Chosing a good avocado tree

Q: I'm in coastal Broward County. I'm putting together an order on your web site, and one thing that I would like is an avocado tree. I'd like to have something as close to true "Hass" as possible. Which cultivar does well here in SE Florida, and is most like Hass in texture, creaminess, and flavor? I'm not a big fan of the yellow watery Florida avocados.

A: Mexican type of Avocado have dark skin and buttery texture, while Florida green fruit types (West Indian type, with smooth skin), have lots of delicious melting pulp, so it is a matter of preference.
In coastal Broward county you can grow a wide range of varieties since your climate is very mild, so you don't have select cold-hardy varieties like Winter Mexican, Brazos Belle or Joey, etc. Yet there are many interesting varieties that rare and much more exclusive than Hass, with the same, or even better, quality buttery fruit.

One of the most popular varieties - Brogdon, with red-purple colored pear-shaped fruit, very thin skin, and yellow buttery flesh. It is also very cold hardy.

Very interesting exotic avocado is Kampong - Sushi Avocado - see photo above. The flavor of this fruit very nice, oily, creamy, nutty, reminds of almonds. At the same time, it has solid consistency and if you cut a square it remains a shape of the square. It is the best Sushi Avocado! It tastes great as an appetizer when cut in squares with some shrimp cocktail sauce.

Three collectible varieties:
Anise - leaves that smell like Anise, very rare, the fruit is of excellent quality, creamy and buttery.
Bacon - a large Mexican variety with dark-skinned medium-sized fruits, and a rich creamy flavor. It has exceptional fruit that ripen in late fall and into spring, they are easy to peel and have a light, subtle flavor. Another outstanding feature of the Bacon avocado tree is its angelic sweeping branches which helps keep the tree shorter and easier to pick its fruit.
Nishikawa is a very hot seller! Oval fruit somewhat resembles Hass, but larger, and has very high oil content.

See all Avocado trees from our store

Recommended fertilizers:
Fruit Festival Plant Food - Super Crop Booster
Mango-Food - Smart Release Fruit Tree Booster

Date: 28 Oct 2016

Devil Flowers - Bat Lilies - for Halloween!

Tacca. Growing Tacca is a great way to have an unusual flower or novelty plant, both indoors and out. Tacca is an exotic plant with flowers that mimic a bat in flight, deep purple (or white), with ruffled wings and long, hanging filaments. Curious, bat-like inflorescence both in shape and color, with wide spreading, wing-like bracts of rich maroon-black (some varieties have white flowers), accompanied by long trailing filaments or "whiskers"; the small black flowers are succeeded by heavy berries; corrugated olive-green leaves with oblique base surround the bloom... Those in warm areas can learn how to grow the beautiful and unique bat flower outdoors. In more seasonal areas, bat flower info says the plant and frilly flower grows vigorously indoors when it is happy with the conditions.

How to Grow Bat Flower. Growing bat flowers requires a little extra care, but blossoms of this unusual specialty plant makes it worthwhile. Large plants usually have a greater rate of success than smaller ones. Keep your bat flower away from cold temps and away from direct sun. When growing this plant outside, plant it in the shade. Care of bat flower indoors will include a shady location as well, and yearly repotting for the rapidly growing plant. This plant does not like to be root bounded. Pot up until reaching a 10- or 12-inch pot; after that, trim the roots and return to the same size pot, if desired. Well-drained soil is a must when growing Tacca bat flowers and should remain slightly moist. Soil should be light and retain moisture but never allowed to get soggy. Our special potting mix will work best for this plant.
The plant should be allowed to dry out during dormancy. Keep this in mind during its time of rest, in fall and winter. In warmer areas, bat flowers reportedly do not experience a dormant period. Fertilize monthly or every six weeks with a slow-release plant food.
For improving cold hardiness in winter, and heat tolerance in summer, apply SUNSHINE-E booster once a month. Tacca, as well as most plants with large lush foliage, responds well to such treatments, the plant will look greener, healthier, and bloom more readily.

