Why is this wonderful little tree so unknown here in Florida? I can only
guess it's because people don't see them, and therefor don't know about
them, and that basically no nurseries grow them. Yet it's one of the most utterly
spectacular foliage plants conceivable... Provided with an appropriately
warm climate such as South Florida or elsewhere, there is no reason they should
not be seen more often (for purposes of utter awe).
Macaranga's genuinely grand foliage much more resembles the ears of actual elephants (esp. the Asian species) than do the leaves of the much more commonly known and grown "elephant ears" meaning certain
Alocasia and Colocasia.
PeopleCats of the World. Cats of The Day: Theodor and Arthur from the Cat Cafe
We received many replies from Garden Cat Lovers to our previous Blog about Cat Cafe
Nurri Kassikohvik. We continue introducing a few other PeopleCats from
the Cafe: Theodor (pure black) and Arthur (tuxedo).
Theodor and Arthur are security guys. They sit at the front door and make
sure everyone passes their face-control... while they take care of each
other's faces...
TopTropicals PeopleCat Club and Zoo
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your kind donation today and receive a surprise gift from us! Every little
bit helps. Thank you and God bless you and your pets!
The best grafted Loquat varieties
at 15% OFF for 3 days!
Q: I have a nice Loquat tree started from seed. I understand it will not bear fruit
unless grafted. Can you graft the tree in your nursery? If this is not possible
let me know the cost of Loquat tree and I buy it from your nursery.
A: From our experience, Loquat trees grown from seed bear fruit
much sooner (within 5-6 years) than seedlings of such trees as Mango and
Avocado (8-15 years). Also, unlike Mango and Avocado, the fruit quality of a
Loquat seedling is usually not too bad. However, in order to have a tree with a
superior fruit, it is recommended to plant grafted variety for a guaranteed
tasty crop. If your seedling is already a large plant (with a trunk diameter
over 5 mm), it may be too late to graft it, because quality graft requires fresh
wood.
If you have plenty of room in your yard with enough space for both grafted
tree and a seedling, you may still plant the seedling in the ground and give
it a chance to produce in a few years. If your garden space is limited, we
recommend you to plant a grafted variety and enjoy fruit as soon as the next
year.
- $20% OFF discount code PARENTS2020 for orders over
$200
- 5% automatically off all orders over $100
= make it a steal!
Offer expires 7-28-20
If you are local, stop by our Garden Center and we will pick the biggest
and the best tree for you. Or just order online and get it in just a few
days to your doorstep!
See full list of Loquat varieties available at the moment.
PeopleCats of the World. Cat of The Day: Sabake from the Cat Cafe
We continue inviting PeopleCats of the World to our Blog. Today's cat of
the day is visiting us from Cat Cafe Nurri from Tallinn, Estonia - Nurri Kassikohvik (Nurri means Purr!). Our columnist Alex Butova has visited enchanting Nurri Cafe especially for this
report!
This amazing cat project is supported by donations, cat gift shop, as well
as order surcharge - $6.50 per customer. Nurri Cafe is a foster home for cats
rescued from different troubles. Some of these cats eventually find their
forever homes when adopted by the customers. But some have become Nurri's
family members, the cafe is their permanent home, and of course - place of
work.
One of such permanent residents is a fluffy beautiful Sabake (BTW "sabaka"
in Russian means "dog"... well, it is what it is!)
Sabake's main responsibility is checking out customers at the cash
register. She also advertises souvenirs and offers to sign the Guestbook - which is
she uses as a napping mat.
Sabake is very proud of her beautiful, long, thick fur. Cafe employees have
a daily task of grooming her fur coat which is quite a job!
In May 2020, during the world's shut-down, the MAOW Academy hosted a webinar from this cafe: "For
everyone who cares how the life order of "stay home" worked on cats and how they
get used to the "old" life order again."
In the photo: Sabake napping on the Guestbook
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: On my Stemmadenia tree I noticed tiny drops (like white sand grain or sugar
crystals) and wonder if this is a disease or some kind of insect and what can
I do about it?
A: Sometimes certain vigorously growing (mostly tropical) plants
develop suspiciously-looking tiny "growths" mostly on the undersides of their
leaves. Without strong magnification, they can be easily mistaken for mealy
bugs, scale insects, or any number of parasitic disease vectors.
