Garden Blog - Top Tropicals
Date:
URBAN TROPICAL GARDENING:
10 secrets of successful Container Mango growing on a
balcony.
Q: I live in Miami in apartment on a second floor, and I have a balcony with SE exposure. I wonder if I can grow a mango tree in a pot? Will it fruit for me? I recently moved to South Florida and I don't know much about tropical plants; but I tasted real fiberless mangos from someone's garden - it was so delicious and different from those in the grocery store. I wonder if I can have a fruiting tree on my balcony? And if yes, how do I plant and take care of it?
A:
Yes, you can! Here is what you need to do:
1) Temperature. You are lucky to live in Tropics,
keep it on a balcony year round.
2) Light. Position the pot in a spot with the most
sun exposure. Mango trees can take filtered light too, but
the less sun, the less fruit you will get.
3) Soil and Container. Use only
well drained potting mix. Step up the purchased
plant into next size container (3 gal into 7 gal, 7 gal
into 15 gal). When transplanting, make sure to keep growth
point (where roots meet the trunk) just at the top of the
soil. Covering base of the trunk with soil may kill the
plant.
4) Water. Water daily during hot season, but only
if top of soil gets dry. If it still moist, skip that day.
Mangoes (unlike
Avocados!) prefer to stay on a dry side.
5) Fertilizer. Use
balanced fertilizer once a month, 1 tsp per 1 gal of
soil. Do not fertilize during fruiting - this may cause
fruit cracks.
6) Microelements. Apply
SUNSHINE-Superfood once a month. This will help your
mango healthy, vigorous, and resistant to diseases. Use SUNSHINE-Honey to make your
fruit sweeter.
7) Insect control. Watch for scales and mealybugs,
clean with solution of soapy water + vegetable oil (may
need to repeat 2-3 times with 10 days interval), or with
systemic insecticide like imidacloprid only as needed (if
non-harsh treatment didn't help). Most Flea shampoo for
dogs contain that chemical, you may try that shampoo
solution.
8) Trimming. Once potted, do not remove leaves
that are discolored or have spots until new growth
appears. Dark dots on mango leaves, especially in humid
climate like Florida, may be signs of fungus. Treat with
fungicide according to label, and remove only badly
damaged leaves. Trim crown as needed after flowering and
fruiting (by Fall). Train into a small tree, and you may
remove some lower branches eventually.
9) Flower and fruit. Mangoes are winter bloomers
with bunches of tiny flowers coming in thousands. Many of
them set fruit (if pollinating insects present). Keep in
mind that young trees can only bare a few fruit. Normally
a tree will drop excessive fruit and keep only a few that
it can manage. To save the young tree some energy, remove
fruit if too many and leave only 2-3 for the first year.
It will pay you next year with more abundant crop.
10) Variety. Last but not least: Choose the right
variety for container culture! Pick from "condo" dwarf
varieties such as Icecream, Nam Doc Mai, Carrie, Cogshall, Julie, Fairchild, Pickering, Graham, Mallika, and a few others -
check out Mango Chart pdf
and full list of our Mango varieties.
Date:
How to feed a Mango tree...
and to grow a Dwarf Mango
How to fertilize a Mango tree
Q: My mango trees that I bought and planted last august now have fruit. I bought 2 types of fertilizer from you and never used it. Should I use your fertilizer now?
A: It is a perfect time now to fertilize your plants as they
start active growth.
For mango trees, we recommend liquid fertilizer Sunshine Booster - Mango Tango. It is formulated for Mango trees,
especially for container grown. It improves quantity and quality of flowers and
ability to set fruit, reduces bud-flower-fruit drop. Can be used as often as
with every watering. For best results, use in combination with Sunshine Honey and Sunshine Superfood plant supplements. Its scientifically-balanced
stable formula is organic Amino-acid based and has NO EDTA chelators to eliminate
nutrients lockup; it does not affect crop taste.
Additionally, you may use slow-release granulated fertilizer Mango-Food once a month during hot season only. Dosage: 1 teaspoon per
each gal of soil.
Water-soluble fertilizers can be also used, however, those are usually
EDTA-chelated which is not as efficient as Amono-acid based Sunshine Boosters and
may create nutrients build up, especially if overdosed in containers.
