Date: 4 Apr 2021
How the Willows Came to be Called Pussy Willows?
Pussy Willows are the Symbol of Spring and Easter. But why are they called
Pussy Willows?
According to an old Polish legend, many springtimes ago a mother cat was crying at the bank of the river in which her
kittens were drowning. The willows at the river's edge longed to help her, so they swept their long graceful branches into the waters to rescue the tiny kittens who had fallen into the river while chasing butterflies. The kittens gripped on tightly to their branches and were safely brought to shore. Each springtime since, goes the legend, the willow branches sprout tiny fur-like buds at their tips where the tiny kittens once clung!
Ever since then, in Spring, the willow gentle velvet buds feel to the
fingers like the silky coat of a small cat. These buds are known today as catkins and remarkably, in every country, these soft
willow trees are named after cats.
Read more about
the legend.
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: 13 Aug 2020
Healthy Plant Food
Q&A from Mr Booster
Establishing Avocado Tree
Q: I received my avocado Wurtz tree yesterday. Per instructions I have put the tree in a pot first. However I am having difficulty deciding what to trim off. Yesterday I removed obvious damaged leaves. However as you can see, the leaves are lighter in some areas and contain yellow and red in some spots. What would you advise? Given this is a critical state as I do not want to shock the tree after the trip, I would like to do everything possible to protect it and ensure viability.
A: Your Avocado tree looks great and healthy overall. You've done excellent job planting it. Wurtz is a good, vigorous variety, while the tree is somewhat dwarf,
great for containers.
You are right, it is the best for the tree to leave it alone and do not
trim or remove leaves any more, until it starts showing new growth. Then it will
be obvious what needs to be trimmed. Reddish/orange color of young leaves is
normal. If any spots or dots - no need to remove those leaves yet. Wait
until the plant grows more leaves. It needs them for photosynthesis, in order to
become stronger.
Keep the tree in bright shade and gradually move from filtered sun to
full sun. Water daily. Within a week or two after planting, you can start
applying mild fertilizer and micro-elements. We recommend at this growth stage:
SUNSHINE C-Cibus - Crop Nutrition Booster
SUNSHINE SuperFood - Micro-element Plant Booster
SUNSHINE C-Cibus - Crop Nutrition Booster from Garden Series, or Combo Total Feed Collection - all nutrients in just one bottle, for fruit trees and edibles.
Date: 12 Feb 2020
Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Mister Booster
Everybody knows our Sunshine-colored Mister B, because... he is the Boss?... Not only that, but he is also very intelligent Purrrson. After over a decade of running TopTropicals marketing team, energetic Mr B decided to lead a new project: Sunshine Boosters.
What's in his store for us? He will guide you through his new website and show you around, where you can
find all kinds of good stuff for your plants. For many years, TopTropicals
customers have been enjoying the benefits of many effective plant supplements,
and today Mr B with Sunshine Boosters brings new formulas of scientifically
developed, natural, environmentally safe plant food for all your growing
needs!
- For home gardeners and professionals.
- For small plant collections and large commercial growing facilities.
- For flowers and fruit trees.
- For medicinal plants and vegetables.
- For all to be happy.
Please check out Mr Booster's website , he worked really hard for the past year on making this project happen, and helping the Earth to be a better, nicer, and safer place!
And for those of you who are growing your own business, Mr B would like to help! He is offering FREE samples for small business starters! He knows it's not easy to find a perfect nutrition system and make your growing a success. He is here to help!
On February 13-14, as a Valentines Day Special, Mr B is exhibiting his new business Sunshine Boosters in Phoenix, AZ - in the Largest Arizona Expo! Don't miss our presentation seminar Feb 13th, Seminar Room #2, 1:45 PM: Precision growing with Sunshine Boosters. For those who can not attend the show in purrrrson, the presentation will be available for downloading from our website.
Happy Growing!
Check out Video: and more Cat of the Day stories.
Date: 19 Aug 2019
Colorful Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow
Q: I have a large oak in front of the house and nothing grows under it, even grass. Can you recommend me a compact, colorful flowering shrub that will tolerate shade location and still will bloom for me? I love fragrant flowers, that would be nice... Also, I am a snowbird staying in Florida mostly from Fall to Spring so I miss the flowering season! Any winter bloomers? Or am I asking for too much?
A: There is a plant for every location and every need! Here is a
perfect plant for you, Brunfelsia grandiflora - Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow. It is a winter
bloomer and it enjoys filtered light. In fact, in full sun Brunfellsia leaves
sometimes turn yellowish, so a shade location will be perfect for it, leaves will
be healthy and dark green.
It is a beautiful specimen plant. The unusual popular name of this
medium-sized shrub becomes clear to anyone who observes it over the course of two
or three days. Its tubular fragrant flowers change from purple to lavender
and then to white over a three day period (First they open as rich
lavender-blue; then they change to pale lavender and finally to almost white before they
fall). Then all three colors can be seen on the same plant. It grows to
about 3-6 ft and does best in filtered sunlight. Blooms fall to winter.
Check out all Brunfelsias from our store - they all are shade lover and free-flowering!
And here is a list of all winter flowering plants for you... and a Winter-Flowering Guide for Snow Birds (PDF file) that includes many late-season trees, shrubs and fruiting plants.
