Q: I am looking for a colorful, tropical plant with in
particular, coarser texture, to add to planting beds next to my decks and around my
swimming pool. Any suggestions? I am located in St. Petersburg, FL.
A: Consider incorporating some fast growing Red Abyssinian
Banana, also known as wild banana or Ethiopian banana. This is a fantastic
ornamental from East Africa and an excellent choice to create a tropical feel and to
add coarse-textured foliage. This plant is not a true banana and therefore
does not produce any edible fruit. American gardeners were rather slow to
discover this enormous perennial, but finally woke up to them over the last decade
to a point where they now are considered to be one the most beautiful ornamental banana plants for the landscape and for good reason...
PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Story of Raja, Part 2
Everybody was touched by the tragic story of Raja - the kitten Kristi rescued from the tough street
challanges and gave her a chance for Life...
Today we continue this story. And although it is a sad one, there will be a
happy ending, and there will be always lessons we learn from the experience
of taking care of our loved once.
Raja taught us to never let our disabilities define what we can and can't
do. She taught us that every live creature deserves to know what love, a warm
home, and a family means. She taught us resilience, determination and
perseverance. Sometimes goodbye is not always an end, but a possible new beginning
with new lessons learned...
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: I am long time customer of yours, I live in San Diego
California and while the summer and Fall temperatures are warm to mild, the winter
temperatures dip to a point where some tropicals die off. We are experimenting
with different variations of way to heat and insulate the pots we have the
tropicals planted in as a way to keep them alive during the colder winter
months. I was wondering if you knew of the ideal soil temperature for these
tropical in order to look their best year round. All of the heaters we have
installed have thermostats and temperature adjustments so we can now keep the soil
anywhere between a range of between 65-75 degrees. Any advise you can provide
would be greatly appreciated.
A: This is a very interesting concept you are working with.
Indeed, keeping pots/roots warm, may help a lot! We've been experimenting with
cold protection for a long time - for the above-ground plant parts. For sure
keeping roots protected (even with a thick layer of mulch) will benefit tropical
plants during winter. In case with container plants, this may help
dramatically.
The guideline is, tropical plants slow down or stop their metabolism at
65F. As long as you can keep soil above that temperature - this should work
great. Of course, the higher the better.
Optimum temperature for growing tropical plants in general - 70-85F.
Above 90F, metabolism stops too, unless it's a heat tolerant, desert
plant.
More information on winter cold protection of tropical plants and
zone pushing:
Q: I have tried to grow gardenia in pots for years and never keep
them alive. When i look on camellia websites they say fertilize potted
plants twice a year. I'm confused as I tend to kill them with kindness haha. Also, if our tap water has high cal/mag and that stops the gardenia getting other nutrients why would I make up the feed with tap water? So confusing and online is mixed messages...
A: Gardenias are not the easiest plants to grow, however, they are easier
in pots than in the ground: they prefer acidic soils, and in many areas soils
are alkaline. The most important factor is balanced and sufficient
nutrients. In the ground, plants have no limits to reach out to different elements by
spreading their root system. In a pot, once all the good stuff is consumed,
plants start suffering nutrient deficiency. This is why a balanced feeding
program is important.
Generally speaking, Cal/Mag in tap water cannot be bad, because they are
essential elements, good for plants (in proper amounts). However, just
Cal/Mag is not enough. This is why you need a balanced liquid fertilizer for plants that prefer acidic soil.
Excessive Cal/Mag alone can create nutrient lock up, especially if they are chelated
with EDTA like in dry fertilizers, which are not fully accessible for
plants.
We recommend natural, Amino-Acid based fertilizers that are completely
consumed by a plant and are safe to use with EVERY watering, even in Winter. They
are scientifically formulated and cover all plant needs.
For your gardenias, you should use SUNSHINE Pikake - Fragrant Flower Booster.
Another important factor is proper watering. Gardenias like regular water
but don't like wet feet = well drained potting mix is a must, similar to Abundance professional growing mix.
