Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

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PeopleCats Botanical Garden Grand Opening
Guided tour with Mark Hooten

PeopleCats Botanical Garden at TopTropicals

Top Tropicals Garden Center is pleased to invite you to visit our new PeopleCats Botanical Garden on the grounds of Top Tropicals in Ft Myers. It is named in honor of the relationship with our beloved Cats, who we treat like People. You'll see our Garden PeopleCats roaming the property. As a matter of fact, they rule the garden!
The Garden has many mature trees and plants so you can see what they look like before your purchase them in our Garden Center. And of course, our PeopleCats will be guiding you in the Gardens!

Peoplecats - cat Marco at Top Tropicals gate

PeopleCats Garden - Top Tropicals Ghost light in the forest the spirit is always watching!

Photo above: blue light in the forest - TopTropicals Garden Ghost, the spirit is always watching!

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Fun Facts: Cacao beans. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Fun Facts: Cacao beans

Cacao Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao)

Cacao Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao)

Cacao Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao)

Cacao Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao)

Cacao Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao)

Cacao Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao)

Cacao Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao)

Cacao Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao)

📖 Fun Facts: Cacao beans (Theobroma cacao) were used to make chocolate, and the ancient Maya and Aztec civilizations valued cacao beans as currency 💰 Can we use chocolate as money?
  • 🍫 Chocolate tree has large dark green leaves that shade the fruit pods which grow directly from the trunk and branches.
  • 🍫 The flesh of the fruit is eaten as a dessert, and the seeds are the raw material of chocolate. Hot chocolate can be made by drying the seeds, roasting, grinding, and adding milk.
  • 🍫 This exotic rare tree makes a gem of a houseplant collection.


🛒Get your own Chocolate Tree

#Fun_Facts #Food_Forest

JOIN 👉 @TopTropicals

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Chuck Norris doesnt sleep. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Chuck Norris doesnt sleep

😎 Chuck Norris doesn’t sleep.
Sound on 🎤

"Chuck Norris doesn’t sleep. He waits."
- Chuck Norris “facts

🎥 Bob the Hamas is always ready...

🔠 PeopleCats.Garden 
#PeopleCats #Quotes

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

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Index of TopTropicals Telegram Channel. A Top Tropicals Garden Blog post.

Index of TopTropicals Telegram Channel

Index of TopTropicals Telegram Channel
🗂 Index of TopTropicals Telegram Channel

Follow these tags to find your interests:

#Butterfly_Plants - Butterfly attracting plants.

#Container_Garden - Plants suitable for container garden and indoor culture.

#Fertilizers - All the truth about fertilizers, plant food supplements, and our recommendations for different types of plants.

#Food_Forest - Fruit trees, Spice plants, and Edibles.
Including: #Avocado, #Mango, #Papaya, #Guava, #Jackfruit, #Loquat

📖 #Fun_Facts - interesting plant facts and legends.

🌳 #Hedges_with_benefits - Practical approach to your landscape and how to properly select showy and useful plants for your yard.

♍️ #Horoscope - Plant Horoscopes and Cat Horoscopes. Did you know that cats also have their Zodiac signs?

🛠 #How_to - Q&A about growing plants, tropical garden lifehacks.

👀 #Nature_Wonders - Unusual, amusing, outrageous, bizarre plants...

🐈
#PeopleCats - our Favorite PeopleCats (and some PeopleDogs, too).

🌸 #Perfume_Plants - Fragrant plants and perfume trees.

✍️ #Quotes - Interesting quotes.

#Recipes - Exotic recipes for tropical fruit and edibles.

💊
#Remedies - Medicinal plants.

☁️ #Shade_Garden - Plants suitable for low light conditions.

🌼 #Tree
s - Spectacular flowering tropical trees.

🏆 #Win - Contests, Sweepstakes, and other specials.

