Growing Champaka in Virginia

Q: I purchased a Magnolia champaca 1 gallon a few years ago. It is still growing as I bring it into my greenhouse in the winter. I live in VA. This spring I planted it in the ground hoping it might bloom which it did not. Will it survive our fairly mild winters with several freezing days with some special attention? What would you do?

A: Magnolia champaca is a tropical tree and won't survive winter in VA. It can not take hard freeze. Your only option is, to keep it in a pot and bring inside. If the temperature inside your greenhouse is too low, this may affect the plant's ability to flower. For example, if it stays 35-40F for a whole month - although it is not a hard freeze and the plant may survive, but the duration of the cold period is more critical than the low temperature itself. Champaka can survive a few hours even at upper 20's, but not many days with cool temperatures. The temperature in winter should be maintained at least above 55F during day time (the higher the better) and at least above 45F at night.
If the tree has grown too big, you may trim it. If the root ball is too large, roots can be trimmed too (similar way like they do with bonsai) before repotting. However, trimming must be done either during warm season and active growth, or in Spring, when the tree starts waking up and promotes new growth.
To encourage flowering, start fertilizing your Champaka with a liquid bloom booster - SUNSHINE Pikake - Fragrant Flower Booster. It can be used year round including winter months, and it is safe to apply with every watering. This way you will provide to the tree enough energy for the next flowering season, so flowers can be expected in late Spring - Summer.

Read more about greenhouse growing: Greenhouse in Virginia.

Tahitian Gardenia

Q: I am interested in your Tahitian Gardenia and I would love to try and grow this plant in a large container/fabric pot. The soil here where I live is terrible as it's hard rock, clay, and sand! So I'm not sure if amending the soil would help to plant in the ground? Can you tell me if this will do okay in a container or best in ground? I live here in Las Vegas, NV (zone 9a). Any information would be great to help me make a this decision, I love the selection of cool tropical plants you offer! Also my daughter does Tahitian/Polynesian dance and this would be a cool "topping on the cake" if she could have a live Tiare flower in her performances.

A: Tahitian Gardenia will be doing best if grown in container in your area. In its natural habitat, it grows full sun but also it enjoys mild weather conditions and high air humidity. All gardenias prefer acidic soils. In your area, if planted in the ground, it may be exposed to some harsh conditions: too high temperatures, too hot sun, dry air, and as you mentioned - heavy clay and sandy soil. You can enjoy this plant grown in container, which can be moved as needed away from too much sun during summer months. Use well-drained potting mix. Use plastic pot, do not use fabric or clay pots - soil will dry out too quickly.
Also remember to fertilize this plant on regular basis with a liquid fertilizer SUNSHINE Pikake - Fragrant Flower Booster.
Grow gardenia in full sun or semi-shade during the hottest months. You may spray it with pure water if the air too dry and hot. Enjoy your Tropical Beauty and good luck!

Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster

Healthy Heliconia Leaves?

Q: I purchased a heliconia from you a couple months ago. The new growth seems to be doing fairly well, however some of the larger leaves are discoloring around the edges then drying up. It's potted in a large pot with potting soil with 3 holes in the bottom to help with drainage in partial sun under a Royal Palm facing northwest. I'm here in Ft Myers. I was previously watering it every other day with your rapid growth fertilizer 1 tbsp per gallon but I have cut that back to once or twice a week. Please let me know your thoughts.

A: Heliconias and Gingers tend to develop dry leaves if grown in pots, especially ceramic or clay pots, because soil in such pots dries out too fast. These dry leaves are not caused by fertilizer, and you can see lots of new healthy green growth. The plant overall seem to be healthy. Continue fertilizing it with liquid Sunshine Robusta that is great for all wide-leaf tropical species, promotes green, lush foliage, and do not use any additional dry fertilizers!
Another suggestion, try to move the plant in more shady spot. Right now it sits in pretty bright light, this may be OK for established plants in the ground, but potted heliconias are very sensitive to hot sun. They get leaf burn easily.

Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster

Mango leaves and fertilizing

Q: I received a mango tree we ordered last week (I am in California) and am trying to make sure we take care of it properly. I noticed the corners of some leaves have began drying out. I wanted to see if there was anything else we should be doing or if it is something normal. Overall the tree looks good and the leaves have perked up, but I noticed the dry tips on a handful of leaves. Any help is appreciated! I have not fertilized in the pot yet or applied the mango sunshine booster.

A:Your mango tree looks pretty healthy, and these dry leaf tips may be caused by overall shipping stress. You have dry air in California, and temperatures may be getting up, this may cause additional drying effect. You may start fertilizing with a liquid fertilizer, it will help the plant to get stronger and grow faster - then heat and dry air won't be a problem as soon as the plant becomes better established and hopefully go into a bigger pot soon, or in the ground. Make sure to provide regular water if you have hot dry summers.

Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster

Why my Avocado is not flowering?

Q: I have 5 avocados. Three of your cold hardy varieties and two others that have all flowered and set fruit in the past. The last two years including this year, not a single one of them has put out any flowers. I am getting lots of new growth like one would expect on a tree too young to flower. The last two years have been very mild with out any damaging frost where in previous years they lost all their leaves due to frost yet started putting out flowers once winter was over. I am confused because they have all flowered and set fruit previous years. Any ideas would be appreciated.

A: From information you provided, and considering the trees get lots of full sun and cold was not an issue, the only explanation is - lack of nutrients. Here is an example.
Very common situation: you get a small 2-3 ft Avocado or Mango tree in 3 gal pot (or even smaller) from a nursery, full of flowers, and sometimes even a small fruit. You bring it home, plant it in the ground or a bigger pot, it looks happy and grows like crazy. Then next year - oops, no fruit, sometimes not even flowers. What happened?
When the tree lived in a nursery, it was provided with all necessary nutrients through the injector systems (continuous feed); or some nurseries may use top dress smart release on regular schedule. Regardless of fertilizer type, professional grower's set up delivers plant food non-stop, on regular basis, with balanced formulas. Plants are not only growing fast but also ready to produce, since nutrients are always available for a full growth cycle.
When you plant a tree in the ground (or larger pot), conditions change. They may be beneficial for the plant: lots of room for roots to establish, hence lots of vegetative growth. Even if you planted it using good quality fertile soil, this soil may contain mostly nutrients responsible for vegetative growth (branches and leaves). Chances are, your soil may be rich in Nitrogen (good for green growth), but poor in other elements responsible for flowering and fruiting (Phosphorous, Potassium, and many important micro-elements such as Molybdenum, Boron, Iron, etc.). Besides, existing soil gets exhausted quickly, and within a year a two, if you don't add fertilizer, flowering and fruiting may be reduced or even stopped. This is why fertilizing program is very important for fruit trees that are expected to bring a crop soon.

We recommend:

- SUNSHINE C-Cibus - Crop Nutrition Booster - balanced food for fruit trees
- SUNSHINE-Honey - sugar booster - promotes more efficient blossoming and pollination, makes flowers bigger and reduces bud drop
- SUNSHINE SuperFood - for improving fruit trees production

Also keep in mind that some fruit trees have a habit of "skipping" a year and may either produce less or not produce at all every other year. In any case, balanced nutrition program can help to fix this "bad habit".

Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster

Jasmine Grand Duke flowering

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.

Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster

Ylang Ylang leaves after winter

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.

Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster

Dragon Fruit Magic Tricks

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.

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:

1. Continue fertilizing with Sunshine Boosters according to the feeding chart
2. 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).
3. Water daily with a hose, do not rely on sprinklers. Avocados like water (considering perfect drainage)
4. 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!

   

   

The Passion Fruit - Juicy Maracuya

by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

...There was an unexpected confusion with the name of this plant. Most people understand its name literally: passiflora - a flower of passion, and its fruits - the fruits of passion, implying human, earthly passions. Nevertheless, the passion fruit is so called because it is one of the many species of passion flower, the English translation of the Latin genus name, PassiFlora.
Learn more about this delicious, flavorful fruit and how to grow it in your own garden in no time...

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