Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster

Dragon Fruit Magic Tricks

Q: I purchased two sweet red pitayas, that arrived and were planted on May 28, 2020, they were damaged but not serious. my question is this one pitaya is a beautiful green, and has grown 6or 8 "already, the other is bigger and is a grayish green and has not shown any sign of growth at all in six weeks, how long do I wait before I throw it out and buy another?

A: Being a cactus, sometimes Pitaya slows down its growth waiting for more favorable conditions. If one of your plants doesn't show any new growth, just give a it some more time and make sure the plant stays happy. To make pitaya happy, provide the following:
- Water. Unlike most cacti, Pitaya prefers regular watering (but not a wet soil). Make sure it is planted in well-drained media. Do not water again if soil remains moist, wait until it dries out on the surface. During hot weather, Pitaya enjoys light daily watering.
- Light. Unlike most cacti, Pitaya benefits from a filtered light especially while establishing. Try to create a temporary shade over the plant until it starts active growth (if grown in the ground), or move the pot in filtered light. Dull color or dry spots are signs of sun burn. Once the plant shows new growth, you may remove sun protection, or move the pot gradually into the full sun.
- Food. Pitayas are heavy feeders. Use the following fertilizer:
SUNSHINE C-Cibus - Crop Nutrition Booster

Q: I've been growing dragon fruit cuttings from Okinawa, Thailand and Vietnam for several years in pots and cannot get them to fruit. Any fertilizer suggestions? I live in Northern Virginia so I bring the massive pots in the garage under lights and a heater for the winter but back outside once the temperature warms up.

A: There is a little trick to get Dragon fruit to flowering and fruiting. This plant likes flowering when it is attached to a strong support. In commercial plantations, they use special trellises/frames made out of logs, but you can make one yourself using simple materials.
See article: Do-It-Yourself Support Structure for Dragon Fruit.
And of course, don't forget a special plant food for tropical fruit - Sunshine C-Cibus.
You can successfully get your Dragon fruits to fruit in pots, providing bright light in Summer. In Winter, keep the plants on a dry side to give them some rest and a chance to hibernate before the next fruiting season.

Establishing Mamey Sapote

Q: I purchased Mamey sapote last fall and am very excited about having it in my yard. It lost leaves during the winter, but then budded and put on a lot of beautiful leaves. I was hand watering since this covid stay at home event, and thought I'd put it in a larger container, 10 gallon. About 2 months after transplant and hand watering the leaves turned yellow. I cut back on watering, allowing some dryness between. Some leaves now have fallen off, but looks like new ones forming. What have I done and most importantly now, what do I need to do so she survives? I haven't yet decided exactly where to plant her... so hoping she can stay in container for a bit longer while recovering.

A: It is possibly a combination of over-watering and seasonal changes (re-leaf). During this time of the year, Pouteria sapote loses old leaves and grows new ones. This plant is semi-deciduous, which means, it drops leaves during unfavorable conditions (too dry, too wet, too cold, to hot, etc. = any stress). The new buds are healthy. Give it a couple of weeks. Reduce watering. Don't water again if the soil is still moist. If planted in the ground, it will be easier to control the moisture, as long as you plant it high enough (at least 3-4"above the surrounding area, like on a little hill, for a better drainage. See how to plant a tree.
Once you notice a new growth and healthy leaves, give the plant some food:
SUNSHINE C-Cibus - Crop Nutrition Booster
Mango-Food - Smart Release Fruit Tree Booster

PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the day: Ricki - a cat or a bird?

After 4 years knowing Ricki (raised from a tiny kitten), we came to a conclusion he was a Bird in his previous life.
Ricki likes sitting next to you (preferably on a dining table) and have a conversation, with his head slightly tilted. And although nobody ever heard a sound of Ricki's voice (he is a silent cat), he is very good company - because he knows how to listen! How many people have a talent like this? If any - only PeopleCats.
Ricki will sit next to your plate and never take a piece. He just wants a conversation. And you will enjoy his Sounds of Silence as the best gift.

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!

March 17: Day of Saint Gertrude the Patron Saint of Cats and Gardeners

Cat Patron: Saint Gertrude of Nivelles, 626 - March 17, 659

Did you know that March 17 is not only the day of St Patrick, but also of another Saint? Saint Gertrude of Nivelles!
Cat lovers revere Gertrude of Nivelles most of all. After all, gentle Gertrude is the Patron Saint of Cats and Cat lovers. The idea seems to have started in the 1980s, more than 1300 years after she lived. Some sources say the first publication to link Gertrude and cats was a 1981 catalog, Metropolitan Cats, put out by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Since then, the idea that Gertrude is the patron of cats - and cat owners - has spread. She is the Patron of Cats, the Recently Diseased, Gardeners, Travelers, Those with Mental Illness, and Those with a Morbid Fear of Mice and Rats.
Most of us can find themselves in this list!
St Gertrude's feast day of March 17 is observed by gardeners, who regard fine weather on that day as a sign to begin spring planting!
See more info

TopTropicals Cat Club

Thank you everybody for supporting us in helping PeopleCat Community! If you would like to help, you may do so directly from our website: 6464 Donation for Cats - TopTropicals Cat Club. Every little bit helps. All donations will go to cat care, and you will receive appreciation surprise presents from TopTropicals, including TopTropicals Cat Club bumper sticker. Thank you, and God bless you and your pets!

Check out the Video: and more Cat of the Day stories.

Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cats of the Day: Abu, Raja and their 9 lives.

Just a couple weeks ago you met Abu and his tiny sister Raja whose Mom died after a car accident, and Kristi rescued her two little kittens. Who knew that the troubles were not over... yet. The kittens looked very weak and undernourished, with lots of fleas and infected wounds... Kristi took them to the vet and after intensive care they started to look much better... until a few days ago Raja woke up with paralysis in her back legs... while sores on Abu's paws didn't heal. Kristi rushed them both to the hospital again.
The vet said it all didn't look good... that symptoms looked like possible rabies or cat coronavirus! He said that chances are, the kittens wouldn't last long and he put them in 10 days quarantine.
Day and night we all at TopTropicals have been praying for the little babies. Every day vet's updates got worse... it was hard to believe that after all the efforts to save them, they may be gone!
Then all the sudden, after 5 days in the hospital, a miracle happened. All tests came out negative! And the kitties started getting better, fighting bad infections under doctor Bowers care. Raja got back on her feet. There is still a long way to full recovery from their miserable experience of a street life, but Something saved their lives! Doctors, prayers... or simply Kristi's BELIEVE that they WILL make it! She told them when she left them in the hospital: "You have to keep fighting, you are fighters." And they did. The Nurse said Raja hissed at her every time she walked by, but when Kristi came to pick her up and opened the cage, Raja rubbed her ears and just pressed her head in Kristi's hand.
Now they both at home, sweet home, taking medication and eating sooo much!
"I just kept thinking after all they have been through this can't be the way their story ends!" - Kristi says.
Have happy and loooong lives, kitties! All 9 of them or whatever you have saved!

TopTropicals Cat Club

Thank you everybody for supporting us in helping PeopleCats, especially local customers who leave donations in our Cat jar in the office. If you would like to help Raja and Abu to pay their bill for 5 day hospital stay under intensive care, you may do it directly from our online store, by purchasing item 6464 Donation for Cats - TopTropicals Cat Club. Every little bit helps. All donations will go to cat care, and you will receive appreciation surprise presents from TopTropicals, including TopTropicals Cat Club bumper sticker. Thank you, and God bless you and your pets!

Check out the Video: and more Cat of the Day stories.