Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Forget the gym and get to gardening?

Fun workout? We never have enough time to go to the gym or do an exercise so it's good to know that just doing something that you love can give you a workout. We all know that when we are out in the garden it gives us a bit of exercise but we do not realize how much exactly. Research says that three hours of gardening can have the same effect as an intense 1-hour gym session. The study was carried out with a group of 100 gardeners who were asked to monitor the amount of time spent doing a series of common gardening tasks over a four week period. Gardening tasks that were monitored included weeding, digging, mowing the lawn, hedge trimming, trimming shrubs and trees, raking, planting shrubs, and moving garden waste using a wheel barrow. Here are some facts and numbers:
- Just doing half an hour weeding can burn up to 150 calories and tasks that handle heavy electrical equipment such as hedge trimming will give you a good workout burning 400 calories per hour.
- Spending a day or five hours each week in the garden will burn up to around 700 calories
- Over a gardening season that works out at 20,000 calories per year, equivalent to running seven marathons
- The gardening hobby could help burn a million calories over a lifetime.

Calories burned with only 1 hour of:
340 cal - Chopping wood, splitting logs, gardening with heavy power tools, tilling a garden, chain saw. Mowing lawn, walk, hand mower. Shoveling by hand.
272 cal - Carrying, loading or stacking wood, loading/unloading or carrying lumber, digging, spading, filling garden, composting, laying crushed rock or sod. Clearing land, hauling branches, wheelbarrow chores.
238 cal - Operating blower, walking. Planting seedlings, shrubs, trees, trimming shrubs or trees, manual cutter. Weeding, cultivating garden.
224 cal - Raking lawn, sacking grass and leaves
136 cal - Picking fruit off trees, picking up yard, picking flowers or vegetables. Walking, gathering gardening tools.
102 cal - Walking, applying fertilizer or seeding a lawn
34 cal - Watering lawn or garden, standing or walking

Radio Top Tropicals Live Webcast upcoming event: Saturday May 20, at 11 am EST.
Topic: Come Ride My Peninsula! Discusses the REAL Florida. Our plants, the Everglades, how all of the wonderful plants Top Tropicals has to offer are grown in South Florida. Our Host Robert Riefer - Internationally Certified Crop Adviser and Weed Scientist - answering all your gardening questions.
Listen to Radio Top Tropicals, every Saturday, at 11 am EST! You may use our website radio player DURING AIR TIME. To ask questions using live chat, you need to log in at Mixlr.com or simply call our office 239-887-3323 during air time!
If you missed a live webcast, you may listen to recording by following Showreel item link.
Check out our upcoming radio shows and get your gardening questions ready!

Checklist - preparing for winter in subtropical areas.
Watering. Start reducing the amount you water your plants in early fall, once the temperature drops below 65 °F. Avoid watering your plants during cool nights, as this may cause serious root rot.
Mulch. When a plant is protected by a thick layer of mulch, the root system stays healthy.
No Pruning. Avoid pruning, trimming, or pinching branch tips altogether during the fall and winter which encourages new shoots that are soft, tender, and very cold sensitive.
No Fertilizer. Avoid fertilizers during the winter. The main reason being the same as above for pruning: fertilizing promotes growth of the upper plant parts which should be avoided during the winter months.

Time to clean your yard!
In the South. It's getting cooler in subtropical areas, and garden work becomes even more enjoyable. Your garden now is in the most perfect shape after summer vigorous growth. It is the best time now to run the last trim before winter, as well as last fertilizer application. Clean up your yard without sweating off, add mulch to help plants to survive through possible winter chills. Don't forget to start reducing watering! Remember once temperatures drop below 65F, tropical plants slow down or stop growing and go into winter dormancy sleep.

Up North. When temperatures drop below 45 °F, start bringing sensitive plants indoors or into protected areas. Prepare/cover greenhouse, check availability of covers (sheets, plastic) and condition of heaters. Plants indoors will experience environment change, may drop leaves, and need different care than out in the sun. Reduce watering, check for insects once a week, and stop fertilizing until spring. Remember to pick the brightest spots for overwintering your tropical plants!

Enjoy cooler weather, fresh air, and thank yourself for a wonderful work you have done in your yard!

