Garden Blog - Top Tropicals
Date:
Go Bananas!
10 good reasons to plant bananas in your garden
Adding banana plants to your subtropical garden or plant collection can enhance the aesthetics of your outdoor and indoor space, provide fresh and nutritious fruits, and offer a fun gardening experience with relatively low maintenance requirements. It's a delightful way to connect with nature and enjoy the benefits of homegrown produce.
1. Tropical Ambiance: Banana plants bring a touch of the tropics to your subtropical garden. Their large, lush leaves create a lush and exotic atmosphere that can transform your garden into a tropical paradise.
2. Homegrown Flavor: Growing your own banana trees allows you to enjoy the freshest, most flavorful bananas right from your garden. Homegrown bananas often have a superior taste compared to store-bought varieties.
3. Nutritional Benefits: Bananas are packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. By cultivating your own banana trees, you gain access to a nutritious and healthy snack option right in your backyard.
4. Quick Results: Banana plants are known for their fast growth. In subtropical climates, they can produce fruit in as little as one to two years. This means you don't have to wait long to savor the fruits of your labor!
5. Low Maintenance: Banana trees are relatively low-maintenance once established. They require regular watering, but their hardy nature makes them a relatively easy addition to your garden. They are not messy in a landscape.
6. Versatility: Bananas offer versatility in your garden. You can choose from dessert bananas for snacking, cooking bananas like plantains for culinary experiments, or even ornamental banana varieties to enhance your garden's aesthetics. There are so many varieties to enjoy! You can't find this big selection in a grocery store.
7. Sustainable Living: Growing your own bananas reduces your reliance on store-bought produce, contributing to a more sustainable lifestyle. It also minimizes the carbon footprint associated with transporting fruits to market.
8. Educational Value: Cultivating banana plants can be an educational experience for both adults and children. It offers insights into tropical horticulture and can foster an appreciation for gardening and botany.
9. Landscaping Appeal: Beyond their fruit-bearing potential, banana plants add visual interest to your garden. Their unique form and striking leaves make them an excellent choice for landscaping and providing shade in your outdoor space.
10. Resilience: While bananas thrive in tropical conditions, many banana varieties are hardy enough to withstand cooler climates, making them a durable addition to your garden.
Date:
Go Bananas - up to 20% OFF Banana Trees!
Now through 4/15 - Limited Time Only!
Banana Health Benefits
Bananas are a powerhouse of nutrition - rich in potassium for heart health, and packed with vitamins B6 and C to boost energy and immunity. They come from fast-growing, easy-care trees that thrive in warm climates or containers. Whether eaten fresh, blended, or baked, bananas are a naturally sweet and tasty treat you can grow yourself!
Ready to turn your garden into a tropical paradise and grow your own delicious bananas? Now's your chance - use our offer below!
A Banana for Every Space and Taste
At Top Tropicals, we've got over a dozen top banana varieties - from exotic ornamental beauties like Blood Leaf and Siam Ruby to edible showstoppers. Edible varieties range from popular, heavy-producing types like Double Mahoi to rare collector favorites like Ice Cream (Blue Java) - the kind you'll never find at the grocery store. We also carry dwarf varieties that grow just 4 feet tall but still produce full-sized fruit - perfect for containers, patios, and small spaces. Collect them all - edible, ornamental, dwarf, rare - and enjoy the fun, flavor, and beauty of growing your own banana grove.
From Collectors to Beginners - We've Got Your Banana
"Growing bananas is like growing sunshine. They bring energy, beauty, and fruit to your doorstep." - said Dr. Richard Campbell, tropical fruit expert and co-creator of the condo mango concept.
Growing bananas is easy, low-maintenance, and budget-friendly. With Sunshine Boosters plant food, these tropical favorites grow fast and can start producing as soon as next season! Whether you live in the South or up North, in a house or an apartment - you can grow your own bananas in the garden, on a balcony, patio, or lanai and enjoy the taste of the tropics at home.
Special Offer
Get instant 10% off all bananas for 1 week only, plus extra 10% OFF sitewide with code below for qualified orders.
