Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 6 Mar 2025

How easy to grow is Pigeon Pea

Cajanus cajan - Pigeon Pea

How easy to grow is Pigeon Pea



🍿 Cajanus cajan - Pigeon Pea - is a bushy perennial shrub with pretty yellow flowers and abundant production of beans!

🍿 It is very fast growing, free branching, easy to grow and very low maintenance plant. Cold hardy to light frost. The plant tolerates poor soils, drought tolerant, improves soil quality like many other beans. Can be grown in container

🍿 Provides flavorful, nutritious, and healthy super-food. The beans used in rice dishes, soups, stews, tempeh, tofu. Unripe pods eaten in curries, leaves and young shoots cooked as a vegetable. Rich source of fiber, protein, vitamins (B, C, E, K), and minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, zinc). It has many medicinal uses.

📚 Learn more from previous posts:
What was discovered in the Pyramids
Pigeon Pea - an Ancient Superfood


🛍 Grow your own Pigeon Pea Superfood

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Container_Garden

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Date: 28 Apr 2024

Why is it called Pineapple Guava? It tastes just like strawberries! Feijoa Superfood

Pineapple Guava, Guavasteen, Feijoa sellowiana

Pineapple Guava, Guavasteen, Feijoa sellowiana

Pineapple Guava, Guavasteen, Feijoa sellowiana

Pineapple Guava, Guavasteen, Feijoa sellowiana

🍓 Why is it called Pineapple Guava? It tastes just like strawberries! Feijoa Superfood.

Feijoa is certainly one of the easiest fruit trees to grow as it does not require much care.

Feijoa is an attractive, evergreen large shrub that produces lovely edible flowers and fruit.

The fruit is eaten fresh, added to smoothies, fruit salads, used to make delicious jam (that tastes like Strawberry Jam on steroids!), and wicked chutneys.

Feijoa fruit go a long way in flavor!

📚 Learn more about Feijoa

🛒Grow your own Feijoa

#Edible_Forest #Guava

TopTropicals.com
We Grow Happiness

Date: 12 Mar 2019

Fertilizing Ylang Ylang

TopTropicals.com

Q: What fertilizer should we be using for ylang ylang?

A: Ylang Ylang is a free-flowering tropical plant that requires regular feeding during active growth period (March through November in Florida). We use balanced granulated fertilizer that contains micro-elements. Apply once a month 1 tsp per 1 gal of soil. For in-ground plants, 1/2 cup once a month.
We also apply additional micro-element treat SuperFood as foliar spray which dramatically increases growth rate and promotes flowering.

Check out our fertilizers, plant boosters, and garden supplies:

Date: 10 Dec 2025

Katuk coconut soup: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Katuk coconut soup

Katuk coconut soup

Katuk leaves - Sauropus androgynus, Tropical Asparagus

Katuk leaves - Sauropus androgynus, Tropical Asparagus

🍴 Katuk Coconut Soup

Ingredients

  • Katuk leaves (Sauropus androgynus), about 2 cups, stems removed
  • Coconut milk, 1 cup
  • Garlic, 1 clove, minced
  • Salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. Wash Katuk leaves thoroughly.
  2. Boil Katuk leaves in plenty of water for 15 minutes.
  3. Drain completely and discard the boiling water.
  4. Chop the cooked Katuk leaves.
  5. Warm coconut milk in a saucepan over low heat.
  6. Add garlic and simmer gently for 1 minute.
  7. Add the boiled Katuk leaves and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
  8. Season with salt and serve warm.

Important Safety Note

Katuk leaves must always be boiled for at least 15 minutes and the water discarded. Do not consume raw or lightly cooked Katuk.


