Date: 25 Feb 2021
Container mango - Condo varieties
Q: What are the good varieties of mango trees available for container grow? Can you please share the details?
A: There are some great varieties of Mango selected specifically
for container culture, they even have a nick-name - "condo mangoes". They
have compact growth habit and respond well to pruning to keep them in small
size. Here are a few of our favorites that we currently have in stock:
Glenn
Ice
Cream
Cotton
Candy
Mallika
Manilita
Pram
Kai Mai
Mun
Kun Si
Maha
Chinook
You can see more condo mangoes on this page.
Related articles:
How to grow a Dwarf Mango tree
Choosing the right Mango for your garden
10 secrets of successful Container Mango growing on a balcony.
Condo Mango
Date: 18 Feb 2021
Red Stopper Cherry
Rare plant from Key West
by Mark Hooten, the Garden Doc
Eugenia rhombea, commonly known in Florida as "Red Stopper", is one of four
species of Eugenia native to North America. It is a beautiful small tree,
bearing small shiny deep green leaves which are pinkish-orange-red when young,
giving them the appearance of a flowering tree at a distance when flushing out
new growth a number of times a year.
Its native range includes Florida, Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola and part of
Eastern Central America. However, here in Florida, it is federally listed as an
endangered species, only known from the lowermost Everglades and Keys, where
even there it is rare.
These elegant little trees grow to perhaps 12 or so feet tall, developing
an elegant, umbrella shaped canopy. At a distance, they rather resemble Ficus
benjamina, yet with a more orderly and refined appearance. In addition, they
develop fluffy white flowers with a delightful fragrance, followed by
holly-like long lasting red berries which are relished by wonderful song birds.
Although appearing delicate, this tropical species is surprisingly hardy,
and would likely even make striking, a one-of-a-kind houseplant in the
North.
These very few plants were grown from seeds collected near Royal Palm
Hammock in the Everglades, and and may not be available again for some time...
Date: 23 Oct 2020
Cashew Nut tricks and challenges
Q: I bought a cashew plant in May of this year it has been slow-growing well then all of a sudden it started dying. I have cut it back halfway down. So a plant that was close to 3 ft tall is now 1 1/2 feet. I see new leaves trying to spring closer to the root. Help! It's in a huge 18"wide pot, I have not put it in the ground yet. I am in the Orlando area.
A: Generally speaking, Cashew is not the easiest plant to grow. Cutting it down added more stress to the plant. A few thoughts:
1) Chances are, the tree was over-watered (possibly summer rains, we had pretty wet summer this year in FL). Cashew trees are very sensitive to over-watering while young. Considering it sits in pretty large pot, this may have created soggy conditions. Don't bother repotting the plant now, just try to reduce watering. We have less rains now. If you have automatic sprinklers, move it away from sprinkler so you can control moisture manually. Even better - move it under roof (lanai, etc) where it still can get lots of bright light, but you can control water.
2) In Orlando, winters are too cold for this tree. Make sure to protect it from cold - bring inside when temperature drops below 65F, especially considering that the plant is still struggling.
3) Keep in mind that Cashew is semi-deciduous tree, meaning it looses leaves during cooler period. If all leaves are gone but the stem still green (after nail scratch) - just give it time, it may start growing vigorously in Spring.
4) You may apply Sunshine Boosters with every watering (which should be once a week, or even less frequent if the soil is still moist) - SUNSHINE C-Cibus - Crop Nutrition Booster
Keep the plant in full sun or at least very bright filtered light. It must be always warm. Bring inside if below 65F.
Date: 17 Sep 2020
TopTropicals from Bird's Eye
Watch new video: Top Tropicals Garden Retreat Events
Join us every 1st Saturday of the month for an Open Air Market
showcasing luscious tropicals, rare exotics, fruiting trees, fragrant perennials and
much more!
San Carlos Park Music will be playing their hearts out and creating amazing
music from 12:00 - 3:00 p.m. beneath our lovely Royal Poinciana!
More events will be posted soon to our Facebook Event page. Keep up with our updates!
Stay updated with TopTropicals Videos by subscribing to our channel at YouTube.com/TopTropicals and get our latest video news of what is fruiting and blooming!
Date: 11 Sep 2020
The best Loquat varieties with big, sweet fruit
Q: I'm interested in loquat and read through the varieties you offer but wanted your recommendation. I'm looking for a variety that is big, sweet (not tart) with 1 seed. Of the varieties you offer... Which variety would you recommend?
A: From our experience, the most popular Loquat variety is Christmas.
It is an early ripening type hence the name Christmas. Fruits are very large
for a loquat, they are bright yellow with a tangy apricot flavor.
Another good variety we recommend is Yehuda - it has a large fruit and very small seed
Also, variety Oliver for many years has been considered the best loquat for South
Florida. The fruiting season is March to May. It has medium to large fruit. The
fruit is very sweet with only one-two seeds.
Loquats are very cold hardy tropical fruit trees, easy to grow, drought
tolerant, fast growing. Fruit is great for eating fresh or making jam.