Additional 10% off your entire purchase (including any other plants), saving total of 20% on your Banana trees:
GOBANANAS
Min order $150, excluding S/H. Exp. 4-15-25
Hurry, offer ends April 15th!
Learn More About Banana Varieties:
- Top Ornamental Banana Varieties - Which One Belongs in Your Garden?
- Best Edible Bananas to Grow - Sweet, Unique, and Delicious!
- How Many Banana
Varieties Can You Grow? (More Than You Think!)
In the photo above: Sunshine Boosters are the best fertilizers for ornamental (Sunshine Robusta) and edible bananas (Sunshine C-Cibus).
How many varieties of Bananas can I grow?
Bananas (Musa sp.) in containers
- 💛 At Top Tropicals, we have a few dozen varieties of Bananas (Musa sp.) - ranging from popular commercial and plantain types to spectacular ornamental bananas with colorful, tropical foliage.
- 💛 Banana plants are a favorite in Southern gardens, indoor plant collections, and greenhouses in cooler climates. Fast and easy to grow, they transform any space into a tropical paradise in just one season and can produce fruit for you in as little as 8–18 months after planting.
- 💛 Bananas are a powerhouse of nutrition, packed with potassium for heart health, fiber for digestion, and vitamins B6 and C for immunity. They’re a natural energy booster, great for snacks, smoothies, and even baking. Plus, their tryptophan content can improve your mood, and their low sodium helps regulate blood pressure.
- 💛 With so many delicious and unique varieties, growing different types of bananas lets you enjoy a range of flavors, textures, and uses - whether fresh, blended, or cooked - making them a must-have in any tropical or indoor garden!
Discover the most popular edible and ornamental bananas in our next post 🔽
🎥 Banana selection today at TopTropicals farm. Come over to pick the best one!
📚 More about Banana from previous posts:
- 💋Top 10 fruit you'll ever need for your health benefits: #5 Banana growing and fun facts
- 💋How to make tasty Carambola Banana Whip
- 💋Why Bananas? They are good for you and are fun to grow
- 💋Bananas help you feel fuller and enhance your mood
🛍 Shop Banana varieties
#Food_Forest #Bananas
🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals
Date:
Seven reasons to use Sunshine Boosters fertilizers
Now with REDUCED SHIPPING COST
Q: I used horse manure for my veggies garden but it caused mold and burned my plants. I've heard of Sunshine boosters as a good organic alternative. What are the benefits of Sunshine Boosters fertilizers?
A: Sunshine Boosters fertilizers can be a good choice for gardeners who want to promote healthy plant growth, while also considering the environment. The brand offers a wide range of formulations and high-quality ingredients to meet the specific needs of different types of plants, making it easier for gardeners to achieve the results they want.
Sunshine Boosters fertilizers are a good choice for several reasons:
1. Improved plant growth: Sunshine Boosters fertilizers contain essential nutrients that plants need to grow healthy and strong, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. These nutrients can help improve plant growth and increase crop yields.
2. Balanced nutrition: Sunshine Boosters fertilizers are formulated to provide plants with a balanced ratio of nutrients. This means that the nutrients are present in the right proportions to promote healthy growth and development.
3. Environmentally friendly: Sunshine Boosters fertilizers are made from natural and organic ingredients, which can be beneficial for the environment. These fertilizers may also be safer for pets and children who may come into contact with them.
4. High-quality ingredients: Sunshine Boosters fertilizers are made with high-quality ingredients that are carefully selected to provide the best possible nutrition for plants. The brand uses a variety of ingredients to create a well-balanced fertilizer that is suitable for a range of plants.
5. Improved plant health: Sunshine Boosters fertilizers contain a range of beneficial nutrients, such as micronutrients, amino acids, and enzymes, which can help to improve overall plant health. This can lead to stronger plants that are more resistant to pests and diseases.
6. Sustainable and eco-friendly: Sunshine Boosters' fertilizers are made with natural and organic ingredients, which can be more environmentally friendly than synthetic fertilizers.
