Date: 11 Oct 2022
Fertilizing in Fall:
Plants need food too!
Q: I know that I am not supposed to fertilize plants in winter. But I just bought several ground orchids from you, they are blooming now and I wonder if I can give them some food to support their bloom energy? When should I do the last application of fertilizer? I will keep them in a sun room during Winter until Spring.
A: Traditionally, end of October to November is the time when we
give the last dose of fertilizer to our tropical plants. Liquid fertilizers,
and especially amino-acid based Sunshine Boosters, are safe to apply year around. This means, you can
continue feeding your plants with Sunshine Boosters through the Winter without
risk of over-feeding or burning roots. Why?
The answer is very simple: even with their metabolism slowed down in
Winter, plants will use all that food.
Sunshine Boosters have special mild formulas that are scientifically
designed and based on Amino Acids. Plants will use all essential elements from the
solution as needed.
Liquid fertilizer is diluted in water, and will be applied only when you
water the plant. During Winter, water needs are lowered = watering times are
less frequent, with less amount of water = the plants will get less water and
less fertilizer accordingly.
Importance of micro elements
in combination with plant food during winter
In the photo: winter chlorosis on Kumquat leaves that is very hard to treat and should be prevented instead
Keep in mind that feeding your plants regularly during Winter will help to avoid "winter chlorosis" and other deficiency problems. So called "cool-temperature-induced chlorosis" (CTIC) is especially common in Spring on young, actively growing leaves. Unless chlorosis is prevented by micro-element applications, affected leaves may remain in this condition for the rest of the growing season.
Make sure to select proper type of fertilizer for your over-wintering plants. We have special formulas for foliage, flowering plants, fruit trees, young seedlings, even for for orchids and bromeliads. Check out our selection!
Date: 2 May 2020
Which fertilizer is right?
Q: I need some advice on which fertilizer(s) would be perfect for my C​annonball tree and its cousin Heaven's Lotus (Gustavia augusta). ​I also have fruit trees... soursops, mango, etc. and a collection of flowers including pua keni keni, plumeria, bougainvillea, etc. I am wondering if you can recommend a custom fertilizing regimen for my garden (especially the cannonball and the gustavia since they are young).
A: It is a perfect time now to fertilize your plants as they start active growth. We have suggestions on fertilizing programs for your trees. You will find here our recommendations for:
1. Young trees
2. Flowering trees
3. Fragrant plants
4. In-ground grown fruit trees... CONTINUE READING >>
Date: 27 Feb 2020
7 secrets of a Happy Avocado Tree
Q: I purchased an avocado tree from local garden centers three times but every time it dies on me. My neighbor has a nice tree in his yard and it grows beautifuly. I just purchased one online from you and I need to know what I was doing wrong? Are there any secrets how to make an Avocado tree happy? I have a big garden and several mango trees, but no luck with Avocado...
A: Avocado tree is famous for being such a pain to establish. But once it starts growing, it's growing! We will share a few simple tricks how to make it right.
1. Plant high and provide good drainage. Wet feet is number one
reason for failing an avocado tree. It doesn't like wet soil and won't
tolerate soggy conditions. Plant it in the highest spot of your yard and slightly on
a "hill" (3-4"higher than the surrounding ground).
DO NOT plant Avocado tree in low spots or wet spots of your yard. Save
those spots for Cannas or Black Sapote or even a Mango if you want a fruit tree there.
2. Use quality soil. Use only well-drained soil with high content of
organic matter. You may add compost to existing sandy soil, or add some professional potting mix that contains pine bark and perlite. Remove
rocks from the hole if you see any while digging. Dig a big hole and fill it
with a good soil; compact the soil in the hole very well before setting the
root ball. Reminder: plant the tree high!
3. Water regularly. After planting an Avocado tree in a nice high
spot with a good drainage, start watering it... daily! Avocado likes water,
although it doesn't like wet feet! Once you figure out this combination, you've
got the recipe of success. Water by hand daily for the first week after
planting, then twice a week for couple weeks, then once you notice new growth -
you may rely on sprinklers, but keep watching the tree and don't let the soil
over-dry. It must be slightly moist, but not soggy.