Growing Mexican Flame Vine as an annual

Q: While down in Fort Myers a few years ago, I saw this plant - Senecio confusus or Mexican Flame Vine, growing over chain-link fencing. At any rate, I fell in love with the plant then and there, only to later see it up here in Wisconsin, albeit down in Madison at The Centennial House, a noted botanical garden. This has led me to believe it may be possible to use this plant up here in the north as an annual. I could really use the orange coloration in mixed containers, etc. What I would like to try to find out is, will it grow and flower sufficiently within one of our growing seasons up here to make the choice worthwhile? Again, seeing it at Centennial House at least leads me to believe it may be possible. China where the flower was admired for its beauty and believed to have medicinal properties that promoted good health and long life. The Japanese Emperor was so smitten with the kiku flower that he adopted it as his personal crest, and it remains the insignia of the imperial family today. The art of growing and displaying Kiku for the Emperor's garden represented by amazing Imperial styles: Ozukuri, Ogiku, Kengai... Imagine growing out of one stem a single chrysanthemum trained to produce hundreds of simultaneous blossoms in a massive, dome-shaped array.

A: Mexican Flame vine is a good candidate to be grown as annual, thanks to these features:
- extremely fast growing
- it flowers in small size and young age
- long flowering period (2-3 months depending on conditions), throughout early Spring into Summer, sometimes it has a second blooming season by end of Summer.
- we keep large mature plants in stock year round, so you can have blooming size specimen as early as spring once your temperatures reach 65F so the plant will feel comfortable and develop quickly.
- easy to propagate - more plants can be made for next year season.

In winter, a potted plant can be cut back and kept in semi-dormant state indoors - garage, enclosed patio, with temperatures around 50F and above. Some gardeners from North prefer to plant a tropical specimen with a pot into the ground (make sure to add extra drainage holes), and when winter comes, it makes it easier to dig it out and save till warm season.

Erblichia or Flor de Fuego - Apricot fragrance and sunny color

Q: I saw this wonderful flower Flor de Fuego on your website and I would like to buy this plant. I am wondering how big this tree will grow and how long will it take until I can smell the lovely flowers? I have a big garden and not much space left, but I still have a few spots available for smaller trees. Also any special care info will be appreciated.

A: Flor de Fuego is a small tree and will fit in any small yard situation. It is very rare in cultivation. This is the newest, most exciting tree to be introduced in the last decade. It said to be one of the most beautiful flowering trees in Central America. It has long narrow leaves and large flowers 6-8" across that smell like apricots. It blooms from late fall through early winter and sometimes through spring. Normally it starts blooming in 2-3 years after planted in the ground. Surprisingly for such a delicate plant, it tolerates poor soils. Once established, it doesn't require any special care other than regular watering and fertilizing during hot months. It does take some effort sometimes to make the tree happy in its new habitat. After planting in the ground, keep your eye on irrigation schedule and do not let soil stay wet, young trees don't like wet feet. In natural habitat, the plant prefers to have a dry period that is beneficial for profuse blooming.

See full size picture of Erblichia tree in full bloom

Click here to buy Flor de Fuego

Growing a coconut palm

Q: I love your Facebook section "ask the Gardener"! I received a coconut palm from a neighbor four years ago. It sprouted naturally from seed. We moved it to a location where it gets morning/ early afternoon sun in my yard. It hasn't grown. No, really. I've fertilized it, water it, what gives?! It puts out new green leaves every so often to replace old brown ones, but never gets any vertical height changes. I'm stumped!

A: It could be a few things and it could also be the type of coconut you are growing. Cocos nucifera is the only type of palm tree that produces coconuts. Within this species, however, there are dozens of different varieties of coconuts. The different varieties are usually divided into two main types: tall and dwarf. If it is only getting water when it rains, it does need more water. There could also be a problem with the PH in your soil. Most garden centers will be able to test your soil and let you know what it is missing. It could also be a micro-elements deficiency. We do have a micro-elements mix you can find at Toptropicals.com. Micro-elements are not always found in regular fertilizer.

10 plants that can make you happy.
3D garden ideas.

3D garden ideas.
Q: Can you make my yard bigger and prevent it from freezing?

A: Yes, we can make your backyard bigger by adding a 3rd dimension - trees as a upper level, shrubs as a second level, vines in between, low growing perennials below them. Add ground covers and potted plants as separate specimens in between in-ground planted trees and shrubs. One more separate dimension is orchids and other epiphytes that happily grow on the trees. This multi-level structure will allow you not only collect so many plants, but also maintain them in a natural environment, similar to how they grow in a wild.