7. Easy to use: Sunshine Boosters fertilizers are easy to use. The brand also offers detailed instructions and resources on their website to help gardeners use their fertilizers effectively.
What are the best varieties of edible Banana and which one should I plant?
Truly Tiny Banana
Cuban Red Dacca Banana
Double Mahoi Banana
Dwarf Cavendish Banana
Gran Nain Banana
Banana Lakatan
Continued for the previous post🔼
🔥 The most popular edible banana varieties:
- 🍌 Truly Tiny - is a compact banana variety growing 2-3 feet in pots and up to 5 feet in the ground, perfect for small spaces or container gardening, producing 4-5 inch fruit with a distinctive pineapple flavor.
- 🍌 Cuban Red Dacca - a vibrant tropical banana variety with reddish-purple, plump, and short bananas that are sweeter and richer in flavor than common yellow bananas, thriving in warm climates and reaching 8-15 feet tall.
- 🍌 Double Mahoi - is a Cavendish banana variety that typically produces a double stalk of bananas in its second year, boosting the harvest.
- 🍌 Dwarf Cavendish - a hardy, vigorous banana variety growing under 5-8 feet, producing large, flavorful fruit with minimal care, making it a popular backyard banana in Florida and one of the most common Cavendish types for hobbyists and container gardens.
- 🍌 Gran Nain - is the true Chiquita banana, growing under 5-8 feet tall and producing large bunches of fruit, making it a staple of commercial banana production.
- 🍌 Ice Cream (Blue Java) - a cold-tolerant hybrid of Musa balbisiana and Musa acuminata, vigorous banana growing 10-15 feet tall and producing 40-60 lb bunches of stout, bluish-skinned fruit with sweet, vanilla-flavored, cream-like flesh that can be eaten raw or cooked.
- 🍌 Banana Lakatan - a popular Philippine banana cultivar prized for its sweet taste, rich aroma, and firm texture, making it a top choice for dessert bananas.
🆒 Banana #Fun_Facts
- 🟡Bananas are rich in potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure and supports heart health.
- 🟡They provide a quick source of energy and are great for post-workout recovery.
- 🟡The fiber in bananas aids digestion and promotes gut health.
- 🟡Eat them fresh, add to smoothies, bake into breads and desserts, or use in various savory dishes.
- 🟡Rubbing the inside of a banana peel on mosquito bites can reduce itching and swelling.
Learn about ornamental Bananas in next post 🔽
🛍 Shop Banana varieties
#Food_Forest #Bananas
🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals
Why Bananas? They are good for you and are fun to grow!
Red Banana
Praying Hands Banana
Banana fruit
Rojo Banana
Variegated Banana
- 💛 Bananas are berries, not fruits!
- 💛 They float in water like apples and watermelons.
- 💛 Bananas are high in potassium, which helps muscles work properly.
- 💛 They can improve your mood because they contain tryptophan, which your body turns into serotonin.
- 💛 Bananas are great for your heart because they have lots of fiber and potassium.
- 💛 Eating bananas can help with digestion since they are rich in fiber.
- 💛 They are a natural energy booster, perfect for a quick snack.
- 💛 Bananas can help keep your blood pressure in check due to their low sodium and high potassium content.
- 💛 They contain vitamins like B6 and C, which are good for your immune system.
- 💛 Rubbing the inside of a banana peel on mosquito bites can reduce itching and swelling.
❔ What is your favorite Banana or Plantain variety?
Share in comments👇
🛒 Shop Banana varieties
#Food_Forest #Bananas
🏵 TopTropicals
How to double your banana crop without extra space
Banana Double Mahoi
- 🍌 Double Mahoi - is a Cavendish banana variety that typically produces a double stalk of bananas in its second year, boosting the harvest. It is one of the most popular banana varieties for home growers - and for good reason! Here's what makes it so great:
- 🍌 Double the Fruit: After the first fruiting, this variety often produces a second flower stalk - two harvests from one plant, which is rare among bananas.
- 🍌 Heavy Producer: Known for large, dense bunches of sweet, dessert-type bananas. One plant can produce up to 100 bananas per cycle!