Join and share with friends👇🏵
TopTropicals

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Cat of the month: Persephone
The Queen of the Underworld

Cat Persephone

Well, well, well... it seems we have a new purrsonality around here! A few days ago, we discovered a mysterious little purrrson living under the TopTropicals office. Did a customer leave her behind? Or was she simply drawn to our PeopleCats paradise? Who can say! Either way, since she made her grand entrance from the underground, we decided to name her Persephone, after the Greek goddess and Queen of the Underworld.

Persephone has come a long way - she finally let us pet her, and now she's taken over the office desk! She even drools a little when she gets those precious head scratches. Persephone has officially joined our Nursery Team, adding her charm to Customer Service

Come and see our PeopleCats (including the Queen herself!) in purrrrson at our Garden Center in Ft Myers, Florida!

Cat Persephone

Cat Persephone

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Top Tropicals is now in Telegram!

Top Tropicals is now in Telegram!

Top Tropicals is now in Telegram!
🌴 Top Tropicals is now in Telegram!

TopTropicals.com - the World's leading authority on tropical plants - is now in Telegram. If you grow a tropical garden or indoor collection of rare plants, this is your channel!

Join to get exclusive updates on tropical gardening:

Fun Facts and Nature Wonders
🌺 How to make your plants flower and stay happy
How to get the biggest fruit crop
🏆 Sweepstakes and Contests
Butterfly and Container Garden
Food Forest
⚜️ Perfume Plants
🍲 Exotic Recipes and Remedies
...and of course, your favorite -
🐾 PeopleCats in the Garden!

JOIN and share with friends! 👇

🏵 TopTropicals
We Grow Happiness

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Carefree Garden:
How easy is it to grow a Papaya tree?

Cat eating Papaya fruit

Q: What is the easiest to grow fruit tree? It must tolerate, heat, rains, and hurricanes! I live in Florida.

A: Papaya is the easiest to grow fruit tree. In our garden in Florida, newly planted Papaya trees survived several hurricanes, frosts, drought and heat, and keep producing year around!

We all enjoy eating Papaya fruit every day. It is great for digestion and is a perfect naturally sweet, healthy snack. Even our PeopleCats love Papaya. Check out this short video how our cat Cash is begging for his daily Papaya treat!

Cat eating Papaya fruit

Why do we love Papaya? Fun facts about Papaya:

Not a tree: Papaya is technically a giant herb with a single, straight trunk that can grow up to 30 feet tall.

Gender flexible: Papaya plants can change their gender based on environmental conditions. This complex mechanism ensures better adaptability.

Cold and wind resistant: Papayas can withstand light freezes and strong winds, making them surprisingly hardy for a tropical plant.

Solo cultivars: These smaller, round or oval papayas are incredibly sweet and less susceptible to fruit flies.

Papaya tree and fruit

How to grow a Papaya Tree: Practical Guide

Papaya is one of the fastest fruiting plants to grow. Often starting production the same year from planting a seed, papayas are ideal for gardeners seeking quick rewards. Many dwarf varieties reach only 6-8 feet tall, yet produce large crops of full-sized fruit that are easy to harvest. Papaya trees are space-efficient, making it possible to plant multiple trees in even small gardens. Plant 2-3 different cultivars to enjoy year-round harvests of healthy, delicious fruit.

How Easy Are Papaya Trees to Grow?
Papaya trees are exceptionally easy to grow. Technically a large herbaceous plant rather than a true tree, they are resilient and adaptable. They can tolerate light freezes and even hurricane winds without significant damage. Additionally, many varieties are self-fertile, but planting multiple trees encourages better pollination and higher yields.

What Light Levels and Soil Types Are Ideal?
Papayas thrive in full sunlight, so choose a sunny spot in your garden or balcony. They prefer well-draining, fertile soil enriched with organic matter. Add compost or manure to improve soil quality and ensure healthy growth. Avoid waterlogged areas as papayas are sensitive to standing water.