The biggest Garden Event in TopTropicals history just happened! (and
bigger event yet to come!) Fall Garden Festival on Saturday 11/21/20 was a blast! We had so many
amazing vendors with cool, sunny, happy products.
We would like to thank everyone who brought their arts, crafts, and their
LOVE to our gardens, and to all the guests who really enjoyed the show!
As always, Pros and Congas live jazz set a tropical tune to the day.
Please come again to our future events and share your talents with the
World!
Special thanks to our vendors:
Izzy Baquerizo - Graphic Artist (Fort Myers)
Tony Campo Gallery
Homegrown - tropical oils, creams and blends by Rebekah Bunting
Sara's Stowers Jewelry - Resin and Clay Jewelry (Naples)
Kelsey's Treasure - Macrame & Wire Jewelry (Fort Myers)
Cinthya Celeste - with her Moonlight Gypsy Tarot Card Readings
Twain's Tye Dye @asmrdotcommunity @twains.tyedye (Spark Twain)
Elijam Adams - Hoop Flow (St. Petersburg, FL)
Someuglyrugs
See all participants with links to their businesses
Q: I am moving all my potted plants indoors as weather is cooling
down. I still have Sunshine Boosters that I got from you in Summer. Do I
need to continue fertilizing and how often, or should I wait until Spring?
A: Indoor plants add a vibrant warmth to your home, and can even
improve the air quality. But most importantly, indoor plants give you access
to year-round gardening.
While majority of house plants are easy to maintain, they still require
proper care to thrive.
Too many gardeners overlook the importance of fertilizing plants indoors.
However, proper feeding is essential to grow healthy, vibrant plants. With
outdoor plants nature sends rain and a plant will send new roots to find food,
an indoor plant is limited to only what you will give it. That is why it is
essential to feed your plants a healthy nutritious meal even indoors.
Many granular and slow-releasing fertilizers will recommend that you only
feed your plants occasionally, but this is not the healthiest for plants,
since they need to "snack" every day to satisfy their daily nutrient needs. When you feed a plant a large meal rarely, it cannot absorb the nutrients effectively, leftovers creating build up in soil (it's called "locked up nutrients") and that is why we specifically designed our fertilizers to be a light, daily nutritious meal for your plants -
Sunshine Home for houseplants...
When I stumbled upon my first Pink Silk Floss tree at the Naples Botanical Garden in Florida, it
stopped me in my tracks. It was in full bloom and one of the most beautiful
flowering trees I had ever laid my eyes upon. This tree has so much wow factor.
Not only are the flowers of this native from the Amazon Rain Forest in South
America spectacular, but the trunk, seeds and attractive, umbrella-like crown
makes it exceptionally unique and interesting. This tree will stand out in any
garden....
The truth about Sensational Monstera Thai
Constellation
"Nothing's making sense anymore. It's gotten out of control"
Painting above: "Thai Constellation Monstera deliciosa" with acrylic paint on textured background by Audrey Ehlinger - participant of the
2020 Tropical Plant Art Contest
Variegated Monstera... Now that this Sensational plant deserves even its
own works of art, it is time to admit: this beauty is probably one of the
most surprising phenomena in the history of rare plant industry.
Many plant collectors noticed the craziness around this unusual
variegated cultivar of Monstera deliciosa - Thai Constellatio. Top Tropicals was the first
plant nursery that originally introduced this variety into the US tropical plant
market a few years ago. Since then, popularity of this plant went above and
beyond any expectations. Everybody wants this plant! Yet it is nearly
impossible to propagate, with the only somewhat successful method as Tissue Culture.
Besides, in order to create a viable batch, one must use cells from the stem
only. Considering this plant grows about 2 inches a year (in favorable
conditions), this leaves us with very limited propagation material... Who can
sacrifice their unique mature plant for a knife of a propagator? Let us know if
you have any extra you can share ;)
No wonder very quickly Thai Constellation had become a commodity plant,
or even better - an asset compared by some people to a real estate bubble...