However, according to plant pathologists, these are actually harmless
excretions actually exuded by the plants themselves. A chemical analysis of these
tiny granules shows that they are nothing more than polysaccharides.
Polysaccharides are basically complex chains of sugar/glucose molecules which are
simply a production of all plants undergoing photosynthesis. Polysaccharides are
at the beginning of the entire food-chain. These odd tiny sugar-grained
nodules are actually only semi-crystalline complex sugars which certain plants
have over manufactured and have had no choice but to excrete through their
stomata (breathing pores).
I have personally observed Cecropia, Psychotria, Spondias (Hog Plum), and Guavas doing this... there are many others. Nothing to worry about,
they are harmless, but if they bother you - wash them off with a hose water.
PeopleCats of the World. Cat of The Day: Sir Nicolas from Sankt Gilgen
We continue inviting PeopleCats of the World to our Blog. Today's story is about very Important Purrrson, director of a Hotel - Sir Nicolas, a Royal Tuxedo Cat.
Sir Nicolas in managing Kendler Hotel located in Sankt Gilgen, Austria. He
was interviewed by our columnist and editor Alex Butova - a big time traveler whose first writer's priorities during every trip are - botanical gardens and cats.
Sir Nicolas's lakefront Kendler Hotel located by the beautiful mountain Zwolferhorn. Accoring to what Sir Nicolas told Alex, besides beauties of the Alps, his city is famous with the fact that Mozart's mother was born here. But the most important feature that Sir Nicolas appreciates here is a small butcher's shop which is actually a part of the hotel's property.
Sir Nicolas and Alex spent good hour chatting about life, people, and nature. He showed her his business card - a leather collar with his full name, job position (hotel manager), address, and a phone number. He added (off the record) that he also owns (as a silent partner) the Guest House, the Club Restaurant, the Brewery, and - most definitely - the Butcher's shop. He says hi to TopTropicals cats and all the cat-and-plant lovers!
In the photo: Sir Nicolas and Alex
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!
...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: Russian Blue - a true Angel
Many customers ask if they can adopt one of our PeopleCats. Sorry, the answers is no, because they are not only members
of our family, but also valuable employees who help us around the nursery:
to grow and ship plants, work on construction projects, and even take care of
property security. However, we can give some advise on what kind of cats make
the most purrrfect companions.
If you are searching for a pet with a heart of an Angel, who is gentle and
loving, the Russian Blue is the perfect purrson to add to your family. The
Russian Blue breed comes in beautiful shades of gray, varying from a light
shimmering silver to a darker, slate gray. Their short, dense coat has been the
hallmark of the Russian breed for more than a century. It is a naturally
occurring breed originated in the port of Arkhangelsk in Russia. They are also
sometimes called ArchAngel Blues. It is believed that sailors took Russian Blues
from the Archangel Isles to Great Britain and Northern Europe in the
1860s.
Throughout the history of Top Tropicals, we've had many Russian Blues,
including famous Wesley, Marco, and King that are loved by everyone.
In the photo: TopTropicals editor Alex with Gosha -
manager of the Puppet Kingdom, Museum of Dolls in Preili, Latvia
In the photo: King is checking security of the new
window
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!
In the photo: Atemoya, one of the Annonas - fruit lover favorites.
Q: Aloha guys, I purchased a Diospyros digyna - Black Sapote grafted var. Black Beauty from you and
am checking to make sure it will fruit by itself and not need both sexes.
Also checking to see if the grafted atemoya I bought from you will fruit at sea level (where I'm at) or if
I should give it to a friend who is above 1,000 so it will fruit? My grafted
Maimi soursop is thriving! Looking at getting a grafted jackfruit from
you all next.
A:Black sapote Black Beauty does not need a second plant to produce
fruit. Grafted trees should be flowering and setting fruit right away, or
sometimes on the second year. Atemoya does not require high elevation for fruiting. It is a hybrid
Annona squamosa x Annona cherimola (A. cherimola species prefers higher
elevation) so Atemoya is usually is happy at sea level.
Congratulations with your Soursop! It should be really happy in your location.
As for grafted Jackfruits, this is the list of varieties we usually carry. Since many of them are very rare,
they sell out quickly once we get new arrivals. If you are looking for a
specific variety, I strongly recommend to add it to your wishlist (click on "Notify me when available") and you will receive
email from us as soon as we have it in stock, so you will be the first one to
know about it!
Our favorite Jackfruit varieties (and also hot
sellers)
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!
