Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

🏡 Home is where they understand you

"Home is not where you live but where they understand you." - Christian Morgenstern

🐈📸 Cat ShortStuff is guarding his buddy Beagle Bobby finishing leftovers at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden

#PeopleCats #Quotes

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🍀 How to keep your house plants beautiful all year by feeding them right

• 🌱 Healthy house plants are not just about light and water. They need food, just like we do. A good fertilizer routine keeps them green, strong, and blooming through every season. Here is a simple guide to feeding indoor plants the right way.
• 🌱 General rules for fertilizing house plants

• ▪️Feed lightly but regularly. Indoor plants grow in limited soil, so nutrients run out faster. Small, frequent feedings work better than one heavy dose.
• ▪️Never fertilize dry soil. Water first, then feed.
• ▪️Reduce feeding in winter when growth slows.
• ▪️Watch your leaves. Pale, yellow, or slow-growing plants are asking for nutrients.
• ▪️Use a complete formula. House plants need both macro-elements (N-P-K) and micro-elements, not just nitrogen.

• 🌱 What fertilizer to use


Sunshine Boosters - the everyday diet.
Sunshine Boosters are simple, balanced liquid fertilizers you mix with water. They give your plants everything they need for steady, healthy growth. They contain the right blend of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and trace minerals. They do not contain harsh chemicals, so they are safe for homes with pets and kids. Regular use keeps plants growing faster, stronger, and more resilient to stress.

Sunshine Superfood - the vitamin supplement.
If a plant turns yellow or looks weak, it often needs micronutrients. These are the plant version of vitamins, including iron, zinc, copper, and manganese. Sunshine Superfood delivers these quickly and in the right proportions. Mix it with water and apply when you notice yellowing or slow growth. It corrects deficiencies fast and keeps leaves lush and green.

Green Magic - the long-term slow feeder.
Green Magic is a controlled-release fertilizer that works for six months. It uses poly-on coating technology to release nutrients slowly, without burning roots. It is perfect for repotting or for plant owners who want a set-it-and-forget-it option. Mix one teaspoon per gallon of soil during repotting or every six months. Excellent for container fruit trees and ornamentals that need steady feeding.
• 🌱 The simple routine

• ▪️For regular watering: use Sunshine Boosters.
• ▪️Once a month: add Sunshine Superfood to prevent yellowing.
• ▪️Every six months: mix Green Magic into the soil for long-term support.

With the right diet, your house plants stay green, strong, and beautiful year-round. Feed them well, and they reward you every day.

📸 In the photo: Indoor garden of Marina Rybka, Israel, the Editor of TopTropicals.

🛒 Get your plants some food

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️Why do you need Sunshine Boosters?
• ▫️Which dry fertilizer to use - slow release or controlled release?
• ▫️Green Magic effect: before and after
• ▫️The SECRET growers never tell you: simple trick how to bring plants back to life and keep green

📱 What are Sunshine Boosters

#Fertilizers #How_to

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👀 Stare for 15 seconds without blinking to watch her tail wet! (or not)

"Some test the water with a toe; others just send the intern." - Dave Barry

🐈📸 Cat Niki testing the waters at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden

#PeopleCats #Quotes

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🐟 When the Goldfish blooms...

• 🐡 If you’ve never seen a Columnea Melissa - Flying Goldfish Plant in full bloom, get ready for a surprise. Columnea Melissa is one of those houseplants that looks almost too whimsical to be real. Its bright orange flowers pop out along long, velvety stems, and every single one looks like a tiny goldfish with wings. When the plant starts cascading, it really does look like a whole school of flying fish drifting through the air.
• 🐡 This plant comes from tropical cloud forests, so it loves humidity, gentle light, and steady moisture. An airy mix, a hanging basket, and a bright window are all it really asks for. Cooler winter temps are fine, just keep watering on the light side.
• 🐡 Give it a kitchen or bathroom windowsill and it will reward you with nonstop color. It’s one of those plants that visitors always point at and say… okay, what is THAT?

🛒 Add showy Flying Goldfish Plant to your collection

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️The most colorful houseplant
• ▫️This goldfish lives in a pot and Why is it called Gold Fish Plant
• ▫️Six colorful plants for your indoor garden

#Container_Garden

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🍴 Feijoa coconut loaf: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🔴Mix Feijoa pulp into a coconut quick-bread batter.
• 🔴Bakes into a fragrant tropical treat.

Feijoa Coconut Loaf

Ingredients

• 1 cup feijoa pulp, finely chopped
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a loaf pan.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, coconut, and salt.
3. Mix eggs, sugar, melted butter, milk, and vanilla.
4. Fold dry ingredients into wet, then stir in feijoa pulp.
5. Pour batter into loaf pan and smooth the top.
6. Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until golden and a toothpick tests clean.
7. Cool before slicing.

🛒 Plant exotic fragrant Feijoa - Pineapple Guava

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️Pineapple Guava: fragrant fruit, beautiful blooms, and real health benefits
• ▫️Why is it called Pineapple Guava? It tastes just like strawberries! Feijoa Superfood.

