Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 26 Jul 2020

PeopleCats of the World. Cats of The Day: Theodor and Arthur from the Cat Cafe

We received many replies from Garden Cat Lovers to our previous Blog about Cat Cafe Nurri Kassikohvik. We continue introducing a few other PeopleCats from the Cafe: Theodor (pure black) and Arthur (tuxedo).
Theodor and Arthur are security guys. They sit at the front door and make sure everyone passes their face-control... while they take care of each other's faces...

TopTropicals PeopleCat Club and Zoo

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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: 26 Jul 2020

The best grafted Loquat varieties
at 15% OFF for 3 days!

Q: I have a nice Loquat tree started from seed. I understand it will not bear fruit unless grafted. Can you graft the tree in your nursery? If this is not possible let me know the cost of Loquat tree and I buy it from your nursery.

A: From our experience, Loquat trees grown from seed bear fruit much sooner (within 5-6 years) than seedlings of such trees as Mango and Avocado (8-15 years). Also, unlike Mango and Avocado, the fruit quality of a Loquat seedling is usually not too bad. However, in order to have a tree with a superior fruit, it is recommended to plant grafted variety for a guaranteed tasty crop. If your seedling is already a large plant (with a trunk diameter over 5 mm), it may be too late to graft it, because quality graft requires fresh wood.
If you have plenty of room in your yard with enough space for both grafted tree and a seedling, you may still plant the seedling in the ground and give it a chance to produce in a few years. If your garden space is limited, we recommend you to plant a grafted variety and enjoy fruit as soon as the next year.

The most popular grafted Loquat varieties, heavy producers:
Champagne
Christmas
Gold Nugget
Yehuda

SALE: 15% OFF now, no min. order!

- $20% OFF discount code PARENTS2020 for orders over $200
- 5% automatically off all orders over $100
= make it a steal!

Offer expires 7-28-20

If you are local, stop by our Garden Center and we will pick the biggest and the best tree for you. Or just order online and get it in just a few days to your doorstep!
See full list of Loquat varieties available at the moment.

Date: 19 Jul 2020

PeopleCats of the World. Cat of The Day: Sabake from the Cat Cafe

We continue inviting PeopleCats of the World to our Blog. Today's cat of the day is visiting us from Cat Cafe Nurri from Tallinn, Estonia - Nurri Kassikohvik (Nurri means Purr!). Our columnist Alex Butova has visited enchanting Nurri Cafe especially for this report!
This amazing cat project is supported by donations, cat gift shop, as well as order surcharge - $6.50 per customer. Nurri Cafe is a foster home for cats rescued from different troubles. Some of these cats eventually find their forever homes when adopted by the customers. But some have become Nurri's family members, the cafe is their permanent home, and of course - place of work.
One of such permanent residents is a fluffy beautiful Sabake (BTW "sabaka" in Russian means "dog"... well, it is what it is!)
Sabake's main responsibility is checking out customers at the cash register. She also advertises souvenirs and offers to sign the Guestbook - which is she uses as a napping mat.
Sabake is very proud of her beautiful, long, thick fur. Cafe employees have a daily task of grooming her fur coat which is quite a job!
In May 2020, during the world's shut-down, the MAOW Academy hosted a webinar from this cafe: "For everyone who cares how the life order of "stay home" worked on cats and how they get used to the "old" life order again."

In the photo: Sabake napping on the Guestbook

TopTropicals PeopleCat Club and Zoo

Thank you 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: 19 Jul 2020

Sugar grains on leaves?

by Mark Hooten, the Garden Doc

Q: On my Stemmadenia tree I noticed tiny drops (like white sand grain or sugar crystals) and wonder if this is a disease or some kind of insect and what can I do about it?

A: Sometimes certain vigorously growing (mostly tropical) plants develop suspiciously-looking tiny "growths" mostly on the undersides of their leaves. Without strong magnification, they can be easily mistaken for mealy bugs, scale insects, or any number of parasitic disease vectors.
However, according to plant pathologists, these are actually harmless excretions actually exuded by the plants themselves. A chemical analysis of these tiny granules shows that they are nothing more than polysaccharides. Polysaccharides are basically complex chains of sugar/glucose molecules which are simply a production of all plants undergoing photosynthesis. Polysaccharides are at the beginning of the entire food-chain. These odd tiny sugar-grained nodules are actually only semi-crystalline complex sugars which certain plants have over manufactured and have had no choice but to excrete through their stomata (breathing pores).
I have personally observed Cecropia, Psychotria, Spondias (Hog Plum), and Guavas doing this... there are many others. Nothing to worry about, they are harmless, but if they bother you - wash them off with a hose water.

Date: 12 Jul 2020

PeopleCats of the World. Cat of The Day: Sir Nicolas from Sankt Gilgen

We continue inviting PeopleCats of the World to our Blog. Today's story is about very Important Purrrson, director of a Hotel - Sir Nicolas, a Royal Tuxedo Cat.
Sir Nicolas in managing Kendler Hotel located in Sankt Gilgen, Austria. He was interviewed by our columnist and editor Alex Butova - a big time traveler whose first writer's priorities during every trip are - botanical gardens and cats.
Sir Nicolas's lakefront Kendler Hotel located by the beautiful mountain Zwolferhorn. Accoring to what Sir Nicolas told Alex, besides beauties of the Alps, his city is famous with the fact that Mozart's mother was born here. But the most important feature that Sir Nicolas appreciates here is a small butcher's shop which is actually a part of the hotel's property. Sir Nicolas and Alex spent good hour chatting about life, people, and nature. He showed her his business card - a leather collar with his full name, job position (hotel manager), address, and a phone number. He added (off the record) that he also owns (as a silent partner) the Guest House, the Club Restaurant, the Brewery, and - most definitely - the Butcher's shop. He says hi to TopTropicals cats and all the cat-and-plant lovers!

In the photo: Sir Nicolas and Alex

TopTropicals PeopleCat Club and Zoo

Thank you 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!

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