Q: I've been a long time customer of yours and always been very
happy with my purchases. Last year I purchased a coconut cream mango tree
from you and while it did flower and show signs of starting to fruit, they soon
fell off and I never got any fruit from the tree. This year, there are many
more little buds on the tree and much earlier in the season. I want to do
whatever possible to get as much fruit as I can and prevent these from all
falling off again. Please advise what I should do.
A: Mango flowers can be tricky and there are several factors that
may affect setting fruit and especially possible fruit drop. Here are a few
ideas that may be helpful...
Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Poor Little Raja
In our last newsletter we told you about little Abu, a Baby-Purrrson that Kristi rescued from the woods where he had
been surviving along with other feral cats: his little sister and his Mom who
was badly injured in a car accident. We received messages from our customers
asking if we were able to rescue the other two cats...
For the past few days Kristi, Jamie and Onika have been trying to capture
them... The feral cats didn't want to come to humans, they were hiding away.
The ladies were able to trap Abu with a tuna can... then tried and tried again
with the other two with no luck... Even tried to call Animal control asking
for help catching the animals so we could give them medical help. We were
told that they don't trap cats! ("unless it's a cat-hating neighbor going
against a crazy cat lady" - Crazy Cat Lady's comment). The girls continued
their efforts again and again, with treats, traps and different capture
plans... day after day.
Unfortunately, the sick mother-cat did not survive and we found her
yesterday with her little baby crying over her cold body.
Kristi was able to grab the tiny kitten who was even smaller than her
brother Abu. She named her Raja - a friend of Abu. Raja said that her poor
mother's words were: "Go to that lady, my baby, she looks kind. It's my time to go
now, and you will be in good hands..."
The little Raja was in very poor shape herself, with eyes full of tears.
She was covered by fleas, and looked like passing out from anemia. Her paw was
injured and infected, and her little nose... first we just thought she was
pig-nosed! But her nose is also swollen. Kristi rushed her to the vet where
Raja got treatments and meds. She got much better the same day and finally
stopped crying. Raja finally recognized her brother Abu and cuddled with him.
Now Raja is on her way to recovery and will be sending her updates soon!
Thank you everybody for supporting us in helping PeopleCats. Every
dollar you spend on TopTropicals plants is split between plant growers and
PeopleCats who help us become better people.
Tu BiShvat is the Israeli Arbor Day, and it is often referred to by that
name in international media. Ecological organizations have adopted the
holiday to further environmental-awareness programs. The modern practices and
interpretations of Tu BiShvat often revolve around the earth and environment.
This holiday is a celebration of nature and appreciation for creating the
natural world. In Israel, Tu BiShvat is celebrated as an agricultural holiday. The
15th of Tu BiShvat was celebrated this year on February 10, 2020. This day
marked the beginning of a new year for trees. This day marks the season in
which the earliest-blooming trees emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new
fruit-bearing cycle. Often the date of Tu BiShvat is used for determining the
age of fruit baring trees and therefore establishes their birth dates.
Therefore, Tu BiShvat is the "birthday" of trees!
The traditions and customs of Tu BiShvat vary, however, the most common
include planting trees and gathering with family and friends for a meal. It
is celebrated by eating fruit, particularly the kinds that praise the bounty
of the Holy Land: grapes, figs, pomegranates, almonds, dates, olives and others. It reminds people that "a man is a tree of the
field", and reflects on the lessons we can derive from the botanical
analogue.
Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Lucky Abu
"You will always be lucky if you know how to make friends with
strange cats".
Colonial American Proverb
- our last Cat of The Day Itembi started with this quote... and guess what, it
proved right again!..
Right around the corner from TopTropicals, in the woods, Kristi noticed
a skinny poor cat... she looked so miserable, just bones and skin... she
could hardly walk and looked injured. And yet she had 2 kittens following her!
The Cat Family could use some meal and a warm home. Unfortunately they seemed
to be feral and wouldn't let Kristi pick them up.
Compassionate Kristi spend couple days brainstorming how to save these poor
PeopleCats in need. She ended up setting a trap and... bingo! The first
Little Purrson found its forever sweet home at TopTropicals!
...The cat groomer Lindsey came home from school. First bath time... the
kitty smelled like poop! Soon the bath time was over... Full of fleas, and it's
a boy!
Remember that every dollar you spend on TopTropicals plants, is split
between plant growers and PeopleCats who are our all-time companions and
helpers in our daily hard work! We thank our customers for buying plants and thank
our PeopleCats for keeping us cool, kind, and happy!
