...Did you know that figs were among the very first plants grown in the
hot and arid Middle East? Fast growing and utterly delicious, they soon made
their way all over the Mediterranean, transported aboard ships and on the
backs of camels...
If you are a fig lover, you may be tempted to grow your own. Market-bought
figs are never as good and tasty as your own, homegrown figs. They just
simply do not keep well in supermarkets. Fast growing, undemanding and low
maintenance, figs will bear fruit in just two years, often bearing two crops in a
year. Another plus is that they are not bothered by too many pests and are
self-fertile. Apart from the delicious fruit, any fig tree will add beauty and
shade to a garden...
Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the day: Wesley's Independence
Wesley is the biggest cat at TopTropicals. He weighs almost 30 pounds.
He believes in good
nutrition and never sweats the small stuff.
In spite of being the Biggest Purrrson, Wesley is not exactly fearless...
Everyone knows that there are two things Wes is afraid of - a thunder, and...
a doorbell. When someone rings the doorbell, Wesley zooms into the nearest
closet faster than a lightning and stays there until dark. No more than one
visitor per day for him!
In the photo below: Wes is celebrating his
Independence - "It's better be safe than sorry!"
TopTropicals PeopleCat Club and Zoo
Thank you for supporting us in helping PeopleCat Community! Make
your kind donation today and receive a surprise gift from us! Every little
bit helps. Thank you and God bless you and your pets!
Q: We purchased a Royal Poinciana tree from TopTropicals not too long ago and we
gradually gave it more sun until finally we were able to plant it in direct sunlight
where it's been for a week or so. Rain has been sporadic lately so I'm giving
it a little bit of water every day. It seems to be doing fine. I do have a
question about whether the leaves are as green as they should be? I read
online that I should fertilize it with gardenia / ixoria fertilizer in March,
June, and October. I looked on homedepot.com but didn't really find anything that
goes by that name. Would fertilizer help? Can you suggest a fertilizer?
A: Your Poinciana tree looks pretty healthy and happy,
congratulations with a great job!
Traditional (old-school) fertilizer recommendations usually suggest feeding
a plant 2-3 times a year with a slow-release fertilizer. And although a
plant will benefit from any fertilizer application (extra food is always good),
however, for the best results, faster growth, sooner and more profuse
blooming, your should use complete plant nutrition products - liquid fertilizers (see
why liquid
fertilizers are better than dry).
Here is an example. Some people eat a big heavy meal once a day which we
all know, is not very healthy. Other people eat balanced food more frequently
but in smaller portions - this is always the best way to go.
From this point, plants prefer SNACKING - frequent feeding, but with less
concentrated, mild and balanced nutrients.
For your beautiful Poinciana tree (and other flowering plants), we suggest
the following nutrition program:
1) SUNSHINE Megaflor - Bloom Nutrition Booster - you may use this
fertilizer as frequent as with every watering, it won't burn the roots, and will
provide a complete nutrition for all plant needs throughout the year. You can
continue fertilizing with Megaflor even during winter time. Sunshine Megaflor
will help you to keep the plant healthy, vigorous, and resistant to stress and
diseases. It turns leaves green and makes the plant strong so it will start
flowering sooner for you.
Plant of the Month: Golden Dewdrop - Duranta erecta
Stevie's Pick: what's in bloom?
Our exotic plant grower Steven Gowdy is featuring the most
interesting plants he discovers and recommends today while working in TopTropicals
greenhouses.
Duranta - Golden Dewdrop - is simply stunning with cascading flowers in
abundance. Either it has lavender, blue, or solid white flowers, it is a
sight to behold. The popular name Golden Dewdrop is inspired by the clusters of
bright orange-yellow berries that follow the flowers, in such quantities that
they often cause the slender branches to droop gracefully.
Duranta erecta blooms off and on all year and can be pruned to size as a
bush or a standard tree. If let go, it can grow up to 20 feet tall and wide.
