Date: 25 Jul 2018
Looking for the rarest plant? This is the one!
Stifftia chrysantha - Pompom, Rabo-de-Cutia
Looking for the rarest plant? This is the one!
Stifftia chrysantha is an exotic, rare flowering small tree with
spectacular flowers, endemic to the vast tropical savanna ecoregion of Brazil
called Cerrado. It grows into a bushy, attractive tree between 8 and 15 ft tall
and starts flowering within 1.5 - 2.5 years from seed. It is a very rewarding
plant that blooms 9 months out of the year, starting in Winter with great
intensity during July-September, with each flower staying on the plant for
several weeks. Seeds ripen from September through November.
The tree belongs to Aster family (Compositae) and has nothing to do
with Powderpuffs which are from Bean (Fabaceae) family. The flower has 30 to 40
green, imbricated scales with short hairs, and actinomorphic corollas are
orange below and darker above. After flowering, the inflorescence blows apart,
which would scatter seeds. The dried center remaining is very attractive, like
a small dried flower, and lasts for many months.
Stifftia can be grown in full sun to partial shade and is relatively
cold tolerant, can take short cold spells.
The plant doesn't like wet feet
and heavy/soggy soils; requires very well drained, acidic soil. We strongly
recommend to use our professional soilless mix. Let soil
slightly dry between waterings. It can be grown in full sun to partial shade and is
relatively cold tolerant, can take short cold spells. If grown in a pot, try
to keep the container shaded because roots don't like to be overheated. The
plant needs monthly applications of slow
release fertilizer as well as extra iron - use micro-nutrients to
keep leaves green and healthy.
See more pictures of this beauty.
Date: 24 Jun 2018
We can ID plants for you! Even Mango Elephant...
Q: I had a mango tree, the fruit was very large and no one knew the name of it. Can you please tell me the name of it or something about it? I have never seen this variety before. It weighed in at 7 lbs, it smells a little like bubble gum, its flesh is fiberless and the taste is watery with a little sweet. And do you have it for sale? I don't have the tree anymore. My pictures are about a year or two old, lighting struck the tree and it died so I have been trying ever since then to find another tree but I don't know what kind it is. I originally bought the tree on side of the road cause I always wanted a mango tree so I didn't care at the time what kind it was so I bought it but I was shocked at how big the mango was. However I collected rotten mangoes off the ground and planted the seeds. Only one germinated.
A: This
mango is called Elephant. We will try to
find this grafted variety and let you know when we have
it. Unfortunately seedlings take many years to fruit (8-15
for mango) and usually do not come trues to seed.
The closest variety by fruit size is Lancetilla, it is a giant 5
lb fruit, of a very good quality. And the best tasting and
the most popular - Nam Doc Mai
Date: 24 Jun 2018
Spring is coming, plants need food! Time to fertilize...
Last winter was long and snowy in the most part of our
country. Hold on fellow gardeners up North, it is almost
over!
Here in Florida we have been blessed again with a mild
winter without serious cold snaps. Early Spring that is
already in the air. Look at this picture of flowers in our
front yard now.
If the weather is already warm in your area (low
temperatures above 55), it is time to start fertilizing.
We are sending our love and support to tropical Puerto
Rico suffered from hurricane last year, and will be happy
to help you guys to restore your lost gardens!
CHECK LIST
what
to do to give your garden a good kick start:
1. Slow release granulated food. Apply Slow Release Fertilizer and
continue once a month. 1 tsp per gallon of pot, or a
handful for in-ground plants. This will provide essential
macro elements (NPK) required for a plant growth.
2. Water soluble micro-elements. Besides
macro-elements, plants need many other elements that most
of the time missing in soil. A lack of micro-elements
causes different deficiencies, resulting in weak root
systems, slow growth, deformed leaves, leaves yellowing,
lack or no flowers/fruit. Apply these supplements as a
foliar spray once a month to induce healthy growth and
flower/fruit development. We recommend the following
micro-element products to keep your plants healthy and
vigorous year round:
a) SUNSHINE SuperFood - plant
health booster. This revolutionary new liquid complex
contains ALL microelements needed and can fix all possible
problems occuring to your tropical plants - from roots to
flowers and fruit. We have convenient dropper bottles of 5 ml for small plant
collections, 50 ml for larger gardens, and
100 ml for professional
landscape applications.
b) SUNSHINE-Micro - Microelement
booster - for common iron deficiency (pale leaves)
c) SUNSHINE-Super-Iron -
Microelement booster - for severe iron deficiency
(severe yellowing leaves)
3. SUNSHINE plant boosters -
SUNSHINE-E, -BC (caudex plants and bonsai), -H (house
plants). Apply these natural plant stimulants to
help plants recover from cold, dormancy, increase plant's
metabolism and make a plant more readily absorb both
Macro- and Micro-elements. SUNSHINE boosters also will
help plants grow vigorously, withstand Summer heat and
drought, and produce bigger and better flowers and fruit.
