Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster - Mango Talk

Today we are introducing a new column - Mango Talk! Everybody loves Mango - the most delicious fruit in the world. Fruit experts like to talk about varieties, how to grow a Mango tree better, and the fruit bigger and sweeter. And beginners want to know more! What variety to get? How to take care of it? How to get more fruit sooner than later?
This easy-read blog from Ed Jones is about the first steps - what to do when you get your first Mango tree...
In our future publications, you will hear from Mango experts and have a tour on Mango varieties...

Fertilize your Mango trees

By Ed Jones, the Booster Guy

Ok, you finally did it. You bought your first mango tree. Now what? Well, you have to love it and feed it and trim it and love it some more. But today, lets talk about how to fertilize your mango tree. The photo above shows some very small grafted mango trees. This is probably how yours will look when you bring them home or have them delivered....

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New Video:
Magnolia champaca... get some Joy!

Champaka, or Joy Perfume Tree, is regarded as one of the most sacred trees of India and tropical Asia. Its flowers exude a divine fragrance that is exceedingly pleasing to the Gods... and women!..
(See more info about Champaka). This video presented by our video host David Mortimer.

WATCH NEW VIDEO >>

Meet Top Tropicals Team: David

About David in his own words:
"...I am passionate about health and living life to the fullest. I grew up in northern Wisconsin and my travels have allowed me to live in places like Colorado and Arizona before I arrived in SW Florida. I make fresh vegetable juices and cleansing programs for people as well as inspiring, educational and some funny videos on my YouTube channel and Instagram. I got into gardening during the first month of the pandemic. After I harvested my first radish and ate it fresh I was hooked! I am excited to be working and learning in such a great environment like Top Tropicals. I hope to talk about all the cool plants with everyone while I am here!.."

Stay updated with TopTropicals Videos by subscribing to our channel at YouTube.com/TopTropicals and get our latest video news of what is fruiting and blooming!

WATCH NEW VIDEO >>

Joy Perfume Tree is available from our store.

Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster

Pineapple Season is Here!

Pineapple season is here and people often ask, "how do you get them to grow?" Well, the answer is simple really. One method involves cutting the top off a pineapple, prepping it and then planting it. You can find several different ways to do this with a short Google search. Of course the easiest way is to purchase plants that have already been started. You can do that here...

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Bauhinias: Orchid trees with Butterfly leaves

by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

...Have you seen butterflies? Yes, of course. Have you seen orchids? Yes, of course. And have you seen a tree with flowers that look like both a butterfly, and an orchid?...
...Bauhinias are beautiful and diverse. Their flowers are showy and slightly perfumed; their leaves always cleft in the characteristic Bauhinia manner... And they are gorgeous - all together and each in their own way... They turn your garden into a colorful paradise and make you feel like living on exotic island...
...Some of them are everblooming and start flowering in 1-3 gal pots!...

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Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster

Meet our new Booster Guy

Plants need food too! Our line of Complete Plant Nutrition system - Sunshine Boosters - will give your plants exactly what they need, and nothing they don't! The boosters are easy to use, and -

ON SALE NOW with FREE shipping

- as a part of our 4th of July specials!

We have a new team member to help you learn more about Sunshine Boosters and how they can make your plants grow healthy and fast.
Meet Ed Jones - our new Booster Guy! Ed will be your contact for all Sunshine Boosters questions, he will help you with fertilizer product selection and ordering.

Soon we will introduce some new fun stuff... including: new advanced formulas, and cool electronics for ultimate control of your plant collections, gardens, greenhouses, and groves... Stay connected!

MORE ABOUT ED >>

Black Magic of Colocasias

Spectacular unusual plants

Q: I need something unusual to plant next to a small pond at my front yard. It is full sun location. I need a plant that is not too messy and doesn't require much maintenance. Preferably without flowers, so they don't drop into the water, and not too tall. Any suggestions?

