Date: 24 Nov 2021
Winter is coming tips
Reminder from Kristi, the Tropical Flower Girl
As the weather gets cooler, many of you move your potted tropical plants
indoors. Please remember:
1. Leaf drop. Lower air humidity, lower light and short day may
cause some leaf drop. This is normal for seasonal environment change.
2. Reduce watering as it gets cooler and darker. Under lower light
and in cooler temperature, plants won't need much water; some plants go dormant and only need minimum water (so soil doesn't completely dry out). Excess water may damage roots and kill a plant in winter.
3. No dry fertilizer in winter. Active growth stops. Let the plant
to go into dormancy or simply have a rest. You can continue liquid Sunshine Boosters according to regular dosage chart with every
watering. Since the watering is reduced, the plants will get only as much food as
needed for getting through the winter.
4. Watch for insects by inspecting leaves regularly. They may attack
plants more likely in the indoor conditions. You may use organic NoBug insecticide especially for your indoor plants.
Stay Warm!
In the photo: Mr Big and Zoe-the-Scooby-Doo sharing a warm tub with Emerald Peperonia
Date: 24 Nov 2021
Carambola - the Star of the orchard
from seed to flower... in less than 2 years?
by Ed Jones, the Booster guy
...My story starts on Dec. 2, 2019 when a co-worker brought a bag of
carambola. Well, being a crazy plant person, and being still fairly new to
Florida, you know I had to save a seed and plant it, right? Why not, it just might
grow. If it does, I may get my own star fruit someday. But when? Google
tells me that it takes 3 - 8 years to get fruit from a carambola that is planted
from seed. OK, I am good with 3 years....8, not so much, but I was willing to
give it a shot... Not really knowing what to expect, I planted just one
salvaged seed in some potting soil in a coffee cup and placed in on a shelf on
our lanai...
...Here is a picture of that plant FLOWERING and ready to fruit, taken at
the end of October 2021... Now, read the whole story...
CONTINUE READING >>
Grafted Carambola Trees available from our store are ready to flower and fruit right away. Some of them start fruiting right in a pot!
Date: 18 Nov 2021
7 reasons to get an Aroid Houseplant
1. It's almost Winter... You need something tropical in your home! Aroids have the most tropical look!
2. Aroids tolerate low light conditions of indoors.
3. Aroids require almost no care. Care is easy because if you watch for the
signals, the plant will tell you exactly what it needs
4. Aroids adapt to wide range of conditions. Many of them thrive in neglect
and survive even in sub-optimal conditions... Unlike most tropicals, Aroids
don't experience much stress when moving from indoor to outdoor settings and adapt readily to conditions inside the home.
5. Aroids are compact and easy to manage.
6. Aroids are fast growing while still being compact.
7. They are on sale now!
Check out our Philodendrons, Monsteras, Fancy Syngoniums, Alocasias, Colocasias.
Date: 18 Nov 2021
Philodendrons: from the Magic Rainforest...
by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats
...Tropical rainforests have been called the "jewels of the Earth" and
the "world's largest pharmacy", because over one quarter of natural medicines
have been discovered there... One of the most excellent representative of
this green world is a Philodendron... Taxonomically, the genus Philodendron is
still poorly known, with many undescribed species...
...Philodendron care is easy because if you watch for the signals, the
plant will tell you exactly what it needs. Even inexperienced houseplant owners
will have no trouble growing philodendron plants because the plants adapt
readily to conditions inside the home. This makes learning how to care for a
philodendron incredibly simple...
CONTINUE READING >>
Date: 10 Nov 2021
Cat of the Week:
Snitch, the Garden Boy
...According to the National survey, 80% of cats suffer misunderstanding from humans: "Every time I try to have a serious talk with him, he simply gives me food" - this was the most common opinion among cats who took the survey...
See more: TopTropicals PeopleCats