Garden Blog - Top Tropicals
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The most rewarding hardy fruit trees
Q: Recently I started working remotely and I kinda like it, no need to commute, it saves me so much time so I can have life now! My friend got me involved into growing some small houseplants but I really want to take advantage of our Florida climate and sun. I want to plant some cool fruit trees since I have a decent size yard. But I live in Florida Panhandle and we do have some occasional freeze in winter, although not for too long. But it gets very hot in summer! Are there any tropical fruit trees that will be happy here? Or should I keep everything in pots? I am excited to have my own tropical plant collection!
A: There is a perfect plant for everyone, and a perfect tree for every climate. Many tropical and especially subtropical plants can be much hardier than they are believed to be, both flowering and fruiting trees among them. You may keep the most sensitive species in pots and bring them inside for winter, while there are so many trees that will be happy in your area. Start with these that are perfect for climates with hot summers and cool winters:
1. Peaches and Plums
Low-chill, Heat-tolerant Peaches, Nectarines, Plums are especially selected for Florida hot summers. They produce well and do not require many "chill" hours like temperate fruit trees. They only need 150 chill hours and grow well in even in Arizona, so you know they are taking the heat.
2. Figs
2) Fig trees - they are easy to grow, heat- and drought- resistant trees. They are prized for their delicious fruit, which can be one to three inches in length, violet, brown or black. There are even varieties with yellow fruit. Most fruits are borne from early summer to late fall on new growth, and the fruits generally mature very quickly. These trees are sensitive to frost only when actively growing, but can withstand 10F when dormant. Read more about Fig trees.
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Australia Planting 1 Billion Trees To Fight Climate Change
Australia plans to plant 1 billion new trees to fight climate change, by
the year 2050. That is a lot of trees and is the first real effort the
country has made toward combating climate change. The only real problem is finding
enough space to plant that many trees...
A billion trees is a billion trees, and even with a team of 30,000
people planting a tree per day for the next 31 years, the final tally would still
only be 339,450,000 trees. Australia will need a tree army to get that many
trees planted by 2050... Read the whole story...
How about planting just one tree today and save the World one step at a time?
On the photo: Callistemon, Australian native tree.
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Musa ensete Maurelli - Red Abyssinian Banana
by Onika Amell, tropical plant expert
Q: I am looking for a colorful, tropical plant with in particular, coarser texture, to add to planting beds next to my decks and around my swimming pool. Any suggestions? I am located in St. Petersburg, FL.
A: Consider incorporating some fast growing Red Abyssinian Banana, also known as wild banana or Ethiopian banana. This is a fantastic ornamental from East Africa and an excellent choice to create a tropical feel and to add coarse-textured foliage. This plant is not a true banana and therefore does not produce any edible fruit. American gardeners were rather slow to discover this enormous perennial, but finally woke up to them over the last decade to a point where they now are considered to be one the most beautiful ornamental banana plants for the landscape and for good reason...
CONTINUE READING >>
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Helping Citrus and other fruit trees with Nutritional Supplements
Q: Can you recommended a product to help with my citrus? Combating greening and chlorosis.
A: Citrus greening is spread by an insect called the Asian citrus psyllid. The psyllid feeds on the stems and leaves of the trees, infecting the trees with the bacteria that causes citrus greening. Florida Citrus growers dedicated the last decade to researching citrus greening. Officially, currently there is still no cure, however, some Nutritional solutions have shown promising results. To slow the progression of citrus greening in infected trees, nutrients are applied to the leaves and to the roots. Providing better nutrition helps trees fight against citrus greening and enables them to continue to produce quality fruit.
We recommend the following products for use on regular basis:
SUNSHINE Epi is a natural Brassinosteroid plant hormone and a bio-stimulant that may be very effective as citrus greening treatment. It works through plant's immune system and shows amazing results of recovery of weak and sick plants.
SUNSHINE Superfood, a complex micro-element supplement, maintains plant's health and provides vigorous growth.
SUNSHINE-Honey is a basic nutritional complement, it contains essential plant micronutrients Boron (B) and Molybdenum (Mo). These elements are essential to vegetative and reproductive growth, cell expansion, tissue growth, and fertility. A very common problem for most unimproved garden soils is lack of Molybdenum and Boron as soil micro-component. This results in underdeveloped / low quality fruit and/or premature fruit drop. Applying SUNSHINE Honey on your fruit trees will fill that gap and help a fruit tree to form a healthy fruit.