Some collectors sell cuttings for $2,000 each. People pay up to $250 per leaf
of this plant... Crazy? Maybe. But being rare plant collectors, we all know
the feeling! Check out this article:
The good news is - we have a few plants. They are in 4" pots. Small, but well-established. The price is not cheap. It is what it is - this is what it costs us to obtain these plants from Thailand. This is the last batch for a long while, no more available even at this price, since the growers can't find enough propagation material to satisfy the market. Next batch expected from tissue culture is probably 2022. We have over 400 customers on
wish list for this plant.If you really NEED IT, order right now!
3-years old Monstera Thai Constelation from Top
Tropicals personal collection
Tropical Plant Art Contest:
we counted all the votes!
Painting above: 3rd place: "Tropical Florida" by Linda
Hedary
"WOW! So many great works! Our followers certainly have a GREAT
collective talent!
Makes me so proud!" - a quote from TopTropicals Art Jury member, artist
Mark Hooten.
Now that the whole country in in competition mode, gardeners are no
exception! Every painting is a work of art and it was hard for the Jury to make
the decision. We counted in all the votes that came in by the deadline ;)
Finally, we are happy to announce the winners of the Plant Art Contest!.
Visit our 2020 Tropical Plant Art Contest Page on our website and see all
participant entries, winners and their prizes!
All winners will be contacted by us via email or Facebook within a few
days for their prizes. If you haven't heard from us by 11/9/20, please contact us with
the subject "Tropical Plant Art Contest" and your shipping information. You may also simply reply to this email, just make sure to set the proper subject.
A few entries came late, pass deadline/voting, keep up with the great
artwork and don't miss the next contest submission!
Thank you to all the amazing plant lovers who shared your artwork and
talents with us. So much creativity and beauty for everyone to enjoy! Happy
painting, and stay updated - new contest will be coming soon!
Painting above: "Hibiscus Wish" by Santhoshi Kavali
Healthy Plants. Q&A from Mr Booster: How to get Ylang Ylang to flowering
Q: I am writing in reference to my Ylang ylang tree. I purchased
this from top tropicals a few years ago and although the plant is doing well,
I don't see any flowers yet. Can you tell me when it will flower? Do I need
to do something special for it to flower?
A: Cananga odorata, Ylany Ylang tree, takes a few years until it
starts flowering, hopefully it will bloom for you any time soon.
However, keep in mind that it may be a bit challenging for a potted plant.
In natural conditions, this is a large tree that requires lots of room not
only for the tree itself, but also for the root system. It is still possible to
get Cananga odorata to bloom in container, considering the plant has all
necessary nutrients for flowering. Here is the trick.
When grown in the ground, root system can reach out to all necessary
elements in surrounding soil (considering soils are not too poor on necessary
elements). In a pot, a supply of nutrients can be exhausted very quickly, so a
quality fertilizer program is very important. Fertilizer must include all
necessary nutrients in easy accessible (soluble) form, and a plant must have
their constant supply for proper development.
SOLUTION:
prescribe Ylang Ylang tree the following combination of plant food:
- SUNSHINE Pikake - Fragrant Flower Booster
It will provide well-balanced amounts of high absorption Phosphorus (P) and
Nitrogen (N), as well as Potassium (K) - to provide enough flowering energy
to the tree, plus a combination of all necessary micro-elements. It is safe
to apply this fertilizer as frequent as with every watering, including winter
time.
- SUNSHINE-Honey - sugar booster
This supplement has a high content of elements Mo and B - once the tree
starts getting them on regular basis (a few times a year, according to the
label), it will trigger flower production.
You may also consider getting dwarf varieties of Ylang Ylang that starts
flowering in container right away:
Cananga fruticosa - Dwarf Ylang-Ylang
Currently these high demand plants are sold out, but new plants are
establishing and will be ready for sale within couple months. You may add your email
to wishlist ("Notify me when available") to get notification as soon as we
have it back in stock. Ylang Ylang vines also start flowering within a year.
