Quick Peak - coming soon:
The Robuster Smart Injector System

At B-Farm, we also demonstrated our first prototype of The Robuster - an automatic care-free plant feeder for liquid fertilizers. This smart electronic device has been developed in the past few months by our engineers in Ukraine. Yes, these heroic people continue their creative work amid the terrible war, during power blackouts, often with no light and no heat. In just the past few months they managed to design this unique and affordable smart injector that will be available soon for every gardener, for every backyard!
Check back with us for more information, pictures, video, prices - The Rubuster will be available for sale and installation soon!

Ten steps to Happy Gardening in 2023

Beginning of the year checklist

To assist our customers in creating a happy and enjoyable gardening experience this year, we consulted with our horticulturist to compile a list of ten recommended items. Here are the results...

1. A favorite. Get yourself a favorite small flowering plant that is compact, manageable, and easy. Such as Ground Orchid. Keep it in a pot or plant in the ground by the entryway where it can be seen often and enjoyed.
2. A fruit of your labor. You need at least one (or one more) fruit tree for your garden, or for container culture if you live in colder climate. Growing and especially harvesting tropical fruit will make you happy. The Winner of the last year was Cherry Lolita - an easy, compact fruit tree that can produce almost year around. Some fruit trees will fruit right away!
3. Be exclusive. A rare plant is a must for every gardener. It can be a useful gem such as Noni Tree or an unusual-looking like a Bat Lily - Tacca. Show your friends and neighbors something different they have never seen!
4. Make it cool. Finally plant that shade tree by your driveway. Yes it takes time to grow, but the sooner you plant it, the sooner you get that shade! There are some fast growing species, some only take a couple of years to the mature size.
5. Beauty. If you have an ugly fence or unwanted view in your yard, cover it with a flowering vine. Look at the beauty every day and make your life better. Replace a boring standard hedge with colorful flowering shrubs that will make you smile.
6. Scent. Add some fragrant plants to your landscape and inhale their healing magic.
7. Tropical. For a shady corner, select a showy tropical with lush foliage such as Philodendron or Monstera, or all time favorite Banana. Get a feel of tropics.
8. Happiness of giving. Buy a gift plant for someone you care about but don't know how to thank them. Live plant is the best expression of love and gratitude. If you are unsure what plant to pick, ask our Team or simply buy a Gift Certificate that will never expire - let them chose the plant they like.
9. Food for all. A set of quality liquid fertilizers is a must - try Sunshine Boosters that can be used year around. They will make your plants healthy, strong, fast growing, cold hardy and disease-resistant. You can choose formulas for different plant types from our selection, or simply buy online a Nutrition Kit of 8 bottles that will cover all your needs and save you 50% on fertilizer cost!
10. Share. Subscribe your friend to TopTropicals Newsletter so they can get a weekly Piece of Tropics in their mailbox. Cool Cat Photos come as a bonus!

Make sure to always have on hand at least 2 main formulas of Sunshine Boosters - Robusta for vegetative growth, and C-Cibus that will satisfy plant needs for both fruit production and profuse flowering

Cold protection for tropical plants

Pushing the limits of tropical gardening

The year is almost over but the winter is not. This Christmas weekend at our Sebring B-farm we had it down to 30F. As a tropical gardener, winter can be challenging, especially if you grow plants outside of tropical zones.

To protect your garden from the cold, consider the following:

1. Monitor freeze watches and be prepared to take action if necessary.
2. Create temporary structures like mini-greenhouses using PVC pipes, carport frames, or bamboo sticks to support covers.
3. Use covers such as frost cloth, cardboard boxes, blankets, and bed sheets.
4. Use Christmas lights and other heating elements, including propane heaters, to keep plants warm.
5. Add a layer of heavy mulch around plant trunks to protect them from the cold.
6. Apply plant boosters that improve cold hardiness, such as Sunshine Epi, Sunshine-Si, and Sunshine Superfood.

At TopTropicals B-Farm, we sprayed our plants with a special cold hardiness treatment Sunshine-Si and covered and wrapped everything we could. We also moved cold sensitive species inside greenhouses. All of our plants are looking great and happy!

Photo above: Mulching mango trunks and using Christmas lights for cold protection

Read more about this special treatment plan: Cold Hardiness Improvement Kit.