4. Fertilize. For such finicky tree, we suggest mild formulas of
fertilizers. Dry fertilizers may burn roots, especially of a young tree. Even
smart-release granulated fertilizers should be used very carefully. The best
way to feed your young avocado tree - get a complete set of Sunshine Boosters Pro system. It has all necessary elements for all
stages of plant development and never burns the roots. Sunshine Boosters Pro can
be used with every watering - no need to guess how much and when. Besides,
it is a natural fertilizer based on amino acids - exactly what you want to use
on your fruit trees and other edibles!
5. Boost immune system of the tree. Apply Sunshine Epi plant hormone every 2 weeks as a foliar spray to boost
immune system and metabolism of the tree and protect it from diseases. Epi makes
plants (especially young plants) grow twice faster! It also enhances effect
of fertilizers by increasing plant metabolism.
6. Do not prune until you see significant growth. The tree is small
and can use as many leaves and branches as possible for photosynthesis and
healthy metabolism. We suggest to avoid pruning for at least the first year. On
the second year your tree most likely will be covered with flowers (assuming
you followed fertilizer program). Let it go through the blooming stage and
setting fruit; prune in Fall after fruiting is over.
7. Keep number of fruit to minimum for the first crop. Don't let the
small tree exhaust itself. Keep just 2-3 fruit to develop. The next year, no
need to control fruit quantity, the tree will develop as many as it can
support.
P.S. If you got the tree from a mail-order, remember to establish it
in a pot before planting in the ground; move gradually from shade to sun.
Follow planting instructions.
Learn more about Sunshine Nutrition System - a Natural solution for your garden.
Date: 9 Jan 2025
NEW
VIDEO:
How to get variegated vanilla bananas.
Discovering natural banana with seeds
with Fermin Garcia
We got a variegated banana from Thailand, planted it at our farm and started fertilizing with our famous Sunshine Rubusta (featured in our earlier blog: Sunshine Boosters Winter Use - The magic fertilizer in action.
In just a few months, it grew into a massive banana tree - one of the largest we've ever seen! Soon, a flower spike appeared, followed by variegated bananas. As they ripened, they turned yellow and developed a sweet vanilla flavor, with seeds! These are natural bananas, not modified. In today's video, we're showing how we harvested the fruit, tasted it, and discovered the seeds...
We've named this banana Fermin's Vanilla Delight Banana (Musa x paradisiaca). Fermin planted the seeds and we hope to have these plants soon. Add item 6379 to your wishlist and be the first to know when they're ready!
Use Sunshine Robusta magic fertilizer to have your bananas (and everything else) grow like crazy! It is safe to use all Sunshine Boosters year around with every watering.
Check out different banana varieties we have at TopTropicals - delivered to your door!
Subscribe to our Channel:
Subscribe to Top Tropicals YouTube Channel and get our latest video news of what is fruiting and blooming!
Date: 23 Nov 2025
🏡 To Use Your Garden Or Be Used By It
Smokey and Sunshine November Planting.
Smokey: Winter roots make spring easy. Keep that plant straight.
Sunshine: I am keeping it straight by not touching it at all.
Smokey: That is exactly what I was afraid of.
November is the month when the garden finally stops yelling at you. The heat backs off, the bugs calm down, and the weeds take a breath. This is when we get to take control again. And as gardeners, we know the truth: Either you use your garden, or your garden will use you in spring. Let me walk you through this, gardener to gardener.
"November is when the garden finally listens. Give it a little direction now, shape it, guide it, and prepare it for spring. It will reward you all year." - Tatiana Anderson, Top Tropicals Plant Expert
🌴 When The Garden Uses You
We have all lived this scene:
- March weeds appear, and two days later it looks like a jungle.
- One missed watering turns into five wilted plants and a full week of recovery.
- A skipped feeding shows up as yellow leaves and panic searching online.
- Bugs return fast, and suddenly you are washing leaves every other day.
- Random plant purchases fill your yard with chaos and mismatched care needs.
- When the garden takes control, spring feels like hard work, not joy.
Overgrown Tropical Garden Showing How a Garden Can Use You
📊 When You Use Your Garden
November flips the script. Plants slow down. Soil stays warm. This is the safest month to experiment, move plants, fix mistakes, and redesign.
