Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 22 Oct 2025

Which dry fertilizer to use - slow release or controlled release?

dry top dress fertilizer

dry top dress fertilizer

controlled release fertilizer Green Magic

controlled release fertilizer Green Magic

🌳 Which dry fertilizer to use - slow release or controlled release?



❓ Q: You offer two kinds of dry fertilizers - Slow Release Trop Dress and Controlled Release Green Magic. What is the difference, and which one should I use? I used your water-diluted Sunshine Boosters with every watering, but now that I’ll be away for a few months, I just want to give my garden a long-lasting fertilizer.
  • ✔️ A: Top Dress Slow Release Fertilizer is used for quick greening-up. Although it’s called “slow release,” the nutrients become available fairly fast. It contains soluble nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) that dissolve with rain or irrigation, acting within a week or a few weeks depending on temperature and rainfall. It’s great for giving your plants a quick boost of “fast food.”
    • We use Top Dress mainly for in-ground plants. It can be used in pots only during warm weather and active growth, but not in cooler months, as it may burn roots. Since we introduced Green Magic, we mostly use Top Dress only for garden beds and landscapes.
  • ✔️ Green Magic Controlled Release Fertilizer is a true long-term, controlled-release fertilizer. Thanks to its PolyOn Technology coating, it provides steady, consistent feeding for 5-6 months. Unlike regular dry fertilizers that dump all nutrients at once, Green Magic releases them gradually - no burn, no guesswork, just steady nutrition.
Green Magic ideal for potted fruit trees, ornamentals, and houseplants. One handful keeps your plants fed for half a year. We use it for all container plants when potting up or refreshing soil every six months. It can also be used for in-ground plants if you want the best, most consistent results. Green Magic: try it out! (Sample here)

🛒 Shop Plant Food & More

📚 Learn more:


#Fertilizers #How_to
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Date: 13 Mar 2026

Tamarind shrimp stir-fry: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Tamarind shrimp stir-fry in skillet

Tamarind shrimp stir-fry in skillet

🍴 Tamarind shrimp stir-fry: quick-n-fun exotic recipes



Tamarind Shrimp Stir-Fry

Ingredients

  • 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 2 tbsp tamarind pulp
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp water (to loosen tamarind pulp if needed)
  • Optional: sliced green onions or chili flakes for garnish

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl mix tamarind pulp, garlic, fish sauce, brown sugar, and water until a smooth sauce forms.
  2. Heat oil in a very hot skillet or wok.
  3. Add shrimp and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes until they begin turning pink.
  4. Pour the tamarind sauce into the skillet and toss shrimp to coat evenly.
  5. Cook about 1 more minute until the sauce becomes glossy and slightly thick.
  6. Serve immediately. Garnish with green onions or chili flakes if desired.

🌿 About the plant:


The pulp of tamarind can be used fresh from the pod, pressed into blocks, or sold as concentrate. Its acidity works like citrus but with more complexity - slightly fruity, slightly caramel-like.

🏡 In the garden:


Tamarind trees - Tamarindus indica - are drought-tolerant once established and surprisingly hardy in brief cool snaps. They develop a beautiful spreading canopy and fine, fern-like leaves that close at night.

🛒 Plant a Tamarind tree

📚 Learn more:

Tamarind Plant Facts

Tamarindus indica
Tamarind, Sampalok
USDA Zone: 9-11
Large tree taller than 20 ftFull sunModerate waterEdible plantSubtropical plant. Mature plant cold hardy at least to 30s F for a short timeFlood tolerant plantSeaside, salt tolerant plant

Tamarindus indica in Plant Encyclopedia

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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Date: 24 Jun 2018

Adenium: a Rose by any Other Name

New article by Jane Jordan.
"...The famous quote is often used to imply that the names of things do not affect what they really are, in the case of The Desert Rose (Adenium obesum) it is not a rose at all, rather a succulent that thrives in hot, dry and sunny conditions. These spectacular plants have no relation to the rose family, they are a species of flowering plant from the dogbane family, Apocynaceae. The naming of this plant is partly correct as they originate in sub-Saharan Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, where they can grow into large trees with huge swollen trunks..."
Continue reading...

Date: 29 Nov 2016

December Fest on Dec 10, mark your calendars!

Topic: Edible landscape. 10:00am - 2:00pm. Agenda:

Class @ 11:00am by Robert Riefer. How to keep pests off of maturing fruit.
Class @12:00pm Super foods by Zoe Merring. Benefits of Soursop, barbados cherry, goji, moringa. Benefits and recipes.

Discounts on all edibles
Prize giveaways at 12:00pm and 2:00pm (must be present to win)

20% off After-Cyber-Monday sale! Now that everybody is done with shopping for monitors and speakers, it is time to get some happy stuff! 20% off on all fruit trees, 1 day only! Enjoy your shopping and get the plants you always wanted at a low price!

Date: 8 Aug 2016

Growing mango in hot Arizona

By Mike D, Mesa, AZ. Despite to what you may think, mango can be successfully grown in desert Arizona climate. It has good heat and drought tolerance. It's possible providing the following:
1) Winter protection of a young plant when temperature goes around or below freezing. Try to plant trees in locations where they're protected from cold wind. Minimal temperatures vary widely. Areas which are closer to downtown are few degrees warmer, while outskirts can be very cold.
2) Some people are lucky enough to live in areas with good soil. However, most of us will have a so-called hardpan (extremely compacted desert) or caliche (layers of soil cemented together by calcium carbonate). Check with your local county extension office to determine how to deal with such conditions. Gypsum is usually used to loosen compacted soil.
3) When planting, dig a large hole making sure it has good drainage. Plant tree as usual, add mulch around it. It helps to conserve moisture.
4) Best time to plant is late Fall or early Spring, so mango can get established before Summer heat.
5) Plant where tree gets few hours of sun.
5) Water a lot until established. Once established, water when soil is dry.
6) Small plant may need protection from summer heat. Use shade cloth.
7) Mango requires very little nitrogen fertilizer. In hot climate, overdosing nitrogen may result in quick plant decline. Use balanced low nitrogen slow release fertilizer or avoid nitrogen completely. If you use mulch, then decomposing mulch provides enough nitrogen. Foliar spray of micronutrient solution is recommended during active growing period. Read more...

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