Macro-nutrients should be applied in combination with micro-nutrients on regular basis:
Mango-Food - Smart Release Fruit Tree Booster (works great for all
tropical fruit trees)
Fruit Festival Plant Food - Ideal blend designed to improve fruit trees
health and vigor, and increase crop yield.
See SUNSHINE Boosters page for the complete list of plant boosters.
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Cold hardy tropical fruit trees for Zone 9
Q: Can you suggest tropical fruit that can be grown (cold hardy) in Zone 9?
A: There are quite a few tropical/subtropical trees that will
grow well in zone 9. Our favorites are:
Figs - very cold hardy and drought tolerant.
Loquats - grafted trees that start fruiting right away, reliable
producers.
Tropical Mulberry - very fast growing trees that can take freeze, heavy
producers.
Macadamia - these trees are of a compact nature, very easy to grow and
start producing nuts right away.
Many different varieties of Eugenias - tropical cherries - all-time favorites. Another tropical cherry - Malpighia, or Barbados cherry - starts fruiting in small size under one food tall! Great for containers.
Tropical (Low Chill) Peaches, Nectarines, and Plums. See full list of low-chill, relatively cold hardy fruit
trees.
And of course -
Bananas!
Don't forget to fertilize your fruit trees to improve their cold hardiness!
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Fast-fruiting trees
Q: It would be easier for us buyers, if we could search for plants that produce fruit in 2 years or less... I don't have the patience to wait longer than that for fruit. I'm trying to buy for a fairly good sized garden but want some fast growers and fruit produced in 2 yrs. Can you help me out?
A: Fruiting time depends on many factors (growing conditions,
fertilizing, and even specific variety), this is why we can not just put a
simple icon "will fruit within 2 years".
However, most grafted and air-layered fruit trees, including all Mango, Avocado, Loquat, Sapote, Sapodilla, Longan, Peaches and Nectarines - will fruit right away.
If you see in our store "grafted" or "air-layered" in plant description
- these trees will fruit soon. Some of them are already flowering and
fruiting!
Some non-grafted trees will fruit within a couple of years or even sooner (those from cuttings, root division or even seedlings) - such as: Annona, Artocarpus (Jackfruit), Eugenia, Guava, Banana, Dragon fruit, Mulberry, Blackberry/Raspberry. Banana, Mulberry, Dragon fruit, Blackberry-Raspberry - usually fruit within a year. You may refer to our store directory page for fruit specials.
Also, all spice trees like Bay Leaf, Bay Rum, Allspice and many more - will produce spice for you right away, so you don't need to wait at all!
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Tu BiShvat - New Year for Trees
By Alex Butova
Tu BiShvat is the Israeli Arbor Day, and it is often referred to by that name in international media. Ecological organizations have adopted the holiday to further environmental-awareness programs. The modern practices and interpretations of Tu BiShvat often revolve around the earth and environment. This holiday is a celebration of nature and appreciation for creating the natural world. In Israel, Tu BiShvat is celebrated as an agricultural holiday. The 15th of Tu BiShvat was celebrated this year on February 10, 2020. This day marked the beginning of a new year for trees. This day marks the season in which the earliest-blooming trees emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle. Often the date of Tu BiShvat is used for determining the age of fruit baring trees and therefore establishes their birth dates. Therefore, Tu BiShvat is the "birthday" of trees!
The traditions and customs of Tu BiShvat vary, however, the most common include planting trees and gathering with family and friends for a meal. It is celebrated by eating fruit, particularly the kinds that praise the bounty of the Holy Land: grapes, figs, pomegranates, almonds, dates, olives and others. It reminds people that "a man is a tree of the field", and reflects on the lessons we can derive from the botanical analogue.
Check out fruit trees and nuts:
Persimmon tree
Loquat tree
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Plants of Love. TopTropicals Webinars
Plants of Love - Valentines Day Sale. For Valentines day, look beyond roses for a plant that will last a lifetime! It is not a surprise that the most popular plants that has been ordered from TopTropicals for Valentines day for the past 3 years, are: Vanilla, Chocolate, Grape, Strawberry tree, Rose apple - all things you get for your Valentines!
This year we are celebrating Valentines day with our special local event - "Aphrodisiacs, or Plants of Love".