- 🍌 Dwarf Size: Grows only about 6 to 8 feet tall, making it perfect for smaller yards, containers, or even patios.
- 🍌 Tasty Fruit: The bananas are sweet, soft, and flavorful, similar to the classic Cavendish but often fresher and more satisfying.
- 🍌 Self-Pollinating & Reliable: Easy to grow, doesn't need another plant to fruit, and performs well with basic care.
- 🍌 Great for Containers: Compact growth and fast fruiting make it ideal for container growing - even indoors with enough light.
- 🍌 Fast Fruiting: Can begin producing in 12-18 months under good conditions.
- 🍌 Why everyone wants Double Mahoi Banana? Because it's the most productive dwarf banana for home gardens. You get lots of fruit, it doesn't take up much space, and you can grow it in almost any warm climate - or in a pot anywhere else. Double Mahoi is the go-to banana for gardeners who want reliable harvests in a small footprint.
🛒 Grow twice the Bananas - plant Double Mahoi
📚 Learn more about #Bananas
#Food_Forest #Discover
🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals
Which fertilizer to use: Organic or Inorganic?
Sunshine Boosters
Inorganic fertilizers
Cow
ℹ️ Fertilizers help plants grow. They give plants nutrients they need. There are two types of fertilizers:
🐮 Organic Fertilizers:
- · Made from natural materials: compost, manure, plant waste.
- · Good for the soil and environment.
- · Release nutrients slowly, which helps plants over time.
Inorganic Fertilizers:
- · Made from chemicals in factories.
- · Can give plants quick nutrients.
- · Might harm the soil and environment over time.
⏺Pros of Organic Fertilizers:
- · Better for the health of the soil.
- · Helps good microorganisms live in the soil.
- · Safer for pets and kids.
- 🔴Cons of Inorganic Fertilizers:
· Can cause pollution.
· Might make soil unhealthy if used too much.
🟢 Sunshine Boosters is your ultimate solution:
- ➡ based on organic fertilizers (organic amino-acids).
- ➡ help plants grow strong and healthy without harming the environment.
- ➡ make the soil better, support friendly bugs, and are safe for everyone.
- ➡Using Sunshine Boosters means you’re taking care of your plants and the planet!
📚 Learn more, with charts:
Organic or inorganic fertilizers, which is best?
🛒 Shop Sunshine Boosters
#Fertilizers
🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals
Date:
Organic or inorganic fertilizers, which is best?
A very smart article by Fedor, Mike, and Ed
Q: Which one is better - organic or inorganic fertilizer?
A: When it comes to fertilizer, gardeners always wonder if one better than the other. Does a total organic fertilizer make sense for you? Is it easier to just use a cheap granular fertilizer a few times per year? You may be surprised to learn that there is one fertilizer that has advantages over both!
While organic fertilizers may be all the rage, there is the difference
between Sunshine Boosters
fertilizers, organic and inorganic fertilizers. Sunshine Boosters fertilizers have been especially developed to provide optimal conditions for cultivating crops in pots and greenhouses. These specialized nutrient blends are essential in order to
maintain an appropriate environment for successful crop production, as they
compensate for the lack of natural beneficial bacteria and nitrifying
organisms which are specific to open soil cultivation.
Learn about why Sunshine Boosters is the best choice...
In the photos: Hungarian hot wax pepper (above) and a Baby Cucumber (below), both grown in Ed's organic garden with Sunshine Boosters
Top 10 fruit youll ever need for your health benefits:
Bananas
#5 Banana 🍌
- 🟡Bananas are rich in potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure and supports heart health.
- 🟡They provide a quick source of energy and are great for post-workout recovery.
- 🟡The fiber in bananas aids digestion and promotes gut health.
- 🟡East them fresh, add to smoothies, bake into breads and desserts, or use in various savory dishes.
📚 More about Banana from previous posts:
- 💋How to make tasty Carambola Banana Whip
- 💋Why Bananas? They are good for you and are fun to grow!
- 💋Bananas help you feel fuller and enhance your mood
🛒 Plant a Banana Tree
#Food_Forest #Remedies #Bananas
🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals