Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 24 Sep 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

The SECRET growers never tell you: simple trick how to bring plants back to life and keep green

Green Magic Fetilizer makes plants green

🌳 The SECRET growers never tell you: simple trick how to bring plants back to life and keep green

💚 Green Magic is plant food that really works. It keeps your plants green, strong, and growing steady.
💚 We call it Magic - because it even brought back plants we thought were gone! So thу Green Magic can bring dead to live!
💚 The secret is slow release. Most dry fertilizers dump everything at once, burn the roots, then disappear. Green Magic feeds little by little for six months straight. No burn, no guesswork, just steady food that plants love.
💚 It's perfect for potted fruit trees, ornamentals, and houseplants. One handful is all it takes, and your plants stay fed for half a year.

✔️How to use:

once every six months

✔️ Why it works:

▫️Feeds slowly and evenly for six months
▫️Keeps leaves green and plants healthy
▫️Strong growth, even for weak or struggling plants
▫️Works in any climate, indoors or out
▫️Great for containers, trees, and ornamentals
▫️This isn’t a flower booster. It’s a growth booster. The kind of steady food that builds strong plants for life.

👉 Watch your plants come back to life and thrive with this professional-grade, controlled-release fertilizer - Green Magic. Even struggling plants can turn lush and green again.

🛒 Buy once, feed for 6 months!

📚 Learn more

#Fertilizers #How_to

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Date: 22 Sep 2025 Top Tropicals Newsletter

Dragon Fruit Plant Care – Tips from the Garden Expert

Dragon fruit is one of those plants that look exotic but are surprisingly easy once you know the basics. Here is what works best in the garden:

Soil: They hate wet feet. A sandy, fast-draining soilless-mix is your friend. If water sits around the roots, rot comes fast.
Watering: Deep watering is better than frequent sips. Let the soil dry between waterings. In rainy season they cope well, but in pots you need to be careful.
Sunlight: Full sun is great, but in very hot places a touch of afternoon shade keeps them happy.
Support: They are natural climbers. A wooden post, concrete pole, or trellis will give them something to grab and makes harvest easier.
Fertilizer: Feed lightly but often. A gentle liquid like Sunshine C-Cibus liquid booster with every watering, or Green Magic controlled release fertilizer every 5-6 months. It encourages strong roots, lush growth, and lots of flowers.
Pruning: Trim off tangled or weak stems. This guides energy into strong branches that will flower and fruit.

Think of it as training a cactus vine into a small tree. Once it settles in, it almost takes care of itself — and pays back with fruit you can’t buy in stores.

🌱 Dragon Fruit Plant Care – Outdoors and Indoors

Outdoors: Dragon fruit thrives in USDA Zones 10–11 year-round. In warm regions like Florida, Texas, California, and Hawaii, you can grow it outside in the ground. Give it fast-draining soil, full sun with a little afternoon shade in the hottest months, and a sturdy trellis or post to climb. Deep watering with drying periods in between keeps roots healthy. A yearly pruning shapes the plant and boosts flowering.

Indoors or Patio Pots: Gardeners in cooler zones can still enjoy dragon fruit in containers. Use a large pot with sandy, well-draining mix or soilless-mix and a pole for support. Place the pot in the brightest spot — a greenhouse, sunroom, or patio that gets 6+ hours of light daily. Move pots inside when temperatures drop below 40F. Even indoors, a healthy plant can bloom and fruit if it has enough light and warmth.

❓ Dragon Fruit FAQ

How soon will a dragon fruit start producing?

Cuttings can flower and fruit in as little as 2–3 years. Seed-grown plants take longer, often 4–6 years. Large developed specimens can start flowering and fruiting within a year or even the same season.

Do I need more than one plant for pollination?

Some varieties are self-fertile, others need a second plant for cross-pollination. Even self-fertile types usually set more fruit with a partner nearby.

How big do they get?

In the ground, dragon fruit can climb 15–20 ft if you let it. With pruning and a trellis, you can keep it shaped like a small tree, 6–8 ft tall.

Can I grow it in a pot?

Yes. A large container with sandy mix or soilless-mix and a pole for climbing works well. Indoors it will need bright light or a grow lamp.

What does a dragon fruit taste like?

Sweet and juicy, like a blend of blackberry and raspberry. Varieties differ: flesh can be white, pink, deep red, or purple, wrapped in skins of red, pink, or yellow. White flesh is mild and refreshing, red flesh is sweeter, and yellow flesh is the sweetest with a honey-pineapple flavor.

What zones can I grow dragon fruit outside?

