"/>
Index > Garden Blog

Date:

Cold protection for tropical plants

greenhouse and cold protection covers on tropical plants

Pushing the limits of tropical gardening

The year is almost over but the winter is not. This Christmas weekend at our Sebring B-farm we had it down to 30F. As a tropical gardener, winter can be challenging, especially if you grow plants outside of tropical zones.

greenhouse with tropical plants

To protect your garden from the cold, consider the following:

1. Monitor freeze watches and be prepared to take action if necessary.
2. Create temporary structures like mini-greenhouses using PVC pipes, carport frames, or bamboo sticks to support covers.
3. Use covers such as frost cloth, cardboard boxes, blankets, and bed sheets.
4. Use Christmas lights and other heating elements, including propane heaters, to keep plants warm.
5. Add a layer of heavy mulch around plant trunks to protect them from the cold.
6. Apply plant boosters that improve cold hardiness, such as Sunshine Epi, Sunshine-Si, and Sunshine Superfood.

At TopTropicals B-Farm, we sprayed our plants with a special cold hardiness treatment Sunshine-Si and covered and wrapped everything we could. We also moved cold sensitive species inside greenhouses. All of our plants are looking great and happy!

Mulching mango trunks and using Christmas lights for cold protection

Photo above: Mulching mango trunks and using Christmas lights for cold protection

Read more about this special treatment plan: Cold Hardiness Improvement Kit.

Covering plants during cold night

Plastic warm house wrapping

Photo above: Temporary wrapping of a section of a greenhouse with a plastic or frost cloth protects from a windchill. It may also win you a few degrees even without a heater. In this particular case, according to our temp sensors, it was 30F outside, and 41F inside this "dome", no heaters used.


Sunshine Boosters:

Last chance to stock up
at a lower price!

Sunshine Boosters are natural, amino acid-based liquid fertilizers made with only the highest quality ingredients. Starting in 2023, the pricing for Sunshine Boosters will be adjusting to reflect the increasing cost of supplies. This is your last chance to stock up on Sunshine Boosters before the end of the year! Sunshine Boosters are safe to use year around, with every watering.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to get the best value for your money!

Use discount for even better deal:

22FOR22
for 22% off orders $220+

Min order $220. Offer expires 12-31-22

Sunshine boosters for different plant types

Date:

Eight best fruit trees that produce right away

Grow Your Own Food

Malpighia glabra - Barbados Cherry, Acerola

In the photo: Malpighia glabra - Barbados Cherry, Acerola

What fruit trees start fruiting right away?

Q: What fruit trees do you recommend that will start fruiting right away? I am 84 and I would really love to see the fruit sooner than later!

A: Most of grafted fruit trees will start producing the same year - such as Mango, Avocado, Peaches and other grafted trees. Besides, these are several garden favorites that start fruiting right in 1-3 gal container.

1. Eriobotrya japonica - Loquat
2. Spondias cytherea - June Plum
3. Psidium guajava - Tropical Guava
4. Musa sp. - Banana
5. Annona squamosa - Sugar Apple
6. Morus sp. - Mulberry tree
7. Eugenia uniflora - Surinam Cherry
8. Malpighia glabra - Barbados Cherry, Acerola

June Plum -Ambarella, Spondias cytherea

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:

Add a little Sunshine
to keep your plants looking their best

By Ed Jones, the Booster Guy

Mango leaves before and after Sunshine Boosters application

...Just like people, a little sunshine goes a long way in keeping them happy. It is usually easier to keep a plant healthy than it is to fix it when it is not well. Proper plant nutrition is often times the issue. The good news is that it is easy to keep your plants looking good by following proper nutrition practices...
...Feeding your plants with micronutrients that they just don't get in regular fertilizers can prevent deficiencies. Let's get started on a regular program of using foliar sprays to help keep your plants looking their best...
We recommend using three products in combination - the Complete SUNSHINE Microelement Supplement Kit that consists of:

- Sunshine Superfood
- Sunshine Epi
- Sunshine Power-Si

How often do I need to treat my plants?

We are recommending a foliar spray once per week to maintain optimal health conditions. This is based on recent studies done in Ukraine by the scientist who invented Sunshine Boosters products...
Continue reading to see an easy treatment schedule that will provide your plants with:
- Increased photosynthetic activity
- Increased insect and disease resistance
- Reduced mineral toxicity
- Improvement of nutrient imbalance
- Enhanced drought and frost tolerance
- Enhanced plant growth

Read more about these wonderful products and what they do >>

Sunshine Plant Supplement Kit

Sunshine Boosters are developed in Ukraine and manufactured in the USA. We support Ukraine fight for freedom. All profits from these fertilizers will be donated to support our Team in Ukraine.

Date:

What tree will fruit indoors?

Fruit trees for indoor containers

Q: I love your tropical fruit selection and I wish I lived in a warmer climate. Is there any fruit tree that can be happy indoors during winter and have fruit? I am not expecting a big crop but it would be fun to have a small piece of tropics at home. I don't have much gardening experience, can you suggest something easy for a start?

A: Several tropical fruit trees can be grown indoors, in pots, providing bright light that is necessary for flowering and setting fruit. Among them are many varieties of Bananas, Guavas, Annonas and tropical Cherries - these can be easily maintained in containers. Even dwarf varieties of Avocado and Mango are good candidates for indoor culture. You can bring containers indoors for winter and take outside into full sun during warm months so your plants can store lots of energy in Summer.
The easiest fruit tree for indoor culture that doesn't require bright light and can be grown indoors year around is a Coffee tree. Start with it, it is on sale today! Once you gain some experience, you can upgrade to a Chocolate tree!
Remember, all container grown plants need balanced nutrition program. It can be easily provided with Sunshine Boosters your around. For fruit trees, just add some Sunshine C-Cibus Crop Booster to your cart.

Coffee video

Date:

Thank you for coming!

Garden Event cats

Thank you everybody for coming to our Saturday Garden Event! Hope you enjoyed your garden tour, discounts and presents. We were happy to see our favorite customers and made lots of new friends! Come back again, our next event will be in September. Stay in touch, don't miss our Newsletters, more info coming soon!

Garden Event cats




New arrivals of Mango, Avocado and more

Mango varieties

See all mango and avocado

Date:

Grow Your Own Food...
Affordable for everyone!

Grow your own food

Grow Food Not Lawns - this is the theme for our Garden party. But it's much more than that. It's a philosophy and a state of mind. One that more and more people are adopting as the world's food supply continues to dwindle and get more expensive...
Like all things plant and garden related, each of us can adopt this state of mind at whatever level we're capable of and comfortable with. Many of our customers just want to start small and see what it's all about. After all, the world of tropical plants can be more than just beautiful, it can be sustaining as well!

Growing your own food is more than just about price, it's also about quality, choices and availability. As you watch the choices, and quality of store bought food go down and prices continue to go up, maybe it's time to grow more of your own food?

Fun Facts

- A mature mango tree can produce 200 to 300 fruit per year
- A single avocado tree is capable of producing 500 avocados in one year
- A mature papaya plant can produce as many as 100 fruits per growing season
- One longevity spinach plant can provide you with a fresh supply of healthy spinach leaves all the time!

At Top Tropicals we offer a wide selection of fruit, including mango and avocado, and even spinach to get you started and to continue down the road on your own self sustaining journey. Even better, to help you with your food project, we have not only added to our varieties, but we have reduced prices on many items to make it even more affordable and enjoyable!

Who is cutting prices in today's world?! - We are, because...

...it's important that we do what we can to make it easier for our customers!

We have Avocados starting at only $49.95 and Mangos as low as $79.95, with dozens of varieties in stock! Use our discount coupons to save even more, and if you're local or in Fort Myers, stop by our Garden Center and save even more!

Mango fruit

Date:

Mango trees: how to deal with cold weather

Mango lights

By Ed Jones, the Mango guy

...Well, you did it didn’t you? You love fresh mangoes, don’t you? Wouldn’t it be great to be able to pick your own mango fresh off a tree in your back yard?
So you bought a mango tree hoping to do just that. You are in USDA growing zone 10 or 11 aren't you? If so, you should have no problems with weather extremes other than possibly an occasional frost in zone 10A. If you can cover your tree, you will not likely see any damage. But what if you are a little further north and you have decided to try your luck on the magnificent mango fruit tree? Mangoes are a tropical fruit tree best grown in tropical zones with temperatures that stay above 40F. If you are in zone 9A or 9B, you may still have luck growing a mango tree...

Date:

New Video: What to do when your mango tree freezes?

Link to YouTube Video

...It's a happy warm Summer and we hate to think about cold weather. However, when buying a tropical Mango tree, be ready to protect it when winter comes!
In this video we explain how to properly take care of your mango tree after a freeze or frost. We give you step by step directions to ensure your tree has the best chance for survival.....

