Date: 16 Mar 2026
🌞 Spring Nutrition Strategy: How to Identify and Fix Plant Nutrient Starvation
Smokey: Yes, it is good. However, it managed to grow your waistline, not the mango. Starting tomorrow, you begin exercising.
Sunshine: Exercising? Like running?
Smokey: No. Pulling weeds.
Read more about Smokey & Sunshine
🌱 The Spring Fertilizer Rush
It's the middle of March. The weather warms up, plants wake up, and gardeners rush to Home Depot to buy fertilizer. We see this every spring: one big feeding, then weeks or months of nothing.
Tatiana Anderson, horticultural expert from Top Tropicals, reminds gardeners that plants do not eat that way. They grow best when nutrients arrive little by little, not in one giant spring dump. That idea is the science behind Green Magic controlled-release fertilizer usage.
🎢 The Fertilizer Roller Coaster
After that big spring feeding, plants usually respond quickly. Leaves turn greener, growth speeds up, everything looks great. But a few weeks later something strange happens. Growth slows down. Leaves lose color. The plant looks hungry again. So gardeners fertilize again.
This cycle of nutrient spikes followed by starvation is very common with traditional fertilizers. Plants do not like roller coasters. They grow best with steady nutrition.
🚽 Where Traditional Fertilizers Go
Traditional fertilizers are usually made from soluble nutrient salts. When you water the soil or when it rains, part of those nutrients dissolve and become available to plants.
But plants cannot absorb everything at once. The unused portion continues moving with water through the soil. In gardens and container plantings, that excess often travels through drainage and eventually reaches nearby canals, lakes, or rivers causing algae growth.
These dissolved salts are also the reason gardeners sometimes see what is called "fertilizer burn". When too many salts accumulate around the roots, they can pull water out of plant tissues and damage sensitive roots and leaf edges.
It is also important to understand that traditional fertilizers are not the same as slow-release fertilizers. Traditional fertilizers dissolve quickly, while slow or controlled-release fertilizers are designed to release nutrients gradually over time.
This is why large fertilizer applications often lead to two problems: a short nutrient spike for plants and nutrient pollution.
⏳ The Idea Behind Slow Release
Gardeners and scientists recognized this problem a long time ago. If nutrients dissolve too quickly, plants receive a spike and the rest is washed away before roots can use it. The obvious solution was to slow things down. Instead of dumping nutrients all at once, slow-release fertilizers were developed to feed plants gradually over time.
The goal is simple: keep nutrients in the soil longer and deliver them to plants little by little, closer to the way plants actually grow.
⚖️ Slow Release vs Controlled Release
Not all gradual fertilizers work the same way. There is an important difference between slow-release and controlled-release fertilizers.
Slow-release fertilizers rely on natural processes such as moisture, temperature changes, soil microbes, or simple coatings that slowly break down. The release rate can vary depending on weather, soil conditions, and watering.
Controlled-release fertilizers use engineered coatings that regulate how nutrients leave the fertilizer granule. The coating acts like a membrane, allowing nutrients to move out gradually in a more predictable way.
In simple terms, slow-release fertilizers slow things down, while controlled-release fertilizers are designed to control how nutrients are delivered over time.
🌡️ The 75°F Trap
Most controlled or slow-release fertilizers are tested under laboratory conditions where soil temperature is around 75°F. But in real gardens, especially in warm climates, soil temperatures can be much higher. Container soil in full sun can easily reach 90°F or more. Higher temperature speeds up chemical and biological processes, including nutrient release from fertilizer coatings.
As a result, a fertilizer labeled 6-month release at 75°F may actually finish releasing nutrients in about 3 months in hot soil. That means plants receive nutrients too quickly early in the season and then may run short of food later, right when growth is strongest.
At 90°F and above, the issue is not only faster feeding. The fertilizer coating can release nutrients so quickly that the soil solution becomes highly concentrated with dissolved salts. In containers especially, this sudden surge of salts can pull water away from the roots through osmotic pressure, effectively dehydrating the roots at the exact moment when the plant needs water most. Instead of steady nutrition, the plant experiences a brief nutrient spike followed by stress.
⚙️ Why Release Mechanisms Matter
Different fertilizers use different coating technologies. Some rely on simple coatings that release nutrients mainly in response to moisture. When it rains or the soil stays wet, nutrients are released faster. When the soil dries, release slows down. This moisture-driven mechanism can be unpredictable because it depends heavily on rainfall and watering patterns.
More advanced fertilizers use membranes designed to regulate nutrient movement based primarily on temperature. Because plant metabolism is closely tied to temperature, this creates a much more scientific and predictable feeding process. As temperatures rise and plants grow faster, nutrients are released more actively. When temperatures drop and plant activity slows, the release rate also slows.