Photo above: Temporary wrapping of a section of a greenhouse with a plastic or frost cloth protects from a windchill. It may also win you a few degrees even without a heater. In this particular case, according to our temp sensors, it was 30F outside, and 41F inside this "dome", no heaters used.

---

Sunshine Boosters:

Last chance to stock up
at a lower price!

Sunshine Boosters are natural, amino acid-based liquid fertilizers made with only the highest quality ingredients. Starting in 2023, the pricing for Sunshine Boosters will be adjusting to reflect the increasing cost of supplies. This is your last chance to stock up on Sunshine Boosters before the end of the year! Sunshine Boosters are safe to use year around, with every watering.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to get the best value for your money!

Use discount for even better deal:

22FOR22
for 22% off orders $220+

Min order $220. Offer expires 12-31-22

The Flower of Gold

By Onika Amell, tropical plant specialist

Q: I am concentrating on adding more fragrance to my garden. I've had great success growing gardenias and I have many different varieties, but their flowers are all white, and I would like to add some colors to my garden too. Are there any gardenias available in different colors? I live in Waipio Acres, Hawaii.

A: Meet the very rare and highly fragrant, tropical Gardenia tubifera Kula or Golden gardenia. Kula flowers change color as they mature, which is a unique feature! Kula flowers start out as cream, then change to yellow and finally to a beautiful gold. In addition to the spectacular flowers, this gardenia also has beautiful, leathery, deep green foliage.
This is a slow-growing and compact plant. Like all the other members in the Gardenia family, the Golden gardenia will do best in an acidic, well-drained, and fertile soil. It will appreciate a good deal of direct sunlight but will be very happy if provided with midday and afternoon shade. As with with gardenias, the more sunlight the more flowers.
It will eventually grow into a rounded shrub if left unpruned, but also can be trained into a small tree, maintainable to a height of under 7-8 feet. Blooms will appear from spring onward. Prune after flowering, this will encourage more flowers in a few months.
Gardeners living in colder areas, do not fret. Gardenias make perfect container plants and can be grown indoors in colder climates. Just be sure to provide high light when bringing them indoors.
The fragrance and changing colors of a Gardenia Kula is unforgettable. They are most fragrant near sunset and during early evening hours. Plant them near walks and patios where their lovely fragrance can be enjoyed.
This rare tropical Gardenia is sure to be a conversation piece in any garden. Great collector's plant!

Recommended fertilizers:
Pink N Good Daily Plant Food - Flower Booster
Tropical Allure - Smart-Release Booster

Limited time special offer:
Instant $5 OFF Golden Gardenia!

How to get gingers to bloom

Q: I have several gingers in my yard, including Red Torch, Lobster Claw, and Red Bamboo Ginger, they grow beautifully but only produce large dark green leaves and no flowers. Is there anything I can do to make them bloom? Do they need any special fertilizer?

A: Gingers are easy to grow tropical plants with so many benefits, giving us unique spice, and showy flowers (including long-lasting cut flowers!) - where other plants fail, especially in deep shade. They are not fussy about soils and even water once established. To keep your gingers happy, follow these simple steps:

1. Bright light is essential for flowering, but planting gingers in semi-shade or filtered light will keep them stress-free from burning summer rays.
2. Water gingers regularly until they established and start producing new leaves and stems. Once they start clumping, you may reduce watering to a minimum 9once a week or so), or rely on your sprinkler system.
3. Once the plant is established, start using fertilizer to induce flowering and healthy growth.
- We recommend granulated "smart release" fertilizer for all tropical plants. For gingers, the best formula is Tropical Allure. It provides all macro- and microelements essential for the healthy growth of the plant.
- Apply balanced water-soluble plant food for Gingers, Heliconias and Bananas - Broad Leaf Plus - once a month.
- Additionally, you may also add to the menu flower booster Pink N Good Daly Plant Food - this fertilizer is used in very low concentration and can be used with every watering.
4. Remove old dry and yellowing leaves with sharp cutters to avoid pest problems and keep good air circulation around these clumping plants.
5. Keep soil covered with 1" mulch to protect from weeds and maintain the optimal amount of moisture for the rhizomes.

Check out our specialized fertilizers for different plants - for all your gardening needs!