4. Kickstart a sweeter fruit. To get a better and
sweeter crop in Summer and Fall, you need to start first
application now. SUNSHINE Honey - is natural,
Amber-colored, honey-like liquid microelement product for
fruiting and edible plants that will make them sweeter,
tastier and more flavorful! Very effective for tropical
fruits, tubers, vegetables. Great for tropical fruit
trees: Mango, June Plum, Annonas, Tropical Cherries,
Carambola, Citrus; subtropical fruit trees: Peaches,
Apricots, Loquat and berry plants (blackberry, mulberry,
etc.)
5. SUNSHINE-S. Don't
forget to plant seeds! It's a perfect timing
now to start your tropical garden indoors even if it is
still cold outside. Soak them in SUNSHINE-S solution to
increase germination rate.
See full list of SUNSHINE boosters
Date: 24 Jun 2018
Growing Bougainvillea and Plumeria in Florida
Q: I have recently moved from New Jersey to Florida (Orlando area) and I am so excited to start my own Tropical Paradise Garden! A few years ago I visited Hawaii and saw many beautiful colorful Bougainvilleas as well as fragrant Frangipani. Do they grow well in Florida? These are flowers of my dream!
A:
Both Bougainvillea and Plumeria grow well in most
parts of Florida, especially South and Southwest.
Bougainvillea can tolerate some light freeze and can be
seen in the streets of Central Florida (young plants
require some cold protection for the first year), so it is
a very good candidate for your new garden. Keep in mind
that unlike in Hawaii, where they bloom year around,
Bougainvilleas tend to have a distinctive flowering season
which in Florida is winter time - these plants enjoy dry
weather that triggers their bloom. To enjoy Bright
bougainvillea flowers for a long time, apply balanced fertilizer, prune
regularly (this promotes flowering on new growth) and keep
established plants on a dry side. Dwarf cultivar Pixie is super compact and
can be grown in pots or in a small garden without any
pruning! See photo of Pixie on the left.
Plumerias, all-time perfume
favorites and symbols of Hawaii, are also residents of
many gardens and collections throughout state of Florida.
Their cold hardiness is close to the one of Bougainvillea,
however keep young plants protected from frost. There are
also many new exciting cultivars including multiple
"rainbow" colors, and several dwarf varieties, some of
them are evergreen - Plumeria obtusa
Date: 24 Jun 2018
Mysterious Night Blooming Cactus - Epiphyllum. How to grow it?
Q: My friend has a huge Queen of the Night Cactus, and the blooms are so gorgeeous! She gave me a cutting but I am not sure how do I plant it? How long will it take till it starts blooming? Is it true that it has only one flower once a year and only at night?
A:
Queen of the Night is a very popular and yet mysterious
plant. The flowers open once a year after sunset for one
night. However the flowering period can last a month or
two during the warm season. So each flower lasts only one
night, but there will be more flowers to come! In the
Nature, Epiphyllum oxypetalum - Queen of
the Night - grows on trees in the jungles of Central
and South America. It is actually very easy to grow as an
indoor plant in colder climates. Here is South Florida we
grow them outside in hanging baskets. This is how to start
Queen of the Night from a cutting:
1) Put the cutting in a dim, dry place for three days,
with no soil and its base exposed to the air, so it will
form a callus.
2) Fill a 4-6-inch pot with slightly damp potting soil or succulent mix. Insert the
cutting 1 or 2 inches into the soil and tamp the soil
around its base.
3) Place the pot where the cutting will get bright light,
but no direct sun. Spritz it occasionally with a spray
bottle of water to keep the soil only slightly moist. It
should root in couple weeks.
4) Keep the plant on an east- or west-facing windowsill
where it will receive direct sunlight only in early
morning or late afternoon. Water the cactus until water
runs out of the pot's drainage holes. Dump the excess out
of the pot's saucer immediately, and wait until the
surface of the soil is dry to the touch before watering
your cactus again.
5) Fertilize once a month from March through October with
a balanced plant food, and
apply micro-elements once a month
for a healthy vigorous growth. Refrain from feeding the
plant in December and January.
6) Position the cactus in partial shade under a porch roof
or tree, if you decide to move it outdoors during the
summer. This plant likes summer humidity!
7) Repot the cactus only once every two years or so, to
keep it slightly root bound. Wait until after it flowers
in summer, and repot it after it blooms. Prune off any
damaged growth at that time as well.
8) Move the plant to a cooler room over the winter months,
one that remains dark during the evening hours with
temperatures above 45 degrees. Reduce the frequency of
watering, waiting until its soil is dry. Resume regular
watering in March.
If grown from cutting, it may take 2-3 years until the plant starts blooming, so if you don't want to wait that long - just get a blooming size plant from our store!
We only have a few plants... if sold out, add to wish list and we will have more soon!