Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 24 Jun 2018

TopTropicals

Fruitful Fruit and SuperFood...

Q: I have a large fruit garden here in Florida with many mango trees, avocadoes, guavas, and other tropical fruit. Last year hurricane Irma and flooding killed a few avocado trees, but mangos and guavas survived OK, but the sad part is, very few flowers this year and almost no fruit setting. I noticed on your website your Superfood and Sunshine-Honey boosters that supposedly help fruiting? But I am afraid it is too late now as your instructions say first application must be in early Spring? I wish I discovered earlier that my trees wouldn't want to fruit this year...

A: First of all, it is never late to give the food! You may start applications of SUNSHINE products at any time of the year. The best results will be achieved once you treat your plants on regular basis throughout the whole year cycle of metabolism.
Couple weeks ago we started harvesting our 2 guava trees. These two are the same variety (Variegated Honeymoon), planted within 20 ft from each other and growing in the same conditions. The only difference was, one was treated with SUNSHINE-Honey and SUNSHINE-SuperFood, and another one didn't get any treats in order to have a control plant.
Results are very interesting, see the picture. Both trees were heavily covered with fruit. However the one with treatments developed fruit that is much larger, much sweeter and juicier, and the most interestingly - with less seeds, almost no seeds!
To answer your question: yes, you can start feeding your fruit trees right now. It is still a Springtime. Many mango varieties have late season; even early varieties may delay their fruiting if flowering triggered by miscro-elements. Guavas have very long season and most varieties can have multiple crops throughout Summer-Fall.
Here is a simple and affordable feeding schedule to help your fruit garden recover from last year hurricane stress, and establish reliable production:
1) SUNSHINE-E - for boosting metabolism - once a month
2) SUNSHINE-Honey - for bringing sugars to the heart of the tree and boosting fruit sweetness and quality - now and in 2 weeks
3) SUNSHINE-SuperFood - for overall health, recovering from hurricane and fixing root damage from flood - now and every 2 weeks throughout warm season.
4) You may apply regular balanced fertilizer NPK as usual (we apply once a month, a handful per in-ground tree)
It's that simple. Just try and watch your trees produce again!

Check out all SUNSHINE boosters... We offer FREE shipping on them, so you can make your plants happy!

Date: 18 Feb 2025

Unlock Your Carefree Tropical Paradise:
Discover Our Useful Succulent Sale!

Red  plumeria  flower

Beautiful flowers and Edibles

It's no secret that everyone's dream plant is the one that requires little to no care yet still blesses us with the beauty of flowers or the bounty of fruits. Does such a plant exist? Some might say, "Sure, get a plastic one!" But the truth is, some tropical plants, which typically need a lot of water and nourishment, can thrive with minimal effort.

Dive into our Useful Succulent Sale, where you'll find plants like the enchanting Plumerias, the striking Adeniums (Desert Roses) and Starfish Flower, fragrant Epiphyllums (Queen of the night), delicious Dragon Fruits, and exotic Barbados Gooseberries that promise a low-maintenance slice of paradise. These hardy succulents need just sunshine, occasional watering, and a splash of our liquid Sunshine Boosters for flourishing flowers and fruits. Take advantage of our INSTANT 15% discount on all these splendid succulents - one week only!

Instant 15% discount to start your carefree tropical garden today!

No code required!

No min order. Exp. 2-25-25

Reminder: use our FREE and DISCOUNTED SHIPPING for qualified orders

Dragon  fruit  cat

Dragon Fruit, or Pitaya - a striking member of the cactus family known for its spectacular night-blooming flowers and vibrant fruit. This climbing cactus can stretch up to 30 feet, producing fruit with flesh in shades of white, red, or magenta. Rich in antioxidants, it offers health benefits such as reducing the risk of cancer and heart disease. A staple in both traditional and modern cuisine, it's featured in products from major brands like Tropicana and Snapple. According to the legend the fruit was created thousands of years ago by fire breathing dragons.

Epiphyllum  oxypetalum  -  Queen  of  the  Night

Epiphyllum oxypetalum - Queen of the Night - exotic cactus from tropical rainforests with large, meaty leaves and spectacular, huge white flowers that bloom nocturnally, filling the night with their powerful fragrance. A truly mesmerizing addition to any Southern or indoor garden.

Stapelia  gigantea  -  Starfish  Flower

Starfish Flower (Stapelia gigantea), or Zulu Giant - Large, up to 12" wide flowers in shape of Star Fish. The plant looks like a cactus, but it's really not, belonging to Milkweed family. Makes a stunning container plant and a conversation piece!

Date: 24 Jun 2018

TopTropicals

Elephant Foot, Turtle Shell - back in stock!

