Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 6 Feb 2026

💘Rooted love lasts longer than flowers

Smokey the tuxedo cat and Sunshine the ginger cat sit in a greenhouse

beside a Sweetheart Hoya with heart-shaped leaves, a tag reading rooted

love, and a cup of coffee with donuts on a wooden

table.

Sunshine: Valentine Day soon. We need flowers.
Smokey: Nope. Heart-shaped hoya. Flowers fade. Plants stay.
Sunshine: Alright. One for my Valentine. One for me, with coffee.

💖 Sweetheart Hoya: a Valentine gift that lasts

Sweetheart Hoya (Hoya kerrii) has thick, heart-shaped leaves and a compact form that fits easily on a windowsill, desk, or shelf. It does not need constant attention, bright sun, or frequent watering. In fact, it prefers a lighter touch.

This is a plant that works well indoors, grows slowly, and forgives missed waterings. It is comfortable in normal home conditions and does not require special tools or experience. That makes it a good gift not only for plant lovers, but also for people who have never kept a houseplant before.

Unlike flowers, it does not come with an expiration date. It becomes part of daily life and stays there quietly, doing its job. Over time, it feels less like a purchase and more like something chosen with intention.

For Valentines Day, Sweetheart Hoya is a simple, lasting way to give something real.

Sweetheart Hoya care: quick how-to

Light: Bright window light is ideal. Avoid harsh, hot direct sun.
Water: Let the potting mix dry between waterings. When you water, water thoroughly, then let it drain.
Feeding: Light feeding during active growth helps. A balanced fertilizer like Sunshine™ Robusta keeps growth steady and leaves healthy.
Pace: Slow-growing and patient. Do not overwater or overpot.

❓Sweetheart Hoya: quick FAQ

Is it good for beginners? Yes. It is forgiving and does not need constant attention.
Can it live indoors year-round? Yes, in bright indoor light and normal home conditions.
Does it need flowers to be special? No. The heart-shaped leaves are the main feature.
Learn more: What is the best Valentines Day gift that actually lasts?

♥️ Shop Sweetheart Hoya

Date: 19 Jul 2025

☀️ When tropical plant takes a Summer break

Tropical landscape

Why your plants might stop growing in mid-Summer
and what to do about it

Q: Why some tropical plants stop growing when it gets too hot? Aren't they supposed to like the heat? Should I use more fertilizer during hot Summer?

You've been watching your tropical tree thrive all spring. New leaves, steady growth, maybe even a flower or two. Then July hits, and… nothing. The heat cranks up, and your once-busy plant just sits there. No new shoots, no blooms, not even a twitch. If it feels like your plant ghosted you - but don't worry! It's not dying. It's just hot!

Q: What happens to tropical plants when it gets extremely hot?

When the heat hits, plants hit pause. In the peak of summer, especially with temperatures above 90F, many tropical and subtropical plants go into heat survival mode. Growth above ground may slow down or stop entirely. It's not because you forgot to water or skipped a fertilizer dose - it's just too hot. The plant's energy shifts underground, where roots may still be growing. Think of it like a tropical version of a siesta - less margarita, more mulch. This stage might last a few weeks or longer, depending on how intense the heat gets. But the important thing is: it's normal.

Q: What NOT to do?

Don't drown it in extra water. That leads to root rot.
Don't dump dry fertilizer on it. That can burn the roots or just get flushed away. Use controlled release or liquid fertilizer dozed proportionaly to the plant's water usage.
Don't prune aggressively, hoping to jolt it awake.

None of that helps - in fact, it can make things worse.

Q: What you CAN do?

Water deeply in the early morning, and let the soil dry a bit between waterings.
Add mulch to help keep the root zone cool and reduce evaporation.
Provide temporary shade for potted plants or young trees.
Hold off on pruning or heavy feeding until you see new growth.

Just like you wouldn't run a marathon in a heatwave, your plant needs a break too.

Q: Why you shouldn't fertilize stressed plants with dry fertilizer?

