Date: 29 Oct 2020
The Best Pineapples
Q: What varieties of the Pineapple are the best for planting in Florida? When do they fruit? I have a small yard, with a room for one or two, but can I keep more in pots? I am excited to grow my own pineapples!
A: Pineapple is truly the King of fruits! One of the most
delicious fruits in the world. They start flowering from January to March in Florida
and yes, they happily grow in the ground as well as in pots. Heaviest
fruiting is in Summer (May to September), and some staggered throughout the year.
Be careful with watering, keep in mind that like any bromeliad, Pineapple
needs very little water and needs the soil to get dry between waterings. Use
only acidic soil and acidic plant food.
Make sure to feed these plants on regular basis, especially if grown in
pots. Pineapples are heavy feeders but are also very sensitive like all
bromeliads, so be careful with traditional fertilizers, do not exceed recommended
dosage. It is safe to use liquid amino-acod-based Sunshine Boosters Ananas fertilizer year round.
The mot popular pineapple varieties for home growers
are:
Elite
Gold
Royal
Hawaiian - Royale
Sugar
Loaf
Date: 13 Aug 2019
Caring of Soursop in container
Q: I have ordered dozens of trees from you and have a question about Soursop. I have a Soursop in a container and ants and aphids are under new leaves. Do Soursop like little water? I water almost everyday living in southern Los Angeles it's been around 76-80F. I spray the aphids and ants off with a mist setting on my hose. They come back every day. They're only on new leaves...
A: First of all, you don't have to remove the ants iа they
don't bother you. Ants are good insects, they do not harm plants; most likely
they are attracted by a sweet sap - aphid by-product. Ants clean up a plant,
and they may even take care of some bad insects.
It is not difficult to get rid of aphids. Use a safe treatment: in a
small spray bottle, mix 1 cup of warm water, 1 teaspoon of dish soap and 2
tablespoons of any cooking oil (if you have Neem oil or Horticultural oil - even
better, but prepare, they are pretty stinky). Spray the leaves with this
solution to a dripping point. Repeat in a few days if needed. This simple remedy
will take care of the aphids.
Daily water may be ok for the plant during hot weather, as long as the
soil is not constantly moist. Let the surface of the soil get a little dry
between waterings.
Recommended fertilizers for fruit trees:
Fruit Festival Plant Food - Super Crop Booster
Mango-Food - Smart Release Fruit Tree Booster
SUNSHINE-Honey - for sweeter fruit
SUNSHINE SuperFood - microelement supplement
Date: 8 Aug 2019
How to grow Parijat indoors in winter
Q: I purchased Parijat plant last year spring. It had good growth in Summer, after that I kept the plant inside the house in winter. A couple of weeks it was ok, after that the plant lost leaves. What is a better idea for growing Parijat plant indoors in Winter?
A: Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, Parijat - is a semi-deciduous plant, which
means, it may lose its leaves during unfavorable conditions such as drought,
cold, low light and/or humidity. In your case, the plant dropped leaves because
of the stress of moving indoors that includes reducing light and humidity
levels. When a tropical plant loses leaves during winter, this means it goes
into a dormant stage. If this happens, you need to reduce watering and keep the
plant on a dry side, water in only when the top level of the soil feels dry
to touch. Do not fertilize.
Try to place the plant in a well-lit spot such as a windowsill. If the
windowsill and the window glass feel too cold for touch during wintertime,
you may place a sheet of a Styrofoam underneath the pot, and a sheet of a
bubble-wrap between the plant and the window glass, to create an extra barrier
from cold. The plant may re-leaf during wintertime; if not, it may wait until
spring, be patient.
Bring it back into outdoor light when minimum temperatures rise above
65F and resume fertilizing.
Recommended fertilizers for fragrant plants:
Pink N Good Daily Plant Food - Flower Booster
Plumeria Top Dress - Smart-Release Booster
SUNSHINE SuperFood - microelement supplement
Date: 18 Nov 2021
7 reasons to get an Aroid Houseplant
1. It's almost Winter... You need something tropical in your home! Aroids have the most tropical look!
2. Aroids tolerate low light conditions of indoors.
3. Aroids require almost no care. Care is easy because if you watch for the
signals, the plant will tell you exactly what it needs
4. Aroids adapt to wide range of conditions. Many of them thrive in neglect
and survive even in sub-optimal conditions... Unlike most tropicals, Aroids
don't experience much stress when moving from indoor to outdoor settings and adapt readily to conditions inside the home.
5. Aroids are compact and easy to manage.
6. Aroids are fast growing while still being compact.
7. They are on sale now!
Check out our Philodendrons, Monsteras, Fancy Syngoniums, Alocasias, Colocasias.
Date: 25 Feb 2021
Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster
Dragon Fruit Magic Tricks
Q: I purchased two sweet red pitayas, that arrived and were planted on May 28, 2020, they were damaged but not serious. my question is this one pitaya is a beautiful green, and has grown 6or 8 "already, the other is bigger and is a grayish green and has not shown any sign of growth at all in six weeks, how long do I wait before I throw it out and buy another?
A: Being a cactus, sometimes Pitaya slows down its growth waiting
for more favorable conditions. If one of your plants doesn't show any new
growth, just give a it some more time and make sure the plant stays happy. To
make pitaya happy, provide the following:
- Water. Unlike most cacti, Pitaya prefers regular watering (but not
a wet soil). Make sure it is planted in well-drained media. Do not water
again if soil remains moist, wait until it dries out on the surface. During hot
weather, Pitaya enjoys light daily watering.
- Light. Unlike most cacti, Pitaya benefits from a filtered light
especially while establishing. Try to create a temporary shade over the plant
until it starts active growth (if grown in the ground), or move the pot in
filtered light. Dull color or dry spots are signs of sun burn. Once the plant
shows new growth, you may remove sun protection, or move the pot gradually into
the full sun.
- Food. Pitayas are heavy feeders. Use the following fertilizer:
SUNSHINE C-Cibus - Crop Nutrition Booster
Q: I've been growing dragon fruit cuttings from Okinawa, Thailand and Vietnam for several years in pots and cannot get them to fruit. Any fertilizer suggestions? I live in Northern Virginia so I bring the massive pots in the garage under lights and a heater for the winter but back outside once the temperature warms up.
A: There is a little trick to get Dragon fruit to flowering and
fruiting. This plant likes flowering when it is attached to a strong support.
In commercial plantations, they use special trellises/frames made out of
logs, but you can make one yourself using simple materials.
See article: Do-It-Yourself Support Structure for Dragon Fruit.
And of course, don't forget a special plant food for tropical fruit - Sunshine C-Cibus.
You can successfully get your Dragon fruits to fruit in pots, providing
bright light in Summer. In Winter, keep the plants on a dry side to give them
some rest and a chance to hibernate before the next fruiting season.
