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Index > Garden Blog

Date:

Quick Peak - coming soon:
The Robuster Smart Injector System

At B-Farm, we also demonstrated our first prototype of The Robuster - an automatic care-free plant feeder for liquid fertilizers. This smart electronic device has been developed in the past few months by our engineers in Ukraine. Yes, these heroic people continue their creative work amid the terrible war, during power blackouts, often with no light and no heat. In just the past few months they managed to design this unique and affordable smart injector that will be available soon for every gardener, for every backyard!
Check back with us for more information, pictures, video, prices - The Rubuster will be available for sale and installation soon!

The Robuster injector system

Date:

B-Farm in Sebring is now open!
Every Friday and Saturday

B-Farm office entrance

Thank you everyone for visiting us this weekend at new Top Tropicals location in Sebring (B-Farm)! We met many new friends as well as old friends that now are closer.
Local gardeners in Central Florida are now excited to have a special place for their needs in rare tropical plants.

B-Farm banners on corner of FL 66 and McRoy Rd

Top Tropicals B-Farm conveniently located at the corner of FL-66 highway and McRoy Rd.

Parking at B-Farm

Sunshine Boosters at B-Farm

Many guests also purchased Sunshine Boosters liquid fertilizers. Sunshine Boosters are safe for daily use year around and ensure that you will have happy and healthy plants. Stash up for feeding your plants during the winter to make them strong, hardy and healthy!

At B-Farm, we offer free consultations on Sunshine Boosters. We can help you select proper combinations of fertilizers, micro-elements and special plant supplements, including those that improve cold hardiness of tropical plants.

Sunshine Boosters display at B-Farm

B-Farm Team

B-Farm Team

Date:

This Friday: Green Friday...
and every Friday and Saturday!

Green Friday with orange cat

Welcome to TopTropicals B-Farm in Sebring FL

Starting this coming Friday, November 25, our farm in Sebring (B-Farm) will be open to the public every Friday and Saturday.
B-Farm is a 10-acre growing facility with hundreds of varieties of rare and much wanted tropical plants. Fruit trees, flowering trees, shrubs, vines, fragrant plants and rare collectibles - we grow the biggest selection of tropical plants known in cultivation.
Come over to select the best Mango, Avocado, any other fruit tree or rare spice for your edible landscape. Shop our biggest in the world variety of flowering and fragrant tropical plants - directly from our growing farm!

Conveniently located right in the heart of Florida, Highlands County, Top Tropicals B-Farm is within about an hour from most Florida destinations.

Welcome to Top Tropicals B-Farm

Welcome to Top Tropicals B-Farm

B-Farm:
9100 McRoy Rd, Sebring, FL 33875

Date:

Get your plants ready for winter:
Just spray this to improve cold hardiness...

Sunshine Plant Supplement Kit

How to improve plant cold hardiness?

Pland cold hardiness depends on several factors, including:

  1. genetics of specific species
  2. maturity of the plant, size of root system, stems and branches
  3. plant health and vigor which is supported by proper nutrition program and adding special plant hormones.

    While 1) and 2) may be out of our control, the 3rd factor is something that can be easily improved! It is important to feed plants during the season of active growth on regular basis by applying macro- and micro- elements. Liquid fertilizers and especially natural plant food like Sunshine Boosters can be applied year around to keep plants healthy and strong.


Besides the routine fertilizing program, just a few applications of special plant hormones can increase tropical plant hardiness big time! Before the cold is coming, spray your plants with these 3 magic potions and they will gain a few degrees in low temperature tolerance! It is recommended to make 2-3 applications.

- Sunshine Superfood
- Sunshine Epi
- Sunshine Power-Si

Cat staying warm on a stove

Date:

Vietnamese Mickey Mouse Plant...
Hoa Mai - for good luck!

Ochna integerrima (thomasiana) - Vietnamese Mickey Mouse plant, Hoa Mai, Mai Vang, black 
fruit

Ochna integerrima (thomasiana)

What is the yellow flower that brings good luck on Vietnamese New Year (Tet) Celebration? Why is it called Mickey Mouse Plant?

The most celebrated flower in Vietnam, Ochna integerrima, called in Vietnam Hoa Mai or Mai Vang, blooms profusely on the occasion of Tet, the Vietnamese New Year. Commonly known as Yellow Mai Flower (Hoa Mai literally means "yellow blossoms"), this plant is considered the quintessential symbol of Spring. In Southern Vietnam, Hoa Mai are some of the first plants to flower.
This plant is a must for exotic plant collection. It is a rather slow growing, medium size shrub that can be trained into miniature tree. In winter the plant is covered with pretty bright yellow flowers, believed to bring good luck and prosperity. They are followed by cute shiny black berries on bright red sepals that resemble the face of Mickey Mouse.

The plant is easy to grow and relatively cold hardy to light freeze. Start fertilizing your Hoa Moa plant right now through the Winter to encourage early blooms. Luckily, we have a perfect bloom booster liquid fertilizer that is safe to use year around, including Winter months: Sunshine Boosters MegaFlor!

Lunar year 2023 will be a year of the Cat on the Vietnamese zodiac, from January 22nd, 2023 to February 9th, 2024. Cat is the fourth sign in Vietnamese Zodiac, taking place of the Rabbit in Chinese Zodiac.

Ochna integerrima (thomasiana) - Vietnamese Mickey Mouse plant, Hoa Mai, Mai Vang, yellow flowers

Vietnamese boy with Hoa Mai Mickey Mouse 
plant

Date:

Fertilizing indoor plants in Winter

Sunshine boosters for indoor palnts

What is the best fertilizer for indoor plants?
Can I fertilize house plants in Winter?