Dioscorea elephantipes.
Dioscorea is a curious plant with tuber above ground level covered with layers of corky bark, resembling a caudex. It is a slow growing, very unusual succulent. Tuber contains saponins, originally cooked and eaten as a famine food by the Hottentots. Caudex that grows up to 6' in nature, resembling an elephant's foot and looks as if it is segmented into geometric patterns (smaller plants look like tortoises) and looks dead but is actually a living tuber. A plant with 18" caudex can be almost 100 years old! The plant grows into a vine with attractive heart-shaped leaves and small yellow flowers. Culture is relatively easy. The vines may die back and regrow several times a year, depending on the particular plant and your region. The plant doesn't send down deep roots, so plant in a shallow pot about 1" larger than the diameter than the caudex. Potting soil should be very porous/loose so that there is easy drainage. Water well around the edges. Keep in a warm area and wait for the first shoots of the vine to appear. Water regularly from that point on. The plant should not be kept damp as with other tropical plants. Allow it to dry before watering again. Many books will say that they are winter growers, because they are native to the southern hemisphere. In fact, they grow in all seasons! Let the plant be your guide. You cannot force them to grow, and over watering will simply cause them to rot.
Elephant Foot is a collectors item, but remarkably easy to grow. It will be with you for years with no effort. It is a wonderful conversation piece! See more info about Dioscorea elephantipes.

We have limited stock, while supply lasts, hurry up!
*** 4-6" caudex *** 6-8" caudex *** 10-12" caudex *** Seeds. Don't forget special TopTropicals Adenium Soilless Mix that perfectly works for this plant!

Date: 23 May 2024

Index of TopTropicals Telegram Channel

Index of TopTropicals Telegram Channel

🗂 Index of TopTropicals Telegram Channel



Follow these tags to find your interests:

#Butterfly_Plants - Butterfly attracting plants.

#Container_Garden - Plants suitable for container garden and indoor culture; #Adenium

#Fertilizers - All the truth about fertilizers, plant food supplements, and our recommendations for different types of plants.

🥭 #Food_Forest - Fruit trees, Spice plants, and Edibles.
Including: #Avocado, #Mango, #Mango_Rainbow, #Papaya, #Guava, #Jackfruit, #Loquat, #Bananas, #Dragon_Fruit

📖 #Fun_Facts - interesting plant facts and legends.

🌳 #Hedges_with_benefits - Practical approach to your landscape and how to properly select showy and useful plants for your yard.

♍️ #Horoscope - Plant Horoscopes and Cat Horoscopes. Did you know that cats also have their Zodiac signs?

🛠 #How_to - Q&A about growing plants, tropical garden lifehacks.

👀 #Nature_Wonders - Unusual, amusing, outrageous, bizarre plants...

🐈 #PeopleCats - our Favorite PeopleCats (and some PeopleDogs, too).

🌸 #Perfume_Plants - Fragrant plants and perfume trees.

✍️ #Quotes - Interesting quotes.

#Recipes - Exotic recipes for tropical fruit and edibles.

💊 #Remedies - Medicinal plants, and #Discover - health benefits of plants and fruit

☁️ #Shade_Garden - Plants suitable for low light conditions.

🌼 #Trees - Spectacular flowering tropical trees.

🏆 #Win - Contests, Sweepstakes, and other #Fun specials.

🛍 #Discounts - hot sales and promotions for buying plants at TopTropicals.com

Join Our Chat room:
https://t.me/TopTropicalsChat

Subscribe and share with friends👇
TopTropicals

Date: 4 Jun 2021

Tahitian Gardenia

Q: I am interested in your Tahitian Gardenia and I would love to try and grow this plant in a large container/fabric pot. The soil here where I live is terrible as it's hard rock, clay, and sand! So I'm not sure if amending the soil would help to plant in the ground? Can you tell me if this will do okay in a container or best in ground? I live here in Las Vegas, NV (zone 9a). Any information would be great to help me make a this decision, I love the selection of cool tropical plants you offer! Also my daughter does Tahitian/Polynesian dance and this would be a cool "topping on the cake" if she could have a live Tiare flower in her performances.

A: Tahitian Gardenia will be doing best if grown in container in your area. In its natural habitat, it grows full sun but also it enjoys mild weather conditions and high air humidity. All gardenias prefer acidic soils. In your area, if planted in the ground, it may be exposed to some harsh conditions: too high temperatures, too hot sun, dry air, and as you mentioned - heavy clay and sandy soil. You can enjoy this plant grown in container, which can be moved as needed away from too much sun during summer months. Use well-drained potting mix. Use plastic pot, do not use fabric or clay pots - soil will dry out too quickly.
Also remember to fertilize this plant on regular basis with a liquid fertilizer SUNSHINE Pikake - Fragrant Flower Booster.
Grow gardenia in full sun or semi-shade during the hottest months. You may spray it with pure water if the air too dry and hot. Enjoy your Tropical Beauty and good luck!