Black Tacca and White Tacca, as well as Tacca seeds are available from our store.

Date: 4 Oct 2016

Plants for happiness and joy

Plants as homeopathic remedies and happiness boosters. Many people know about health benefits of vitamin C which improves and boosts our immune system similar to SUNSHINE plant booster stimulating growth of plants. But not everybody realizes that this vitamin is responsible for overall happiness of our body, it brings many systems in balance. A number of tropical plants used in salads, as well as fruit with high content of vitamin C can play dual role in your life. You can use them as food, as well as enjoy their beautiful tropical appearance. Such plants will help you feel interest and joy in life when you feel apathetic and resigned to the situation you are in. Just to name a few:

Lychee
Barbados Cherry
Eugenias
Hibiscus Karkade

Try them out. Stay healthy and happy!

Date: 24 Jun 2016

Coastal plants. Suggestions for coastal regions

Spathodea campanulata - African Tulip Tree

Q: I'm looking for a plant to replace a Torrey pine that was sadly cut down. The pine made the soil very acidic and it's already silty, sandy, and salty from being near a coastal marsh. I was thinking of a Kei Apple. However, there are only seeds available on the website and I'd prefer a sapling to get things started faster. Are there other trees you'd suggest for that environment?

A: Here are some fast growing salt tolerant trees that we can suggest, just to name a few: Bucida buceras - Florida Black Olive Tree, Callistemon citrinus - Weeping red Bottlebrush, Capparis cynophallophora - Jamaica Caper, Cassia fistula - Golden Shower Tree, Coccoloba uvifera - Sea Grape, Cordias, Delonix regia - Royal poinciana, Flamboyant, Elaeocarpus grandiflorus - Fairy Petticoats, Ficus lyrata - Fiddle-Leaf Ficus, Ficus religiosa - Bo-Tree, Peepal, Sacred Ficus, Mahoe, Peltophorum pterocarpum - Yellow Poinciana, Plumeria, Spathodea campanulata - African Tulip Tree (shown on right). See full list of salt tolerant plants.

15% on all mango trees! This weekend only. Offer is valid through Sunday, June 26. See all mango varieties available.

Date: 26 Mar 2016

Growing Exotic Adeniums

Exotic varieties of Desert Roses. Adeniums have many spectacular hybrids. The basic culture is very similar to orchids. A small pot with excellent drainage is a must. Adeniums do not like both over-watering or drying-out. There is a secret how to create a large swollen caudex: raise the plant a bit every time you re-pot it, so that the upper part of roots will be a little exposed. The plant will form more roots that will go down.

To make your plant develop a large swollen base/trunk, you'll need a good quality fertilizer. Fertilizer requirement for swelling up trunks is also used to increase flowering. It shouldn't be too high in nitrogen, the middle number should be the highest (similar to 10-50-10). Never apply fertilizer directly on roots and do not liquid feed when a plant is thirsty: always water first slightly to avoid root burn and leaf drop. Do not wet leaves. Adeniums need lots of light for heavy flowering.

Most hybrids and species start blooming in the spring when the conditions are warm and days get longer, and continue blooming through the fall and winter in warmer climates. Adeniums like a neutral to hard water. Acidic water tends to sour the soil too fast and may cause root rot. Water plants preferably in the early morning, and allow them to drink up throughout the day. Watering can be done daily to every few days. Never allow your plants to sit in a saucer of water, but don't let them to dry out too often - this causes adeniums to go into early dormancy.

Planting instructions for bare-rooted succulent plants. Position the plant in a pot, size of root system. Use only well-drained soil with high content of Perlite and/or sand (cactus mix can be used), water once and keep in warm (75-80F) place in filtered light. Do not water again until soil dries on surface. Once the plant is established and starts growing new leaves (may take a few weeks), gradually move it into brighter light. Then you can start fertilizing it.

See full list of Adeniums - plants and seeds.

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