Date: 16 Mar 2026
🌞 Spring Nutrition Strategy: How to Identify and Fix Plant Nutrient Starvation
Smokey: Yes, it is good. However, it managed to grow your waistline, not the mango. Starting tomorrow, you begin exercising.
Sunshine: Exercising? Like running?
Smokey: No. Pulling weeds.
Read more about Smokey & Sunshine
🌱 The Spring Fertilizer Rush
It's the middle of March. The weather warms up, plants wake up, and gardeners rush to Home Depot to buy fertilizer. We see this every spring: one big feeding, then weeks or months of nothing.
Tatiana Anderson, horticultural expert from Top Tropicals, reminds gardeners that plants do not eat that way. They grow best when nutrients arrive little by little, not in one giant spring dump. That idea is the science behind Green Magic controlled-release fertilizer usage.
🎢 The Fertilizer Roller Coaster
After that big spring feeding, plants usually respond quickly. Leaves turn greener, growth speeds up, everything looks great. But a few weeks later something strange happens. Growth slows down. Leaves lose color. The plant looks hungry again. So gardeners fertilize again.
This cycle of nutrient spikes followed by starvation is very common with traditional fertilizers. Plants do not like roller coasters. They grow best with steady nutrition.
🚽 Where Traditional Fertilizers Go
Traditional fertilizers are usually made from soluble nutrient salts. When you water the soil or when it rains, part of those nutrients dissolve and become available to plants.
But plants cannot absorb everything at once. The unused portion continues moving with water through the soil. In gardens and container plantings, that excess often travels through drainage and eventually reaches nearby canals, lakes, or rivers causing algae growth.
These dissolved salts are also the reason gardeners sometimes see what is called "fertilizer burn". When too many salts accumulate around the roots, they can pull water out of plant tissues and damage sensitive roots and leaf edges.
It is also important to understand that traditional fertilizers are not the same as slow-release fertilizers. Traditional fertilizers dissolve quickly, while slow or controlled-release fertilizers are designed to release nutrients gradually over time.
This is why large fertilizer applications often lead to two problems: a short nutrient spike for plants and nutrient pollution.
⏳ The Idea Behind Slow Release
Gardeners and scientists recognized this problem a long time ago. If nutrients dissolve too quickly, plants receive a spike and the rest is washed away before roots can use it. The obvious solution was to slow things down. Instead of dumping nutrients all at once, slow-release fertilizers were developed to feed plants gradually over time.
The goal is simple: keep nutrients in the soil longer and deliver them to plants little by little, closer to the way plants actually grow.
⚖️ Slow Release vs Controlled Release
Not all gradual fertilizers work the same way. There is an important difference between slow-release and controlled-release fertilizers.
Slow-release fertilizers rely on natural processes such as moisture, temperature changes, soil microbes, or simple coatings that slowly break down. The release rate can vary depending on weather, soil conditions, and watering.
Controlled-release fertilizers use engineered coatings that regulate how nutrients leave the fertilizer granule. The coating acts like a membrane, allowing nutrients to move out gradually in a more predictable way.
In simple terms, slow-release fertilizers slow things down, while controlled-release fertilizers are designed to control how nutrients are delivered over time.
🌡️ The 75°F Trap
Most controlled or slow-release fertilizers are tested under laboratory conditions where soil temperature is around 75°F. But in real gardens, especially in warm climates, soil temperatures can be much higher. Container soil in full sun can easily reach 90°F or more. Higher temperature speeds up chemical and biological processes, including nutrient release from fertilizer coatings.
As a result, a fertilizer labeled 6-month release at 75°F may actually finish releasing nutrients in about 3 months in hot soil. That means plants receive nutrients too quickly early in the season and then may run short of food later, right when growth is strongest.
At 90°F and above, the issue is not only faster feeding. The fertilizer coating can release nutrients so quickly that the soil solution becomes highly concentrated with dissolved salts. In containers especially, this sudden surge of salts can pull water away from the roots through osmotic pressure, effectively dehydrating the roots at the exact moment when the plant needs water most. Instead of steady nutrition, the plant experiences a brief nutrient spike followed by stress.
⚙️ Why Release Mechanisms Matter
Different fertilizers use different coating technologies. Some rely on simple coatings that release nutrients mainly in response to moisture. When it rains or the soil stays wet, nutrients are released faster. When the soil dries, release slows down. This moisture-driven mechanism can be unpredictable because it depends heavily on rainfall and watering patterns.