The best fertilizer for indoor plants is liquid fertilizer Sunshine Boosters (TM). It is amino-acid based, natural, and is safe to use with every watering and year around. Unlike dry fertilizers that are not recommended to use during Winter, Sunshine Boosters formula is mild and scientifically balanced. Your houseplants will consume exactly as much nutrients as they need even during cooler months of less active growth. Sunshine boosters will not burn roots and won't create nutrient lockup (excessive salts that often caused by dry fertilizers). Sunshine Boosters is a perfect food for all kinds of plants, and different boosters available for different plant types (flowering, fruiting, even for orchids). Check out Sunshine Boosters selection.

Arundina graminifolia - Bamboo Orchid, Bird Ground Orchid

Grow Purple! In the photo: Arundina graminifolia - Bamboo Orchid, Bird Ground Orchid - Winter flowering orchid that grows in regular soil. These plants are in bloom right now, picture taken this week!

Date:

Fragrant Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow
Brunfelsia from Brazil

Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow, Brunfelsia

Grow Purrrple! Purrrfect houseplant...

by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

...The magic of this flower is, Yesterday it opened deep purple, Today it changes color to pale lavender, and Tomorrow - will turn white!...
...One of the greatest features of all brunfelsias is shade tolerance. Most species prefer filtered light, stay happy and bloom indoors even in low light conditions; they are also great candidates for shade locations where other flowering plants may not bloom. They add a great color and fragrance to every shade garden...
CONTINUE READING >>

Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow, Brunfelsia from Brazil

Photo above: Brunfelsia pauciflora compacta - Dwarf Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow - very compact grower, great for indoor garden.

Purple Flower Cat

Date:

Annona montana - Mountain Soursop
Grow Your Own Food

Annona montana - Mountain Soursop spiny fruit

Exotic fruit, a cold hardy alternative to a Soursop

Not only tasty, this exotic fruit has the most unusual looks! This exotic beauty grows up to a pound and just look at these curious and life-like spines! We guarantee that everyone who sees this fruit in your garden will ask for seeds even before they taste the fruit. And you will have lots of seeds to share because Mountain Soursop is very reliable producer with many seeds in each fruit.
Mountain Soursop tastes similar to regular Soursop (better known as the Guanabana), with slightly milder flavor. The pulp is highly scented, with good aroma. It is eaten out of hand or can be used in milkshakes and smoothies. The fruit is softball sized with orange-yellow flesh, somewhat smaller and rounder than the regular Soursop. The tree is medium sized, with beautiful, large, leathery dark green leaves that emit a strong aroma when crushed.

How to grow Mountain Soursop?

Mountain Soursop is a very easy to grow, medium size exotic fruit tree that is great for beginners. This species is much more cold hardy than the Soursop, established trees can take temperatures a few degrees below freezing, tolerating cold spells down to 24F when full grown. Mountain Soursop tolerates a variety of soil types and will grow well in dry conditions. Trees produce within just 2-3 years from seed, like many Annonas, and can happily grow and produce in a large container.

Annona montana - Mountain Soursop fruit with pulp

Date:

Plant Horoscope - Scorpio

What is your lucky Zodiac Plant?

By Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

Zodiac lucky plant - Scorpio - Pomegranate (Punica granatum)

...Scorpio is the "hottest" among aquatic...
...Scorpio loves plants very much, they can provide invaluable assistance to this sign. Plants are able to calm Scorpio, transfer his attention and passionate energy to himself and transform it, directing it into a creative direction.... Scorpio is an aesthete. He loves flowers - unusual, bright, large - and lovingly grows them if he has such an opportunity. Their favorite plants, despite all their effectiveness, are often unpretentious and can grow in the most unfavorable conditions... Of particular importance in the sensual relationships of Scorpio with plants is the smell to which this sign is extremely sensitive. Aromas of some plants can affect Scorpio as an aphrodisiac...
CONTINUE READING >>

Zodiac lucky plant - Scorpio - Cup of Gold (Solandra grandiflora)

Date:

What is the best Avocado variety?

Grow Your Own Food

Avocado fruit varieties on a plate

Q: Most trees in my yard were destroyed by hurricane Ian and now I have to start my landscape from scratch. So I decided to plant something useful. Avocado is my favorite. In the stores I see two kinds, large green or small black, but I was told there are many varieties. When I googled the best variety of avocado I found your website. You have quite a selection! Now I don't know which variety to chose. Can you please help? I have room for several trees.

A: Indeed there are many varieties of Avocado (we grow over 50 kinds). Some avocado lovers try to get as many varieties as they can fit in their yards because every variety has its unique flavor and texture.
2 main Avocado kinds that we usually see in grocery stores are -

  1. smaller black fruit with rich, buttery texture - Mexican and Guatemalan hybrids
  2. green avocado, some can be as large as a small melon, but they have light texture - West Indian types

There are many hybrids. How to pick the right variety for your yard?

Check out our Avocado variety page and scroll down to see a chart that shows characteristics of fruit, tree size, cold hardiness, and chose the right variety that fits your needs.

Below are just a few picks from our horticulturist - our favorite varieties that we enjoy and highly recommend to others.

Best tasting large green Avocado hybrids:

Bernecker, Beta, Doni, Catalina, Pollock.

Best tasting black or dark green, buttery Avocado hybrids:

Winter Mexican, Brogdon, Black Prince, Day, Fantastic, Florida Hass, Marcus Pumpkin, Mexicola Grande, Nishikawa, Waldin

Dwarf trees (black fruit):

Wurtz, Fuerte.

For local customers: see large 15-gal size Avocado trees, delivery and installation available!

Today all avocados are 13% off instantly with no min. order, take advantage of this quick sale and get all varieties you want!

Large avocado trees in 15 gal containers