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.
Date: 9 Dec 2020
Establishing Mamey Sapote
In the photo: Mamey Sapote lre-leafing.
Q: I purchased Mamey sapote last fall and am very excited about having it in my yard. It lost leaves during the winter, but then budded and put on a lot of beautiful leaves. I was hand watering since this covid stay at home event, and thought I'd put it in a larger container, 10 gallon. About 2 months after transplant and hand watering the leaves turned yellow. I cut back on watering, allowing some dryness between. Some leaves now have fallen off, but looks like new ones forming. What have I done and most importantly now, what do I need to do so she survives? I haven't yet decided exactly where to plant her... so hoping she can stay in container for a bit longer while recovering.
A: It is possibly a combination of over-watering and seasonal
changes (re-leaf). During this time of the year, Pouteria sapote loses old
leaves and grows new ones. This plant is semi-deciduous, which means, it drops
leaves during unfavorable conditions (too dry, too wet, too cold, to hot, etc. =
any stress).
The new buds are healthy. Give it a couple of weeks. Reduce watering. Don't water again if the soil is still moist.
If planted in the ground, it will be easier to control the moisture, as long as you plant it high enough (at least 3-4"above the surrounding area, like on a little hill, for a better drainage.
See
how to plant a tree.
Once you notice a new growth and healthy leaves, give the plant some
food:
SUNSHINE C-Cibus - Crop Nutrition Booster
Mango-Food - Smart Release Fruit Tree Booster
Date: 3 Mar 2020
Tu BiShvat - New Year for Trees
By Alex Butova
Tu BiShvat is the Israeli Arbor Day, and it is often referred to by that name in international media. Ecological organizations have adopted the holiday to further environmental-awareness programs. The modern practices and interpretations of Tu BiShvat often revolve around the earth and environment. This holiday is a celebration of nature and appreciation for creating the natural world. In Israel, Tu BiShvat is celebrated as an agricultural holiday. The 15th of Tu BiShvat was celebrated this year on February 10, 2020. This day marked the beginning of a new year for trees. This day marks the season in which the earliest-blooming trees emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit-bearing cycle. Often the date of Tu BiShvat is used for determining the age of fruit baring trees and therefore establishes their birth dates. Therefore, Tu BiShvat is the "birthday" of trees!
The traditions and customs of Tu BiShvat vary, however, the most common include planting trees and gathering with family and friends for a meal. It is celebrated by eating fruit, particularly the kinds that praise the bounty of the Holy Land: grapes, figs, pomegranates, almonds, dates, olives and others. It reminds people that "a man is a tree of the field", and reflects on the lessons we can derive from the botanical analogue.
Check out fruit trees and nuts:
Persimmon tree
Date: 14 Jul 2018
How to grow a Dragon Fruit
Q: I want to grow a Dragon Fruit. Should I use cuttings or seed? What varieties do you recommend? How difficult it is to grow? How soon does it start flowering and fruiting?
A: Dragon Fruit, or Pitaya is a highly prized, vining, fruit bearing
cactus, extremely unusual terrestrial/epiphytic plant. It has magnificent flowers,
stunningly beautiful fruit with an intense color, curious shape, and a
delicious taste. The night blooming white flowers can be up to 14 inches in
length. The fruit is most often eaten chilled and cut in half so the flesh may be
spooned out. The juice is used in frozen drinks and it is in a new Tropicana
Twister flavor. It is a must have for any collector or gardener with the flair
for the unusual.
It takes 2-3 years for seedlings to fruit, besides the variety pay not
come true to seed. We grow our plants from cuttings that are easy to root.
We offer many selected varieties, most of them self-pollinating. The plants are
ready to flower and fruit this year, or the next year.
Dragon Fruit Cactus is easy to grow, doesn't need much other than strong
support, full sun, well-drained soil - adenium soil mix works great - and fertilizer during hot months, and SUNSHINE-Honey applications for growing sweeter fruit. For larger fruit
bud thinning is recommended.
Check out Dragon Fruit varieties
Date: 24 Jun 2018
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!