Subscribe to our Channel:

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!

Date:

Top Story: The little mango tree that could

Mango Tree

By Ed Jones, the Mango Guy

"...Until you dig a hole, you plant a tree, you water it and make it survive, you haven't done a thing. You are just talking..."
- Wangari Maathai -

This is the story of the little mango tree that could. From the beginning, it has been a fighter and has come through its latest battle with a few scars, but it is still going...
...On January 30, the unthinkable happened. Cold weather was coming. We had a low of under 25F on that Sunday morning...
...Then, on April 4, 2022 we had a very bad hail storm... Hail stones up to 3" fell for 20 minutes...
Learn more about what happened and see this mango tree today... What helped it to survive and also what will help it to grow back into a beautiful tree?

For information on how to shape your mango trees, see this video:

Annona - Golden Sugar Apple youtube video

Subscribe to our Channel:

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!


REAL DEALS:
More specials
with instant 30% OFF!

Real Deal PeopleCats

No min order. Exp. 5-22-22.


Tithonia diversifolia - Sunflower tree1213 Tithonia diversifolia - Sunflower tree
Grown in
10"/3 gal pot

$32.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $23.07


Buy Tithonia diversifolia - Sunflower tree from Top Tropicals

Jackfruit tree Super Thai (Artocarpus 
heterophyllus)
4334 Jackfruit tree Super Thai (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
Grown in
10"/3 gal pot, large plant

$72.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $51.06


Buy Jackfruit tree Super Thai (Artocarpus heterophyllus) from Top 
Tropicals

Persimmon tree Native American, Low chill, Diospyros virginiana
3500 Persimmon tree Native American, Low chill, Diospyros virginiana
Grown in
6"/1 gal pot

$37.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $26.57


Buy Persimmon tree Native American, Low chill, Diospyros virginiana from Top 
Tropicals

Bauhinia variegata purple - Orchid Tree
2728 Bauhinia variegata purple - Orchid Tree
Grown in
10"/3 gal pot

$42.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $30.07


Buy Bauhinia variegata purple - Orchid Tree from Top Tropicals

Vernonia fulta - Tropical Aster, Ironweed, 
Bitterleaf
5647 Vernonia fulta - Tropical Aster, Ironweed, Bitterleaf
Grown in
10"/3 gal pot, large plant

$32.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $23.07


Buy Vernonia fulta - Tropical Aster, Ironweed, Bitterleaf from Top 
Tropicals

Monstera deliciosa (Philodendron pertusum) - Swiss cheese 
plant
2988 Monstera deliciosa (Philodendron pertusum) - Swiss cheese plant
Grown in
6-10"/1-3 gal pot

$37.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $26.57


Buy Monstera deliciosa (Philodendron pertusum) - Swiss cheese plant from Top 
Tropicals

Pavonia multiflora - Brazilian 
Candles
2710 Pavonia multiflora - Brazilian Candles
Grown in
6"/1 gal pot

$32.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $23.07


Buy Pavonia multiflora - Brazilian Candles from Top Tropicals

Jasminum mesnyi - Japanese Jasmine
1120 Jasminum mesnyi - Japanese Jasmine
Grown in
10"/3 gal pot

$37.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $26.57


Buy Jasminum mesnyi - Japanese Jasmine from Top Tropicals

Alocasia Imperial Red
6785 Alocasia Imperial Red
Grown in
10"/3 gal pot, large plant

$37.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $26.57


Buy Alocasia Imperial Red from Top Tropicals

Justicia Fruit 
Cocktail
2100 Justicia Fruit Cocktail
Grown in
6"/1 gal pot

$17.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $12.57


Buy Justicia Fruit Cocktail from Top Tropicals

Kopsia arborea (pruniformis) - 
Pin-Mala
2509 Kopsia arborea (pruniformis) - Pin-Mala
Grown in
10"/3 gal pot

$22.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $16.07


Buy Kopsia arborea (pruniformis) - Pin-Mala from Top Tropicals

Alpinia x purpurata - Hot Pink Cone 
Ginger
6020 Alpinia x purpurata - Hot Pink Cone Ginger
Grown in
10"/3 gal pot

$37.95
  
Flash sale 30% OFF:  $26.57


Buy Alpinia x purpurata - Hot Pink Cone Ginger from Top Tropicals