As far as preventing from freezing - it depends. You can use greenhouse, cover plants, create microclimate under large canopies, etc. Some tropical plants are tolerant to light frost, once established. If it gets below freezing in your area for more than a few hours, and especially if you have numerous nights with frost throughout winter, we recommend to keep plants in pots (BTW, this way you save space and can collect even more!). Pots can be moved to protected area during cold nights. The more established the tree, the more chances to survive colder temperatures. You may also use propane heaters during cold nights.
We also use plant booster SUNSHINE boosters to increase plants cold tolerance.
Cold protection is a lengthy subject. Here is some more information on cold protection. Also, we recommend to check out our magazine Tropical Treasures (about pushing the limits of tropical gardening) for a detailed article on cold protection.
These are specific articles on Zone-Pushing in different issue #s regarding dealing with cold. See downloadable issues:
(#1) Growing Tropicals in Nontropical Climate, Three Freezing Nights in Southwest Florida
(#2) Temperature drops - an alert or a rehearsal?
(#5) Dealing with cold snaps, Cold hardy beauties
(#7) When winter is around the corner, Growing exotic Cordyline in colder climate
(#8) When the weather outside is frightful
(#9) Winter champions
(#11) Ready-for-winter checklist for in-ground plants
(#13) Winter checklist
(#18) Dealing with cold damaged plants
You may also order hard copies.
If temperatures drop below freezing in your area, remember to add Heat Pack to your order!

10 plants that will make you happy.

Everyone wants to be happy. Did you know that growing plants is not only fun but can also make you happy? In our new series we will introduce to you 10 plants for your tropical collection that will make you happy.
Visit our Facebook, YouTube Channel and stay happy!

Check out this video: 10 plants that will make you happy. Plant # 1 - Rose Apple.

Stay updated with TopTropicals Videos by subscribing to our channel at YouTube.com/TopTropicals and get our latest video news of what's fruiting and blooming!

Organic remedy for indoor plants insect protection

Q: Winter is coming and I moved my collection of fragrant plants inside the house about a week ago. Today I noticed some aphids on my jasmine. I guess they sneaked in with the plant from the garden where it was a week ago. I don't want them to spread around and get to the nearby gardenia. What should I do to protect my plants from insects indoors?

A: Sometimes bugs attack indoor plants more than those outside in the garden. The main reason is lack of air circulation, lack of sunlight, lack of bug natural predators, and lack of plant's immune resistance due to winter dormancy. So, you need to pay extra attention at your plants health during colder months they spend indoors. Inspect leaves, especially underneath, at least on weekly basis.

If noticed first signs of insect attacks (insects and/or leaf damage such as holes, chewed edges, discoloration, dark or sticky coating), use a simple organic remedy that is handy in every house. Mix in a cup of hot water two tablespoons of any cooking oil: Canola, Vegetable, Sunflower, Olive; Neem oil is the best for this purpose, but it does have a pungent odor (bugs don't like it as well as some people). Add a few drops of dish-soap for better mixing oil in the water. You may add a clove of pressed fresh garlic - bugs hate it! Clean leaves with this solution using cloth, paper towel, and/or spray bottle.

If insects are persistent or your treatment arrived too late when a plant is excessively infested, after cleaning with the oil solution, you may use additionally systemic insecticide sprays sold in garden centers, with active ingredients of pyrethrin, imidacloprid or similar. Make sure to read product label and follow instructions.

However try the organic recipe first, it really works! You may repeat it as needed, as often as you want! See TopTropicals Video on Safe and Easy Pest Control.

RARE AFRICAN GINGERS

By John Banta. The rarity of African gingers is only matched by their beauty. The rarest, and most costly is the remarkable blue flowered, Siphonchilus beachystemon. It was discovered in Kenya in 1957 by an English tourist. It reminded her of the beautiful blue Himalayan poppy, Meconopsis grandis, she often admired at the Edinburgh Botanical Garden so she had her guide collect a plant or two that she took back to Edinburgh. The few plants available in horticulture today come from that original collection over 50 years ago. Fortunately there are about 15 species of Siphonchilus found in Africa and some of most outstanding ones make grand additions to our gardens. Listed in order of their vigor and availability they are:
Siphonochilus decorus. The large butter yellow flowers only last for a day but they continue to develop for weeks. In Zimbabwe it is considered one of the outstanding native plants. It is closely related to the next ginger and forms hybrids with it that are usually sterile. Read more...

Jungle on Windowsill 101

Q: I got a Jasmine Sambac and a Tahitian gardenia as presents, they are very cute plants with flowers and flower buds. I would like to be able to keep them alive and hopefully happy for a long time, but I don't know much about growing tropical plants, and I am not sure if my thumb is green enough to make everything right. What do they need? How much sun? How much water? What kind of soil? Sorry for all these (maybe silly) questions, but I want to keep them alive, please help! I live in Wisconsin and we had some snow again last week.

A: Growing tropicals is not a hard work, it is a lot of fun! These plants are actually a good starters for a beginner who wants to try growing tropical plants, no matter if you live in a mild frost-free climate, or up North where you can have these beauties as houseplants. Below are a few simple steps for you:

1. Read. Follow planting instructions included with your plants. Check plant names on the tags and learn more about them from our online catalog.