Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 9 Aug 2021

August 8
International Cat Day

...August 8 is

International Cat Day - a day to celebrate one of man's most common and ancient pets. They have even been worshiped as gods (we see you, Egypt.) Well, it is not surprising, Cats are one of the coolest beings on the planet: they are independent, inquisitive, adventurous, have an amazing physiognomy, and the power to heal by themselves... And - cats and plants always go together!..

...Nowadays, cats seem to be one of the pop icons in modern society - we have about half of a billion among us. And, since 2002, thanks to the International Fund for Animal Welfare cats have their own holiday!..

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Q: What do you call a huge pile of cats?

A: Take your pick - a Meowntain or a Purramid!

See Top Tropicals PeopleCats

Date: 5 Aug 2021

The secret of Burning Bush of the Bible...
and other Blackberries

by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

...In the entire Old Testament nowhere does God reveal more about himself to one man than in the passage of the Burning Bush... And this exact bush exists! It can be found at the Chapel of the Burning Bush on Mount Sinai, where it is revered as the original Burning Bush of the Bible survived to nowadays. The species is very long lived so chances are, this is the exact plant that has been growing and regrowing from its roots throughout centuries...

...Rubus sanctus not only successfully survived to nowadays, but is used in Blackberry and Raspberry breeding programs. It has many descendants - hybrid varieties of berries so much loved by both kids and adults...

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Photo above: the original mother plant specimen of Rubus sanctus growing at Top Tropicals B-Farm. This plant was obtained from Israel in 2016 and gave life to many clones of so much wanted plant, for rare plant collectors worldwide.

Date: 24 Jul 2021

Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster

How to fertilize Caladiums and other Aroids

By Ed Jones, the Booster Guy

Q: I have a large collection of Aroid plants, different Monsteras, Philodendrons, and several unique varieties of Caladiums. I've been always told that Caladiums should not be fertilized, they don't like it. Is it so?

A: Caladium farmers often say that these plants don't need any additional fertilizer and that they really don't like it... The thing is, caladiums do not like DRY fertilizers, and this is why. Most Aroid plants do not like being watered too often, so dry fertilizers in combination with infrequent watering create excessive salinity for the root system. We have run some tests on the proper fertilizers for caladiums and the best results were performed after using SUNSHINE Robusta. It is amino acid based, so the delicate, large-leaved Aroid plants will not have to work quite so hard to take up the nutrients, and there will be no nutrient lock up in soil. The nutrients are readily available to these plants.
In this article, you will see some test results of caladiums fertilized with SUNSHINE Robusta vs. other brands of fertilizer, with more vigorous growth and larger leaf size occurring after use of Sunshine Robusta...

Caladiums do not have to be just an accent plant. They can also be the focus point of a garden area. It is said that as many as 98% of the world's caladium tubers come from right here in Highlands County, Florida, also home to the Sunshine Boosters manufacturing facility. It is such a big deal that they have a Caladium Festival here each summer. The fields are absolutely stunning in all of their colors. This year the festival runs this weekend, July 23 - July 25.

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Date: 24 Jul 2021

Planting during hot summer

In the photo: Malpighia glabra - Barbados Cherry, Acerola

Q: We just moved to Florida from New York. The weather is so hot and I wonder if I should wait till Fall to plant my garden? I tried to plant some seeds of annuals but nothing grew, just weeds. I also planted tomato seeds, they germinated but died in few days. What am I doing wrong?

A: Growing from seeds during hot season can be tricky. Here in Florida, we still can grow anuals and vegetables from seeds, but only during winter season. Annuals and tomatoes need cooler temperatures and protection from rain water which we have in abundance during summer. Combination hot + wet can kill those seedlings. On the other hand, seeds of tropical species love the heat and humidity, and germinate in no time, they just require a little experience.
However, Summer is a perfect time to plant and establish starter plants in your garden.

Five advantages of summer planting

1. Root growth. High temperatures promote rapid root growth - this is one secrets of a plant nursery. If you grow plants in pots, putting a pot on top of black ground cover will increase the effect, and the roots will grow even faster than the tops! This is a great head start for a plant. Make sure to provide adequate watering.

2. Fast development. With bright sun and longest day light, photosynthesis is more efficient. In simple words, during hot summer tropical plants have faster metabolism, they produce cells faster and grow leaves and stems faster.

3. Bugs be gone. Bright sun in combination with good air circulation will help to stay away from insects, leaf fungus, and other diseases.

4. Fertilizing can be generous and will be most efficient. In summer, there is less chance to overdose, as plant food is consumed fast, and summer rains help to prevent nutrient lock up in soil.

5. Rain water works like magic. Rainy season in Florida is our blessing. It can not be replaced by sprinklers or even daily hose water. Rain penetrates evenly and saturates not only a root ball but also the surrounding area that gives room to spread even bigger roots. Rain water also works like a "flush" to rinse off all excessive salts that may build up in soil.

As a result, plants will establish faster and grow bigger before winter, which will give them a better chance to survive possible cold spells.

Plant in summer and watch plants grow healthy and happy every day!

In the photo: Magnolia virginiana - Sweet Bay

Date: 19 Jul 2021

Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster - Mango Talk

Today we are introducing a new column - Mango Talk! Everybody loves Mango - the most delicious fruit in the world. Fruit experts like to talk about varieties, how to grow a Mango tree better, and the fruit bigger and sweeter. And beginners want to know more! What variety to get? How to take care of it? How to get more fruit sooner than later?
This easy-read blog from Ed Jones is about the first steps - what to do when you get your first Mango tree...
In our future publications, you will hear from Mango experts and have a tour on Mango varieties...

Fertilize your Mango trees

By Ed Jones, the Booster Guy

Ok, you finally did it. You bought your first mango tree. Now what? Well, you have to love it and feed it and trim it and love it some more. But today, lets talk about how to fertilize your mango tree. The photo above shows some very small grafted mango trees. This is probably how yours will look when you bring them home or have them delivered....

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The photo above is of the two trees at the beginning of this blog after just under 10 months of TLC.

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