Date: 4 Jun 2019
Pretty in Pink... and Purple Prince for her!
By Onika Amell, tropical plant specialist
Q: I have a bare spot in my front garden, behind a low wall, in part-sun. I'm hoping to find an evergreen, flowering ground cover that will cover it quickly. Any ideas on finding something with the ability to eventually also cascade over that wall? I live on Marco Island, Florida.
A: Barleria Repens - Small Bush Violet, is a tough, fast-growing evergreen
that blooms from late spring to autumn. Of the many Barleria we see in the
tropics, Pretty in Pink is one of the most striking! The name tells the whole
story: pretty and pink. A lot of gardeners enjoy using them as a ground
cover. They will quickly cover a large area - their stems root readily as the
plant crawls along. They are easily propagated by lifting the rooted runners or
using cuttings. They also reseed easily. Flowers are followed by seed pots
that explode open when dry, dispersing 4 seeds at a time! But perhaps best liked
by many gardeners, is their habit to cascade. It will be well suited for
covering the bare area in your garden and spilling over that wall beautifully.
When used as a ground cover, remember to pinch out young shoots to
encourage bushiness and prune the plant back hard after flowering to keep it
neat.
Barleria repens will also adapt to different situations in a garden if
you need them to. Although they usually form a rounded to spreading bushy
shrub, 2 ft high by 3 ft wide, they will climb when you give them support. They
are often allowed to lean into nearby trees and shrubs.
Hardy to 28F, Barleria repens is pest-free and fairly frost-tolerant.
They love sun and part shade, as well as well-drained soil and plenty of
organic material. Avoid planting it in deep shade as it will get leggy and
reluctant to flower.
They will thrive when fed with a slow release fertilizer at intervals
of 6-8 weeks, throughout the growing season.
There is another cultivar of this exact variety that has blue-purple flowers, it is called Purple Prince! It couples perfectly with Pretty in Pink! :)
See all Barlerias from our store
Recommended fertilizers:
Pink N Good Daily Plant Food Flower Booster
Tropical Allure Smart-Release Booster
Date: 24 Nov 2021
Carambola - the Star of the orchard
from seed to flower... in less than 2 years?
by Ed Jones, the Booster guy
...My story starts on Dec. 2, 2019 when a co-worker brought a bag of
carambola. Well, being a crazy plant person, and being still fairly new to
Florida, you know I had to save a seed and plant it, right? Why not, it just might
grow. If it does, I may get my own star fruit someday. But when? Google
tells me that it takes 3 - 8 years to get fruit from a carambola that is planted
from seed. OK, I am good with 3 years....8, not so much, but I was willing to
give it a shot... Not really knowing what to expect, I planted just one
salvaged seed in some potting soil in a coffee cup and placed in on a shelf on
our lanai...
...Here is a picture of that plant FLOWERING and ready to fruit, taken at
the end of October 2021... Now, read the whole story...
CONTINUE READING >>
Grafted Carambola Trees available from our store are ready to flower and fruit right away. Some of them start fruiting right in a pot!
Date: 21 Apr 2021
Trimming Pomegranate Tree
Q: I purchased a Pomegranate var. Vietnam, 3 gal from you in Feb. Your lit says trim for the first 3 years to encourage new growth. How old is my tree, please? Would you recommend I trim before leaving for the summer on April 30?
A: The Pomegranate trees we have for sale are grown from cuttings and are about 2 years old. Once you plant the tree in the ground, it will start producing new shoots. You don't need to trim it now. The best time will be end of summer.
Date: 23 Oct 2020
Cashew Nut tricks and challenges
Q: I bought a cashew plant in May of this year it has been slow-growing well then all of a sudden it started dying. I have cut it back halfway down. So a plant that was close to 3 ft tall is now 1 1/2 feet. I see new leaves trying to spring closer to the root. Help! It's in a huge 18"wide pot, I have not put it in the ground yet. I am in the Orlando area.
A: Generally speaking, Cashew is not the easiest plant to grow. Cutting it down added more stress to the plant. A few thoughts:
1) Chances are, the tree was over-watered (possibly summer rains, we had pretty wet summer this year in FL). Cashew trees are very sensitive to over-watering while young. Considering it sits in pretty large pot, this may have created soggy conditions. Don't bother repotting the plant now, just try to reduce watering. We have less rains now. If you have automatic sprinklers, move it away from sprinkler so you can control moisture manually. Even better - move it under roof (lanai, etc) where it still can get lots of bright light, but you can control water.
2) In Orlando, winters are too cold for this tree. Make sure to protect it from cold - bring inside when temperature drops below 65F, especially considering that the plant is still struggling.
3) Keep in mind that Cashew is semi-deciduous tree, meaning it looses leaves during cooler period. If all leaves are gone but the stem still green (after nail scratch) - just give it time, it may start growing vigorously in Spring.
4) You may apply Sunshine Boosters with every watering (which should be once a week, or even less frequent if the soil is still moist) - SUNSHINE C-Cibus - Crop Nutrition Booster
Keep the plant in full sun or at least very bright filtered light. It must be always warm. Bring inside if below 65F.
Date: 15 May 2020
Harvesting from a young mango tree
Q: About a year ago we bought a mango tree from you folks and planted it in our backyard in Estero. It has done well. It now has several mangoes and I am wondering if the tree is strong enough to support the fruit or if I should just cut off the fruit and wait until next year when the tree is a bit stronger. I am attaching some pictures. I am most concerned about the branch on the right which seems to be sagging. If you do not suggest that I cut off the fruit, can I wait until they ripen on the tree and eat them. They seem to be a bit on the small side for eating.
A: Your mango tree looks very healthy and happy, congratulation with a great job! For young mango trees, it is always recommended to minimize a number of fruit to 2-3 so
the tree has enough energy for vegetative growth rather than fruiting.
In your case, as we can see from the pictures, your tree is very well
established, has a strong root system, nice symmetrical shape, and vigorous new growth. In our opinion, you can save all
these fruit and let them ripen on the tree.
To support the plant's energy, make sure to fertilize it during summer with slow-release Mango Food, and year around - with Mango Tango booster. Use Sunshine Honey
supplement for sweeter fruit.
Secure the heavy fruit branch with a v-shape stake (a big branch may work), it can definitely use the support otherwise may break
under strong Florida winds.
You are all set to enjoy your first crop and be rewarded with fruit of your excellent work!
In the photo above: Mr B is harvesting Mango Pim Seng Mun after his successful Sunshine Boosters