More advanced fertilizers use membranes designed to regulate nutrient movement based primarily on temperature. Because plant metabolism is closely tied to temperature, this creates a much more scientific and predictable feeding process. As temperatures rise and plants grow faster, nutrients are released more actively. When temperatures drop and plant activity slows, the release rate also slows.
This scientific, temperature-based mechanism helps deliver nutrients gradually and predictably, reducing the large spikes and sudden shortages that often occur with simpler fertilizer coatings.
Controlled Release Technology
Modern controlled-release fertilizers use polymer coatings that act like a thin membrane around each granule. Water enters the granule, nutrients dissolve inside, and then slowly move through the coating into the soil.
The speed of this process is influenced mainly by soil temperature, which generally follows the plant's natural growth rate.
Polyon coating technology is known for its very consistent polymer layer, which helps deliver nutrients more evenly from granule to granule. This consistency is one reason controlled-release fertilizers are widely used in professional nurseries and container plant production.
Green Magic fertilizer uses advanced Polyon controlled-release technology to provide steady background nutrition for plants without the large nutrient spikes common with traditional fertilizers.
⚠️ The Calcium Gap
One nutrient that is often missing from many controlled-release fertilizers is Calcium. Calcium is essential for plant cell structure. It strengthens cell walls and supports healthy development of new leaves, roots, and fruit. In many ways, its role is similar to how calcium supports bone structure in the human body.
Unlike many other nutrients, Calcium is not mobile inside plants. The plant cannot move it from older leaves to support new growth. This is why calcium deficiency usually appears first in the newest leaves and growing tips. When plants lack calcium, new growth may become distorted, weak, or fail to develop properly because the cells cannot form strong walls.
Another important detail is that Calcium is not mobile inside plants. Once it becomes part of plant tissue it cannot move to new growth, which is why fresh leaves are the first to show deficiency symptoms.
No matter how much NPK fertilizer is added, plants cannot grow properly without enough Calcium because new cells simply cannot build their structure.
Calcium is difficult to include inside polymer-coated fertilizer granules because many calcium salts are highly soluble and can interfere with the stability of the coating.
For this reason most controlled-release fertilizers focus on delivering nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, while assuming that Calcium will come from irrigation water or soil amendments such as gypsum.
Garden advice often recommends bone meal as a Calcium source. While bone meal does contain Calcium, it releases very slowly and depends on soil biology and acidity, so it may take months before plants can actually use it. A more reliable Calcium source for many growers is gypsum, which supplies Calcium. However, adding it to container mixes is risky because the correct amount is difficult to control.
The most reliable way to supply Calcium is simple: use Sunshine Boosters. These liquid fertilizers deliver readily available Calcium directly to plants in soil and in containers, supporting strong new growth and preventing the hidden deficiencies that often limit plant development. We explained this approach in detail in our previous newsletter.
The Two-Layer Feeding System
Professional growers rarely rely on a single fertilizer. The most stable approach is combining controlled-release nutrition with targeted liquid feeding.
Green Magic provides steady background nutrition through Polyon controlled-release technology, supplying nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and essential microelements gradually over time.
Sunshine Boosters complement this base feeding by delivering Calcium and additional micronutrients in a form plants can absorb quickly when growth is most active.
Together they create a balanced system: Green Magic feeds plants continuously, while Sunshine Boosters provide the nutrients that controlled-release fertilizers cannot easily deliver.
Green Magic builds the foundation, Sunshine Boosters power the growth.
Date: 10 Apr 2025
Pre-hurricane season tips: how to protect your trees from winds
Spathodea campanulata - African Tulip Tree
Tabebuia caraiba - Yellow trumpet tree crooked with wind
🌪 Pre-hurricane season tips: how to protect your trees from winds
Some trees like mango have deep roots and handle wind well. Others - like our favorites Spathodea campanulata - African Tulip Tree or Tabebuia caraiba - Yellow trumpet tree (in the photos) - need extra care. You've likely seen crooked Tabebuias in South Florida or lost a bushy Tulip Tree to strong winds. Their wide crowns act like sails in a storm.
