Date: 3 Dec 2019
Ghost Cold Protection
Q: Has anyone ever tried using heat packs under frost blankets to protect tropical plants from frost?
A: The reality is, the heat packs used for shipping do not have enough heat capacity to create efficient warming effect. From our own experience, the best way is to use small 25W incandescent bulbs which produce lots of heat (considering observing all safety precautions and fire safety). Some gardeners use Christmas lights. See picture of our plants in the ground during a cold night. We called them Ghost Cold Protection! ;)
See more columns on cold protection:
Seven rules of cold protection for tropicals
About Cold Protection
Cold protection - winter action for your plant collection
Tropical Treasures articles
Date: 9 Aug 2021
Care of Desert Roses
Q: I am looking forward to my three desert roses I just ordered from you and I am wondering how to take care of them, especially during winter time. Should I put the pots in full sun or shade? What kind of soil do they like? How often should I water them? When it gets cooler, should I bring them inside? We do have occasional frost here during winter.
A: Here are a few tips for your desert roses:
1. When received Adenium from mail-order, unpack carefully; branches are fragile. Plant in well-drained potting mix. Cactus mix will do, but we recommend special Adenium mix. If using regular acidic peat-based potting mix, you may add sea-shells on top of soil to neutralize acidity: adeniums prefer alkaline soils. Using clay pots is beneficial. Water once and do not water again until soil gets dry. Place in bright shade until new leaves sprout, then the plant can be moved to full sun.
2. Adenium is a succulent, but not a cactus. It needs watering, however let soil dry before waterings. Reduce watering during cool season and discontinue when plant gets dormant (drops all leaves in winter).
3. Bright light is the best for profuse flowering. However, adeniums look much healthier in slightly filtered light rather than in all-day full sun.
4. Fertilize and spray leaves with liquid fertilizer SUNSHINE Megaflor - Nutrition Bloom Booster. Phosphorous is responsible both for flowering and caudex development. Avoid caudex, spray over foliage only. Dry fertilizer can be used only during hot months.
5. Watch for spider mites during hot and dry season.
6. Give plants a break during winter dormant season. Keep in bright shade and reduce watering to 1-2 per month or stop watering if temperature is below 65F.
More info on growing Desert Roses:
What you need for successful growing Adeniums
Overwintering Adeniums outside of tropics
Growing Exotic Adeniums - Growing Exotic Adeniums
Date: 18 Apr 2020
Fast-fruiting trees
Q: It would be easier for us buyers, if we could search for plants that produce fruit in 2 years or less... I don't have the patience to wait longer than that for fruit. I'm trying to buy for a fairly good sized garden but want some fast growers and fruit produced in 2 yrs. Can you help me out?
A: Fruiting time depends on many factors (growing conditions,
fertilizing, and even specific variety), this is why we can not just put a
simple icon "will fruit within 2 years".
However, most grafted and air-layered fruit trees, including all Mango, Avocado, Loquat, Sapote, Sapodilla, Longan, Peaches and Nectarines - will fruit right away.
If you see in our store "grafted" or "air-layered" in plant description
- these trees will fruit soon. Some of them are already flowering and
fruiting!
Some non-grafted trees will fruit within a couple of years or even sooner (those from cuttings, root division or even seedlings) - such as: Annona, Artocarpus (Jackfruit), Eugenia, Guava, Banana, Dragon fruit, Mulberry, Blackberry/Raspberry. Banana, Mulberry, Dragon fruit, Blackberry-Raspberry - usually fruit within a year. You may refer to our store directory page for fruit specials.
Also, all spice trees like Bay Leaf, Bay Rum, Allspice and many more - will produce spice for you right away, so you don't need to wait at all!
Date: 18 Apr 2020
PeopleCats amid COVID-Cat-20
- Mark Twain -
While the whole world is suffering the virus attack, cats are no
exception. They do not get COVID-19, but they have their own coronavirus - a
respiratory condition that may become very dangerous for them. And although cat
coronavirus does not affect humans, we can transfer it to other cats
through our hands/petting, shared bowls and bedding, etc.
At TopTropicals, we had several cats sick with the flu and it took us a
long time and long hospital bills to bring them back to health! Below we are
sharing with you a few tips from our own experience that may help you fight and
treat cat coronavirus, that we call "Covid-Cat-20".