Fertilizing seems like the obvious solution when a plant stalls, but in the heat of summer, it can backfire. When temperatures soar, roots slow down, and absorption becomes inefficient. You might pour in nutrients, but your plant can't use them - and what's worse, any tender new growth that does emerge can get scorched or sunburned before it has a chance to harden.

Feeding a plant with strong fertilizers during a heatwave is like telling someone to sprint in a sauna. It's not just unhelpful - it's risky. That's why you need a fertilizer that’s engineered for hot weather - not just any slow-release formula.

Liquid Sunshine Boosters mild formulas are safe to use year around. Controlled release fertilizer like Green Magic are safe as well, just make sure to follow directions and dosage.

Q: Why Green Magic fertilizer works in heat better that Osmocote?

Green Magic controlled release fertilizer

Not all slow-release fertilizers are built for hot summer. Some popular brands might seem like a good choice - but they’re optimized for soil temperatures around 70-75F. That's a mild Spring day in the South, but in real-world Florida or Arizona heat? Not even close.

Here's the problem: Osmocote releases nutrients based on moisture, not temperature. When it's hot and humid - or worse, when you water heavily - it can dump too many nutrients at once. That nutrient surge can:

Burn your plant's roots
Force tender new growth that gets fried in the heat
Leach straight out of the pot, wasting both fertilizer and money

It's unpredictable, especially in containers that heat up faster than ground soil. What you think is "slow-release" can behave more like a fertilizer bomb.

Green-Magic, by contrast, uses a temperature-sensitive polyurethane coating that responds gradually and consistently as the soil warms. That means:

No sudden nutrient spikes
No wasted runoff
And no risk of heat-triggered burn

It's designed to feed steadily and predictably - even when temps hit 90F and stay there. For potted tropical plants, that kind of control is the difference between stressed and thriving.

Q: How does Sunshine Boosters help with daily plant recovery in summer?

Once your plant begins to show signs of life again - maybe a new bud, or evening perkiness - it's safe to resume feeding. But skip the salts, and reach for something gentler: Sunshine Boosters.

These amino-acid based liquid fertilizers are designed for daily use, even in containers during the hottest days. They enhance nutrient uptake, even when roots are stressed or sluggish. Unlike synthetic chelators like EDTA, Sunshine Boosters won't bind nutrients or burn root system. They stay gentle, available, and effective. Learn more from this short video.

Use SUNSHINE Robusta for foliage support, or Ca-Support PRO for strong structure and recovery. It's like hydration and nutrition in one - perfect for tropical plants fighting through summer heat.

Q: How can I help my plants during extreme heat?

Don't fight the heat - work with it. If your tree looks stalled this summer, don't panic. It's following a rhythm older than all of us. Support it with smart watering, the right fertilizer combo, and a little patience. Before long, you'll see buds again - and know your plant made it through the heat.

Shop fertilizers and garden supplies

Read more plant care tips in Garden Blog

Date: 30 Aug 2020

Healthy Plant Food

Q&A from Mr Booster

How to make Mango tree fruit

Q: Hello, I have a five-year-old Lemon Meringue tree that has only given me fruit one year. It put out about 50 mangoes and has done nothing for the past three years. Do you recommend any vitamins or any of the nutrients that you guys sell to help with this for next season?

A: We've had very similar problem with our Nam Doc Mai Mango tree, fruited once and no more next year. Usually the reason is nutrients deficiency, here in Florida we have poor soils. We applied Mango-Tango tree booster and it started flowering within a couple of weeks.
Generally, Mango flowering season is over by now, however, we recommend to feed the tree starting now, during active growth season. This way it will get better established before winter and also will store away all elements necessary for triggering flowering and fruiting. So by late Fall through Winter it will be ready to flower.
Along with the fertilizer, additional micro-element supplements will be beneficial. For improving fruit quality and increasing number of flowers, we also recommend to use SUNSHINE-Honey - sugar booster

SUNSHINE Mango Tango - Mango Tree Booster, for healthy mango trees and profuse fruit production.

SUNSHINE Honey - a natural supplements that makes fruit sweeter, and increases fruit quantity and quality.