Q: I purchased an avocado tree from local garden centers three
times but every time it dies on me. My neighbor has a nice tree in his yard and
it grows beautifuly. I just purchased one online from you and I need to know
what I was doing wrong? Are there any secrets how to make an Avocado tree
happy? I have a big garden and several mango trees, but no luck with
Avocado...
A:Avocado tree is famous for being such a pain to establish. But once it
starts growing, it's growing! We will share a few simple tricks how to make
it right.
1. Plant high and provide good drainage. Wet feet is number one
reason for failing an avocado tree. It doesn't like wet soil and won't
tolerate soggy conditions. Plant it in the highest spot of your yard and slightly on
a "hill" (3-4" higher than the surrounding ground).
DO NOT plant Avocado tree in low spots or wet spots of your yard. Save
those spots for Cannas or Black Sapote or even a Mango if you want a fruit tree there. 2. Use quality soil. Use only well-drained soil with high content of
organic matter. You may add compost to existing sandy soil, or add some professional potting mix that contains pine bark and perlite. Remove
rocks from the hole if you see any while digging. Dig a big hole and fill it
with a good soil; compact the soil in the hole very well before setting the
root ball. Reminder: plant the tree high! 3. Water regularly. After planting an Avocado tree in a nice high
spot with a good drainage, start watering it... daily! Avocado likes water,
although it doesn't like wet feet! Once you figure out this combination, you've
got the recipe of success. Water by hand daily for the first week after
planting, then twice a week for couple weeks, then once you notice new growth -
you may rely on sprinklers, but keep watching the tree and don't let the soil
over-dry. It must be slightly moist, but not soggy. 4. Fertilize. For such finicky tree, we suggest mild formulas of
fertilizers. Dry fertilizers may burn roots, especially of a young tree. Even
smart-release granulated fertilizers should be used very carefully. The best
way to feed your young avocado tree - get a complete set of Sunshine Boosters Pro system. It has all necessary elements for all
stages of plant development and never burns the roots. Sunshine Boosters Pro can
be used with every watering - no need to guess how much and when. Besides,
it is a natural fertilizer based on amino acids - exactly what you want to use
on your fruit trees and other edibles! 5. Boost immune system of the tree. Apply Sunshine Epi plant hormone every 2 weeks as a foliar spray to boost
immune system and metabolism of the tree and protect it from diseases. Epi makes
plants (especially young plants) grow twice faster! It also enhances effect
of fertilizers by increasing plant metabolism. 6. Do not prune until you see significant growth. The tree is small
and can use as many leaves and branches as possible for photosynthesis and
healthy metabolism. We suggest to avoid pruning for at least the first year. On
the second year your tree most likely will be covered with flowers (assuming
you followed fertilizer program). Let it go through the blooming stage and
setting fruit; prune in Fall after fruiting is over. 7. Keep number of fruit to minimum for the first crop. Don't let the
small tree exhaust itself. Keep just 2-3 fruit to develop. The next year, no
need to control fruit quantity, the tree will develop as many as it can
support. P.S. If you got the tree from a mail-order, remember to establish it
in a pot before planting in the ground; move gradually from shade to sun.
Follow planting instructions.
Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Itembi - the Brave African Cat
by Onika Amell
"You will always be lucky if you know how to make friends with
strange cats".
Colonial American Proverb
This is a story of a Cat traveling across the World...
...I found Itembi, a tiny Calico kitten, in 2015 while I was hiking in the
Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve while visiting Cape Town in my mother
country South Africa. The little kitty appeared out of nowhere, sitting in the
middle of the dusty path I was walking. It took me by surprise to see a kitty
there, as I was in the middle of the boonies, with no sign of life for many
miles around. She was skin and bones. My heart broke for the kitty. She was
sad-eyed and so incredibly frail. I went down on my hands and knees and extended
my hand. To my surprise she came over to me immediately and nestled her head
into my palm, purring and purring. It was love at first sight. There was
nothing else to do but to scoop her up and carry her back to my jeep to take her
home with me...
Q: We have an early Spring here in Florida. All plants in my
garden flushing out new leaves and buds opening. Can I start fertilizing? I have
Mango, Avocado, Peach trees, many medicinal herbs and flowering shrubs: Angel
trumpets, plumerias, bromeliads. I prefer mild organic fertilizers; can you
suggest something that is safe for edibles and butterflies?
Q: As a rule of thumb, tropical gardeners start regular
fertilizing when the minimum temperatures (at night) go above 65F. Keep in mind that
Sunshine Boosters fertilizers can be applied year around because they
have mild formulas and used with every watering; during cooler period, you water
less frequently, so feeding is reduced accordingly. Another advantage of
Sunshine Boosters - they are natural (derived from organic amino acids which is
the basics of Life). They are safe for edibles as well as pollinating
insects.
