Date: 15 Oct 2020
Plant of the Month: Hibiscus El Capitolio
Stevie's Pick: what's in bloom?
Our exotic plant grower Steven Gowdy will spotlight the most interesting plants he discovers and recommends today while working in TopTropicals greenhouses.
OMG! These plants are awesome. The flowers are stunning, ruffled,
brightly colored. These are very unique double flowers about 5"long, with ruffled
petals, followed by a sort of a stamen, than more ruffled petals... Wow.
These are the perfect plants - they can be grown in a container or in-ground, in
full sun. They are drought and disease resistant, ever-blooming, can be
pruned into a standard weeping tree, or pruned into a bush... It's a convenient,
dream plant! Prune frequently, because it blooms on new wood.
Hibiscus El Capitolio grows best in zones 9 through 11. In colder
climates leave it in a container outside in the summer months, but bring inside in
the winter months.
Remember - ever-blooming! You prune and they will flower all year long.
These are fabulous plants that will satisfy any first-time or experienced
gardener: you just can't go wrong El Capitolio! They will have you growing
happiness... That's true.
Stevie with Kristi and Jamie celebrating his Happy Birthday. Check out Stevie's painting "TopTropicals Theme"
Date: 10 Oct 2020
Trimming and treating Adeniums in winter
Q: My desert rose below dropped leaves after I replanted it in a bigger pot. I noticed that one of the branches that had been pruned is black at the tip. Please let me know if the section of the branch that turned black needs to be cut. I also wasn't sure how often to water it since the leaves have all dropped. None of the other dessert roses have dropped their leaves but they are all younger plants. Any advice would be much appreciated.
A: Your plant looks healthy and vigorous overall. Dropping leaves
after repotting, or shipping, especially at this time of the year, is normal
in Adeniums. They are deciduous and stay leafless from Fall to Spring.
Some individual specimens can go into dormancy sooner than others - all depends
on conditions: temperature, light, exposure, etc. and individual plant's
"clock".
The black spot on the cut branch may be a sign of a fungus as a result of
excess water.
You may carefully clean/rub it with a paper tower dipped in Hydrogen
Peroxide (pharmacy grade). Then rinse with fresh water.
Keep the plant warm and in a dry spot. Once leaves are dropped, it doesn't
need much water. Once a week watering is enough.
Date: 4 Oct 2020
New video: Ground orchids.
All-summer colors for shady gardens
WATCH NEW VIDEO
Did you know orchids can be grown in the ground?
Orchids have a mystique that seems to set them apart from most other
flowers... they are elegant and almost unreal in their perfection... The symmetry
of the flowers has led to the orchid being a symbol of a perfect beauty.
But not every gardener has luck growing traditional orchids. Some complain
about their special maintenance:
"Mount them on a tree, do not overwater... and all that hassle just for
once-a-year flower?" Sounds familiar?
Terrestrial orchids (a.k.a. ground orchids) grow in regular garden soil
instead of in the air on tree branches. And they bloom almost year round!...
Ground orchids are available from our store.
Stay updated with TopTropicals Videos by subscribing to our channel at YouTube.com/TopTropicals and get our latest video news of what is fruiting and blooming!
Remember to get plant food for your orchids and Ground
orchids!
In the photo: Sunshine-Home
Date: 2 Aug 2020
Macaranga grandifolia - Elephant Ear Tree
The very quintessence of tropical foliage luxury
by Mark Hooten, the Garden Doc
Why is this wonderful little tree so unknown here in Florida? I can only guess it's because people don't see them, and therefor don't know about them, and that basically no nurseries grow them. Yet it's one of the most utterly spectacular foliage plants conceivable... Provided with an appropriately warm climate such as South Florida or elsewhere, there is no reason they should not be seen more often (for purposes of utter awe).
CONTINUE READING >>
Macaranga's genuinely grand foliage much more resembles the ears of actual elephants (esp. the Asian species) than do the leaves of the much more commonly known and grown "elephant ears" meaning certain Alocasia and Colocasia
Date: 30 May 2020
How to prevent mango fruit drop
Q: My mature mango tree is fully grown 15 yrs old and each year it fully blooms, sometimes twice. Shortly thereafter, all the baby mangos and flowers fall off providing no mangos for the season. I have tried fertilizing, spraying the tree for fungus or other insects, to no avail. I give up, any suggestions?
A: Dropping fruit in pretty common issue with mango trees. There
may be several reasons, or a combination of reasons.
1. Fungal disease (anthracnose), and/or powdery mildew. To avoid
fungal disease problems, spray your tree when it just begins to form the flower
spikes. Treat foliage with Copper fungicide. There is also another
one, very effective for anthracnose: Thiophanate methyl.
2. Inadequate nutrition. Feed your tree with a combination of
granulated fertilizer Mango-Food, liquid booster SUNSHINE Mango Tango and micro-elements Sunshine Honey and Sunshine Superfood
Check out pictures of our mango tree problems that were fixed within a month by
using Sunshine Boosters.
3. Too much rain or heavy dew during blooming and fruit set (see 1 -
use preventive treatment for fungus)
4. Cold. Sometimes the cause of premature fruit drop is from the
cold weather during bloom and fruit set. Usually the most affected varieties are
the early bloomers including Glenn, Haden. The cold damages the developing
embryo in the seed. The fruit starts to develop but because of ethylene gas
given off by the damaged embryo, the fruit is triggered to drop before
maturity. To see if cold temperature was the cause for your fruit dropping, cut open
the fallen fruit. Even if there is a small speck of brown in the seed,
that's enough damage to stop fruit development.
To learn more how to care for your mango, please read this publication.
