Date: 18 May 2021
Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster
Healthy Heliconia Leaves?
Q: I purchased a heliconia from you a couple months ago. The new growth seems to be doing fairly well, however some of the larger leaves are discoloring around the edges then drying up. It's potted in a large pot with potting soil with 3 holes in the bottom to help with drainage in partial sun under a Royal Palm facing northwest. I'm here in Ft Myers. I was previously watering it every other day with your rapid growth fertilizer 1 tbsp per gallon but I have cut that back to once or twice a week. Please let me know your thoughts.
A: Heliconias and Gingers tend to develop dry leaves if grown in pots,
especially ceramic or clay pots, because soil in such pots dries out too fast.
These dry leaves are not caused by fertilizer, and you can see lots of new
healthy green growth. The plant overall seem to be healthy. Continue fertilizing
it with liquid Sunshine Robusta that is great for all wide-leaf tropical species,
promotes green, lush foliage, and do not use any additional dry fertilizers!
Another suggestion, try to move the plant in more shady spot. Right now it
sits in pretty bright light, this may be OK for established plants in the
ground, but potted heliconias are very sensitive to hot sun. They get leaf burn
easily.
Date: 4 Mar 2021
Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster
Ylang Ylang leaves after winter
Q: Hi, I purchased ylang ylang tree a couple of years ago. It's grown quite well in my Greenhouse but I'm having some trouble figuring out if I'm watering it too much not enough or if it has an insect. Can you please take a look at my photos and maybe give me a suggestion of what my problem might be?
A: It is normal for Ylang Ylang tree to get dark spots during
winter time. Sometimes Cananga gets whole branches darkened (especially dwarf variety fruiticosa), some may even fall off. But they will be replaced
with new growth in Spring-Summer. There is nothing wrong with your plant, it is
just a reaction to cold and short day light when you keep this plant indoors. These leaves eventually will fall
off as the weather warms up, and will be replaced with a new fresh green growth.
Luckily, Cananga is not susceptible to insects and diseases, but its leaves
can look unattractive in winter.
Make sure to keep watering at minimum until temperatures raise to 80's.
Start fertilizing as soon as new growth appears. We recommend SUNSHINE Pikake
- Fragrant Flower Booster, an ultimate fertilizer for fragrant plants.
Date: 15 Dec 2020
Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster
What is an ideal potting mix?
Q: A few years ago, I purchased a Barbie Loquat from you, and I'm pleased to say it's been growing very well. I now have several loquat seedlings. I have read that a well-draining medium should be used, and I have found that the various formulations provided on the web for such medium seem vaguely reminiscent of the recipe provided in your transplanting instructions. Therefore, I would like to retrieve your recipe, unless you could recommend an even better one?
A: The main requirements for a good potting mix are:
- perfect drainage, allowing air circulation that is so necessary for
healthy roots; oxygen circulation helps to avoid root rot
- water retention: to keep nutrients in soil
- low pH (soil acidity) which is important for most tropical plants
- adequate amount of organic matter in the mix, in combination with proper
fertilizer program
In our nursery we experimented with many different potting mixes for the past couple decades. We ended up with an ultimate mix for tropical container plants that we designed ourselves. This custom mix is called -
Abundance - TopTropicals professional soilless potting mix
It meets all the requirements above which makes it a perfect mix. All
our plants are happy with it.
Abundance is a professional quality (nursery-grade) potting mix with great
drainage characteristics, ideal for any tropical plants. It is organically
derived soil-less mix, free of any additives.
Ingredients are:
- fine Canadian peat moss
- coconut coir
- perlite
- aged pine bark (soil conditioner).
See more info on
soil mixes.
We have this mix available for purchase in different packaging sizes - 2, 3, and 7 gal
bags.
Besides proper potting mix, all container plants require regular
fertilizing. We recommend the newest, scientifically balanced fertilizers Sunshine Boosters that are natural, eco-safe, great for all edibles and
organic gardening. They are safe to use with every watering, provide all
necessary elements for plant daily needs, and won't burn the roots.
For your loquat tree, consider Sunshine C-Cibus, it boosts both flowering and fruit production. Loquat
is Winter-Spring bloomer, hopefully you will get some crop soon!
See more information about potting mix science
Date: 19 Nov 2020
Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster
Feeding Indoor Plants
Q: I am moving all my potted plants indoors as weather is cooling down. I still have Sunshine Boosters that I got from you in Summer. Do I need to continue fertilizing and how often, or should I wait until Spring?
A: Indoor plants add a vibrant warmth to your home, and can even
improve the air quality. But most importantly, indoor plants give you access
to year-round gardening.
While majority of house plants are easy to maintain, they still require
proper care to thrive.
Too many gardeners overlook the importance of fertilizing plants indoors.
However, proper feeding is essential to grow healthy, vibrant plants. With
outdoor plants nature sends rain and a plant will send new roots to find food,
an indoor plant is limited to only what you will give it. That is why it is
essential to feed your plants a healthy nutritious meal even indoors.
Many granular and slow-releasing fertilizers will recommend that you only
feed your plants occasionally, but this is not the healthiest for plants,
since they need to "snack" every day to satisfy their daily nutrient needs. When you feed a plant a large meal rarely, it cannot absorb the nutrients effectively, leftovers creating build up in soil (it's called "locked up nutrients") and that is why we specifically designed our fertilizers to be a light, daily nutritious meal for your plants -
Sunshine Home for houseplants...
Date: 4 Oct 2020
What fig trees are good for Florida?
Q: My baby fig tree was sprayed by the lawn people with weed killer :( Any ideas? Also what figs do you have available to grow here in Florida?
A: Unfortunately once a plant is affected by a herbicide, there
is not much you can do about it.
If you don't rinse the chemical within a few seconds, it gets into the
plant internal system and nothing can be done to save the plant. The tree may
remain green for a few days up to a week, but then gradually dies back. If your
fig tree wasn't rinsed immediately after herbicide spray, it is probably too
late.
If you want to replace it with a new one, here is a few suggestions of our
favorite fig varieties which are great producers and grow well in Florida
heat:
Brown Turkey Fig - our favorite!
Black Mission Fig
Beers Black Fig
Texas Everbearing Fig
Magnolia Fig
LSU Purple Fig
Olympian Fig
Texas Blue Giant Fig
See full list of Fig Trees.
Make sure to get appropriate plant food for your fig tree so it develops faster for you and gets well-established before winter: SUNSHINE C-Cibus - Crop Nutrition Booster from Garden Series, or Combo Total Feed Collection - all nutrients in just one bottle, for fruit trees and edibles.