Date: 12 Sep 2019

Helping Citrus and other fruit trees with Nutritional Supplements

Q: Can you recommended a product to help with my citrus? Combating greening and chlorosis.

A: Citrus greening is spread by an insect called the Asian citrus psyllid. The psyllid feeds on the stems and leaves of the trees, infecting the trees with the bacteria that causes citrus greening. Florida Citrus growers dedicated the last decade to researching citrus greening. Officially, currently there is still no cure, however, some Nutritional solutions have shown promising results. To slow the progression of citrus greening in infected trees, nutrients are applied to the leaves and to the roots. Providing better nutrition helps trees fight against citrus greening and enables them to continue to produce quality fruit.

We recommend the following products for use on regular basis:

SUNSHINE Epi is a natural Brassinosteroid plant hormone and a bio-stimulant that may be very effective as citrus greening treatment. It works through plant's immune system and shows amazing results of recovery of weak and sick plants.

SUNSHINE Superfood, a complex micro-element supplement, maintains plant's health and provides vigorous growth.

SUNSHINE-Honey is a basic nutritional complement, it contains essential plant micronutrients Boron (B) and Molybdenum (Mo). These elements are essential to vegetative and reproductive growth, cell expansion, tissue growth, and fertility. A very common problem for most unimproved garden soils is lack of Molybdenum and Boron as soil micro-component. This results in underdeveloped / low quality fruit and/or premature fruit drop. Applying SUNSHINE Honey on your fruit trees will fill that gap and help a fruit tree to form a healthy fruit.

Macro-nutrients should be applied in combination with micro-nutrients on regular basis:

Mango-Food - Smart Release Fruit Tree Booster (works great for all tropical fruit trees)
Fruit Festival Plant Food - Ideal blend designed to improve fruit trees health and vigor, and increase crop yield.

See SUNSHINE Boosters page for the complete list of plant boosters.

Date: 20 Oct 2023

How to help a weak tree to recover and thrive?

Q: Look at my sad looking Lychee tree. Can you share with me any ideas about this tree condition?

A: From the photo (left), we see a few potential issues. The problem might be due to a combination of factors such as a heavy potting mix with poor drainage, over-watering, an underdeveloped root system sensitive to these conditions, leaf burn, and a lack of nutrients.

Suggestions for fixing the problem

1. Soil mix. First, assess the quality of the soil. If the plant has been in the same pot for a while, the soil at the bottom may have become compacted, leading to poor drainage. If this is the case, carefully remove the root system from the existing soil (by removing excess soil around the roots without disturbing the roots themselves). Repot the tree into fresh, well-draining potting mix with good drainage characteristics, which typically contains materials like bark and perlite. Ensure that the new pot is exactly the size of the root ball; using a significantly larger pot can lead to soggy conditions that harm the roots.

2. Light. Place the potted tree in an area with filtered light, avoiding direct sunlight throughout the day.

3. Water. Control the watering. During this recovery period, your plant will need very limited water until it shows signs of improvement and new growth. After repotting, water it thoroughly just once, and avoid watering again until the top layer of soil becomes dry. Then, water as needed. Avoid keeping the soil consistently wet, especially during rainy periods. Protect the plant from excessive rain.

4. Supplements. Consider applying Sunshine Superfood micro-elements following the label instructions, once a month. Additionally, using Sunshine Epi bio-stimulant, sprayed every other week, can help the plant recover from stress and encourage growth. You can also use Sunshine C-Cibus at half the recommended concentration with each watering. Hold off on any other fertilizers until the plant has sufficiently recovered and begins to show signs of new growth.

5. Transplanting. If you plan to transplant the tree into the ground, it's advisable to wait until spring when nighttime temperatures consistently stay above 65F for at least two weeks.

6. Temperature. Keep the tree in a warm environment. When temperatures drop below 50F, bring it indoors.

These steps should help the tree recover, grow healthy leaves, and establish a better root system, preparing it for successful transplantation into the ground or a larger container, ensuring a happy and productive life ahead.

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