Here is the feeding plan for your plants: 1. The most universal solution for all plants (both potted and
in-ground): get a complete set of Sunshine Boosters Pro system: Advantage-Pro for vegetative growth, BloomBoom Pro for flowering stage, and Ca-Support-Pro + Constanta-Pro as necessary daily supplements. You will need all these 4
components for your garden. 2. Start adding these liquid boosters with every watering according
to dozing directions and you will notice amazing growth boost within a
week. 3. Apply Sunshine Epi plant hormone every 2 weeks as a foliar spray to boost
immune system and metabolism of plants and protect them from diseases. Epi
makes plants (especially young plants and those "waking up" from dormancy)
grow twice faster! It also enhances effect of fertilizers by increasing plant
metabolism. 4. After cool winter temperatures, some plants may develop element
deficiencies like chlorosis (yellowing leaves). Additional microelement boost
can be provided with Sunshine Greenleaf (iron supplement) and Sunshine Superfood (micro-elements). 5. For additional boosting of flowering and setting fruit, use the
following individual boosters:
Sunshine Robusta - for foliage plants and when you need rapid vegetative
growth
Sunshine TotalFeed - for Plumerias and other fragrant plants
Sunshine Megaflor - for Brugmansias and other flowering heavy feeders
Sunshine C-Cibus - for improving fruit production and quality
Sunshine Honey - for sweeter fruit (must be applied 4-5 times a year) 6. For young/small plants (seedlings, rooted cuttings) as well as
tender tropicals like bromeliads, and orchids - Sunshine Bombino is a perfect choice due to its mild formula. 7. To save money, order complete sets rather than individual
boosters; you will be able to safe up to 40%! Sunshine Complete Nutrition System
Kits: Combo
Kit, and Pro Kit.
If you are a fan of organic gardening, do not use dry fertilizers. While
water-soluble and granulated (smart-realease) fertilizers are popular choice
in plant nurseries due to their convenience, they are not as safe as liquid
boosters because they create salt build-up in soil and have a high risk of
overdosing/burning plant roots, especially potted plants, plants at breaking
dormancy, at establishing, and at early stages of plant development. Besides,
dry fertilizers may affect the taste of your fruit and herbs. See advantages of liquid boosters over dry fertilizers.
Today we are sharing with you pictures of another Pet of our Pets. Meet
- Raccoon Charity who obviously won a Lucky Welfare Ticket for a free food...
No food stamps required! No work ever done; no paycheck issued. I came; I
saw; I conquered. Bless you, TopTropicals! The cats didn't mind sharing their earned benefits... or, were they afraid to say otherwise?
There is a particular kind of tall narrow tree, commonly seen planted in
yards all over the Florida peninsula... They perhaps resemble Northern
spruces or firs, and basically everyone knows them as "Norfolk Island Pines". For
many years, I also did not question their identity. Not only are they planted
very commonly here in Florida, but are also found for sale, often as potted
"Christmas Trees" in every major nursery, big box store, and often grocery
stores across the country. They are all sold as Norfolk Island Pines. Basically
everyone knows them under that name. However, they are NOT!..
Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Mister Booster
Everybody knows our Sunshine-colored Mister B, because... he is the Boss?... Not only that,
but he is also very intelligent Purrrson. After over a decade of running
TopTropicals marketing team, energetic Mr B decided to lead a new project: Sunshine Boosters.
What's in his store for us? He will guide you through his new website and show you around, where you can
find all kinds of good stuff for your plants. For many years, TopTropicals
customers have been enjoying the benefits of many effective plant supplements,
and today Mr B with Sunshine Boosters brings new formulas of scientifically
developed, natural, environmentally safe plant food for all your growing
needs!
- For home gardeners and professionals.
- For small plant collections and large commercial growing facilities.
- For flowers and fruit trees.
- For medicinal plants and vegetables.
- For all to be happy.
Please check out Mr Booster's website
, he worked really hard for the past year on making this project happen, and
helping the Earth to be a better, nicer, and safer place!
And for those of you who are growing your own business, Mr B would like
to help! He is offering
FREE samples for small business starters! He knows it's not easy to find a perfect nutrition system and make your growing a success. He is here to help!
On February 13-14, as a Valentines Day Special, Mr B is exhibiting his
new business Sunshine Boosters in Phoenix, AZ - in the Largest Arizona Expo! Don't miss our presentation seminar Feb 13th, Seminar Room #2, 1:45 PM: Precision growing with
Sunshine Boosters. For those who can not attend the show in purrrrson, the
presentation will be available for downloading from our website.
