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Index > Garden Blog

Date:

10 secrets of growing a perfect Mango tree

Grow Your Own Food

Mango fruit with fertilizer Mango Tango Sunshine Boosters

How to grow a healthy and productive mango tree?

1. Right variety. Select a vigorous grower for in-ground planting, or a condo mango cultivar for growing in container. More info on varieties.
2. Soil must be well-drained. If planted in the ground, plant on a little elevation (see How to plant a tree)
3. Full sun is a must. The more sun, the more flower and fruit.
4. Water. Keep mango tree on a dry side, water young trees regularly but let top of the soil dry before next watering. Mango trees don't like wet feet.
5. Air circulation is important for mango tree to eliminate diseases. Allow enough space from other trees and buildings.
6. Fungicide. Mango leaves are very susceptible do fungal issues, especially in humid climates likу Florida. Spray fungicide (Copper or similar) according to the label, once a month.
7. Fertilize year around with every watering with liquid fertilizer Sunshine Boosters Mango Tango. Apply Micro-elements once a month and use other good supplements.
8. Shape. Check out Video: Tipping your mango tree - to shape the most vigorous and productive tree.
9. Protect from hard freeze. Mango tree doesn't take freezing temperatures well. In subtropical areas Mango can be protected. Alternatively, it can successfully produce in container, if moved indoors during cold weather.
10. Fruit. Mango tree produces thousands of little flowers, many of them can set fruit. Do not let a small, young tree to keep more than 1-2 fruit, remove extra, to avoid exhaustion. Allow 2-3 years for the tree to establish until it produces a full crop. Apply Sunshine Honey supplement to your tree for sweeter fruit.

Perfectly shaped mango tree

Tipping mango tree video

Date:

The Robuster: smart and simple
Automatic care-free plant feeder!

The Robuster, Smart Fertilizer 
Injector

Affordable Smart Fertilizer Injector and Doser

Tired of mixing fertilizer in watering cans?
Struggling to keep up with the growth of your garden?
Need to adjust fertilizer schedules for different plants and weather conditions?
Professional injectors are expensive and complicated?
Look no further! Affordable and user-friendly solution for any gardener -

The Robuster.
Set up... Sit back...
...enjoy your garden!

The Robuster is a unique smart device for irrigation systems and is designed to help make fertilizing your garden easier. Simple to install, The Robuster utilizes a computerized controller that injects liquid fertilizer into your irrigation system based on your preset dosage. The Robuster will work in your yard, garden or farm, small or large. Designed to be used with Sunshine Boosters amino acid based liquid fertilizers, it also works with any liquid plant food that requires a dosage from 5 - 25 ml per gallon of water.
Let The Robuster do the feeding so you have more time to enjoy your garden! Your first gallon of Sunshine Boosters is available to you at a 50% discount with the purchase of this unit! Sunshine Boosters are also available at deep discounts with our subscription program (coming soon). Contact us for more information.

Developed in Ukraine. Manufactured in the USA.
Introductory low price! Only 4 units available at this time.
Contact us for installation availability
Learn more:

Blog: About The Robuster with pictures
Amazing video: The Robuster in Ed's garden

The Robuster in the gardens

Starter gardens at TopTropicals as well as container plants, are fertilized with the Robuster with every watering

container plants fertilized with The Robuster

Date:

Secrets of Winter planting:
Tropical Planting Breaks the Rules

Winter flowering tree - Ceiba

by Murray Corman, Garden of Delights

Wintertime does not just mean hard work for tropical gardeners. It is also a time to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Winter-blooming plants and the visitors they attract - birds, bats and butterflies - make the garden as enjoyable in winter as any other time of year.
What a welcome relief: January daytime temperatures in the 70s, dropping to the 60s at night. This is why I came to live in the subtropics of southern Florida. The balmy climate of South Florida represents one of the few places on the mainland United States where tropical plants thrive unprotected outdoors.
But just as I had to leave behind so many of my favorite northern trees, so too did I have to put behind me many of the so-called "rules" of horticulture. These had worked well for me up north and I thought they would hold true anywhere in the world. Florida's subtropical climate posed new challenges and I soon realized that gardening in the Sunshine State would not be business as usual...
CONTINUE READING >>

See also: A Guide to Cold Hardy Tropical Fruit Trees and Avoicado Varieties (pdf download)

Noni tree with Christmas tree indoors

Photo above: Noni is not just a useful fruit tree, but also a great ornamental for both sun or shade. It is also great for interior floral design or as an exotic addition to your room decorations in Winter! It fruits year round even indoors!
Order Noni online.

Date:

Ten steps to Happy Gardening in 2023

Beginning of the year checklist

Lagerstroemia flowering tree on crossroads

To assist our customers in creating a happy and enjoyable gardening experience this year, we consulted with our horticulturist to compile a list of ten recommended items. Here are the results...

1. A favorite. Get yourself a favorite small flowering plant that is compact, manageable, and easy. Such as Ground Orchid. Keep it in a pot or plant in the ground by the entryway where it can be seen often and enjoyed.
2. A fruit of your labor. You need at least one (or one more) fruit tree for your garden, or for container culture if you live in colder climate. Growing and especially harvesting tropical fruit will make you happy. The Winner of the last year was Cherry Lolita - an easy, compact fruit tree that can produce almost year around. Some fruit trees will fruit right away!
3. Be exclusive. A rare plant is a must for every gardener. It can be a useful gem such as Noni Tree or an unusual-looking like a Bat Lily - Tacca. Show your friends and neighbors something different they have never seen!
4. Make it cool. Finally plant that shade tree by your driveway. Yes it takes time to grow, but the sooner you plant it, the sooner you get that shade! There are some fast growing species, some only take a couple of years to the mature size.
5. Beauty. If you have an ugly fence or unwanted view in your yard, cover it with a flowering vine. Look at the beauty every day and make your life better. Replace a boring standard hedge with colorful flowering shrubs that will make you smile.
6. Scent. Add some fragrant plants to your landscape and inhale their healing magic.
7. Tropical. For a shady corner, select a showy tropical with lush foliage such as Philodendron or Monstera, or all time favorite Banana. Get a feel of tropics.
8. Happiness of giving. Buy a gift plant for someone you care about but don't know how to thank them. Live plant is the best expression of love and gratitude. If you are unsure what plant to pick, ask our Team or simply buy a Gift Certificate that will never expire - let them chose the plant they like.
9. Food for all. A set of quality liquid fertilizers is a must - try Sunshine Boosters that can be used year around. They will make your plants healthy, strong, fast growing, cold hardy and disease-resistant. You can choose formulas for different plant types from our selection, or simply buy online a Nutrition Kit of 8 bottles that will cover all your needs and save you 50% on fertilizer cost!
10. Share. Subscribe your friend to TopTropicals Newsletter so they can get a weekly Piece of Tropics in their mailbox. Cool Cat Photos come as a bonus!

Sunshine boosters Robusta and C-Cibus with a bunch of bananas

Make sure to always have on hand at least 2 main formulas of Sunshine Boosters - Robusta for vegetative growth, and C-Cibus that will satisfy plant needs for both fruit production and profuse flowering

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:

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:

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:

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.