeria pudica is pretty cold hardy and takes some cold spells in spite of being a tropical species.
Our trees (well-established) took a few hours of freeze with no significant damage.
Potted plants are less hardy than in-ground plants. However, their advantage is, they are easy to move indoors or inside warmer place like garage, etc. If the temperature stays borderline around 32F for a few hours, the plant should be safe as long as warm day temperatures follow a cold night. For longer periods of cold, move the plant inside.
Make sure do not overwater and keep Plumeria on a dry side during winter, since cold and wet is a bad combination and may cause root problems.
Above is the picture of Plumeria pudica tree growing in Cape Coral, FL where low temperatures in winter sometimes go down to upper 20's for a few hours.

To improve cold hardiness of Plumerias and other tropical plants, use SUNSHINE-Epi-T for plant thermal protection and immune system boost.
Make sure to fertilize plants on regular basis to keep them strong and vigorous. The stronger and bigger the plant, the hardier it is!

RECOMMENDED FERTILIZERS:
Plumeria Top Dress - Smart-Release Booster
Pink N Good Daily Plant Food - Flower Booster
Tropical Allure - Smart-Release Booster

Fragrant Gold Leaf Orchid Vine

Q: I am absolutely thrilled to see you have this vine. I've tried for years to get this plant! It is so, so rare. It just seemed impossible to find in this country. How do I make it thrive? I am ordering two.

A: We are happy to confirm that indeed we do have this rare vine!
Bauhinia aureifolia - Gold Leaf Orchid Vine - was discovered in Thailand in 1983. It is endemic to Pattani, Narathiwat, and Yala in Southern Thailand. Danish botanist Kai Larsen named this plant and hailed it as one of the rarest plant species of the world when it was discovered in the eighties.
The Thai people call this vine Bai Mai Si Thong. It is a beautiful climber with large, bi-loped leaves (7 inches or more!) and good branching.
Young leaves are a stunning burnt orange to terracotta color for about a week and as they reach full size, they turn green over a couple of days. This is a very rare color for Bauhinia. It produces leaves all the time and this means this vine is always full of beautiful color. With its golden leaves, it sure is reminiscent of Autumn.
This vine blooms from May to November. It bears bunches of small flowers that are delicately fragrant in the evenings. The cultivated plants range flower color from pure white to purple and pink, while the wild ones have often white petals with pinkish patches.
Bauhinia aureifolia needs well-drained soil, full light and good humidity to thrive. It will tolerate a light freeze once established and it is very important to protect young plants.
Gold Leaf Orchid Vine also makes a wonderful container plant with staking or support. It is a must for every rare plant collection!

RECOMMENDED FERTILIZERS:
Pink N Good Daily Plant Food - Flower Booster
Tropical Allure - Smart-Release Booster

Using SUNSHINE Complete Nutrition System

For hydroponics and potted plants

Q: I recently bought both the 5ml of the sunshine epi and the 100 ml advanced nutrition kit. I read on the paper for the Epi not to use any other strong fertilizers along with this but I was wondering if it'd be alright to use both this foliar spray and nutrition watering together?

A: All solutions in SUNSHINE Booster Nutrition System (NPK-macro and micro-boosters) are compatible.
The only exception is Sunshine-Epi - brassinosteroid bio-stimulant. Epi should be mixed with distilled water separately from other boosters. The reason is, it is very bio-active, and if mixed with other compounds, oxidizes quickly which may affect its performance.

Sunshine-Epi solution must be prepared using distilled water and applied as foliar spray only (it only works on contact with leaves and not through the root system). Epi shows extremely impressive results when you apply it before the application of other nutrients because it increases plant metabolism; so all boosters become even more effective if you spray Epi the day before.

When using Micro- and Macro-boosters, you may mix all components in one watering can/tank (except for Epi), using regular tap water. Besides watering root ball, the macro-micro solution can be also used for foliar spray. It is optional, as in some circumstances growers prefer to keep leaves dry at all times: to stay away from mold, fungus and other issues caused by the wet environment.

Here is an example of Sunshine Boosters Nutrition System application:

1. Daily watering in one can: NPK 25 ml/gal (one of 5, depending on growth stage) + Constanta 5 ml/gal + Ca-Support 5 ml/gal, mixed in tap water
2. Every 2 weeks: spray Sunshine-Epi 2.5 ml/gal - to boost the immune system and growth rate, mixed in distilled water
3. From daily to every 2 weeks: Sunshine-Power-Si 25 ml/gal to protect from diseases and keep pH at 5.5-6.5. Can be used as often as daily and mixed with a daily watering solution (1)
4. As needed: Sunshine SuperFood and GreenLeaf - for correcting deficiencies. Can be also mixed with the daily solution (1)

   Make sure to prepare a solution right before use and do not store solution for more than 1 day. Keep concentrates and solutions protected from bright sunlight.

   Here is also advanced information on Sunshine Boosters compatibility.

   READ MORE >>>