For in-ground mango trees, you may use all the above, and slow-release
granulated fertilizer can be applied in larger quantities: spread a handful
around the drip line.
Remember that only liquid Sunshine Boosters can be applied year around. With other fertilizers, you need to be careful not to overdose, and apply only during hot weather (when night temperatures are steadily above 65F).
How to grow a Dwarf Mango tree
Q: I received the Ice cream mango tree in great condition (thank you for the ingenious packing job) on Wednesday and have planted it in a pot slightly bigger than the root ball. I plan to grow the tree on my front porch, so how big a container should I ultimately use when the tree outgrows this pot? How big a container does it need to fruit? I hope to keep it around 6-7 feet high, if possible. I live in Hawaii.
A: Ice Cream mango is a perfect variety for container culture, and it should be happy in Hawaii. You did everything right. Keep it in this small pot for now and wait until it starts vigorous growth in Summer. Once it starts growing (and you will notice roots growing too, sometimes they try to grow through the holes in the bottom of the pot), then it's time to step up into a bigger container (7-10 gal). Eventually you may use container size as large as 15 gal. Ice cream mango is slow growing and compact, and you will be able to maintain it under 7 ft with very minimal pruning if any.
Date:
PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cats of the day: Biggy's Cat Hospital
Biggy checking on patient Abu when he couldn't walk
During these challenging times for the whole planet, we receive kind letters from our customers checking on how our PeopleCats are doing, especially those that previously were ill. And since we promised to follow up on everyone, including heart-breaking story of Raja and Abu, today's report is about everybody's progress!
As we mentioned in our previous newsletter, several cats in TopTropicals
Cat Sanctuary had a coronavirus (we call it COVID-Cat-20), or simply a cat respiratory infection. Chiefy, Snitch, Marco and Biggy had it really bad, but some other PeopleCats surprisingly didn't
get it! Just like with humans. Lucky King didn't have a single sneeze!
Finally, everybody has recovered by now, but it has been a very stressful
couple of weeks for us, considering limited vet availability at this stay-home
time. On top of that, Lil S had an abscess and was also contained in a home hospital, away
from flu-quarantined PeopleCats. Our homes become real cat hospitals!
We are thankful to our customers support, especially Silvia who made
several donations for our PeopleCats, and also recommended antiseptic pads - those worked great for Lil S!
Abu and Raja's adventures were not over... After 2 weeks of seeing a
vet treating their infections and injuries, they got worse... Then after a
couple of weeks in another hospital (and a couple thousand more in bills) we were
suggested to put them down as hopeless since they would never walk again...
But Kristi did not want to believe it, she did not give up! The kittens heard
her. They won. Today, they are all better, walking, jumping and playing!
Thank you Kristi!
Never give up hope!
Stay safe and healthy with your PeoplePets!
TopTropicals PeopleCat Club
Thank you everybody for supporting us in helping PeopleCat Community!
Make
your kind donation today and receive a surprise gift from us. Every little
bit helps! Thank you and God bless you and your pets!
Date:
Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Lucky Abu
"You will always be lucky if you know how to make friends with
strange cats".
Colonial American Proverb
- our last Cat of The Day Itembi started with this quote... and guess what, it proved right again!..
Right around the corner from TopTropicals, in the woods, Kristi noticed
a skinny poor cat... she looked so miserable, just bones and skin... she
could hardly walk and looked injured. And yet she had 2 kittens following her!
The Cat Family could use some meal and a warm home. Unfortunately they seemed
to be feral and wouldn't let Kristi pick them up.
Compassionate Kristi spend couple days brainstorming how to save these poor
PeopleCats in need. She ended up setting a trap and... bingo! The first
Little Purrson found its forever sweet home at TopTropicals!
...The cat groomer Lindsey came home from school. First bath time... the
kitty smelled like poop! Soon the bath time was over... Full of fleas, and it's
a boy!
She named him Abu. Just like the delicious exotic tropical fruit! Or, a mischievous Aladdin's Monkey companion ;)
We will send you updates on Abu and hope that his Mom will join him soon at TopTropicals Cat Paradise!