🛒 Add Katuk Superfood to your Food Forest

📚 Learn more:

Katuk Plant Facts

Botanical name: Breynia androgyna, Sauropus androgynus
Also known as: Katuk, Star Gooseberry, Sweet Leaf, Tropical Asparagus, Chang Kok, Manis, Nutty Leaf, Rau Ngot
USDA Zone: 9 - 11
Highligths Large shrub 5-10 ft tallSmall plant 2-5 ftSemi-shadeFull sunWatering: Regular. Let topsoil dry slightlyRed, crimson, vinous flowersOrnamental foliageEdible plantEthnomedical plant.
Plants marked as ethnomedical and/or described as medicinal, are not offered as medicine but rather as ornamentals or plant collectibles.
Ethnomedical statements / products have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. We urge all customers to consult a physician before using any supplements, herbals or medicines advertised here or elsewhere.
Get personalized tips for your region

Sauropus androgynus in Plant Encyclopedia
The secret Brain Food growing in my backyard (and it tastes like green peas!)
Katuk egg stir-fry: Quick-n-Fun exotic recipes
Health benefits of Katuk: a Superfood for your mind and body

#Food_Forest #Recipes

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Date: 11 Jan 2026

How to lose weight naturally with tropical fruit and plants

Fat orange cat on treadmill with tropical fruit that help lose weight naturally

Fat orange cat on treadmill with tropical fruit that help lose weight naturally

🍑 How to lose weight naturally with tropical fruit and plants



🏃‍♀️ Losing weight isn’t about starving yourself - it’s about supporting your body with the right nutrients and keeping things balanced. Plants can help by boosting your metabolism, keeping you full longer, improving digestion, and regulating blood sugar. When you build a food forest with the right plants, you’re investing in long-term health that tastes good and feels good.

🏆 15 TOP TROPICAL plants and fruits that naturally help with weight management:



💚 Papaya – Contains enzymes like papain that aid digestion, and it’s high in water and fiber—great for feeling full.
💚 Mango – Supports fat metabolism and reduces inflammation. Its fiber helps regulate appetite and digestion.
💚 Avocado – Full of healthy fats and fiber, avocado helps you feel satisfied longer and supports steady energy levels.
💚 Banana – Rich in resistant starch (especially when underripe), bananas help support gut health and fat metabolism.
💚 Jackfruit – High in fiber and low in fat, this fruit keeps blood sugar steady and supports slow, sustained energy.
💚 Yerba Mate – A natural tea with gentle stimulant properties that may help reduce appetite and increase fat burn.
💚 Moringa – Known as a superfood, moringa helps regulate blood sugar and boosts metabolism with powerful nutrients.
💚 Galangal (Thai Ginger) – Supports digestion and contains compounds that may help increase fat burning, like regular ginger.
💚 Cinnamon – Can improve insulin sensitivity and help with sugar cravings, making it easier to stay on track.
💚 Insulin Ginger (Costus igneus) – Traditionally used to manage blood sugar, it also supports digestion and energy. Chewing the spiraled leaves or brewing them as tea is a natural way to get more from your garden.
💚 Dragon Fruit – Extremely high in fiber, dragon fruit supports healthy digestion and helps regulate metabolism, which can aid weight loss.
💚 Pomegranate – Used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine to improve metabolism. Its antioxidant-rich juice supports fat burning and digestion.
💚 Tea Leaf Tree (Camellia sinensis) – The source of green, black, and white tea. These teas are linked to metabolism boost, heart health, and appetite regulation.
💚 Noni – A powerhouse fruit traditionally used for inflammation, immune health, blood sugar balance, and metabolism support. It may also help reduce fat accumulation and boost overall vitality.
💚 Canistel (Eggfruit, Pouteria campechiana) is a naturally sweet, nutrient-dense fruit that helps curb sugar cravings while keeping you full longer. Its rich fiber content and slow-digesting carbs make it a great choice for supporting weight management without reaching for processed snacks.

❗️When you grow these plants in your home garden or food forest, you're not just planting food - you’re planting tools for better health.
And bonus: gardening itself keeps you active and stress-free, which is another win for your waistline.


🛒 Explore tropical fruit and edibles

📚 Learn more about natural weight loss with plants:


Tropical fruit health benefits guide: Part 1 and Part 2.
How to make lots of Insulin Ginger plants quickly and get more health benefits
Truth about which fruit helps you lose weight faster: Mango or Papaya?
Jambolan health and life benefits
Health benefits of dragon fruit
Weight loss with Noni
Healing drops of blood: why Pomegranate is a superfood

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Discover

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