Durantas are excellent butterfly and hummingbird attractors. They will
complement your tropical garden or a stand alone in your Southern landscape.
Great for providing a color contrast in the landscape, they are especially
well-suited as a bright-colored background or screening. White
Golden Dewdrop has pure white flowers that appear in loose clusters, and
both berries and blossoms are often seen on a plant. This evergreen fast
growing shrub spreads and arches to 10 feet tall and wide and is great for live
hedges and covering fences and corners.
Variegated variety, also called Variegated Sky Flower, is grown for its summer flowers, and very showy
leaves that are dark green with bright white variegation and creamy-yellow
margins around the one inch long serrated leaves.. In the summer, cascading
clusters of blue tubular flowers appear followed by wonderfully contrasting
orange-yellow berries.
In mild climates, Durantas can be in flower nearly year round with flowers
and fruit appearing at the same time. It does best in full sun with frequent
deep watering and is pretty hardy, to about 20-25F. It is a good choice for
espaliers, as a small tree or large bush; all forms benefit from frequent
selective pruning. Prune back in late-winter to encourage a more compact shape
and strong flush of fresh spring foliage. Requires moderate watering in a
well-drained soil.
PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the day: Jim, Happy 16th Birthday!
A few days ago Jim celebrated his 16th birthday. He is our oldest Purrrson.
We are extending this opportunity to wish him to stay Happy, in Good Health
and Full Body - the way he always has been! And you know what is his secret
of healthy and wealthy life?
Eat well and don't sweat the small stuff!
Photo above: Jim in 2004 - eating well
2 photos above: Jim today - shaved and gray-haired, but still
eating well!
TopTropicals PeopleCat Club and Zoo
Thank you for supporting us in helping PeopleCat Community! Make
your kind donation today and receive a surprise gift from us! Every little
bit helps. Thank you and God bless you and your pets!
Everyone knows that Top Tropicals is good at unique, special novelties.
And it is not a secret that most plant people also are pet people - cat
people (with PeopleCats), dog people (with PeopleDogs) or at least fish people,
right?
Today we are excited to introduce our new revolutionary Fish Food developed
by our business partners at Floritin Aquarium Labs
Floritin stikiStik™ - Ultimate Aquarium fish food
StikiStik is a dry powder that you just mixed with water to create a
sticky paste. The paste can be attached to any surface inside your aquarium.
StikiStik is a patent pending fish food that does things which
conventional fish food does not. It introduces picky eaters to a more natural feeding
environment, does not pollute the fish tank, is easy to mix from its powder
format and provides gradual feeding. It is easy to apply to any surface in the
aquarium, such as interior glass wall, rocks or coral skeleton.
stikiStik advantages
- Easy to use. Just mix with a few drops of water and stik it in!
Self adhesive paste can be applied to any surface. Stays intact for hours in
aquarium. Does not pollute water - Scientifically designed and proven for all types of aquarium fish,
invertebrates, and corals - Optimal and balanced nutrition. Contains vitamins and amino
acids - Natural. No hormones, no artificial colors - Stimulates fish appetite and enhances fish color - Promotes natural feeding habits. Helps training hard to feed fish.
The perfect food to acclimate newly introduced fish, including Moorish Idol,
finicky butterfly fish, such as Copperband Butterfly, Pearscale
Butterfly, Mandarinfish, and many oithers - Easy to store. Can be used immediately or frozen for future use - Add any frozen fish food or medications to mix
PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the day: Ricki - a cat or a bird?
After 4 years knowing Ricki (raised from a tiny kitten), we came to a conclusion he was a
Bird in his previous life.
Ricki likes sitting next to you (preferably on a dining table) and have a
conversation, with his head slightly tilted. And although nobody ever heard a
sound of Ricki's voice (he is a silent cat), he is very good company - because he knows how to listen! How many people have a talent like this? If any - only PeopleCats.
