Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 26 Jan 2022

Don't miss this one:
PodCast Premiere!

Episode 1
How to Protect Tropical plants in Winter: Q & A

Featuring Horticulturist Mark Hooten

...We are introducing our new Series: Top Tropicals Podcast. Growing tropicals and pushing the limits. Watch the first episode:

How to Protect Tropical plants in Winter

...Who doesn't like tropical beauty? Everyone wants tropical plants. But not everyone lives in a warm climate. Is it possible to grow tropicals outside of Tropics?
Top Tropicals horticulturist Mark Hooten, who is well known to many gardeners as the Garden Doc with his Saturday Plant Clinic, is answering gardeners' questions about how to prepare and protect tropical plants during winter...

Premiere scheduled:
Thursday, January 27, 8:00 AM

More about cold hardiness and cold protection:

Cold hardy tropical fruit trees
Growing Stephanotis and cold protection
Cold protection of tropical container plants
Plumeria cold protection
Ghost Cold Protection
Seven rules of cold protection for tropicals
Improving cold hardiness before winter: fertilizer and micro-elements
3D garden ideas and winter cold protection
Cold protection - winter action for your plant collection
About Cold Protection

Date: 12 Apr 2020

People of TopTropicals. Chic of the Day: Easter Present from Klaksa

In the photo: Duck versions 2.1 and 1.0

In our last newsletter Cat of the Day was Klaksa with her hunting habits and her love for birds...
While we are still sticking to the statement that "no birds were hurt in the process so far", she brought us an Easter Present! Yes, the Present is very much alive and super hungry. Klaksa did not tell us where she got it and how can we bring it back... So we are stuck with another duck! The previous version - Duck Dobi, has been raised by Kristi from a little chic-duckling, and after 2 years of ruling the Cat Community in our Garden center, Dobi finally left with her boyfriend - without saying thank you or even good-bye!
The Duck Version 2.1 has been eating and pooping happily all day. Luckily we found a person with a duck farm, and hopefully will get this baby a good home soon!

In the photo: Duck Dobi

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. Thank you and God bless you and your pets!

Date: 27 Apr 2020

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!

Date: 6 Dec 2018

Why starting tropicals from seed indoors is better than outside?

Q: I am in Texas, it is getting cold, but I bought these seeds the last two packs, as I didn't want to miss them, was looking for a long time and found you had them. Should I wait until spring to plant them?

A: You can grow tropical plants from seed year round and don't have to wait until warm weather outside. It is, in fact, beneficial to start tropicals indoors in a controlled temperature, moisture and humidity. Seeds of some species are very sensitive to excess water and/or require a certain range of temperature for germination... Besides, it's so much fun!
First, read the basics: Happy Hobby: growing tropicals from seeds

Advantages of indoor growing from seed

It is easier to keep under control indoors:

1) Temperature and Light. Although many tropical seeds require higher temperature and bright light for germination (hot sun may help), it may be hard to avoid overheating and drying out when you put trays in full sun. Using heat pads and additional lighting indoors makes germination smooth, even may take a little longer than in hot sun.
2) Soil moisture. If you ever lost your seeds or tiny seedlings to a heavy summer rain, you sure will appreciate your own moisture-controlled environment! Just make sure to use the right soil mix.
3) Air humidity. Indoor air is drier than outside. It may not be best for some tropical plants, but definitely perfect for seed health - they will never get moldy considering you keep your eye on the plantings.
4) Pre-treatment. Some seeds require scarification (sanding down hard shell), others stratification (cold treatment), but all seeds will benefit from SUNSHINE-S soak before planting. It is easier to do in your home lab. Based on our experience, using Sunshine pre-treatment reduces the risk of fungal damage and improves germination from 30 to 65%.
5) After germination culture. Watching seedlings closely in your home environment and giving them all that is needed for healthy, fast growth - miscroelements and first fertilizer - will help to establish young plants just in time before planting them out in Spring-Summer.

Read more: From Kristi - how to grow tropicals from seed.

Check out our seeds selection...

Date: 16 Nov 2019

Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Charlie, the Indoor Hunter

Carlie was a kitty drop off with LadyBug, Rickie, and Purry.
Charlie is Jamie's baby. She has an attitude of a teenager, one minute she loves you and the next - wants nothing to do with you. Carlie stays with the inside PeopleCats, she says it's too big in the outside world for her and she gets scared. Carlie has a fun game (fun to her): she plays around 2:00 am in the morning, she loves to drag random items down the hall (socks, toys, shirts, even blankets) in her mouth MEOOOWWWING as loud as she can. She then sets the items down on her human's bedroom rug and waits for her human to say thank you. We're pretty sure her hunting instinct is off...

Check out and more Cat of the Day stories.

2019, from Top to Bottom: Moe, Charlie, Bagheera, and Snitch. 2016: Charlie

From left to right: Purry, LadyBug, Charlie, and Ricki - 2016

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