PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Month: Sonya growing indoors
Sonya, the Co-Author of our columnist Alex Butova, this year can't wait for the Spring to begin. Sonya is a
True Tropical Cat, enjoying sunny hot days, and she hates cold and snow in
spite of her beautiful fluffy coat. Together with Alex, she grows tropical
flowers in their apartment in Riga, Latvia. The countdown to True Spring has just
begun, and Sonya promises warm weather to start by hers and Alex's birthday
on March 16.
Aren't we lucky to live in Tropics!
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Q: Hey can you help me figure out why my jasmine grand duke supreme is not flowering? Ive had it for almost a
year (in NY) and only had 1 flower bloom and that immediately turned brown and
died. Since then no flowers have come. The leaves are green and healthy and
its growing like crazy but not flowers. Please help me figure this out.
A: For profuse flowering, Jasmine sambac needs 2 things: bright light and special plant food.
We have plenty of both here in Florida. If your grow this plant indoors in
colder climate, get it to flowering can be a bit tricky.
Your plant grows well overall with lots of vegetative growth, this is a
good sign, it means it's healthy, and not being overwatered which is one of the
most common problems with Sambacs. You're doing a great job! This jasmine
just needs more sun and fertilizer.
Make sure to keep it in the brightest spot of your home. The more hours of
light, the better. When night temperatures stay above 65F, it is beneficial
to bring the plant outside on a balcony, patio, or in a garden in full sun as
a potted specimen (move to bright light gradually).
You should give this Jasmine plenty of food with every watering. We
recommend SUNSHINE Pikake - Fragrant Flower Booster. This is a natural fertilizer
that can be applied to plants year round without risk of burning the roots
or nutrient lock up in the soil. It provides all necessary elements for the
flowering cycle - just add a bit into watering can, every time you water.
Q: Hi, I purchased ylang ylang tree a couple of years ago. It's grown quite well in my Greenhouse but I'm having some trouble figuring out if I'm watering it too much not enough or if it has an insect. Can you please take a look at my photos and maybe give me a suggestion of what my problem might be?
A: It is normal for Ylang Ylang tree to get dark spots during
winter time. Sometimes Cananga gets whole branches darkened (especially dwarf variety fruiticosa), some may even fall off. But they will be replaced
with new growth in Spring-Summer. There is nothing wrong with your plant, it is
just a reaction to cold and short day light when you keep this plant indoors. These leaves eventually will fall
off as the weather warms up, and will be replaced with a new fresh green growth.
Luckily, Cananga is not susceptible to insects and diseases, but its leaves
can look unattractive in winter.
Make sure to keep watering at minimum until temperatures raise to 80's.
Start fertilizing as soon as new growth appears. We recommend SUNSHINE Pikake
- Fragrant Flower Booster, an ultimate fertilizer for fragrant plants.
Byrsonima crassifolia - Nancy Tree or Golden Spoon
by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats
Once Dr. David Fairchild bought in Panama seeds of a fruit plant unknown to him, which looked a little like
Acerola (Malpighia). When he asked what it was called, the woman who sold the seeds
answered - Nance, wild cherries from Brazil! The famous horticulturist brought the seeds from Panama to the United States Department of Agriculture in 1899. A few of
his specimens still exist in private collections in South Florida... Nancy Tree fruit are not only delicious, but also very useful, they are widely used by many local people for medicinal purposes and include all of Vitamins B,
Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin E, Calcium, Cooper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese,
Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium and Zink. The whole multi-vitamin prescription in
one fruit!..
Q: I purchased two sweet red pitayas, that arrived and were
planted on May 28, 2020, they were damaged but not serious. my question is this
one pitaya is a beautiful green, and has grown 6or 8 " already, the other is
bigger and is a grayish green and has not shown any sign of growth at all in
six weeks, how long do I wait before I throw it out and buy another?
A: Being a cactus, sometimes Pitaya slows down its growth waiting
for more favorable conditions. If one of your plants doesn't show any new
growth, just give a it some more time and make sure the plant stays happy. To
make pitaya happy, provide the following: - Water. Unlike most cacti, Pitaya prefers regular watering (but not
a wet soil). Make sure it is planted in well-drained media. Do not water
again if soil remains moist, wait until it dries out on the surface. During hot
weather, Pitaya enjoys light daily watering. - Light. Unlike most cacti, Pitaya benefits from a filtered light
especially while establishing. Try to create a temporary shade over the plant
until it starts active growth (if grown in the ground), or move the pot in
filtered light. Dull color or dry spots are signs of sun burn. Once the plant
shows new growth, you may remove sun protection, or move the pot gradually into
the full sun. - Food. Pitayas are heavy feeders. Use the following fertilizer: SUNSHINE C-Cibus - Crop Nutrition Booster
Q: I've been growing dragon fruit cuttings from Okinawa, Thailand
and Vietnam for several years in pots and cannot get them to fruit. Any
fertilizer suggestions? I live in Northern Virginia so I bring the massive pots
in the garage under lights and a heater for the winter but back outside once
the temperature warms up.
A: There is a little trick to get Dragon fruit to flowering and
fruiting. This plant likes flowering when it is attached to a strong support.
In commercial plantations, they use special trellises/frames made out of
logs, but you can make one yourself using simple materials.
See article: Do-It-Yourself Support Structure for Dragon Fruit.
And of course, don't forget a special plant food for tropical fruit - Sunshine C-Cibus.
You can successfully get your Dragon fruits to fruit in pots, providing
bright light in Summer. In Winter, keep the plants on a dry side to give them
some rest and a chance to hibernate before the next fruiting season.
Q: What are the good varieties of mango trees available for container grow? Can you please share the
details?
A: There are some great varieties of Mango selected specifically
for container culture, they even have a nick-name - "condo mangoes". They
have compact growth habit and respond well to pruning to keep them in small
size. Here are a few of our favorites that we currently have in stock:
Glenn Ice
Cream Cotton
Candy
Mallika
Manilita Pram
Kai Mai Mun
Kun Si Maha
Chinook
You can see more condo mangoes on this page.
Healthy Plants - Q&A from Mr Booster: Feeding Avocado Tree
Q:We bought one of your avocado grafts and it's doing great, lots
of buds for fruit. It's still in a pot and fertilizing with the Sunshine Boosters. Should we continue with this product? We’ll plant
it in the ground in March. Thought you'd enjoy pictures of our wonderful
tree. No freezing temperatures in Riverview, but when it got down into the 30s,
the plant came in. One good thing about growing in the pot. I'll be buying
some more Sunshine Boosters. This stuff is working great on all our plants.
A: Congratulations with a good job on growing avocado over
winter. Avocado trees are not easy, we are happy to hear that your plant is ready
for production, this is amazing! We've noticed that Sunshine Boosters perform
miracles. Here are some suggestions for you:
Continue fertilizing with Sunshine Boosters according to the feeding chart
When ready to plant, dig a large hole and fill it with good soil full of
organic matter (compost mixed with existing sandy soil will be good). Make
sure to plant the tree on 3-4" high elevation, like on a little hill. Avocados
need perfect drainage and can't tolerate wet feet. See more info on planting and planting instructions (pdf).
Water daily with a hose, do not rely on sprinklers. Avocados like water
(considering perfect drainage)
Continue applications of Sunshine Boosters at least until the tree is established and starts
growing new branches with lots of leaves. After that, you can switch to
slow-release fertilizers once a month if it makes it easier, but if you can, continue
Sunshine Boosters at least on weekly basis - they really boost plant growth!
Eugenia rhombea, commonly known in Florida as "Red Stopper", is one of four
species of Eugenia native to North America. It is a beautiful small tree,
bearing small shiny deep green leaves which are pinkish-orange-red when young,
giving them the appearance of a flowering tree at a distance when flushing out
new growth a number of times a year.
Its native range includes Florida, Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola and part of
Eastern Central America. However, here in Florida, it is federally listed as an
endangered species, only known from the lowermost Everglades and Keys, where
even there it is rare.
These elegant little trees grow to perhaps 12 or so feet tall, developing
an elegant, umbrella shaped canopy. At a distance, they rather resemble Ficus
benjamina, yet with a more orderly and refined appearance. In addition, they
develop fluffy white flowers with a delightful fragrance, followed by
holly-like long lasting red berries which are relished by wonderful song birds.
Although appearing delicate, this tropical species is surprisingly hardy,
and would likely even make striking, a one-of-a-kind houseplant in the
North.
These very few plants were grown from seeds collected near Royal Palm
Hammock in the Everglades, and and may not be available again for some time...
Q: I was told to send you pictures of my hybrid gardenia tree. About 6 months ago the new growth on the top of one side became crinkled. It doesn't get straightened out either. It seems like it just stays like that until it falls off. Any ideas?
A: Your plant is not sick at all. This is what happened...
Your gardenia is a grafted variety. Gardenia varieties (Gardenia jasminoides hybrids) are grafted on rootstock of Gardenia thunbergia (this species is nematode-resistant and used for rootstock especially in Florida).
The side branch that you call "crinkled" is actually the rootstock (Gardenia thunbergia) growing from UNDER the graft. Gardenia thunbergia has naturally "wavy" leaves.
If you follow this branch to its base, you will see where it starts - right below the graft. This happens very often.
You need to remove this branch altogether, from the point where it starts.
It sucks energy from the plant and eventually may take over the whole plant.
...This hybrid, completely lost to the trade today, is being offered
here for the first time after it was originally offered for purchase at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden over 80 years ago. That institution was having a special rare plant
sale on the day of the famous presidential election on November 8, 1932, when F.D.R. was historically voted in as the next American president.
The plants we are offering are all 3rd generation vegetative propagations
from an original specimen (still alive btw) of a plant purchased from them that very day. Its name is identical to that president's main
campaign slogan!..
