Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 27 Jul 2023

Top varieties of pineapples

Pineapple

Q: I want to grow my own pineapples, which varieties do you recommend for the best production? Do I need any special organic fertilizer?

A: Growing your own pineapple is pure bliss. Watching the transformation from a small crown into a luscious fruit is immensely rewarding. Every tropical gardener should experience the joy of growing this tropical gem and relishing its sun-kissed sweetness straight from the garden. Pineapples are easy to grow and can fruit in containers too, so if you live in a colder climate, no problem! They will take very little space in your greenhouse or sunroom. Just remember to feed your pineapple plants with Sunshine Boosters so they will feed you the biggest and the sweetest fruit! Sunshine Boosters are natural, organic-amino-acid based plant nutrients that are perfect for any edibles.
There are several varieties of pineapples in commercial cultivation. Below are the most interesting cultivars. Discover the pineapple paradise!

Elite Gold: Bursting with tropical flavor and vibrant gold flesh, Elite Gold dazzles with its unique taste and ornamental beauty.

Florida Special: Perfectly balanced sweetness and acidity, this variety thrives in warmer climates, gifting you a taste of Florida's sunshine.

Sugar Loaf: Irresistibly sweet with a hint of citrus, Sugar Loaf's compact size makes it an ideal choice for container gardening.

White Jade (Spineless Sweet): Exceptionally sweet and without spines, White Jade pampers you with a delectable, thorn-free harvest.

Lava Burst (Burgundy Variegated Rainbow): This visually stunning ornamental pineapple variety boasts striking burgundy and green leaves, resembling a rainbow of colors. Its fruit edible but small; its exceptional beauty adds a touch of exotic elegance to any garden or indoor space. Lava Burst is a delightful conversation starter and a captivating addition to your plant collection, making it a favorite among pineapple enthusiasts for its aesthetic appeal.

Embrace the sense of accomplishment and the satisfaction of savoring homegrown, mouthwatering pineapples - nature's sweetest gift!

Read more about Pineapples: The most luscious Hospitality Fruit.

Pineapple

Date: 29 Apr 2022

What is the easiest, prettiest, and most practical plant?
A plastic one?
Believe it or not, there is a different answer:

Plant of the month: Callisia Variegated Golden Tendril

Callisia  fragrans  x  soconuscensis  Melnikoff  -  Variegated  Golden  Tendril

Callisia fragrans x soconuscensis Melnikoff - Variegated Golden Tendril

An ultimate plant:
- perfect low maintenance house plant
- easy to grow
- has multiple holistic medicinal properties
- can grow fast as grownd cover
- needs almost no water
- sun or shade
- no fuss, no kidding!

This is an extremely rare variety of the European Holistic Medicinal Plant - Golden Tendril. It has showy variegated leaves and makes a beautiful houseplant on top of its medicinal value. It tolerates wide range of conditions and requires very little water; takes both bright sun or shade and is very fast growing and easy. The plant has wide medicinal use in Europe, literally every household uses this plant as a home remedies... just like Aloe Vera! According to scientific research, active biological substances from steroid group contained in this plant can struggle with any types of infections, stimulates metabolic processes, strengthens immunity and circulatory system, has a positive influence on growths and much more... some people consider it a virtual panacea. Whether it works for everybody or not, it is definitely fun to own such a legendary plant!

These are pictures of actual plants for sale!

Callisia  fragrans  x  soconuscensis  Melnikoff  -  Variegated  Golden  Tendril

Date: 9 Mar 2022

Grow Your Own Food

How to garden in South Central Florida

by Ed Jones, the Booster guy

Plant  horoscope:  Pisces

...We are very excited about the garden season this year and feel like we have the best chance yet of producing some nice veggies since we have been here. I sure hope so as there is nothing better than fresh food from your own garden. If you are not growing your own fruits and vegetables, I would recommend that you give it a try...
...When we lived in Indiana, we had a nice little garden in front of our house and we also had about a half acre planted with tomatoes, potatoes, squashes of all kinds, corn, popcorn, pumpkins, and many other veggies...
...Since my wife and I moved to Florida in 2019, we have continued growing our own vegetable garden. Now, I must say that it has been quite the experience trying to learn when to plant things here in south central Florida. It seems that the summer sun can be so hot that even plants like tomatoes, that love the heat, can't survive?...
Based on our experience, here are some secrets how to do it right...

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Top  Tropicals:  Learn  more  about  this  subject

Tomatoes

Date: 2 Feb 2022

5 most rewarding tropical fruit trees

Top Tropicals @ Garden America Radio Show

...The most popular garden radio show Garden America is featuring Top Tropicals topic "5 most practical and rewarding fruit trees for subtropical areas".

1) Jackfruit Orange Crush (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
...We recently obtained this variety and it is hands down the best Jackfruit we ever tasted. It is crunchy, sweet, aromatic, with bright orange pulp...

2) Dwarf Guava Hawaiian Rainbow (Psidium nana)
- A very small version of the favorite aromatic Guava.
- Grows only up to 5-6 ft tall with a short trunk and branching, bushy habit.

3) Yellow Pitaya, Dragon Fruit (Selenicereus megalanthus)
- This particular species of Dragon fruit is the sweetest and has great flavor unlike most pitayas
- doesn't mind regular water and rains but is also drought-tolerant

4) Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)
- Can be kept as a very compact tree, and fruits in a pot.
- Flowers and fruits right away. The plants are covered with flowers now and setting fruit.
- Very cold hardy to upper 20's, drought tolerant, fast growing

5) Macadamia Nut (Macadamia integrifolia x tetraphylla)
- The most delicious and popular sweet nuts that are usually so expensive, can be produced in your garden!
- Cold hardy, fast growing, and very productive.

Listen to Facebook-Live Show (recording):

Date: 29 Dec 2021

Magenta Freckles of Shooting Stars

A Nerve Flower for a natural stress relieve

by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

...A compact grower, this happy plant takes both sun and shade, and thrives nearly in any conditions and soils... From afar, we see its smiling, sunny, happy flower faces dotted with magenta-purple freckles, reverberating in the showering sunlight... The low growing bushes cheer you with a cascade of their star-flower fireworks. And the bonus part is - striking leaves: papery, narrow, metallic-green with bright mauve underneath in attractive trailing clumps. The combination of pinkish flowers with splashes of purple and these unusual leaves make this plant quite unique. Australians say that presence of these plants in the garden removes anxiety and calms your nerves...

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