Philodendrons: from the Magic Rainforest...

by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

...Tropical rainforests have been called the "jewels of the Earth" and the "world's largest pharmacy", because over one quarter of natural medicines have been discovered there... One of the most excellent representative of this green world is a Philodendron... Taxonomically, the genus Philodendron is still poorly known, with many undescribed species...
...Philodendron care is easy because if you watch for the signals, the plant will tell you exactly what it needs. Even inexperienced houseplant owners will have no trouble growing philodendron plants because the plants adapt readily to conditions inside the home. This makes learning how to care for a philodendron incredibly simple...

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Cat of the Week:
Snitch, the Garden Boy

...According to the National survey, 80% of cats suffer misunderstanding from humans: "Every time I try to have a serious talk with him, he simply gives me food" - this was the most common opinion among cats who took the survey...

See more: TopTropicals PeopleCats

Yerba Mate Tea from Argentina
(llex paraguariensis)

by Ed Jones, the Booster guy

...My first introduction to Yerba Mate happened many years ago when my stepson returned home for a visit after graduating from college and then touring with a vocal group from the school. One of the stops on their tour included the country of Argentina. While there, they took in the local customs, one of those being the sharing of a cup of tea made from this tree. He brought a bag of the dried tea home along with a special vessel that is used to steep and drink the concoction and gave it to my wife as a gift...

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How to grow a nice Olive tree fast?

by Ed Jones, the Booster guy

Q: I got an Olive tree from you a few months ago, planted in the ground and it is doing well, but I don't see any active growth. The tree looks healthy but still about the same size when I planted it in June. I'm old and I want to see the olives sooner than later. Any suggestions, should I give it some fertilizer?

A: Olive trees are relatively slow growers, however, with balanced nutrition they can grow much faster, as fast as a few feet per year. Check out this Article by Ed Jones where he describes how he grew nice, bushy Olive trees just within one season with a help of Sunshine Boosters fertilizers. The article shows in details how to properly use liquid fertilizer on your fruit trees.

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Is Ugly Betty mango ugly or awesome?

"...Hello my name is Gary, I bought your Ugly Betty Mango tree a little over a year ago. When I saw your photo I thought to myself why are they calling this mango ugly Betty? It doesn't look ugly at all to me. It was a deep yellowish orange with a little red to it round so what is so ugly about it? Once the fruit started developing on my tree I thought - now I understand, it's such an odd shape! However, it looks nothing like your photo and personally I thought this mango should be called Awesome Mango! I did not find it ugly at all. Here's a photo of what you call an ugly mango Betty..."

Sunshine Mango Tango.
Plant Food for every Mango to be Awesome

Soil, media, substrate or just plain dirt, which is correct?

by Ed Jones, the Booster guy

...Dirt. What is it really and does it matter what you use to grow your plants? What is the right dirt for growing plants? In the growing industry, we refer to it as soil, media or substrate. In the real world, we just call it dirt. But is it? Is it just dirt or is it something special? We will try to give some good insight in this article...

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New Video:
Secrets of Longevity

Best Hot Humid Weather Spinach Crops:
Longevity and Okinawa Spinach

by David Mortimer, Tropical Edibles Expert

...This video is all about the greens. Most find it difficult to grow vegetables year round in hot climates. In this video we show you two different spinach varieties that not only handle the heat but thrive in it...

WATCH NEW VIDEO >>

Even more: Longevity Spinach recipes!

...Can healthy food taste delicious? Healthy Longevity Spinach... it tastes like... spinach. You can add it to your salads, but let's face it, you can only eat so much of... a salad. So try it cooked!..

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Bottlebrush to Little John
or the story of a Dwarf Plant

by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

...Bottlebrush... Bottle washing brushes... Nowadays, it is hard to imagine a more outdated concept! For reuse, all glass containers have been cleaned industrially for many years. Young people have never even heard of, especially used, such a thing. Nevertheless, Bottlebrush not only lives, but is often used by many people. In today's world, Bottlebrushes are not brushes at all, but... beautiful ornamental plants!..
...This plant was originally selected as a chance seedling in the 1980s by Ken Dunstan of Alstonville, New South Wales and was also called Callistemon Alstonville Dwarf, Tom Thumb and, at last, Little John. They said that the choice of this name was the song "Little John, Bottle John" by the American singer and songwritter Terry Grosvenor on lyrics by Laura E. Richard. Little John was the 1986 Shrub of the Year in Australia and was originally introduced as a plant that only grew to 3ft tall...

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New Video:
Shaping your Mango Trees

by Ed Jones, the Mango Guy (and the Boosters Guy)

Learn how to shape your mango trees using a technique known as tipping. Tipping your mangos will help to develop more branches and will give the tree more places to flower and produce fruit.

WATCH NEW VIDEO >>

See more by Ed Jones:
How to prune mango trees for best shape and production

...Why should you prune your mango trees? There are at least 3 reasons.

1. A good foundation is the key to strong growth and a shapely tree.
2. If you get your mango tree started off on the right foot with a strong foundation, it becomes much easier to keep it shaped nicely.
3. It will be forced to produce more branches allowing for more places for fruit production.

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   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!

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   See all available mango varieties from our store.

   

Flowering vine around garage trellis

Q: I want to grow flowering vines up and around my garage; however I want to make sure whatever I put will grow long enough to make it all the way around the top. I attached photo of my garage and where I mounted the bolts for the trellis. What plants do you recommend for doing something like this that will eventually grow long enough to complete the arch over the garage? Right now I have mandevillas there but I know they aren't the right species. I know bougainvilleas will work, but I was hoping to do something less thorny since it’s near the walkway.

A: There are several vines that can fit your project. These are just a few suggestions:

1017 Aristolochia gigantea - Giant Pelican Flower
Camptosema grandiflora - Dwarf Red Jade Vine
Cissus rotundifolia - Arabian Wax Leaf (very fast glowing)
Clerodendrum speciosum - Red Bleeding Heart
Clitoria ternatea - Blue Butterfly Pea (very fast glowing)
Jasminum sambac Maid of Orleans
Senecio confusus - Mexican flame vine
Stictocardia beraviensis - Hawaiian Sunset Bell (very fast glowing)
Thunbergia alata var. aurea Sunlady
Thunbergia laurifolia - Blue Sky vine
Trachelospermum jasminoides - Confederate Jasmine
Urechites lutea - Yellow Mandevilla

Check out full list of flowering vines

Photo above: Clerodendrum speciosum - Red Bleeding Heart

Photo above: Senecio confusus - Mexican flame vine

Photo above: Clitoria ternatea - Blue Butterfly Pea

Photo above: Thunbergia laurifolia - Blue Sky vine