Remember that every dollar you spend on TopTropicals plants, is split between plant growers and PeopleCats who are our all-time companions and helpers in our daily hard work! We thank our customers for buying plants and thank our PeopleCats for keeping us cool, kind, and happy!
Check out the Video: ">Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals and more Cat of the Day stories.
Lucky Abu: from rags to riches!
Being trapped in a cage for a few hours is not so bad if you have your own petting staff!
Date:
Thank you from Top Tropicals PeopleCats
"Hold a true friend with both hands"
- Nigerian proverb -
Cat friends, thank you for your support!
"...Dear Friends at Top Tropicals,
Thank you for your Photo of Saint Gertrude of Nivelles. I did not know about her. Now I can
meditate upon her to help all cats. Our pets, plants, and loved ones will help us
during this world crises. My bees and garden certainly help me.
Again, thank you for your plant advertisements, (they are an education in
themselves) and for your caring about I gatti! Saint Gertrude will help!
All best regards, auguri, di Frank La Rosa Mazza di Del Mar, California"
TopTropicals Cat Club
Thank you everybody for supporting us in helping PeopleCat Community! If you want to help, you may do so directly from our website. Check out the Video: ">Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals and more Cat of the Day stories.
Mr B is saying Hi and for those asking about his GPS on his collar: he uses Tractive for his personal cell service. Mr B makes 2-3 miles a day, staying active and healthy. Not bad for a 13 y.o. cat!
Date:
Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: King the Hobo
"Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don't be sorry." - Jack Kerouac
King, who has been famous with his ability to get in trouble, without a
doubt is the Cat of the day, week, and month. His recent adventure went
above and beyond our expectations. King decided to take a ride.
He jumped inside the truck of our supplier from Homestead, for very
innocent reason: inspect the quality of plants delivered. No questions asked, he did
his job.
Next thing we remember was the driver calling us on his way to Homestead: "Looks like I have your cat in my truck, and he is pretty happy with the ride!"
Luckily, the discovery of the Hobo happened pretty quickly, before the
truck left Ft Myers area. So King did not get all the way to Homestead as he
planned, his adventure was interrupted. He was dropped off at Edison Estate Botanical Garden. The director Eric happen
to know TopTropicals well, just visiting us a few days before for the Leap Year Celebration
event. He kept King in his office until Onika came to pick him up.
What an adventure!
Dear visitors of Top Tropical Garden Center! When leaving our Nursery, please check your vehicles for cats! Apparently, they like to travel!
Thank you everybody for supporting us in helping PeopleCats. Every dollar you spend on TopTropicals plants is split between plant growers and PeopleCats who help us become better people.
Check out the Video: ">Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals and more Cat of the Day stories.
After his adventures, King is resting with his pet mouse. Mouse is alive, and no animals were hurt during the adventures.
Date:
PeopleCats saving us from COVID-19!
Cat owners have higher immunity for COVID-19?
In our previous newsletter, we were talking about cats fighting the coronavirus and how to help them to recover.
The research made by Sabina Olex-Condor, a Polish doctor who works in a
clinic in Madrid, showed that due to cross-immunity (cats are a known reservoir
of coronaviruses) cat owners have milder sympthoms of COVID-19! Perhaps this
is due to the fact that in a cross-reaction antibodies are produced to the
virus, and owners of cats are more protected from COVID19... Read more)
Now that quarantine has been introduced almost universally because of
coronavirus, dog owners are also in a better position - they can officially go
outside for a short while. But the benefit of dogs (and other pets) is not only
that. Scientists from the Italian city of Catanzaro found in the course of
the study, that those who have a four-legged pet, have very mild symptoms of
the COVID-19. A similar effect was observed in those in contact with cattle...
To find an explanation for this phenomenon, the researchers compared viruses.
It turned out that the disease of bulls, cows and other cattle is similar to
Chinese coronavirus by 38.4%, and the virus of dogs by 36.9%. This means
that owners of animals already have some kind of immunity. So the owners of cats
and dogs, as a rule, tolerate coronavirus easier or completely asymptomatic.
Read more...
Stay safe and healthy with your PetPeople!
TopTropicals PeopleCat Club
Thank you everybody for supporting us in helping PeopleCat Community!