How Much Watering Is Required?
Papayas need some watering to thrive, especially during the growing and fruiting seasons. Water deeply once or twice a week, depending on your climate, ensuring the soil remains moist but not waterlogged. Mulching around the base helps retain moisture and regulate soil temperature.

Growing Papayas in Containers
Papayas can be successfully grown in large containers, making them ideal for gardeners in cooler regions or those with limited space. Choose a container at least 7 gallons in size with good drainage. Use a rich, well-draining potting mix, and place the container in a sunny location. Select dwarf varieties to keep the plant manageable and productive.

Health Benefits of Papaya
Papaya is considered a superfood due to its high nutritional value. Rich in the enzyme papain, it aids digestion and promotes gut health. Papaya is also an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and E, as well as antioxidants that boost immunity and overall wellness. Additionally, papaya leaves can be used as wraps for cooking meats, naturally tenderizing them.

Papayas are a low-maintenance, high-reward addition to a Southern garden or greenhouse collection, whether in the ground or in a container. Their fast growth, year-round fruiting potential, and health benefits make them a must-have for gardeners and fruit enthusiasts alike.

Papaya tree and fruit

Photo above: For small gardens, limited space, or container culture, choose dwarf varieties that remain compact and short (5-8 ft tall) while producing a tremendous amount of fruit! Most productive dwarf varieties: Red Vietnam, Lady Red, TR Hovey, Wan Deng. Semi-dwarf: Waimanalo, Sunrise.

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Get more goodies and savings from
Top Tropicals Telegram Channel!

Top Tropicals Telegram Channel discount

Want to grow exotic fruit, pick the perfect plants for your yard, and become a plant expert - without wasting hours online? Join the Top Tropicals Telegram Channel

- Learn how to grow your own food forest with minimal effort
- Discover the best plants for your space - shade or sun, pots or ground
- Get expert tips on care, fertilizing, pruning, and harvesting
- Enjoy daily posts with practical advice, fun facts, and plant horoscopes
- No scrolling through endless videos - just direct answers and inspiration
- NO COMMERCIALS! Plant- (and cat-) info only.
- PLUS: Get exclusive access to discount codes and deals only available to our Telegram subscribers!

And of course enjoy daily appearances from our beloved PeopleCats (and a few adorable PeopleDogs).

Whether you're a new plant lover or a tropical pro - there's something here for everyone. Tap to join, grow with us, and unlock your plant wisdom and savings!

Cat checking Telegram

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Top Tropicals is now in Telegram!

Cat texting telegram

Welcome to our new Telegram Channel!
We finally did it, and excited to connect with all of you on this amazing platform. After using Telegram for a few years for both business and personal communications, we realized it is a winner of the modern Social Media!

In Top Tropicals Telegram Channel you will find much more than on our website or Newsletter: Fun Plant Facts, Nature Wonders, Amazing Plant Videos, Gardening How-to Tips, Exotic Recipes, Contests, Sweepstakes, Give-aways and so much more. Plus, of course, your favorite PeopleCats!

Telegram is a messaging app with a focus on speed and security, it's super-fast, simple and free. You can use Telegram on all your devices at the same time - your messages sync seamlessly across any number of your phones, tablets or computers. It's perfect for sharing your comments, photos, videos, even making calls.

You can watch news, browse your interest, message to friends and colleagues, save your files, create groups, make phone calls, and the most amazing thing - Telegram works where nothing else works, no WiFi or cell service! It proved to be more reliable than any other apps and (surprise!) even works in airplane without wifi connection - proved!

The platform has its own cloud and offers limitless storage. And the last and not least - it's ad-free! Telegram is free and will stay free - no ads, no subscription fees, forever. It's a clean, clear and easy to use for all ages and applications. Try it yourself and discover how easy and pain-free it is!

Telegram is for everyone who wants fast and reliable messaging and calls.
See you in Telegram!

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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!