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: 18 Feb 2021
Healthy Plants - Q&A from Mr Booster: Feeding Avocado Tree
Q:We bought one of your avocado grafts and it's doing great, lots of buds for fruit. It's still in a pot and fertilizing with the Sunshine Boosters. Should we continue with this product? We'll plant it in the ground in March. Thought you'd enjoy pictures of our wonderful tree. No freezing temperatures in Riverview, but when it got down into the 30s, the plant came in. One good thing about growing in the pot. I'll be buying some more Sunshine Boosters. This stuff is working great on all our plants.
A: Congratulations with a good job on growing avocado over
winter. Avocado trees are not easy, we are happy to hear that your plant is ready
for production, this is amazing! We've noticed that Sunshine Boosters perform
miracles. Here are some suggestions for you:
1) Continue fertilizing with Sunshine Boosters according to the feeding chart
2) When ready to plant, dig a large hole and fill it with good soil full of
organic matter (compost mixed with existing sandy soil will be good). Make
sure to plant the tree on 3-4"high elevation, like on a little hill. Avocados
need perfect drainage and can't tolerate wet feet. See more info on planting and planting instructions (pdf).
3) Water daily with a hose, do not rely on sprinklers. Avocados like water
(considering perfect drainage)
4) Continue applications of Sunshine Boosters at least until the tree is established and starts
growing new branches with lots of leaves. After that, you can switch to
slow-release fertilizers once a month if it makes it easier, but if you can, continue
Sunshine Boosters at least on weekly basis - they really boost plant growth!
Date: 24 May 2019
Synergy of SUNSHINE, biostimulants, and macro-micro
Q: I've heard that plants grow better and bigger with SUNSHINE boosters and when using Myco-Mix instead of regular soil mix. Do they work like fertilizers? If I use a Myco-mix, do I still need a fertilizer?
A: SUNSHINE boosters are not fertilizers, they are natural plant hormones, or biostimulants, as well as Myco-Mix which is a naturally occurring compound or microbes. Biostimulants are becoming increasingly attractive to folks interested in sustainable agriculture, and very popular for plant growth or pest resistance. A plant biostimulant is not a fertilizer because it provides no nutritional value to the plants. But, it can promote greater nutrient and water use efficiency, increase resistance to pests and diseases, reduce abiotic stresses, and in turn, lead to plant growth and health.
To answer your question, you can not replace regular fertilizers (NPK) and micro-elements with plant boosters and stimulants. However, fertilizers and microelements will work more efficiently when used in combination with biostimulants. Together they create a synergy, so plants use the most of fertilizer's potential, and will grow a lot better, faster, and healthier.
4 components for the best growing results
1. SUNSHINE boosters. They are a must during the juvenile stage of plant
development - seedlings and cuttings. They are especially important for
recovery of weak or stressed plants (boosting their immune system).
2. SuperFood microelements
3. NPK fertilizers. Select from water-soluble and smart-release types and
make sure do not exceed the recommended concentration. Lower dose and more
frequent use is always better for a plant.
4. Specialized soilless mixes: Myco-Mix (with biostimulant Mycorrhiza) for exclusive growing projects
and special/unique plants, Professional potting mix for potted plants, and Propagation mix for seeds and cuttings.
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!