Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 4 Jun 2025

How long until I get fruit from my Lychee tree?

Lychee tree with fruit

💖 How long until I get fruit from my Lychee tree?

🍓 Is your Lychee tree ever going to fruit? Yes!
🍓 A Lychee tree grown from an air-layered plant (Litchi chinensis) can start flowering and setting fruit right away, with good crops to be expected within 3 to 5 years, but don’t expect fruit every season. Lychees are often alternate bearers, meaning they may produce a heavy crop one year and little to none the next. Factors like variety, weather, and the tree's health affect this cycle.
🍓 Lychees cannot be reliably grown from seed or grafted, as seedlings lack the necessary mycorrhizal environment found under mature trees. For best results, always start with a quality air-layered tree from a trusted source.

🛒 Shop Lychee varieties

📚 Learn more:

🎥 In the video: This Lychee Mauritus tree (very productive variety) was planted last year, and already has fruited; this is the second year crop.

#Food_Forest #Discover

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 8 Oct 2024

What is better - Strawberry or Strawberry Tree Fruit?

What is better - Strawberry or Strawberry Tree Fruit?

What is better - Strawberry or Strawberry Tree Fruit?

🍓 What is better - Strawberry or Strawberry Tree Fruit?

🔴 Our Strawberry Tree has been producing non-stop for the past 6 months! The tree is probably the most productive we've ever seen. New fruit ripen every morning, so you can harvest a few handfuls every day.
🔴 Do you like sweet fruit? These small 1/2"berries have zero acidity, this is why the fruit is also called Cotton Candy (Muntingia calabura) - it is a sweet fruit lover's dream! And yes, you will love it more than strawberries. Kids love them for sure!
🔴 The taste of Strawberry Tree fruit has nothing to do with strawberries. The pretty white flowers resemble those of a strawberry plant, giving it its name.

📚 Lean more from previous posts:

Why Strawberry Tree is called Cotton Candy
What fruit tree will produce right away?

🛒 Get your own Strawberry Tree

#Food_Forest

🔴 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 27 Jul 2025

Cocoplum: secret fruit in your hedge

Bahamas Cocoplum - Chrysobalanus icaco

🍒 Cocoplum: secret fruit in your hedge

🍒 Most people think Cocoplum is just a boring hedge plant: Bahamas Cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco). Thick, green, easy to trim - great for privacy. But hidden in all that greenery? Super-sweet plum-like fruit that are edible and very tasty! They look like small plums and come in pink, purple, or white when ripe.
🍒 Cocoplum is native to Florida and has been quietly feeding people for generations, long before it became a landscaping go-to. The fruit is mild, a little sweet, and great for snacking or making into jam.
🍒 Cocoplum isn't just a tasty surprise - it comes with some health perks too:

Rich in antioxidants - especially anthocyanins, which give the purple fruit its color and help fight free radicals in the body.

Good source of fiber - helps with digestion and keeping you full.
Contains vitamin C - supports your immune system and skin health.
Low in calories - great for snacking without guilt.
So when you bite into a Cocoplum, you're not just tasting Florida - you're getting a little wellness boost too.

🍯 Quick Cocoplum Jam:

🔸2 cups ripe Cocoplums
🔸1 cup sugar
🔸1 cup water*
🔸1 tbsp lemon juice
🔸Mash it all up, cook on low 20-30 minutes until thick. Cool and enjoy!

*To make a delicious summer drink, add 10 cups of water and just get to boil. Let sit 2 hrs, mash up, drain fruit and cool to enjoy.

So next time you walk by a Cocoplum hedge, check for fruit. There might be a free snack waiting for you!

🛒 Get your edible hedge Cocoplum: privacy with perks

#Food_Forest #Recipes

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 27 Jul 2025

🍈 Morinda citrifolia - Noni: A Plant with Purpose

What are the benefits of growing a Noni tree?

Noni isn't just ornamental - it earns its place. This small tropical tree is packed with potential, from fruiting fast to delivering real, time-tested benefits.

Begins fruiting within a year
Flowers and fruits nearly non-stop if grown in proper conditions
Grows well in containers, indoors or out
Used to support immunity, joints, digestion, and more
Leaves and fruit are both used in traditional remedies

How to Grow Noni Tree

In Zone 10 and warmer, Noni grows beautifully outdoors in full to part sun. It thrives in poor soil, tolerates salt, and bounces back from drought. Just keep it warm and lightly fertilized for year-round flowering and fruiting.

For indoor growers, Noni adapts well to containers. Place it near a bright window or under grow lights. It can tolerate lower light, though fruiting may slow. Keep soil moist but not soggy. Leaves may drop if it gets too cold or too dry - warmth is key. In deep shade, the foliage becomes lush, dark, and ornamental.

Pro tip: Start with a 3 gal or larger plant for faster fruit production.

Shop Noni Trees

How to Make Fresh Noni Juice

Got fruit on your Noni tree? Here's how to turn it into something powerful.

Step-by-Step Guide:

Wash the ripe fruit thoroughly
Cut into small chunks
Blend until smooth
Strain (optional) through mesh or cheesecloth
Add apple or blueberry juice to soften the flavor
Store in clean glass jars and refrigerate

Why bother growing Noni?

Fresh Noni juice supports:

Joint and bone strength
Energy and endurance
Immune balance and metabolism
Healthy gums and blood pressure regulation
Weight management and nutrient absorption

This isn't just juice. It's tradition in a glass - and it came from your own plant.

Grow your own noni juice

Date: 24 Jun 2025

The wild fruit with a secret: health benefits of rare Spanish Tamarind - the exotic fruit youve never heard of

The wild fruit with a secret: health benefits of rare Spanish Tamarind - the exotic fruit youve never heard of

The wild fruit with a secret: health benefits of rare Spanish Tamarind - the exotic fruit youve never heard of

The wild fruit with a secret: health benefits of rare Spanish Tamarind - the exotic fruit youve never heard of

The wild fruit with a secret: health benefits of rare Spanish Tamarind - the exotic fruit youve never heard of

The wild fruit with a secret: health benefits of rare Spanish Tamarind - the exotic fruit youve never heard of

🍊 The wild fruit with a secret: health benefits of rare Spanish Tamarind - the exotic fruit you've never heard of

Looking for a new exotic fruit to love? Meet Vangueria infausta - Spanish Tamarind, also called Wild Medlar. Native to Southern Africa, this little-known gem grows on a small tree and produces round, golden-brown fruit with a sweet-tart flavor. You can eat them fresh, dried, or even turn them into a tropical jam or homemade fruit beer!
But it's not just tasty - it's super healthy. The fruit is packed with vitamin C, fiber, and minerals like iron and magnesium. Locals use it as natural medicine: the leaves and bark are brewed into teas for colds, fevers, and stomachaches. The roots are even used for coughs and snakebites.
Secret bonus? Its bark and leaves make natural dyes in yellow, green, and purple!
The Wild Medlar is easy to grow in warm climates (Zones 9-11) and can handle poor soil and dry weather. In cooler zones, just grow it in a pot and bring it in for winter. Give it full sun, some water, and it'll reward you with 20-40 fruits per season.

🛒 Grow your own wild superfruit - Spanish Tamarind

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Discover

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

◂ Previous page Next page ▸Most recent entry ▴Blog table of contents