Ricki will sit next to your plate and never take a piece. He just wants a
conversation. And you will enjoy his Sounds of Silence as the best
gift.
Stay safe and healthy with your PeoplePets!
TopTropicals PeopleCat Club
Thank you everybody for supporting us in helping PeopleCat Community! Make
your kind donation today and receive a surprise gift from us. Every little
bit helps! Thank you and God bless you and your pets!
Grafted trees, including Mango and Avocado, will start flowering and fruiting right away
Q: It would be easier for us buyers, if we could search for
plants that produce fruit in 2 years or less... I don't have the patience to wait
longer than that for fruit. I'm trying to buy for a fairly good sized garden
but want some fast growers and fruit produced in 2 yrs. Can you help me
out?
A: Fruiting time depends on many factors (growing conditions,
fertilizing, and even specific variety), this is why we can not just put a
simple icon "will fruit within 2 years".
However, most grafted and air-layered fruit trees, including all Mango, Avocado, Loquat, Sapote, Sapodilla, Longan, Peaches and Nectarines - will fruit right away. If you see in our store "grafted" or "air-layered" in plant description
- these trees will fruit soon. Some of them are already flowering and
fruiting!
Some non-grafted trees will fruit within a couple of years or even
sooner (those from cuttings, root division or even seedlings) - such as: Annona, Artocarpus (Jackfruit), Eugenia, Guava, Banana, Dragon fruit, Mulberry, Blackberry/Raspberry. Banana, Mulberry, Dragon fruit,
Blackberry-Raspberry - usually fruit within a year. You may refer to our store directory page for fruit specials.
People of TopTropicals. Chic of the Day: Easter Present from Klaksa
In the photo: Duck versions 2.1 and 1.0
In our last newsletter Cat of the Day was Klaksa with her hunting habits and her love for birds...
While we are still sticking to the statement that "no birds were hurt in the process so far", she brought us an Easter Present! Yes, the Present is very much alive and super hungry. Klaksa did not tell us where she got it and how can we bring it back... So we are stuck with another duck! The previous version -
Duck Dobi, has been raised by Kristi from a little chic-duckling, and
after 2 years of ruling the Cat Community in our Garden center, Dobi finally left with her
boyfriend - without saying thank you or even good-bye!
The Duck Version 2.1 has been eating and pooping happily all day. Luckily
we found a person with a duck farm, and hopefully will get this baby a good
home soon!
As Americans hunker down during these unprecedented times, many of us
are thinking about our friends and neighbors (from all corners) who own and
operate the many businesses that make up our local and virtual communities.
Everybody is worried about the future, and this worry extends to small business
owners and their employees.
While there isn't a lot we can do as restrictions are put in place,
there are some steps we can take to be there for our favorite businesses.
- Carry-out and delivery is an option for many restaurants. You'll get a
break from cooking and the restaurant is still making money.
- Buy gift cards from your favorite establishment. Businesses that are closed
now will be open again and this is a great way to help these establishments
get so much needed revenue right now.
- Shop online. Even if the goods won't be available right away. It's a
great way to support a business while practicing social distancing.
- Make a donation. If your situation allows for it, consider a donation to a
business that could use it to keep their shops open and employees working.
- If you use a service provider who won't be needed or can't get to you to
provide their service (house cleaner, lawn service, therapist), consider
paying the person regardless. Your generosity could be a real game changer for
them, and you will get those services from them eventually.
- Leave good reviews. Words of support can mean a lot for business
owners, now more than ever.
It's time to rally! Together, let's support the 99.9% of businesses that
are considered as "small business" but they employ more than 47% of the
private workforce in the US!
Stay safe. Be patient and kind. There is no better time to strengthen
our bonds, to stand together, to help each other through this storm, and come
out the other side stronger. Together, we will.
TopTropicals Cat Club
Thank you everybody for supporting us in helping PeopleCat Community! Donations accepted from our website. Thank you and God bless you and your pets!