💨 To help your trees withstand wind damage:
- ✅ Stake young trees with strong support - use a tripod-style setup (three bamboo sticks or boards secured around the tree for balance from all sides)
- ✅ Check and adjust supports every 6 months
- ✅ Trim long or rubbing branches - they break first
- ✅ Add extra support if a storm is coming (larger trees benefit from sturdy tripod-style bracing with boards)
- ✅ Lighten bushy growth, less sail = more survival
💡 Some remove all leaves from plumeria before a hurricane - it works!
💡 We pruned our Tulip Tree and Ceiba - and they withstood Hurricane Milton while others fell
- ✅ If a tree falls, stand it up ASAP and support it. Trim broken branches - they’ll remind you what needed pruning before, not after!
- ✅ Trees protected young, grow strong for life.
🛒 Grab your beautiful Tulip Tree and Tabebuia Tree today - support them early for strength and beauty later!
📚 Learn more:
Everyone loves these tulips growing on a tree
#How_to #Trees #Discover
🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals
Date: 24 Jul 2023
Easy,
stress-free plants
for Summer planting
Q: With the rising temperatures, I'm concerned about shipping my plants safely. Can they withstand the heat during transit? Also, is it okay to plant them in the ground now, or should I wait for cooler Fall weather?
A: Your concern about shipping plants in hot weather is valid. For sensitive plants, we'll delay shipping until conditions are more favorable in your area. However, there are plenty of heat-tolerant tropical plants that handle shipping well with minimal stress. These plants adapt easily when planted during the hot summer months. Simply follow the included planting instructions, gradually acclimate them to full sun, and they should thrive.
Certain flowering tropical plants, such as Allamandas, Calliandras, Caesalpinias, Adeniums, and Clerodendrums, are excellent options for shipping and establishing during the summer. Flowering vines like Jasmines also adapt well. Consider using Sunshine Booster fertilizers to promote robust growth, they are safe to use right after planting.
Additionally, many fruit trees flourish in heat. Mangoes, Avocados, Pomegranates, Pineapples, Loquats, Eugenias - Tropical cherries, Bananas, Jackfruits, Dragon Fruit, and Olive trees are great choices for summer planting. Noni trees are hardy survivors and usually ship and grow well during the summer, in spite of their lush tropical leaves.
Feel free to check with us about the specific plant you plan to order for its suitability in summer shipping. We're here to take care of your green babies and address your year-round planting needs!
Pitaya, Yellow Dragon Fruit, Selenicereus megalanthus
Jasminum sambac Maid of Orleans thrives and blooms in hot sun
Date: 15 Aug 2021
How to grow Cerbera and make it flower
Q: I purchased Cerbera manghas - Enchanted Incense a year ago. As you see from the photo, it's doing great however, no blooms. I fertilize properly and very often and use worm castings for micronutrients. Yes it's not "your" fertilizer, but my plumerias, that are also in pots they are over 5 feet tall and blooming like crazy. I don't see any inflows coming on the Cerbera at all and it is hot and humid here in North Carolina, so it's happy but no sign of blooming. What is your advice?
A: Top Tropicals first brought Cerbera manghas into the US plant market a few years ago, it was recommended to us by our friend, plant taxonomist John Mood who visited Thailand, and among other exotic plants noted this fragrant beauty. Since then we've been successfully growing this plant, it has become one of everybody's favorites.
Generally speaking, Cerbera culture is very similar to Plumerias. These plants are closely related. So if you know how to grow Plumeria, you sure will succeed with Cerbera. Hot and sunny location, well-drained mix, moderate water and bloom boom fertilizer will do the trick. However, we have noticed a few distinctive features that make this plant somewhat challenging at times.
1) Flowers
For past years, we've been studying what triggers its flowering.
Sometimes these plants start flowering in 1 gal pot, 1 ft tall. Other times a large
developed tree 5-6 ft tall, in 5-7 gal pot, grows beautiful foliage with no
signs of flowers. Eventually all of them bloom, no matter how stubborn they
are, it's just some individual plants start flowering sooner than others, all
grown in the same conditions.
One of our plants in the ground, a well-branched tree, was covered with
flowers for a few months, but only on the 3d year after planting. Before that,
it only produced a few random blooms. Others bloomed in pots at very young
age.
