Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 8 Jan 2026

Is winter killing your mango flowers? 33 winter-proof mid-season mango varieties in 90-sec tour

❄️ Is winter killing your mango flowers? 33 winter-proof mid-season mango varieties in 90-sec tour

Mid-season mango varieties make up the heart of the mango harvest. They are not as early as the first winter bloomers and not as late as the extended-season types, but they fill out most of the season.
Mango trees are winter bloomers, but freezing temperatures can damage them, especially when the trees are still young.
Right now it is January, and many mid-season mango trees are in bloom or just starting to bloom. While a winter cold snap can damage flowers, mango trees are resilient and often re-bloom once warmer weather returns.
A list of winter-proof mid-season mango varieties in Top Tropicals garden - Winter 2026

Blooming time: late December - January, may re-bloom February-March

🛒 Explore Mango varieties

📚 Learn more:

· #Mango_Rainbow - varieties you should try
· How to take care of a mango tree in winter
· Mango winter tips

#Food_Forest #Mango #How_to

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Date: 8 Jan 2026

Root beer leaf wraps: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Root beer leaf wraps: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Root beer leaf wraps: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

🍴 Root beer leaf wraps: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

🟡Use Root Beer leaves - Piper auritum - to wrap seasoned ground meat or tofu.
🟡Grill until lightly charred for that sweet anise-like aroma.

☘️ About the plant:
Piper auritum - Root beer plant, also known as Acuyo or false Kava-Kava, is a large-leaved tropical herb native to Central and South America and also grown in the South Pacific. It belongs to the same family as Kava-Kava and black pepper. The leaves are prized for their bold, aromatic flavor, often described as root beer, anise, or clove-like. Traditionally, the leaves are chopped for seasoning or used whole as natural wrappers for meats, fish, and tamales.

🌱 In the garden:
Piper auritum is easy to grow in warm climates and forms a lush, fast-growing perennial. Its huge, soft leaves - often over a foot long - make it both edible and ornamental. It prefers warmth, moisture, and partial shade and is often mistaken for Kava-Kava due to its similar appearance and close relation.

🛒 Plant the beautiful Root Beer Plant - it always will be with you

📚 Learn more:

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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Date: 7 Jan 2026

Do you know why its a Papaya time?

Do you know why its a Papaya time?

🍊 Do you know why it's a Papaya time?

Because Papaya Trees fruit year around! James Coconuts just harvested a big crop from his papaya trees. Varieties in fruit right now, in January: Wan Deng, Lady Red, Waimanalo, Sunrise, TR Hovey.

🛒 Explore Papaya varieties

📚 Learn more:
🟡about #Papaya

🐈📸 Cat James Coconuts with his papayas at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden

#PeopleCats #Papaya

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 7 Jan 2026

Do you know why its a Papaya time?

Do you know why its a Papaya time?

🍊 Do you know why it's a Papaya time?

Because Papaya Trees fruit year around! James Coconuts just harvested a big crop from his papaya trees. Varieties in fruit right now, in January: Wan Deng, Lady Red, Waimanalo, Sunrise, TR Hovey.

🛒 Explore Papaya varieties

📚 Learn more:
🟡about #Papaya

🐈📸 Cat James Coconuts with his papayas at TopTropicals PeopleCats.Garden

#PeopleCats #Papaya

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 7 Jan 2026

How to grow papaya from seed without killing it, Part 3: containers, sunlight, and 11 common mistakes

How to grow papaya from seed without killing it, Part 3: containers, sunlight, and 11 common mistakes

🍊 How to grow papaya from seed without killing it, Part 3: containers, sunlight, and 11 common mistakes

Getting papaya to sprout (see part 1 and part 2) is only half the battle. How you handle containers, sun, water, and root disturbance determines whether your plant reaches fruiting size or slowly declines. In this final part, we cover practical container growing, light requirements, and the mistakes that stop papaya from ever producing fruit.

🍊 Transplanting papaya - what most people get wrong

The one thing papaya roots hate (and most growers ignore)

Because of this:

🟡Reduce transplanting as much as possible

🟡Choose a container that will last longer once seedlings leave starter pots
🟡Avoid stepping up pot sizes too frequently

Watering matters just as much:

🟡Larger pots stay wet longer
🟡Papaya roots dislike constant moisture
🟡Always reduce watering when moving into a bigger container

🍊 Container growing guide for papaya

Grow papaya anywhere - but only if you do this right

🟡Start seeds in small cells (1–2 seeds per cell) or small pots (4–8 seeds per pot, spaced far apart)
🟡Transplant carefully when seedlings reach about 2 inches
🟡Once a 4-inch pot is outgrown, move directly to 1-gallon or even 3-gallon containers
🟡Reduce watering when containers are much larger than the root system
🟡Protect young plants from heavy rain until roots fill the pot
🟡Stake plants with bamboo
🟡Papayas grow fast, and the stem often outpaces root development. Even light wind can knock them over

🍊 Sunlight requirements for papaya

Papaya grows fast, but one mistake stops it cold

In shade:

🟡Plants become leggy and overly tall

🟡Flowering may stop completely
🟡Fruit production may be reduced or zero

Shade also keeps soil wet longer:

🟡Soil dries slowly
🟡Excess moisture can kill roots, even on mature plants

🍊 11 most common mistakes when growing papaya from seed
From seed to fruit in under a year - if you avoid these papaya mistakes

· 1. Leaving pulp or slime on seeds - prevents germination and causes rot
· 2. Soil too wet during germination - keep damp, not soggy
· 3. Overwatering seedlings - young plants rot easily
· 4. Disturbing roots during transplanting - papayas hate it
· 5. Not enough sun - papaya hates shade and will not produce in low light
· 6. Too much water once established - prefers drier conditions
· 7. Planting in low spots in the ground - poor drainage leads to root rot
· 8. Using heavy soil - waterlogging kills roots
· 9. Giving up too early - seeds can take weeks to sprout
· 10. Not fertilizing - papaya is a heavy feeder. Poor soil means no fruit. Remember, it is a giant grass.
· 11. Do not trim papaya. Trimming may cause side shoots, but it ruins the natural tropical form. If you need a ladder to harvest fruit, the solution is not pruning - it is growing a dwarf variety.

Papaya rewards growers who understand its quirks. Treat it like the fast-growing, shallow-rooted plant it is, and it will produce quickly and generously. Ignore those basics, and it will struggle no matter how much care you give it.

If you found this helpful, bookmark all 3 parts - papaya grows fast, and timing matters

How to grow papaya from seed without killing it:

Part 1: Papaya basics

Part 2: Seeds germination

Part 3: Containers, sunlight, and common mistakes

🛒 Explore Papaya varieties

📚Learn more:
· Carica papaya in Plant Encyclopedia

#Food_Forest #How_to #Papaya

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