USDA Zones 10–11 are best for year-round outdoor planting. In cooler areas, grow it in containers and bring inside for winter.

How often should I water?

Deep water, then let the soil dry. Too much water causes root rot. Think “desert cactus with a taste for rain.”

Is dragon fruit easy to grow?

Yes. Pitayas grow like cactus trees on strong supports, but they are easy to care for — little water, sun or semi-shade, and they thrive.

How long do they live?

A healthy dragon fruit cactus can produce for 10 years or more with proper care.

What are the health benefits?

Dragon fruit is high in fiber, supports digestion, and is low in calories. It is rich in antioxidants and vitamin C, making it good for immunity and overall wellness. Many gardeners enjoy it as a healthy snack or in smoothies.

Explore Dragon Fruit varieties

Date: 22 Sep 2025 Top Tropicals Newsletter

🐲 The taste you will never forget

If you only know dragon fruit from the grocery store, you probably think it looks pretty but tastes bland. That is because most commercial fruit is picked early, shipped far, and loses its sweetness. The truth? Homegrown dragon fruit is juicy, sweet, and full of flavor. The best of all is the yellow variety, Palora (Selenicereus megalanthus), a cactus fruit from Ecuador that bursts with tropical taste.

🌵 Pitaya or Dragon fruit – what is the difference?

Both names describe the same climbing cactus. In Latin America it is called Pitaya, while Asia and English speakers say Dragon fruit. There are three main kinds:

Some hybrids give purple or magenta flesh. All are beautiful, all are easy to grow at home.

⚡️ Do red, white, and yellow taste different?

Yes. White types are mild and refreshing. Reds are sweeter and juicier. Yellows are the sweetest of all.

⚡️ Flowers from a fairy tale

Dragon fruit flowers are among the most spectacular in the plant world. They open at night, glowing under moonlight, with pale petals and a sweet fragrance. Each flower can be a foot wide. Seeing one bloom feels like stepping into another world.

⚡️ Top Dragon Fruit Health Benefits

High in fiber for digestion and gut health
Low in calories but full of vitamins
Great for weight management
Adds color and freshness to smoothies and salads

🍹 Dragon Fruit Smoothie recipe

Blend together:

2 dragon fruits, peeled
1/2 cup mango pulp
1 banana
1 cup milk of your choice
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp lime juice
Ice cubes to taste

Top with mint for a refreshing tropical treat.

Watch Dragon Fruit short videos:

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💲 Special Offer – 25% off Dragon Fruit Pitaya Plants!

Get 25% OFF Pitaya plants with code

DRAGON2025

Min order $100. Excluding S/H, valid online only, cannot be combined with other offers.

Hurry, offer expires September 29, 2025!

Explore Dragon Fruit varieties

Date: 21 Sep 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

Why Desmos - a cousin of Ylang Ylang - is every gardeners dream

Desmos chinensis - Ylang Ylang Shrub

⭐️ Why Desmos - a cousin of Ylang Ylang - is every gardener's dream

⭐️ Desmos chinensis - Ylang Ylang Shrub - is a rare treasure for fragrance lovers. It's a compact, bushy, vining cousin of the famous Ylang Ylang tree, but with an even more intense perfume. The scent is often compared to sweet lemon candy.
⭐️This shrub shows off graceful, arching branches and pendant flowers that come in golden yellow or the even rarer bright red form. It thrives in warm, humid conditions and becomes vigorous once established.
⭐️Unlike the big Ylang Ylang tree (Cananga odorata) that can shoot up quickly and needs space, Desmos stays compact and can be maintained at about 3 to 6 ft. Perfect for smaller gardens or containers, while still delivering that unforgettable fragrance.

🎥 The rare red-flowered variety of Desmos is one of the most sought-after perfume plants of Southeast Asia.

🛒 Make Desmos the highlight of your fragrance collection

📚 Learn more:
Perfume in a pot: exotic Dwarf Chanel No 5 Tree

#Perfume_Plants #Hedges_with_benefits #Container_Garden

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Date: 20 Sep 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