This scientific, temperature-based mechanism helps deliver nutrients gradually and predictably, reducing the large spikes and sudden shortages that often occur with simpler fertilizer coatings.
Controlled Release Technology
Modern controlled-release fertilizers use polymer coatings that act like a thin membrane around each granule. Water enters the granule, nutrients dissolve inside, and then slowly move through the coating into the soil.
The speed of this process is influenced mainly by soil temperature, which generally follows the plant's natural growth rate.
Polyon coating technology is known for its very consistent polymer layer, which helps deliver nutrients more evenly from granule to granule. This consistency is one reason controlled-release fertilizers are widely used in professional nurseries and container plant production.
Green Magic fertilizer uses advanced Polyon controlled-release technology to provide steady background nutrition for plants without the large nutrient spikes common with traditional fertilizers.
⚠️ The Calcium Gap
One nutrient that is often missing from many controlled-release fertilizers is Calcium. Calcium is essential for plant cell structure. It strengthens cell walls and supports healthy development of new leaves, roots, and fruit. In many ways, its role is similar to how calcium supports bone structure in the human body.
Unlike many other nutrients, Calcium is not mobile inside plants. The plant cannot move it from older leaves to support new growth. This is why calcium deficiency usually appears first in the newest leaves and growing tips. When plants lack calcium, new growth may become distorted, weak, or fail to develop properly because the cells cannot form strong walls.
Another important detail is that Calcium is not mobile inside plants. Once it becomes part of plant tissue it cannot move to new growth, which is why fresh leaves are the first to show deficiency symptoms.
No matter how much NPK fertilizer is added, plants cannot grow properly without enough Calcium because new cells simply cannot build their structure.
Calcium is difficult to include inside polymer-coated fertilizer granules because many calcium salts are highly soluble and can interfere with the stability of the coating.
For this reason most controlled-release fertilizers focus on delivering nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, while assuming that Calcium will come from irrigation water or soil amendments such as gypsum.
Garden advice often recommends bone meal as a Calcium source. While bone meal does contain Calcium, it releases very slowly and depends on soil biology and acidity, so it may take months before plants can actually use it. A more reliable Calcium source for many growers is gypsum, which supplies Calcium. However, adding it to container mixes is risky because the correct amount is difficult to control.
The most reliable way to supply Calcium is simple: use Sunshine Boosters. These liquid fertilizers deliver readily available Calcium directly to plants in soil and in containers, supporting strong new growth and preventing the hidden deficiencies that often limit plant development. We explained this approach in detail in our previous newsletter.
The Two-Layer Feeding System
Professional growers rarely rely on a single fertilizer. The most stable approach is combining controlled-release nutrition with targeted liquid feeding.
Green Magic provides steady background nutrition through Polyon controlled-release technology, supplying nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and essential microelements gradually over time.
Sunshine Boosters complement this base feeding by delivering Calcium and additional micronutrients in a form plants can absorb quickly when growth is most active.
Together they create a balanced system: Green Magic feeds plants continuously, while Sunshine Boosters provide the nutrients that controlled-release fertilizers cannot easily deliver.
Green Magic builds the foundation, Sunshine Boosters power the growth.
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: 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!
Date: 8 Jul 2020
Grafted fruit trees for Hawaiian gardens
Q: Aloha guys, I purchased a Diospyros digyna - Black Sapote grafted var. Black Beauty from you and am checking to make sure it will fruit by itself and not need both sexes. Also checking to see if the grafted atemoya I bought from you will fruit at sea level (where I'm at) or if I should give it to a friend who is above 1,000 so it will fruit? My grafted Maimi soursop is thriving! Looking at getting a grafted jackfruit from you all next.
A: Black sapote Black Beauty does not need a second plant to produce
fruit. Grafted trees should be flowering and setting fruit right away, or
sometimes on the second year.
Atemoya does not require high elevation for fruiting. It is a hybrid
Annona squamosa x Annona cherimola (A. cherimola species prefers higher
elevation) so Atemoya is usually is happy at sea level.
Congratulations with your Soursop! It should be really happy in your location.
As for grafted Jackfruits, this is the list of varieties we usually carry. Since many of them are very rare, they sell out quickly once we get new arrivals. If you are looking for a specific variety, I strongly recommend to add it to your wishlist (click on "Notify me when available") and you will receive email from us as soon as we have it in stock, so you will be the first one to know about it!
Our favorite Jackfruit varieties (and also hot sellers)
Black Gold
Borneo
Red
Crispy
Dang
Rasimi
We also suggest to get a Kwai Muk (while we still have it!) - the most delicious fruit, and it should do well in Hawaii.
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 >>