What you do now pays off huge in March.
- You map out sun zones and shade zones.
- You mulch now so weeds do not explode later.
- You move plants to better positions without heat stress.
- You remove the high-drama plants before they start another season of complaints.
- You pick what you want for next year instead of letting impulse buys rule you.
Spring becomes smooth instead of overwhelming. And honestly? It feels good to walk outside in March and see order instead of chaos.
In the photo: Every garden starts in small steps. Biquinho Pepper (front) in the garden.
What Benefit Do You Get Personally?
- Less watering.
- Fewer bugs.
- Bigger fruit.
- Better flowering.
- Less money wasted.
- Less time fixing problems you could have prevented now.
This is why experienced tropical gardeners adore November.
In the photo: Organized Tropical Garden. Firebush (lemon gold variety) and Cordylines (Ti Leaf) make colorful spots in the garden.
🐭 Start With Something Small Today (5 Minutes)
Pick one:
- Add mulch to the driest spot in your yard.
- Cut one dead branch from any tree.
- Move one pot to a better sun angle.
- Pull three weeds from the worst area.
- Water deeply once this week.
Small steps now save hours later.
⭐ One Short Story
Last year we planted a Star Fruit in November. By March, it was already covered in flowers, and have been harvesting fruit non-stop since then! That is what winter planning does: it gives plants a head start you can actually see.
🐍 Plants That Will Use You If You Let Them
These are great plants, but only if you plan before planting them:
- Banana (thirsty)
- Hibiscus (hungry)
- Brugmansia (sensitive)
- Passion vine (takes over anything it touches)
Place them wrong, and they become full-time jobs.
In the photo: Passion Vine taking over the swing.
🐰 Plants That Work For You
These feel like free upgrades to the yard:
- Moringa - grows almost on autopilot
- Star Fruit - continuous production
- Dragon Fruit - minimal effort for big results
- Cattley Guava - cold hardy, compact and fruitful
- Loquat - fast fruiting and hardy
- Mulberry - very cold hardy with fruit abundance
- Tabebuia - spectacular winter colors
- Brunfelsia - reliable night fragrance in shade
- Adenium - perfect container showstopper
- Jasmine - instant fragrance
- Mexican Flame Vine - fast growing yet controllable vine
- Wiri Wiri and Biquinho Peppers - always available for your kitchen
- Firebush, Hamelia - everblooming and hardy butterfly native
- Cordyline Ti Leaf - instant leaf colors
- Megaskepasma Brazilian plume - lush tropical foliage with red blooms in shade or sun
- Iris - hardy easy low-growing native for any soil
- Champaka, Joy Perfume Tree - legendary perfume tree that blooms almost year round
- Olive tree - maintenance-free source of olives
- Plumeria - instant Hawaiian perfume flowers all summer
- Dombeya - spectacular hydrangea-like blooms all winter
- Insulin Ginger - instant nature remedy
- Eugenia Cherries and Barbados Cherry - immediate fruit, compact trees for small gardens or pots
- Peanut Butter tree - exotic sweet fruit like peanut butter, compact tree
- Blackberry Jam fruit - exotic fruit like blackberry jam, very small tree
- Colocasia - instant tropical look with Elephant ears
- Strawberry tree - sweet cotton-candy fruit year around
- Papaya - fits any yard, delicious fruit and natural digestive remedy
Pick even one of these and your garden starts giving back.
In the photo: Cattley Guava brings not only tasty fruit but also a wonderful character with its amazing multi-color twisted trunk.
🌡️ November Advantage
You cannot ruin anything in November. This is the safest, calmest month to shape your garden the way you want. If you act now, spring becomes a victory lap. If you wait, spring becomes a rescue mission.
In the photo: Adenium is a colorful accent in the garden.
💐 Thanksgiving Tie-In
This is the season to reset, breathe, and be thankful for your outdoor space. A garden that works for you is one of the best gifts you can give yourself going into the new year.
Start your November plan today. Use your garden. Do not let it use you.
In the photo: Megaskepasma, Iris, Colocasia, Crotons, Dracaena and Ti Leaf bring instant tropical look to your garden.