How to treat Cat Coronavirus
When cats get a flu/virus/cold, they suffer congestion, sneeze and cough. Just like us humans. But for cats, stuffed nose is much worse trouble, because they can't smell food = they won't eat it! In tough cases, they won't even drink any water. Due to specifics of cat metabolism, if a cat doesn't eat and/or drink for more than a couple of days, it may become life-threatening. It is not the virus that kills a cat, it is dehydration, lack of nutrition, and possible secondary infections.
- Vet. During Covid-19 lockdown, many animal hospitals are
closed, but if you are lucky to find a vet, it is wise to give the cat a
long-lasting shot of antibiotic. You can't treat a virus with antibiotic, but it will
prevent secondary infections (like pneumonia, etc.)
- Water is absolutely essential! Make sure your Cat drinks water. If
he (she) doesn't want to drink on his own, you need to give him water with a
syringe. As often as you can. Little by little. Or, ask a vet to put a
"water pouch" under cat's skin. This will save the cat from dehydration.
- Food is the main key! Your cat must eat a normal size portion per
day in order to fight the illness. Because he can't smell, it's possible he
won't eat on his own. Offer him a smelly, soft/wet food of room temperature or
slightly warmer: usually tuna works well. Get Salmon Oil and put on top of the food: it is smelly, plus a great
vitamin supplement.
- Hand-feeding. If congestion is bad, even a smelly tuna may not
help. Mix a spoonful of pate with some water and try to hand-feed this "soup" to
the cat either using syringe, or a small spoon. Little by little. Remember,
his nose is stuffed and he can't swallow and breath at the same time, so it
must be tiny bites. (Wrap the entire cat tightly in a large thick towel to
save yourself lots of scratching damage, leaving out just the face. Guaranteed,
he won't like the procedure and you will be surprised how strong he is for a
sick cat.)
- Supplements. For an extra nutrition support, you may use Critical nutrition food and other protein supplements. Consult your vet
and you may want to try the following aids: High Calorie Liquid or Gel
(easier to administer), HomeoPet Nose Relief (for de-congestion), Lysine
Soft Chews, and Mirataz ointment (to promote appetite).
- Rest. Keep the cat indoors, in a warm place, away from drafts.
Cover with a towel to make comfy. Keep lights dimmed. Change bedding, towels,
blankets at least daily to keep clean, get rid of germs and drooling
accidents.
- Quarantine from other cats, the cat coronavirus is super
catchy! Find that spare room. Bleach, soap, alcohol and Hand Sanitizer - are your friends now to maintain germ- and virus-free
environment.
- Mild cases. Some cats have mild symptoms (we've noticed that black
cats and tuxedo cats are more susceptible regardless of age). In this case,
do not panic - just give them time to recover. Lots of rest, privacy, and be
sure to monitor water/food intake!
- Tough cases. Most cats look lethargic when sick. At some point, if
within 3-4 days you don't see improvement and the coughing continues, you
need x-ray to rule out pneumonia.
Stay well and healthy, PeopleCats!
TopTropicals PeopleCat Club
Thank you everybody 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: 19 Jan 2022
Avocado Q & A
Sensation: Avocado 2.5 y.o seedling just bloomed!
Ed's Avocado seedling blooming at age 2.5 years old... Go figure!
Q: Can I plant a seed from a store bought avocado and expect it to bear fruit?
A: Avocados grown from seed do not always come true, meaning being the same as the avocado that produced the seed being planted. Also, avocados grown from
seed will take upwards of 8 years to flower and bear fruit unless grown by Ed Jones and his witchcraft. Ed Jones, the Avocado Guy... Yes,
he is also the Mango Guy, and the Booster Guy... We don't know how he does it. He grows the most beautiful fruit trees, many of them from seed and they all
seem to flower within two years! (See his blogs about his Star Fruit, Olive trees, and video about Shaping Mango Trees). All we know for sure, he uses
Sunshine Boosters for all his plant experiments.
As far as Avocado
, we recommend a grafted variety, where a scion, or branch tip, of a known cultivar is grafted to good rootstock. These trees will usually flower right away and bear good amount of fruit within a couple
of years of being planted in the ground.
It's a good chance now to get a good grafted Avocado on our special Happy Value Sale