Date: 18 Nov 2018
Secrets of turtle tank controlled propagation unit
by Mark, the Garden Whiz
Our horticulturist Mark Hooten is SHARING his unique experience of
successful growing rare plants from seeds in his secret controlled-environment propagation unit.
We thank you Mark for this gift to our growers and look forward to seeing these plants coming soon into our store!
Date: 6 Nov 2018
Elephant Foot Yam seed production
Q: Very interesting information about Amorphophallus in your recent newsletter! (which I always enjoy BTW). I would like to purchase those fresh seeds, and I have a couple of questions. Did you have to hand pollinate that flower? I've heard it is not easy to set a fruit. Also, is this an edible variety?
A: From
Mark Hooten, the Garden Whiz. These Elephant Yam seeds were produced as
a result of hand pollination between two different Amorphophallus
paeoniifolius plants grown from entirely different sources. Both plants over ten years
old. One corm originated from a traditional Chinese market here in Ft. Myers,
while the other came from a Hindu market in Naples. As both were being sold
for eating (the prepared corms of the sweet types are a popular Asian
vegetable), we know they are of the "sweet" type, not the acrid type which is the
commonest in cultivation. The flowering occurred this last April, with the fruit
spike maturing in October which is very fast considering it may take up to a
year to mature this fruit!
The flowering image shows three different flowers all emerging from a
single clump of the Chinese plant which has developed over the years, each
flower being a couple of days apart. This is the plant which made the
fruit-spike, one of its flowers having been hand pollinated by the Hindu store plant on
the other side of the property. Notice all of the large blue flies swarming
the fully mature and very stinky flower!
Check out Fresh seeds of Amorphophallus paeoniifolius. Only a few packs left!
Date: 17 Oct 2018
October Tropical Garden: to do list
1. Prune. Last pruning before winter. Check the trees and shrubs one more time. Cut away dead wood and remove crossing limbs and branches.
2. Mulch. Continue to mulch to stop weeds and get ready for winter. Keep mulch 1-2 inches away from the stems. Evenings are starting to cool, so it is more comfortable working in the garden.
3. Pest control. Check for mealy bugs and scales. Remember that a garden with many kinds of plants has fewer pests than gardens with lots of mass plantings. So keep up with variety! Avoid pest magnets like Oleander, Oak, Hibiscus which require constant spraying.
4. Propagation. You still can take cuttings but do it as soon as possible. Days are getting shorter and less sunlight signals thу plants to slow down their growth. Cuttings will not root as quickly.
5. Seeds. Consider growing vegetables and perennials from seeds
Date: 1 Oct 2018
Information on new exotic fruit
variety:
Artocarpus x integer (Jackfruit x Chempedak), Cheena cv.
TopTropicals
FRESH SEEDS! Grow exotic Chempedak from seeds and you will have the trees for only $1 each!
Check out a short video of the opened fruit.
Cheena is a natural hybrid between jackfruit and
chempedak. Comes true from seed.
This highly recommended variety has grown in TopTropicals
garden from a seedling of Cheena (Jackfruit x Chempedak)
that fruited within 3 years from planting. The fruit
(20-25"size) is probably the best we ever tasted! It is
super sweet, crunchy and has a rich, pleasant, excellent
flavor. It has very little latex which makes it easy to
handle when cutting up. The tree produces at the very base
of the trunk, so you can prune it as short as you want.
Our tree survived light frosts as well as 48 hours of 3ft
flooding, with no damage!
The tree has an open, low and spreading growth habit and
can be maintained at a height and spread of 8 ft with
annual pruning. It is very easy to grow and is not as cold
hardy as we thought for a Jackfruit x Chempedak types of
plants. The only two recommendations are - good fertilу
soil with a high content of compost and regular watering.
Cheena is a consistent producer. The fruit is up to 5 lbs,
long, narrow and uniform in size and shape. The skin is
green, with blunt spines that yellow and open slightly
upon maturity.
Check out Chempedak Cheena seeds - FRESH - FRESH -
FRESH
Check out Chempedak Cheena plants - special
offer $30 OFF!
Date: 4 Sep 2018