The following factors benefit to Cerbera flowering:
- full sun at least 10 hours a day
- hot temperatures above 85F
- regular water but not heavy rains
- regular fertilizer - Bloom Booster type
- very good drainage and drying out before waterings. If root ball stays
moist, the plant may look healthy but won't set flower buds. Keeping on a dry
side will encourage flowering. Very similar to Jasmines: they bloom like crazy
in April while it's hot and dry in Florida, but once our summer rainy season
starts, they reduce blooming.
We highly recommend using Sunshine Megaflor bloom booster or SUNSHINE Pikake in combination with micro-element supplements Sunshine Honey (B-Mo) and Sunshine Superfood (complex micro) that induce flowering. Dry and granulated fertilizers may not supply exactly what a plant needs: certain elements that trigger flowering may be missing. Sunshine Boosters formulas are scientifically balanced, they contain precise amounts of nutrients needed for setting flowers. Besides, excessive salts from regular dry fertilizers create nutrient lock up that may retard plant metabolism; with liquid amino-acid based Sunshine boosters, plants consume the whole menu of elements without building them up in the soil.
2) Fruit
Fruit of Cerbera are very pretty and cover the tree after profuse flowering. To inexperienced eye they may look very much like small mango or avocado fruit - so make sure kids or visitors don't try to eat them! Cerbera seeds are extremely poisonous.
3) Leaves
If you ever grew Passiflora or Milkweed, you know how leaves can be
eaten by caterpillars overnight. This may happen to Cerbera too, as we
discovered. In Florida environment this exotic plant doesn't have natural predators for
protection from certain insect species that may feed on it. So watch out and
if noticed first signs of leaves damage - its time for insect control.
Other than that, Cerbera foliage is usually beautiful and colorful, here in
Florida it looks much healthier than that of Plumerias often affected with
rusty residue during high humidity months.
Hope this helps. The Cerbera fragrance is enchanting, it is worth the efforts and waiting!
Date: 13 Apr 2021
Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster
Why my Avocado is not flowering?
Q: I have 5 avocados. Three of your cold hardy varieties and two others that have all flowered and set fruit in the past. The last two years including this year, not a single one of them has put out any flowers. I am getting lots of new growth like one would expect on a tree too young to flower. The last two years have been very mild with out any damaging frost where in previous years they lost all their leaves due to frost yet started putting out flowers once winter was over. I am confused because they have all flowered and set fruit previous years. Any ideas would be appreciated.
A: From information you provided, and considering the trees get
lots of full sun and cold was not an issue, the only explanation is - lack of
nutrients. Here is an example.
Very common situation: you get a small 2-3 ft Avocado or Mango tree in 3
gal pot (or even smaller) from a nursery, full of flowers, and sometimes even a
small fruit. You bring it home, plant it in the ground or a bigger pot, it
looks happy and grows like crazy. Then next year - oops, no fruit, sometimes
not even flowers. What happened?
When the tree lived in a nursery, it was provided with all necessary
nutrients through the injector systems (continuous feed); or some nurseries may use
top dress smart release on regular schedule. Regardless of fertilizer type,
professional grower's set up delivers plant food non-stop, on regular basis, with balanced formulas. Plants are not only growing fast but also ready to produce, since nutrients are always available for a full growth cycle.
When you plant a tree in the ground (or larger pot), conditions change.
They may be beneficial for the plant: lots of room for roots to establish, hence
lots of vegetative growth. Even if you planted it using good quality fertile
soil, this soil may contain mostly nutrients responsible for vegetative
growth (branches and leaves). Chances are, your soil may be rich in Nitrogen
(good for green growth), but poor in other elements responsible for flowering and
fruiting (Phosphorous, Potassium, and many important micro-elements such as
Molybdenum, Boron, Iron, etc.). Besides, existing soil gets exhausted
quickly, and within a year a two, if you don't add fertilizer, flowering and fruiting may be reduced or even stopped.
This is why fertilizing program is very important for fruit trees that are expected to bring a crop soon.
We recommend:
- SUNSHINE C-Cibus - Crop Nutrition Booster - balanced food for fruit
trees
- SUNSHINE-Honey - sugar booster - promotes more efficient blossoming and
pollination, makes flowers bigger and reduces bud drop
- SUNSHINE SuperFood - for improving fruit trees production
Also keep in mind that some fruit trees have a habit of "skipping" a year and may either produce less or not produce at all every other year. In any case, balanced nutrition program can help to fix this "bad habit".