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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🐣 When eggs hit luxury status, you know times are tough

"An egg today is better than a hen tomorrow." - Benjamin Franklin

🐈📸 Cat James Coconuts, who owns the kitchen, says that at these prices, he is guarding them like gold at PeopleCats.Garden

#PeopleCats #Quotes

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🍒 5 fruits that help manage gout (high uric acid)

💥 High uric acid, hyperuricemia, also called gout, causes painful swelling in joints and can affect kidney health over time. Medicine helps, but so does what you grow and eat. Some fruits can naturally flush out excess uric acid and reduce inflammation. Here are five easy fruit trees and plants that can help:

🍋 Citrus
Citrus trees are great to grow in pots or sunny yards. Lemons and oranges are rich in vitamin C, which helps kidneys remove uric acid and keeps the body’s pH balanced. A glass of lemon water in the morning or a fresh orange during the day can help. Studies in Science Direct show lemon juice lowers uric acid levels in the blood.

Berries (mulberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries)
Berries are packed with antioxidants that fight inflammation and support kidney health. Mulberry trees are perennial trees and bushes that produce berries year after year. They grow well in both temperate and warm areas, and are an easy choice for all backyard gardeners. Mulberry high water content helps flush out toxins. Research from the National Institute of Health shows berries rich in polyphenols can lower uric acid naturally.

🍒 Cherries
Cherries are one of the best fruits for gout. They’re rich in anthocyanins, compounds that reduce inflammation and uric acid levels. National Institute of Health studies have found regular cherry intake helps lower gout attacks. Dwarf cherry trees can grow in large pots if space is limited.

🍌 Bananas
Bananas are rich in potassium, which helps the kidneys remove uric acid more efficiently, according to PubMed central. They’re also low in purines, the compounds that form uric acid. Dwarf banana varieties grow well in containers and add a tropical look while supporting healthy digestion and uric acid balance.

🍍Pineapple
Pineapple contains bromelain, a natural enzyme that eases swelling and pain caused by gout. It’s also refreshing and supports kidney function. Studies by global health science group show pineapple juice can help reduce inflammation and uric acid. It’s easy to grow in a pot or sunny garden bed.

These fruits won’t replace medicine, but they can support your body’s natural detox system. Grow them, eat them fresh, and enjoy both their flavor and health benefits.

🛒 Explore Fruit trees and grow your own natural remedies

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️Grow your own brain food: avocado and cacao
• ▫️Plant a fruit tree - and breathe easier: fruit might be the surprising key to healthier lungs
• ▫️11 tropical fruits to eat instead of taking a fiber supplement
• ▫️Tropical fruit health benefits guide - what fruit and edibles can help with health issues and vitamin deficiencies, Part 1 and Part 2.
• ▫️Top 10 fruiting plants you'll ever need for your health benefits

#Food_Forest #Mango #Remedies #Discover

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⬆️ Right side up

"Sometimes you have to turn the world upside down to see it right side up." - Molly Friedenfeld

🐈📸 Cat Wesley is a wise purrson at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden

#PeopleCats #Quotes

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👹 This giant red stared right back at me

• 🌺 Disocactus ackermanni, also called the Red Orchid Cactus, or Jungle Cactus - is one of those plants that surprises you even when you already know it well. It grows like a tropical fern, with flat, leaflike stems that hang and drape from a basket. Most of the year it looks calm and green. Then, without much warning, it opens a single huge, bright red flower that can reach up to 6 inches wide. The color is intense, almost glowing, and the bloom only lasts a short time, which makes it even more special.
• 🌺 Despite being a cactus, it behaves nothing like a desert plant. This species is native to the tropical forests of Mexico, where it grows as an epiphyte in trees. It prefers shade or filtered light, and it enjoys regular watering. No spines, no trouble, just a very unusual growth habit and a spectacular bloom.
• 🌺 The plant usually flowers from spring through summer, sometimes offering more than one flush. When it does, it always steals attention, and it is one of those plants visitors immediately point at and ask about. This makes it a favorite among collectors of epiphytic cacti and unusual hanging plants.
• 🌺 If you grow it in a hanging basket and give it bright shade, humidity, and consistent moisture, it rewards you with one of the most striking red flowers you will ever see!

🛒 Add Red Orchid Cactus to your collection

📚 Learn more:
Red Orchid Cactus puts out the biggest bloom show
More epiphytic jungle cacti:
Epiphyllum oxypetalum - Queen of the Night
Pseudorhipsalis (Wittia) amazonica - Blue Flame
Epiphyllum guatemalense Monstrosa - Orchid Cactus, Curly Locks

#Container_Garden #Shade_Garden #Nature_Wonders

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🍴 Hog plum chutney: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

• 🔴Simmer Hog Plums with chilies, ginger, and sugar.
• 🔴Sweet, sour, and fiery - perfect with curries.

Hog Plum Chutney

Ingredients

• 2 cups hog plum pulp
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 small red chili, sliced
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup water

Instructions

1. Combine hog plum pulp, sugar, ginger, salt, and water in a saucepan.
2. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
3. Add sliced chili and cook 10 to 15 minutes until thickened.
4. Cool and serve with curries, meats, or rice.

🛒 Plant a Hog Plum and always have juicy fruit: you can freeze it too!

📚 Learn more:

• ▫️ Why everyone's falling for the Hog Plum
• ▫️ Hog Plum health benefits
• ▫️ This is how the flowers of a Hog Plum look like
• ▫️ The Hog Plum tree fruit
• ▫️ What fruit tree is full of fruit year around

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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