A: Your ideal solution is - colorful Colocasia hybrids with spectacular large leaves. Our favorite is variety Black Magic - it creates a magic tropical atmosphere. The color of the leaves in full sun is dark purple, almost black, and the brighter the light, the deeper the color.
Light colored varieties - Royal Hawaiian Maui Sunrise, with bright sunny stripes, or Illustris, in case you want to create a bright, mixed-color border around your pond. Colocasias are perfect plants for perimeter borders, and naturally are marginal plants around lakes and along river banks.

Kristi's Loquat Tropical BBQ sauce

Loquat trees are famous for their abundant fruit production. Many customers who purchased this tree from us, soon end up with some serious crops and start asking if we have any special recipes for loquat fruit - because you can only eat so much out of hand! Here is our manager Kristi's favorite Loquat recipe - not only delicious and tropically-aromatic, but also good for you. Happy Tropical Meal!

Ingredients

2 lbs loquat fruit

1. cup soft brown sugar
2. cups malt vinegar
   1 onion chopped
3. cloves garlic
   
   1/2 tsp salt
   1/2 tsp black pepper
   1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4. cloves whole or 1/2 tsp ground cloves

   Instructions

   Wash the fruit, cut them in half and remove stones. The loquats will lose about a third of their weight once stoned (3 lbs of whole fruit = 2 lbs of fruit, stones removed). Add loquats and all remaining ingredients to a large saucepan. Bring to a low boil, then simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally. The liquid will have reduced quite a bit and the fruit will be collapsed and very soft. Allow to cool slightly, then liquidize the sauce in a blender or a food processor. Be careful, hot sauce really burns!

Peanut Butter Fruit... tastes like peanut butter!

by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

...One of the most fascinating exotic fruit, as amazing as Miracle fruit, Peanut Butter Fruit is loved by both kids and adults... and yes, it tastes exactly like peanut butter!.. Yet it is much healthier food, with many medicinal benefits...
...The easy, low-maintenance Peanut Butter Fruit tree is essential for any edible landscape, rare fruit collector, or tropical/subtropical garden. It has a great ornamental or screening value. Also can be grown in container, and will fruit indoors... Similar to fast-fruiting Annonas, and its close relatives Malpighia (Barbados Cherry) and Bursonima (Nancy Tree), Bunchosia tree starts fruiting in small size and at young age: 2-3 years from seed!..

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Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster

How to prevent mango flowers drop

Q:The mango blossoms my tree had in February have blown off due to weather conditions. Do you know what I can do to prevent this from happening again in the future?

A: The only "guarantee" to protect mango flowers from cold weather damage here in Florida is to plant a LATE flowering variety. Generally, mango trees are winter bloomers. Those varieties called "early season" start flowering in January (for example, Nam Doc Mai), and of course very often they get affected by cold, so they drop. Some varieties are so called "late season" - for example Venus. They start flowering in spring when the weather conditions are more favorable.
Another thing that may help you with mango flower drop is applying plant micro-element supplement Sunshine-Honey - it contains Molybdenum and Boron, which help flower and fruit development/strength and prevent their drop.

Read more: Boosting Mango Flowers and Fruit.

Establishing Avocado tree after shipping

Q: Received my Avocado tree last week and I'm a bit concerned. Is this wilting normal with a new plant? No yellowing, or dropping of leaves. We moved it out of the sun but not sure how to handle?

A: This is normal for after-shipping stress. You did right, position the tree away from direct sun, in shade, preferably under roof (patio?) so it doesn't get over-watered with too much rain and you can control water amount. We recommend to spray the leaves with pure water and put a large clear plastic bag just over the crown (leave the soil to breath). Keep in shade. Within couple days the leaves should perk up. Do not overwater. Water only when the top of soil gets slightly dry. In a week or so, once the plant recovers, you may start moving it gradually into full sun, then to its permanent spot where you want to plant it.
Avocado is not an easy plant to establish. So be careful. It needs lots of water, however, it doesn't like wet feet - so must be planted in a well-drained spot, with at least 4-6" elevation (on a little "hill") so it never gets water-logged. It needs daily water to establish and may need more than just a sprinkler system, use additional hose water when establishing in the ground.