Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 15 Jun 2024

The truth about Papaya:

Papaya fruit

Papaya fruit

Papaya tree with fruit

Papaya tree with fruit

Papaya fruit

Papaya fruit

Papaya trees

🍊 The truth about Papaya:
1) it is grass, and
2) it can go transgender!
The secret facts of Papaya's private life.

  • 📌 Did you know that Papaya technically is not a tree? It is a large herbaceous plant, usually with a single, straight trunk that can reach 30 feet!
  • 📌 Many dwarf varieties available in selection, reaching only 6-8 ft tall, but producing large crops of full size fruit - they are easy to harvest.
  • 📌 Papaya trees have very complex gender mechanism, but the bottom line is - the tree can chance its sex based on conditions! Many varieties are self-fertile, but it always recommended to plant a few trees for cross-pollination and better yield.
  • 📌 The sweetest Papaya is from so called "Solo" cultivars: the fruit is usually round or oval, on a smaller side, but super sweet.
  • 📌 Fruit from Solo cultivars are not susceptible to fruit flies.
  • 📌 Being officially a tropical plant, Papaya is pretty cold resistant and can withstand light freeze without significant damage.
  • 📌 Surprisingly, Papayas are also hurricane-resistant plants and can take strong winds without damage. They still stand when other trees are down!
  • 📌 Papaya is one of the Super-Foods thanks to papain - a natural enzyme containing in this fruit. Papaya fruit offers the best digestive aid! Eat some papaya after each meal to maintain healthy digestion.
  • 📌 Try papaya leaf wraps for cooking meats - you won't need a meat tenderizer!
  • 📌 Easy to grow trees, Papayas don't take any space in the garden, but bring so much goodness into your life!


🛒 Shop Papaya Trees

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🏵 TopTropicals

Date: 3 Jun 2024

What is your favorite Mango variety? - the most Frequently Asked Question about fruit trees

Mango and cat

Mango and cat

Mango Alphonso

Mango Alphonso

Mango Maha Chinook

Mango Maha Chinook

Mango Fralan

Mango Fralan

Mango Fruit Cocktail

Mango Fruit Cocktail

Mango Nam Doc Mai

Mango Nam Doc Mai

🥭 What is your favorite Mango variety? - the most Frequently Asked Question about fruit trees.



❤️ Top 5 Favorite Mango we just love:

  • 🥭 1. Alphonso - the best Indian cultivar in terms of sweetness and flavor. One of the rarest varieties and sought after - sweet large juice fruit. Coconut-like flavor. Shop➡️
  • 🥭 2. Maha Chinook - Many consider it the best mango had ever tasted. Very rare mango variety from Singapore. This variety is semi-dwarf and great for pot culture. Nam Doc Mai close relative.
  • 🥭 3. Fralan - Super reliable producer and hardy tree. Green fruit, sweet and juicy. Fralan means "Thunder" - as the fruit cracks when peeled.
  • 🥭 4. Fruit Cocktail - Flavor is an amazing palette of different fruit, with citrus, pineapple, and guava notes.
  • 🥭 5. Nam Doc Mai - It's not just us, everyone loves this Mango! The most popular variety: semi-dwarf and great for pot culture. Eaten green or ripe, a Thailand favorite. It is hands down the most sought after of the Asian mangoes and for good reason.


❓ What is your favorite Mango variety?
Share yours in comments! 👇

🛒 Shop Mango Trees

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🏵 TopTropicals

Date: 11 Nov 2024

What makes Canistel Fruit so special?

Canistel, Egg Fruit (Pouteria campechiana)

Canistel, Egg Fruit (Pouteria campechiana)

💛 What makes Canistel Fruit so special?