How to make lots of Insulin Ginger plants quickly and get more health benefits

Costus igneus (Chamaecostus cuspidatus) - Fiery Costus or Spiral Flag

💚 How to make lots of Insulin Ginger plants quickly and get more health benefits

Costus igneus (Chamaecostus cuspidatus) - Fiery Costus or Spiral Flag is believed to help lower blood glucose levels naturally and managing diabetes.
Have you heard of Insulin Ginger? Everyone wants to have it in the garden!
Gardeners in India grow it not just for its pretty spiral leaves, but for what those leaves do. People with diabetes often chew them fresh or brew them into tea, saying it helps keep their blood sugar under control.
Researchers have found something interesting: the leaves contain an insulin-like compound, along with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. In animal studies, extracts from the plant lowered blood sugar, protected the liver and kidneys, and even made the body more sensitive to insulin.
The way folks use it is simple. You can chew a leaf right off the plant, steep dried leaves for tea, or find it in powders and capsules. It's one of those plants that shows how tradition and science sometimes meet in the garden.
Its lush, turmeric-like leaves spiral around upright stems, with a glossy dark green top and a striking light purple underside. In warm months, it produces bright orange, cone-like flowers that stand out beautifully in the garden.
Beyond its beauty and natural insulin effects, the insulin plant is credited with aiding digestion, reducing cholesterol, boosting energy, improving skin health, supporting weight loss, relieving stress, and promoting heart wellness. A real botanical multitasker!

🎥 In this video, we’ll show you how to multiply Insulin Ginger fast, so you’ll have plenty of plants for yourself and even extras to share with friends and family.

✅ Don’t forget to use Green Magic fertilizer for the best results. Gingers absolutely love this plant food - they thrive on it and respond better than any other plant, with vigorous growth, lush foliage and loads of leaves you’ll need for all the benefits.

🛒 Grow your own sugar-fighter - the Insulin Ginger

📚 Learn more:

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Shade_Garden #Discover

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Date: 18 Sep 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

Passion fruit fizz: quick n fun exotic recipes

🍴 Passion fruit fizz: quick n fun exotic recipes 🍹

🔴Scoop passion fruit pulp into sparkling water with a squeeze of orange juice.
🔴A bubbly, tangy tropical soda!
🔴You may add a plash of Rum (optional)

🛒 Shop Passion fruit plants

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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Date: 13 Sep 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

Watch this before cooking with black pepper!

Black pepper (Piper nigrum)

🍃 Watch this before cooking with black pepper!

Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is famous for its berries, but the leaves are edible too, and in some regions they’re used just like betel leaves or bay leaves. Here are a few ways you can use them:

Cooking wrap: Fresh leaves can be used to wrap fish, meat, or rice before steaming or grilling, similar to banana or betel leaves. They add a mild peppery aroma.
Flavoring curries and soups: Whole leaves can be simmered in curries, broths, or stews to infuse a gentle peppery note, then removed before serving (like bay leaves).
Herbal teas: Fresh or dried leaves can be steeped with ginger, turmeric, or lemongrass to make a warming tea traditionally used for digestion and colds.
Chutneys and pastes: In South India, young pepper leaves are ground with coconut, tamarind, and chilies to make a tangy chutney.
Medicinal uses: Folk remedies use the leaves for coughs, sore throats, and as a poultice for muscle aches.

🍛 Black pepper leaf chutney

♨️Lightly saute 6-8 pepper leaves in a little oil.
♨️Blend with 1/2 cup grated coconut, 2 green chilies, tamarind, salt, and cumin.
♨️Optional: top with a quick tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves.
♨️Serve with rice or dosa.

☕️ Pepper leaf tea - when you feel under the weather

Boil 2-3 leaves with a cup of water.
Add a slice of ginger and a pinch of turmeric (optional).
Simmer 5 minutes, strain, and sweeten with honey.

Both recipes give a warm, peppery aroma without being too spicy. Pepper leaves are milder than the berries, so you’ll get aroma more than heat.

🛒 Grow your own Black Pepper plant - spice and vegetable!

📚 Learn more:

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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Date: 13 Sep 2025 Top Tropicals Newsletter

🌸 Meet the Most Colorful Ground Orchids

Ground Orchids – Spathoglottis, Phaius, Arundina, Epidendrum

Chinese Nun Ground Orchid (Phaius tankervilleae)
Yokohama Ground orchid Kate (Bletilla striata x formosana)
Tropical Punch, Sorbet Ground Orchid (Spathoglottis plicata)
Bamboo Orchid (Arundina graminifolia)
Snow Angel, Coconut Cloud Ground Orchid (Spathoglottis alba)
Orange Reed Ground Orchid (Epidendrum radicans Sunrise)
Lemon Kiss, Sorbet Ground Orchid (Spathoglottis chrysanta)
Pink Reed Ground Orchid, Violet Queen (Epidendrum radicans Fuchsia)
Lavender Reed Ground Orchid (Epidendrum elongatum x radicans)
Red Raspberry Reed Ground Orchid (Epidendrum radicans Red Glow)

Orchids have a mystique that sets them apart — elegant, exotic, almost unreal in their perfection. But let’s be honest, not everyone has luck with the fancy ones that cling to trees or need greenhouse tricks.

