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!

Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster

How to get Canistel tree to produce
without dropping flowers and fruit

Q: My Canistel tree is 3 1/2 years old and is growing very well, see the picture below. It gets hundreds of pea sized "berries" but then they fall off. No canistel fruit. What's wrong?

A: You have such a nice looking tree, it is a shame you can't get any fruit to ripen.
In our experience, Pouteria trees dropping fruit prematurely is a very common problem. There may be one of the following reasons, or a combination of them:
- Cold winters may affect production, and while Canistel is generally pretty hardy tropical plant that can easily withstand short periods of chill, the fruit may never form properly if it had a cold winter.
- Lack of water. Canistel tree is pretty drought tolerant, but for the proper production cycle it needs regular irrigation. Especially during hot summer.
- The tree may be not strong enough; young trees drop fruit very often when they don't have enough "fruiting energy" built up in their system.
Your tree looks well established and vigorous, however, flower/fruit drop is often a sign of insufficient nutrients of particular kind, usually Boron (B) and/or Molybdenum (Mo): either when a tree is too young and not strong enough, or because of poor soils and lack of necessary elements.

Here is what can be done, considering you live in a warm, frost-free climate.

1. Provide regular fertilizing program. We recommend liquid fertilizers Sunshine Boosters that are safe to use with every watering and year around. It is beneficial to switch plants from traditional "slow-release" fertilizer to the liquid one because it makes a huge difference in plant growth and flower/fruit quality and quantity. See also:
- Why liquid fertilizers are better than dry
- Article about benefits of liquid fertilizers.

Healthy Plant Food: Q&A from Mr Booster

Encouraging blooms on the Hawaiian Sunset Bell Vine

Q: Please can you advise how to encourage the Stictocardia beraviensis the Hawaiian Sunset Bell vine blooms? Mine is all beautiful leaves and full sun in Miami.

A: Providing full sun, Stictocardia blooms profusely. In your area, it should be happy and thriving. However, keep in mind that these flowers can be seasonal (meaning, not ever-blooming). The good news it, Hawaiian Sunset Bell usually blooms several times a year on and off. In our garden, we have a large plant growing in the ground and covering a whole fence; we see flowers 3 times a year:
- Early Spring
- Summer (sporadically)
- Late Fall to early Winter

Make sure to provide proper fertilizer to encourage blooms. It is especially important if you grow this plant in container (where nutrients are very limited). We suggest the following fertilizer for your Stictocardia:

SUNSHINE Megaflor - Bloom Nutrition Booster

Healthy Plant Food

Establishing Avocado Tree

Q: I received my avocado Wurtz tree yesterday. Per instructions I have put the tree in a pot first. However I am having difficulty deciding what to trim off. Yesterday I removed obvious damaged leaves. However as you can see, the leaves are lighter in some areas and contain yellow and red in some spots. What would you advise? Given this is a critical state as I do not want to shock the tree after the trip, I would like to do everything possible to protect it and ensure viability.

A: Your Avocado tree looks great and healthy overall. You've done excellent job planting it. Wurtz is a good, vigorous variety, while the tree is somewhat dwarf, great for containers.
You are right, it is the best for the tree to leave it alone and do not trim or remove leaves any more, until it starts showing new growth. Then it will be obvious what needs to be trimmed. Reddish/orange color of young leaves is normal. If any spots or dots - no need to remove those leaves yet. Wait until the plant grows more leaves. It needs them for photosynthesis, in order to become stronger.

Keep the tree in bright shade and gradually move from filtered sun to full sun. Water daily. Within a week or two after planting, you can start applying mild fertilizer and micro-elements. We recommend at this growth stage:
SUNSHINE C-Cibus - Crop Nutrition Booster
SUNSHINE SuperFood - Micro-element Plant Booster