Q: I bought from you 3 plants Stephanotis How do I protect them from this low temperature now? I live in Ft Myers Beach.
A: In Ft Myers Beach, you have frost-free winters. You don't have to worry about cold protection for the Stephanotis. It is pretty cold hardy plant in spite of being a true tropical (it enjoys Hawaii environment for example). From our own experience, Stephanotis can even take a light frost for a short period of time without any damage.
You can keep this plant either in a pot or plant in the ground in a nice
sunny location for more profuse flowering. It can climb a tree, a fence, or a pagoda.
However, keep in mind that during cool weather you need to reduce amount of watering. Wet + cold is a bad combination for plants. Water
again only when the soil gets slightly dry. In summer time, extra water is not critical because it evaporates quickly with high temperatures.
Q: A few years ago, I purchased a Barbie Loquat from you, and I'm pleased to say it's been growing very well. I
now have several loquat seedlings. I have read that a well-draining medium
should be used, and I have found that the various formulations provided on the
web for such medium seem vaguely reminiscent of the recipe provided in your
transplanting instructions. Therefore, I would like to retrieve your recipe,
unless you could recommend an even better one?
A: The main requirements for a good potting mix are:
- perfect drainage, allowing air circulation that is so necessary for
healthy roots; oxygen circulation helps to avoid root rot
- water retention: to keep nutrients in soil
- low pH (soil acidity) which is important for most tropical plants
- adequate amount of organic matter in the mix, in combination with proper
fertilizer program
In our nursery we experimented with many different potting mixes for the
past couple decades. We ended up with an ultimate mix for tropical container
plants that we designed ourselves. This custom mix is called -
It meets all the requirements above which makes it a perfect mix. All
our plants are happy with it.
Abundance is a professional quality (nursery-grade) potting mix with great
drainage characteristics, ideal for any tropical plants. It is organically
derived soil-less mix, free of any additives.
Ingredients are:
- fine Canadian peat moss
- coconut coir
- perlite
- aged pine bark (soil conditioner).
See more info on
soil mixes.
We have this mix available for purchase in different packaging sizes - 2, 3, and 7 gal
bags.
Besides proper potting mix, all container plants require regular
fertilizing. We recommend the newest, scientifically balanced fertilizers Sunshine Boosters that are natural, eco-safe, great for all edibles and
organic gardening. They are safe to use with every watering, provide all
necessary elements for plant daily needs, and won't burn the roots.
For your loquat tree, consider Sunshine C-Cibus, it boosts both flowering and fruit production. Loquat
is Winter-Spring bloomer, hopefully you will get some crop soon!
Establishing Cerbera Manghas
after a long shipping trip
Q: I live in Hawaii. I purchased Cerbera x manghas - Enchanted Incense. I followed the repotting
instructions but it looks like dying? Is the normal for all the leaves to fall off?
I only use purified water to mist and water the plant. I let it dry between watering and still it looks sad. Please help!
A: Cerbera is very sensitive to shipping stress (in particular to
darkness) and it often loses leaves in transit. Considering long trip to Hawaii, it had extra 1-2 days in transit, longer than to most of the
states.
Your plant looks very much alive, however we understand your concern about lost leaves.
You need to treat it like Plumera: keep on a dry side until it starts
sprouting new leaf growth. Once it gets re-established, you may move it out into regular irrigation or
rain.
We recommend to keep it under roof to control water input, but in very blight spot, preferably
sunny.
Make sure the soil doesn't get soggy, too much water may kill the plant especially when it is leafless and hence doesn't consume/evaporate much water.
Water only when top of the soil gets slightly dry.
Do not put into bigger container until roots start growing.
The plant should recover and start new growth under proper care. Keep us in loop how the plant is
doing!
Date: 15 Oct 2020
Healthy Plants. Q&A from Mr Booster: Fertilizing Mango trees in Winter
Q: I'm living in Maryland growing zone 7A and would like some
info on when to fertilize my potted mango trees. I ordered your Sunshine Mango Tango 2-2-4. All your mango trees are in pots.
A: You can start using this fertilizer right away, any time of
the year, and every time you water your plants.
Sunshine Mango Tango, as well as other Sunshine boosters, is an amino-acid
based liquid fertilizer that is scientifically developed for daily plant
needs in all necessary nutrients. This means, you may use this fertilizer with
every watering, including winter period.
Traditional fertilizers (both granulated and soluble, EDTA-chelated) can
only be used during hot months while plants grow actively, and must be limited
or not used at all during cooler months, to avoid nutrient lock up in soil
(which basically means "building up unused elements"). With Liquid Sunshine Boosters, it is safe to add them every time you water
your tree.
During cooler weather and when plant metabolism slows down, a tree will
consume less water (as well as food), and you will automatically reduce
watering, to keep over-wintering plants on a dry side. This means, less fertilizer
too. This allows you to control elements intake naturally, like you control
water amount just as much as the plant needs.
Q: Hello, I have a five-year-old Lemon Meringue tree that has only given me fruit one year. It put out
about 50 mangoes and has done nothing for the past three years. Do you
recommend any vitamins or any of the nutrients that you guys sell to help with this
for next season?
A: We've had very similar problem with our Nam Doc Mai Mango tree, fruited once and no more next year. Usually the reason is nutrients deficiency, here in Florida we have poor soils.
We applied Mango-Tango tree booster and it
started flowering within a couple of weeks.
Generally, Mango flowering season is over by now, however, we recommend to
feed the tree starting now, during active growth season. This way it will get
better established before winter and also will store away all elements
necessary for triggering flowering and fruiting. So by late Fall through Winter it
will be ready to flower.
Along with the fertilizer, additional micro-element supplements will be
beneficial. For improving fruit quality and increasing number of flowers, we
also recommend to use
SUNSHINE-Honey - sugar booster