When: Saturday, February 11, 2017, from 10 am to 2 pm
Where: Toptropicals Garden Center, 13890 Orange River Blvd, Ft Myers, FL 33905
Agenda:
10:00 am - Explore the grounds: Customers can come in to look through the nursery and guided tours through gardens.
12:00 pm - Aphrodisiac plants. Class on plants used for aphrodisiacs throughout history.
1:00 pm - Plant giveaway. Must be present to win one of the aphrodisiac plants in lecture.
2:00 pm - sale ends.
Special Love Discounts for local visitors! Snacks and drinks.
Just a few examples of the most famous plants of love that we will be talking about -
Coffea arabica - in East Africa and Arabia it was a sacred beverage to African sufis. For aphrodisiac results mix in cardamom and honey.
Banisteriopsis caapi, Ayahuasca - giant liana from tropical Amazon forests psychedelic, ritual inebriant that promotes potency. Drink is made from the bark and is taken in love rituals to revive the mythical past of the tribe.
Areca catechu, Betel Nut - seeds have stimulating effect on the entire body and eros. It's a traditional aphrodosiac in Ayurvedic medicine and is counted among the eight types of pleasure in the Brahmanic tradition. It has magical and religious properties and used as an offering to the Gods.
Theobroma cacao, Chocolate - mild stimulant, beans contain aphrodisiac. Antient Indian "recipe of chocolati" will be shared at the event! Cocoa was considered the "food of gods".
Cinnamon - in Southern Asia used as stimulant, in food or massage oil for erotic stimulation.
Cola nitida, Cola nut - used in love magic, was used as currency in W Africa.
Cananga odorata, Ylang-Ylang - increases eroticism with oil inhaled. Prescribed to treat impotency and frigidity.
Butea monosperma, Flame of The Forest - is traditionally used to manage male sexual disorders.
Mimosa pudica, Sensitive Plant - significantly increases the libido and hormonal levels of testosterone.
Satureja Viminea, Kama Sutra Mint Tree - used for love gel...
- and much more!
TopTropicals Webinars. Welcome to Top Tropicals Webinar! Discover the world of Rare Plants and surround yourself with a Tropical Paradise! Our plant experts will be answering your garden questions. Our next LIVE air time is just before Valentines Day - Saturday February 11, at 2 pm ET, with a topic of... of course, Aphrodisiac Plants! Get your questions ready!
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When to fertilize and prune tropical fruit trees?
Q: Can tropical fruit trees (Soursop, Mango, Star fruit, etc) be given plant food any time of year? Also can they be trimmed this time of year/summer?
A: True tropical plants (including fruit trees) need plant food most of the year in real Tropics, where temperatures have very little fluctuations, and active growth season is close to 12 months a year. In subtropical areas when temperatures in winter drop below 65F, plant metabolism slows down, so it is recommended to fertilize only during the warmest period (March through November). So yes, Summer is the perfect time for fertilizing your trees; their metabolism is at the highest point and they can use more food!
Trim your fruit trees right after harvesting. Obviously, you don't want to prune branches before or during flowering or fruiting. The specific time of the year for pruning depends on the plant - every tree has its own flowering/fruiting season. However, avoid pruning right before winter: young shoots promoted by pruning are tender and can be cold damaged.
Recommended fertilizers for fruit trees:
Fruit Festival Plant Food - Super Crop Booster
Mango-Food - Smart Release Fruit Tree Booster
SUNSHINE-Honey - for sweeter fruit
SUNSHINE SuperFood - microelement supplement
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10 trees to graduate
A new law hopes to fix deforestation and teach young people about
environmental stewardship. Students in the Philippines now have a final requirement
in order to graduate from school: they must plant 10 trees. The new law,
which came into effect on May 15, 2019, will apply to graduates from elementary
and high schools, and college or university.
With 12 million kids graduating from elementary school, 5 million from
high school, and 500 thousand from university every year, that means 175
million trees will be planted annually! Over the course of a generation, that
will mean 525 billion trees, although Alejano has said that even if only 10
percent of the trees survived, that's still an impressive 525 million in a
generation!
It sounds like the Philippines has introduced a wonderful program that
other countries would do well to emulate. Anything that gives young people a
sense of connection and responsibility for the natural environment bodes well
for its future... Continue reading...
See Tropical Treasures article: How to Plant a Tree (pdf file)
.