Date: 25 Feb 2021
Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster
Dragon Fruit Magic Tricks
Q: I purchased two sweet red pitayas, that arrived and were planted on May 28, 2020, they were damaged but not serious. my question is this one pitaya is a beautiful green, and has grown 6or 8 "already, the other is bigger and is a grayish green and has not shown any sign of growth at all in six weeks, how long do I wait before I throw it out and buy another?
A: Being a cactus, sometimes Pitaya slows down its growth waiting
for more favorable conditions. If one of your plants doesn't show any new
growth, just give a it some more time and make sure the plant stays happy. To
make pitaya happy, provide the following:
- Water. Unlike most cacti, Pitaya prefers regular watering (but not
a wet soil). Make sure it is planted in well-drained media. Do not water
again if soil remains moist, wait until it dries out on the surface. During hot
weather, Pitaya enjoys light daily watering.
- Light. Unlike most cacti, Pitaya benefits from a filtered light
especially while establishing. Try to create a temporary shade over the plant
until it starts active growth (if grown in the ground), or move the pot in
filtered light. Dull color or dry spots are signs of sun burn. Once the plant
shows new growth, you may remove sun protection, or move the pot gradually into
the full sun.
- Food. Pitayas are heavy feeders. Use the following fertilizer:
SUNSHINE C-Cibus - Crop Nutrition Booster
Q: I've been growing dragon fruit cuttings from Okinawa, Thailand and Vietnam for several years in pots and cannot get them to fruit. Any fertilizer suggestions? I live in Northern Virginia so I bring the massive pots in the garage under lights and a heater for the winter but back outside once the temperature warms up.
A: There is a little trick to get Dragon fruit to flowering and
fruiting. This plant likes flowering when it is attached to a strong support.
In commercial plantations, they use special trellises/frames made out of
logs, but you can make one yourself using simple materials.
See article: Do-It-Yourself Support Structure for Dragon Fruit.
And of course, don't forget a special plant food for tropical fruit - Sunshine C-Cibus.
You can successfully get your Dragon fruits to fruit in pots, providing
bright light in Summer. In Winter, keep the plants on a dry side to give them
some rest and a chance to hibernate before the next fruiting season.
Date: 20 Dec 2020
PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Abu, the Quiet Fighter
The Story of Abu, a brother of poor little Raja, is also challenging, but has a happy ending!
...Abu started out a quiet reserved little man. From the beginning you would find him in the
quarantine room snuggled under his thick blanket sleeping. Abu did not like to ask for help but was grateful when you gave it. We tried to help him use a toilet while his
leg was casted and getting into the letterbox was a challenge for him... However, he was too orthodox in his views to believe he needed help...
...Abu was the worse off of the two found kittens. Dr didn't sugar coat the
outlook. He gave him a thirty percent chance of walking again. The morning after the first medication, I woke up
like a kid on Christmas morning... Dressing quickly, I went to the kitten's room to see if there was any change... Abu was still laying down, not getting up on his
own. As I looked over his little body, I made my way to his swollen little wrist to see if there was any change...
CONTINUE READING >>
TopTropicals PeopleCat Club and Zoo
Thank you for supporting us in helping PeopleCat Community!
Make
your kind donation today and receive a surprise gift from us! Every little
bit helps. Thank you and God bless you and your pets!
Date: 6 Nov 2020
The truth about Sensational Monstera Thai Constellation
"Nothing's making sense anymore. It's gotten out of control"
Painting above: "Thai Constellation Monstera deliciosa" with acrylic paint on textured background by Audrey Ehlinger - participant of the 2020 Tropical Plant Art Contest
Variegated Monstera... Now that this Sensational plant deserves even its own works of art, it is time to admit: this beauty is probably one of the most surprising phenomena in the history of rare plant industry.
Many plant collectors noticed the craziness around this unusual variegated cultivar of Monstera deliciosa - Thai Constellatio. Top Tropicals was the first plant nursery that originally introduced this variety into the US tropical plant market a few years ago. Since then, popularity of this plant went above and beyond any expectations. Everybody wants this plant! Yet it is nearly impossible to propagate, with the only somewhat successful method as Tissue Culture. Besides, in order to create a viable batch, one must use cells from the stem only. Considering this plant grows about 2 inches a year (in favorable conditions), this leaves us with very limited propagation material... Who can sacrifice their unique mature plant for a knife of a propagator? Let us know if you have any extra you can share ;)
No wonder very quickly Thai Constellation had become a commodity plant, or even better - an asset compared by some people to a real estate bubble... Some collectors sell cuttings for $2,000 each. People pay up to $250 per leaf of this plant... Crazy? Maybe. But being rare plant collectors, we all know the feeling! Check out this article:
It's Better Than The Stock Market: A Massive Bubble Is Forming In The Rare Plant Market...
Thai Constellation available for sale:
The good news is - we have a few plants. They are in 4"pots. Small, but well-established. The price is not cheap. It is what it is - this is what it costs us to obtain these plants from Thailand. This is the last batch for a long while, no more available even at this price, since the growers can't find enough propagation material to satisfy the market. Next batch expected from tissue culture is probably 2022. We have over 400 customers on wish list for this plant.If you really NEED IT, order right now!
Date: 23 Oct 2020
PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: the mischievous Jim the Second
In May 2020 we celebrated 16th birthday of Jim the Founder - the Cat who established
TopTropicals. It broke our hearts when this Old and Wise Purrrson peacefully passed away
this August :(( We want to believe that he is now in Cat Paradise... but we
miss him terribly - both humans and PeopleCats. Google the Cat lost his appetite and went into a deep depression after
he lost his best buddy... To get him distracted from his separation stress,
we decided that Google needs... a Project.
Here he is. Jim the Second. About a month ago we found him in a Human
Society shelter. He was a tiny fur ball size of a palm of a hand. But he proudly
carries his Godfather's name, for a reason - he likes to EAT - just as much as
Jim the First. He eats 3 times more than Google, and he talks a lot. And of
course, he pulls everyone's tail, and kicks everything that is kickable...
The Veteran Google complains that young generation of PeopleCats nowadays
are nothing but trouble... but they've become friends anyway! Google feels
much happier now. He just took Jim Jr to his first walk outside to the lake and
showed him some fishing techniques...
Bon voyage Little Jim, you soon will master it all! As Mr Booster claims, Orange Cats Bring Happiness!
TopTropicals PeopleCat Club and Zoo
Thank you for supporting us in helping PeopleCat Community!
Make
your kind donation today and receive a surprise gift from us! Every little
bit helps. Thank you and God bless you and your pets!
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.
