Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 22 Apr 2022

Spend time among trees...

"...Time spent among trees is never time wasted..."
- Katrina Mayer -

Ceiba  pentandra

One of the most impressive and massive trees in the world - Ceiba pentandra - Kapok Tree. A majestic tropical tree! The ancient Maya of Central America believed that a great Ceiba tree stood at the center of the earth... Would you like to try growing it in the center of your backyard? Considering it will take decades to grow this big...

Ficus

Ficus macrophylla (Banyan). Did you know that exotic Banyan Trees are close related to Fig trees

Date: 29 Aug 2021

Those mouthwatering Blackberries...

Blackberry Patch Bundle Exclusive Collection

Two Collections of Superior Blackberry Varieties, well adopted to tropical and subtropical climates. Mouth watering, all time favorite fruit will be always with you - these plants are so easy to grow!

Blackberry Patch Bundle Exclusive Collection - buy 3 get 2 free.
The Collection includes 5 blackberry varieties: Navaho, Osage, Ouachita, Triple Crown Thornless, Iceberg White Blackberry.

Blackberry Patch Bundle Premier Collection - buy 3 get 2 free.
The Collection includes 5 blackberry varieties: Arapaho, Caddo, Kiowa, Natchez, and Prime-Ark Freedom.

Mouth Watering High Protein Blackberry Cobbler

Ingredients

25g light butter
45g self-rising flour
33g vanilla whey
20g egg whites
50g almond or cashew milk
75g blackberries
Stevia/Splenda to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt butter half-way so it's just warm, not hot. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except for blackberries. Pour into a 4-5"ramekin sprayed with Pam. Sprinkle blackberries on top of batter and bake for 15-20 minutes. It's best slightly gooey on the inside (not completely cooked). Enjoy!

Date: 22 Aug 2021

How to fertilize herbs and vegetables

Q: We moved to Florida from New York earlier this year. My wife and I used to grow many fresh veggies and herbs in our garden up North during Summer, but it seems like in hot Florida the season for them is not until Fall. So we are preparing the beds and also looking for some organic fertilizer solutions. We've heard a lot about your natural Boosters and wonder if they can be used in our vegetable garden?

A: You came to the right place for organic fertilizer solution. Sunshine Boosters are based on organic amino-acids and are completely natural, non-toxic, eco-friendly, and do not build up nutrients in the soil. Their mild formulas designed specifically for edibles.
We just have started our own vegetable garden with some Biquinho and Wiri Wiri peppers, cherry tomatoes, and basil, and will be adding more as the the weather cools down.
For small scale gardens (both vegetables and herbs), you can start with Sunshine Robusta - a total feed "all on one". All necessary elements are provided in just one bottle, both macro- and micro-elements, it is a scientifically balanced formula. For larger gardens, especially if you have fertilizer injector system, we recommend Sunshine Boosters Pro Series - this product is much more economical, and you will need to mix only 3 solutions into your watering tank at the time of watering.
For more information, please contact our Booster guy Ed Jones, he can help you with selection and dosage information. Sample Discount program is available for samples of Sunshine Pro.

Date: 25 Jun 2021

Kristi's Loquat Tropical BBQ sauce

Loquat trees are famous for their abundant fruit production. Many customers who purchased this tree from us, soon end up with some serious crops and start asking if we have any special recipes for loquat fruit - because you can only eat so much out of hand! Here is our manager Kristi's favorite Loquat recipe - not only delicious and tropically-aromatic, but also good for you. Happy Tropical Meal!

Ingredients

2 lbs loquat fruit

  1. cup soft brown sugar
  2. cups malt vinegar
    1 onion chopped
  3. cloves garlic


1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
6 cloves whole or 1/2 tsp ground cloves

Instructions

Wash the fruit, cut them in half and remove stones. The loquats will lose about a third of their weight once stoned (3 lbs of whole fruit = 2 lbs of fruit, stones removed). Add loquats and all remaining ingredients to a large saucepan. Bring to a low boil, then simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally. The liquid will have reduced quite a bit and the fruit will be collapsed and very soft. Allow to cool slightly, then liquidize the sauce in a blender or a food processor. Be careful, hot sauce really burns!
This delicious tropical sauce is great for any BBQ - with meats or fish. Enjoy!

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.