Ground orchids are different. They grow in regular garden soil, bloom in sun or shade, and come in all sorts of shapes and colors. They’re the orchids you don’t have to fuss over.

Nun Orchid (Phaius tankervilleae) – Ever wonder why it’s called the Nun Orchid? The flowers really do look like the white veil and brown habit nuns used to wear. The plants send up spikes 3–4 ft tall with 10–20 fragrant blooms that open one after another for weeks. I like them best tucked under trees where they just keep spreading year after year.

Spathoglottis – The nonstop bloomer – If you want flowers that just don’t quit, this one’s it. Spathoglottis clumps up and throws spikes of purple, pink, or yellow that last for weeks, then keep coming back through the summer. In warm spots they’ll bloom almost year-round. Honestly, it’s one of the easiest orchids you’ll ever grow.

💲 Special Offer – 20% off Ground Orchids!

Get 20% OFF ground orchids with code

ORCHID2025

Min order $100. Excluding S/H, valid online only, cannot be combined with other offers.

Hurry, offer expires September 17, 2025!

Shop ground orchids

Date: 12 Sep 2025 Top Tropicals Telegram channel & chat

What flowers do NOT attract bees?

Butterfly on a flower that doesn't attract bees

❌� What flowers do NOT attract bees?

Most tropical flowers bring in pollinators, and bees are usually first in line. But what if you’d rather avoid them? Maybe you’re allergic, or just don’t want bees buzzing around. Good news: some flowers attract butterflies, hummingbirds, moths, or even flies - but not bees.

👉 Quick rules:

✔️ Night-blooming + strong fragrance = moths or bats, not bees.
✔️ Red tubular flowers with little scent = hummingbirds or butterflies, not bees.
✔️ Rotten or fermented smell = flies, not bees.
✔️ Carnivorous plants = trap insects, no bee nectar.

1. Night-blooming, fragrant - moth and bat flowers

Bees forage by day, so many night-fragrant flowers skip them.

▫️Brugmansia - Angel’s Trumpet - big, hanging blooms, moth and bat pollinated.
▫️Cestrum nocturnum - Night-blooming Jasmine - powerful night scent, moths only.
▫️Hylocereus Dragon Fruit - huge cactus flowers, bats and moths.
▫️Brunfelsia - Lady of the Night - sweet fragrance at dusk, no bee interest.

Hummingbird and butterfly flowers

▫️Hibiscus - hummingbirds and butterflies visit, bees less so.
▫️Heliconis and Gingers - designed for hummingbird beaks, bold tubes are for birds, not bees.
▫️More good picks: Ruellia, Sanchezia, Aeschynanthus, Aphelandra, Anisacanthus, Cuphea, Fuchsia, Iochroma, Justicia, Lonicera, Hamelia, Russelia, Odontonema, Tecomaria, Bougainvillea.

Fly-pollinated oddballs

▫️Amorphophallus (Voodoo Lily) - rotting meat scent.
▫️Tacca (Bat Head Lily) - spooky black flowers, fly-pollinated.
▫️Stapelia (Carrion Flower) - also fly-pollinated.
▫️Aristolochia (Pelican Flower) - giant, bizarre fly-traps.

Specialized orchids

▫️Vanilla orchid - its natural bee pollinator is absent in most regions, so no bee appeal elsewhere.
▫️Brassavola nodosa and others - open at night for moths, not bees.

Bonus: carnivorous curiosities

▫️Nepenthes (Pitcher Plant) - uses pitchers of liquid to lure and digest insects.

These flowers keep the beauty, fragrance, and wildlife appeal - but without making your garden a bee hotspot.

🛒 Explore butterfly attractors

#Butterfly_Plants #How_to #Discover

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Date: 11 Sep 2025 Top Tropicals Newsletter

September 11th remains one of the darkest days in our nation’s memory, a tragedy that touched every life in some way. More than two decades later, we may come from different places, hold different views, and see the world through different lenses — but on this day, we stand together in remembrance.

Like a young tree reaching toward the sky, we find strength in renewal. Nature reminds us that healing takes root quietly and grows over time. A branch in bloom, a sunrise after storm clouds, the steady rhythm of the seasons — all speak of life’s resilience. As we honor the lives lost, may we also honor the life that continues around us.

And we will keep remembering, together.

For us, trees and gardens are daily reminders of resilience. That’s why we grow them, and share them with others who find hope in nature. Explore our plants.

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