Make
your kind donation today and receive a surprise gift from us. Every little
bit helps! Thank you and God bless you and your pets!
Date:
Growing sapodilla in container and indoors
Q: I live in northwestern Washington state. I was wondering if I can grow a Sapodilla tree indoors in a container? Are they self-fertile, and which variety do you think would do best in a large container?
A: A: All Sapodillas are self-fertile. They can be successfully
grown in pots due to their slow growth rate and compact nature. The most
important requirement for successful growing and fruiting is a bright light, other
than that it is a very undemanding plant and is not fussy about watering.
The best variety for potting culture is Silas Woods which is a dwarf kind. This variety is the most profuse
producer, flowering and fruiting nearly year round providing bright light and
warmth. Although the fruit are smaller than other varieties and average 3-4"
size.
Sapodillas require regular fertilizer applications for good production.
We recommend Fruit Festival slow release fertilizer for the best results.
Date:
Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cats of the Day: Abu, Raja and their 9 lives.
"Every day is an opportunity to make a new happy ending." - Wise Man
Just a couple weeks ago you met Abu and his tiny sister Raja whose Mom died after a car accident, and Kristi rescued her two
little kittens. Who knew that the troubles were not over... yet. The kittens
looked very weak and undernourished, with lots of fleas and infected wounds...
Kristi took them to the vet and after intensive care they started to look
much better... until a few days ago Raja woke up with paralysis in her back
legs... while sores on Abu's paws didn't heal. Kristi rushed them both to the hospital again.
The vet said it all didn't look good... that symptoms looked like possible rabies or cat coronavirus! He said that chances are, the kittens wouldn't last long and he put them in 10 days quarantine.
Day and night we all at TopTropicals have been praying for the little
babies. Every day vet's updates got worse... it was hard to believe that after all the efforts to save them, they may be gone!
Then all the sudden, after 5 days in the hospital, a miracle happened. All
tests came out negative! And the kitties started getting better, fighting bad
infections under
doctor Bowers care. Raja got back on her feet. There is still a long way
to full recovery from their miserable experience of a street life, but
Something saved their lives! Doctors, prayers... or simply Kristi's BELIEVE that they WILL make it! She told them when she left them in the hospital: "You have to keep fighting, you are fighters." And they did. The Nurse said Raja hissed at her every time she walked by, but when Kristi came to pick her up and opened the cage, Raja rubbed her ears and just pressed her head in Kristi's hand.
Now they both at home, sweet home, taking medication and eating sooo
much!
"I just kept thinking after all they have been through this can't be the way their story ends!" - Kristi says.
Have happy and loooong lives, kitties! All 9 of them or whatever you have
saved!
TopTropicals Cat Club
Thank you everybody for supporting us in helping PeopleCats, especially local customers who leave donations in our Cat jar in the office. If you would like to help Raja and Abu to pay their bill for 5 day hospital stay under intensive care, you may do it directly from our online store, by purchasing item 6464 Donation for Cats - TopTropicals Cat Club. Every little bit helps. All donations will go to cat care, and you will receive appreciation surprise presents from TopTropicals, including TopTropicals Cat Club bumper sticker. Thank you, and God bless you and your pets!
Check out the Video: ">Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals and more Cat of the Day stories.
After their live threatening experience, Raja and Abu are back home safe and sound and eating like there is no tomorrow! Now, there IS tomorrow, kitties, you made it!
Date:
PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the day: Ricki - a cat or a bird?
After 4 years knowing Ricki (raised from a tiny kitten), we came to a conclusion he was a
Bird in his previous life.
Ricki likes sitting next to you (preferably on a dining table) and have a
conversation, with his head slightly tilted. And although nobody ever heard a
sound of Ricki's voice (he is a silent cat), he is very good company - because he knows how to listen! How many people have a talent like this? If any - only PeopleCats.
Ricki will sit next to your plate and never take a piece. He just wants a
conversation. And you will enjoy his Sounds of Silence as the best
gift.
Stay safe and healthy with your PeoplePets!
TopTropicals PeopleCat Club
Thank you everybody for supporting us in helping PeopleCat Community!
Make
your kind donation today and receive a surprise gift from us. Every little
bit helps! Thank you and God bless you and your pets!
