Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 18 Sep 2022

The fruit of Heaven:
Phyllanthus acidus - Amlak, Otaheite Gooseberry

Phyllanthus  acidus  -  Amlak,  Otaheite  Gooseberry  in  a  pot

Grow Your Own Food

This is a fun rare fruit tree to have if you like lemonade and believe in Vitamin C benefits! The tree is super easy to grow, relatively cold hardy and doesn't require any special care. It is a fast growing plant, however the mature tree is only about 20 ft so it will be well suited for any size garden, even container garden. As you can see, it happily fruits in a pot. Bright yellow fruit are beautiful and curious, they always make a conversation piece!

About Otaheite Gooseberry

Otaheite Gooseberry, or Amlak, is a rare tropical fruit tree from SE Asia and India, very close related to Phyllanthus emblica (Amla, Amlaki), however it is much cold hardy than Amla. Known as Amritphala in Sanskrit, which literally means "the fruit of heaven" or "nectar fruit". It is so called because it has many helth benefits. Amlak is one of the favorite fruit of Indian people who definitely know what is good for you! Fruit paste is a major ingredient of Chavyanprash, a popular Ayurvedic tonic. It is the richest source of vitamin C.
Fruits are borne in loose clusters, which hang from the tree trunk and main branches. Fruits are esteemed for jellies, preserves and pastries, and are great for making a delicious lemonade rich in vitamin C. There are no commercial plantings; trees grow only in home gardens.

You need to have one! Or two. We have only limited quantities.

Phyllanthus  acidus  -  Amlak,  Otaheite  Gooseberry,  mature  tree

Phyllanthus  acidus  -  Amlak,  Otaheite  Gooseberry,  lot  of  loose  fruit

Date: 22 Aug 2022

What tree will fruit indoors?

Fruit  trees  for  indoor  containers

Q: I love your tropical fruit selection and I wish I lived in a warmer climate. Is there any fruit tree that can be happy indoors during winter and have fruit? I am not expecting a big crop but it would be fun to have a small piece of tropics at home. I don't have much gardening experience, can you suggest something easy for a start?

A: Several tropical fruit trees can be grown indoors, in pots, providing bright light that is necessary for flowering and setting fruit. Among them are many varieties of Bananas, Guavas, Annonas and tropical Cherries - these can be easily maintained in containers. Even dwarf varieties of Avocado and Mango are good candidates for indoor culture. You can bring containers indoors for winter and take outside into full sun during warm months so your plants can store lots of energy in Summer.
The easiest fruit tree for indoor culture that doesn't require bright light and can be grown indoors year around is a Coffee tree. Start with it, it is on sale today! Once you gain some experience, you can upgrade to a Chocolate tree!
Remember, all container grown plants need balanced nutrition program. It can be easily provided with Sunshine Boosters your around. For fruit trees, just add some Sunshine C-Cibus Crop Booster to your cart.

Coffee  video

Date: 18 Aug 2022

Grow your own food:
How hardy is a Loquat tree?

Loquat  trees  and  fruit

Q: I am looking for a fruit tree for my backyard that is low maintenance, fast fruiting, and can take some cold (I live in Orlando FL and we do get occasional frost in winter). I like the taste of Loquat fruit, it reminds me of apricots. How cold hardy is this tree?

A: Loquat tree is a very good choice for Florida gardens. It can take both cold and heat and produces lots of tasty fruit right away. Last winter when we had a record freeze in our area with a couple of nights around 25F, the only trees that didn't get any damage at all were Loquats and Macadamias, and those were still young, newly planted 4 ft trees.
To learn more about Loquat trees, check out this and article: Golden Loquat - the symbol of Prosperity.

Loquat  video

Date: 14 Aug 2022

Grow your own food:
Avocado Q & A

from Ed Jones, the Avocado Guy

two  avocado  fruit

Q: Do I need to have more than one avocado tree in order to produce fruit?

A: While a single avocado tree will normally produce enough fruit for most people, it never hurts to have more than one tree and even more than one variety to increase the chances for good pollination. Be sure to look at our catalog for the many different varieties available from our store.

Avocado  tree

Date: 11 Aug 2022

New Video:
Dwarf Guava Hawaiian Rainbow

Psidium guajava "Nana"

Put a little Aloha in your garden... A guava that will bring a taste of the Islands!
This is a very small version of the favorite aromatic Guava - Nana. It grows only up to 5-6 ft tall with a short trunk and a branching, bushy habit. It is perfect for those who have limited space. It can be grown in a pot and fruits heavily. Provided with warm conditions, the tree can bear fruit almost year around. The fruit is round, about 2", pretty good size for a dwarf tree. The flesh is sweet, aromatic, and varies from white to yellow to pink.

Dwarf  Guava  Hawaiian  Rainbow

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