Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 21 Dec 2022

Heat [Cat] Pack for Winter shipping

James  Coconuts  and  Riki  staying  warm  and  cozy

In the photo: James Coconuts and Riki are purrfectly hot People!

Not too warm on the way to your home? No problem! Heat Pack will help your plants to have a safe and warm trip from Top Tropicals to your house.

Heat  pack

Heat Pack maintains warm temperature while shipping, and is good for 20+ hours. It is a must if temperature drops below 40F in your area. Large orders require 2-3 packs. When ordering large 3-7 gal size plants (especially sensitive ultra-tropical plants), you may need 1 pack per plant. Contact us for more information on particular species.

Alternatively, we can include a warm cat!
(subject to limited supply)

Date: 2 Oct 2022

A Miracle for every special garden:
Synsepalum - Miracle Fruit

Miracle  Fruit,  Large  Leaf  variety,  Synsepalum  subcordatum

...Every tropical plant lover wants to have this plant in their collection. And there are at least three good reasons for it:
1) it is a true miracle fruit
2) It enjoys growing in a pot, stays compact and brings you miracle berries nearly year around
3) it can be grown indoors as it has very low water and light needs.

Miracle fruit is one of the strangest tropical fruits. The most unusual thing about it is the effect it has on one's taste after this miraculous berry has been consumed. The "miracle" is that if lemon or other sour food is eaten after the miracle fruit, the sour tastes sweet, as if sugar has been added. That kind of magical experience is unforgettable! The interest in this plant is so high that anyone who has a plant always finds eager volunteers to test its sweetening properties. A natural chemical in the fruit masks the tongue's sour taste buds so that lemons taste like lemonade or lemon pie, or lemon candy; beer tastes like Malta drink, sour strawberries taste super sweet, and a grapfruit tastes delicions and not bitter! What causes the miracle? The fruit has a unique taste changing glycoprotein that inhibits tastebuds' perception of sour taste. The sweet sensation lasts for half an hour to a few hours...

Miracle  Fruit  in  a  pot

Miracle  Fruit  -  synsepalum  fruit  in  a  plate

Miracle  Fruit  -  Cat  with  monitor

Date: 21 Jun 2022

Sweet Potatoes - healthy food for every kitchen

Ipomoea  batatas

by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

"Oh my, what is this luxurious vine? These large, bright flowers! Looks like the Morning Glory and... is not like anything!"
"You want to know what this is? This is my favorite breakfast, lunch and dinner. For breakfast - sweet, but healthy porridge, for lunch - a wonderful side dish, and at last this plant makes a wonderful dessert after dinner!"
I didn't expect sweet potatoes to be represented by such a beautiful plant! So my old good friend introduced me to this supposedly ordinary, but spectacular and useful edible plant. Yet it is very fast growing and easy! Here is the story...

Ipomoea  batatas

Date: 29 May 2022

Plant Horoscope - Taurus

Plant  Horoscope  - 
 Taurus

By Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

...Taurus is the second astrological sign in the modern zodiac. This sign is associated with several myths and bull worship from several ancient cultures. It was the first sign of the zodiac established among the Mesopotamians, who called it "The Great Bull of Heaven"...
Taurus, like other earthly signs, refers to plants in a peculiar way. This is not to say that he does not love them, and how can he not love the grass that feeds him or trees in the shadow of which he rests during the midday hours? Yes, he loves them. Well, just need someone else to grow all these flowers and trees, someone else look after them, making sure that they are always in good condition and would be apt to give Taurus full portion of sensual pleasures!..

Date: 30 Oct 2021

Soil, media, substrate or just plain dirt, which is correct?

by Ed Jones, the Booster guy

...Dirt. What is it really and does it matter what you use to grow your plants? What is the right dirt for growing plants? In the growing industry, we refer to it as soil, media or substrate. In the real world, we just call it dirt. But is it? Is it just dirt or is it something special? We will try to give some good insight in this article...

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