You will be surprised how many health benefits this fruit can offer! Canistel or Egg Fruit (Pouteria campechiana) is a beautiful, curiously shaped piece of Nature's Art, and the tree is super easy to grow. Native to South America, it is relatively cold hardy and fast growing, providing with the first crop within a year or two.
  • 📍 Variety of Shapes: Can be round, oval, spindle, or heart-shaped with a smooth, glossy skin.
  • 📍 Ripening Color: Turns yellow or pale orange when ready to harvest.
  • 📍 Unique Texture: Firm and mealy flesh, becoming softer and pasty at the center - similar to a hard-boiled egg yolk.
  • 📍 Sweet Flavor: Musky, with hints of baked sweet potato.
  • 📍 Culinary Uses: Enjoy fresh with salt, lime, or mayonnaise; or use in custards, milkshakes, pancakes, jams, and ice cream.
  • 📍 Versatile Ingredient: Popular in Thailand for cakes, jelly, and other desserts.


📚 Learn more from previous posts
10 Health Benefits of Canistel Fruit
How to make exotic Canistel Egg Fruit Custard - Recipe

🛒 Order Canistel Egg Fruit Tree

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🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 4 Nov 2024

Why Hog Plum is the most popular fruit tree after mango?

Spondias purpurea - Hog Plum, Mombin, Jocote, Ciruela - fruit

Spondias purpurea - Hog Plum, Mombin, Jocote, Ciruela - fruit

Spondias purpurea - Hog Plum, Mombin, Jocote, Ciruela - fruit on a tree

Spondias purpurea - Hog Plum, Mombin, Jocote, Ciruela - fruit on a tree

Spondias purpurea - Hog Plum, Mombin, Jocote, Ciruela - fruit

Spondias purpurea - Hog Plum, Mombin, Jocote, Ciruela - fruit

Why Hog Plum is the most popular fruit tree after mango?

  • 🍑 Spondias purpurea - Hog Plum, Mombin, Jocote, Ciruela... This fast-growing, spreading tree with thick branches is a favorite of tropical fruit lovers!
  • 🍑 In spring, its showy, fragrant flowers bloom from bare, leafless branches in shades of red, purple, or yellow, hinting at the color of the fruit to come. The tree produces oval to round mildly sweet fruits, 1 to 2 ½ inches long, with waxy skin, juicy flesh, and a strong plum-like flavor.
  • 🍑 Highly productive, the pleasant aroma of the ripe fruit can be smelled from many feet away!
  • 🍑 The fruits are enjoyed fresh, stewed with sugar, or pickled while green for East Indian dishes. Mombin butter, made like apple butter, is especially delicious.
  • 🍑 Even the young leaves can be cooked, though they carry a tangy, sour taste.
  • 🍑 Deciduous and quick-growing, this tree can bear fruit before sprouting new leaves in spring. It thrives in many soil types and propagates easily from large cuttings, making it perfect for a living fence.
  • 🍑 Very fast growing, and fruiting right away. Fruiting from May through July, the Hog Plum brings beauty, fragrance, and flavor to your edible landscape.


🛒 Plant Mombin Hog Plum

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Date: 1 Dec 2024

What is the best variety of Lychee Tree?

Litchi  chinensis  -  Lychee  tree

Q: I love Lychee fruit and want to plant a tree so I always have a supply! What variety is the best?

A: The three most popular Lychee varieties are: Brewster, Mauritius, and Sweetheart (sometimes referred to as Hak Ip). Brewster and Mauritius are the most reliable producers and are commonly used commercially, while Sweetheart is more of a backyard specialty. Although it produces fewer fruits, the fruit are significantly larger than other varieties.

Brewster: Medium to large, round fruit and a sweet, slightly tart flavor, Brewster is highly productive and ideal for fresh eating.

Mauritius: Medium to large, round fruit with thick skin. It has a sweet, delicate flavor and is one of the earliest varieties to ripen.
Choose Brewster or Mauritius if you want a reliable producer with an average fruit size.

Sweetheart: True to its name, Sweetheart is prized for its exceptional sweetness. It has the largest fruit of all varieties, with a thick rind and juicy, flavorful interior.
Some growers consider Hak Ip to be just another trade name for Sweetheart, although it is sometimes marketed as a separate variety.
Opt for Sweetheart if you prefer larger fruit but don't mind a smaller harvest.

Keep in mind that Lychee trees typically produce every other year, with heavy crop years alternating with low production years or no fruit at all.

Litchi  chinensis  -  Lychee  tree,  fruit