URBAN TROPICAL GARDENING:
10 secrets of successful Container Mango growing on a balcony.

Q: I live in Miami in apartment on a second floor, and I have a balcony with SE exposure. I wonder if I can grow a mango tree in a pot? Will it fruit for me? I recently moved to South Florida and I don't know much about tropical plants; but I tasted real fiberless mangos from someone's garden - it was so delicious and different from those in the grocery store. I wonder if I can have a fruiting tree on my balcony? And if yes, how do I plant and take care of it?

A: Yes, you can! Here is what you need to do:
1) Temperature. You are lucky to live in Tropics, keep it on a balcony year round.
2) Light. Position the pot in a spot with the most sun exposure. Mango trees can take filtered light too, but the less sun, the less fruit you will get.
3) Soil and Container. Use only well drained potting mix. Step up the purchased plant into next size container (3 gal into 7 gal, 7 gal into 15 gal). When transplanting, make sure to keep growth point (where roots meet the trunk) just at the top of the soil. Covering base of the trunk with soil may kill the plant.
4) Water. Water daily during hot season, but only if top of soil gets dry. If it still moist, skip that day. Mangoes (unlike Avocados!) prefer to stay on a dry side.
5) Fertilizer. Use balanced fertilizer once a month, 1 tsp per 1 gal of soil. Do not fertilize during fruiting - this may cause fruit cracks.
6) Microelements. Apply SUNSHINE-Superfood once a month. This will help your mango healthy, vigorous, and resistant to diseases. Use SUNSHINE-Honey to make your fruit sweeter.
7) Insect control. Watch for scales and mealybugs, clean with solution of soapy water + vegetable oil (may need to repeat 2-3 times with 10 days interval), or with systemic insecticide like imidacloprid only as needed (if non-harsh treatment didn't help). Most Flea shampoo for dogs contain that chemical, you may try that shampoo solution.
8) Trimming. Once potted, do not remove leaves that are discolored or have spots until new growth appears. Dark dots on mango leaves, especially in humid climate like Florida, may be signs of fungus. Treat with fungicide according to label, and remove only badly damaged leaves. Trim crown as needed after flowering and fruiting (by Fall). Train into a small tree, and you may remove some lower branches eventually.
9) Flower and fruit. Mangoes are winter bloomers with bunches of tiny flowers coming in thousands. Many of them set fruit (if pollinating insects present). Keep in mind that young trees can only bare a few fruit. Normally a tree will drop excessive fruit and keep only a few that it can manage. To save the young tree some energy, remove fruit if too many and leave only 2-3 for the first year. It will pay you next year with more abundant crop.
10) Variety. Last but not least: Choose the right variety for container culture! Pick from "condo" dwarf varieties such as Icecream, Nam Doc Mai, Carrie, Cogshall, Julie, Fairchild, Pickering, Graham, Mallika, and a few others - check out Mango Chart pdf and full list of our Mango varieties

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Growing by the sea

Q: Please recommend me some interesting plants that can grow on my waterfront property and can withstand some salt wind. All my neighbors have Sea Grape trees and bougainvilleas, and I want something different and special. I would love to have some colorful or fragrant flowers, or fruit around my paradise home.

Q: Considering your neighbors successfully grow Sea Grape (Coccoloba), and Bougainvilleas, you have a mild, frost free climate. There is a number of spectacular and useful tropical plants that are salt tolerant. Orchid Trees - Bauhinias, Poincettia - Delonix, and Geiger trees - Cordias, are very showy flowering trees. For large size bushes, try Dwarf Poincianas - Caesalpinias, and Scarlet-Coral Erythrinas. Frangipani - Plumeria, come in different colors and bring you perfume fragrance from Hawaii. And of course, Desert Roses - Adeniums, can be grown and showy specimens anywhere in your yard, both in the ground or as potted bonsai.

Most palms, especially popular Coconut Palm, source of tasty fruit and drink, are highly tolerant to salt breeze. If you are looking for something that nobody has, Lipstick palm, or Sealing wax palm - Cyrtostachys lakka, is definitely the most spectacular palm you can find. It is a stunning feather palm that develops a brilliantly red trunk. Palm is originally from Malaysia, but has been introduced to Costa Rica and other tropical areas of the world. Sealing Wax Palm seeds are very slow to germinate, up to a year, and large specimens are very rare and hard to find even in rare tropical plant nurseries. This palm will require a good overhead light, and constant warmth (above temperature 55F). It is definitely worth an effort to grow this beauty.

You may add more tropical accents to your landscape by the sea with many varieties of showy heliconias.

See full list of salt tolerant trees

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Our honest advise on Holiday Gift Plants

Q: Any suggestions on gift plants? With Holidays around the corner, I've been thinking of getting a present for my grandma, she lives in FL and is an experienced gardener. I also have a friend that lives in CA, also warm climate, but she doesn't have a green thumb. Any "easy" plants I can try for her?

A: Live plant is a perfect gift, as we all know. However when ordering a plant online as a present, for a happy experience, you should have three things to consider:
1) Gardener's experience. Planting instructions are included with every order, and usually success is there if you follow them. But all plants go through shipping stress (some more, others less) and need time, patience and love to recover. Also, a plant will need a new home after shipping: a pot and a good soil mix. It would be wise if you add potting mix with a gift order; the plant should be planted in a permanent pot as soon as possible, but normally can wait a day in a packing bag until its new owner gets a pot, if it is not ready yet.
2) How easy the plant is? If buying a plant for a beginner, chose something easy, as well as showy. Adeniums - Desert Roses, Jasmines, Clerodendrums, Cordylines are always a good choice. Calatheas, Gingers and Heliconias are always showy, even when not in bloom. Spice trees and herbs are fun, easy to grow and one can enjoy their aroma right away without waiting on them growing bigger. Miracle Fruit is an awesome present, it comes with detailed instructions how to grow the Miracle!
3) How easy the plant ships? Some plants can be easy in cultivation, but they don't take shipping well. After being in a dark box for a few days, most plants usually recover well in experienced hands. When making a present, you want something showy, not just a stick to arrive. Besides Adeniums and Jasmines, many fruit trees usually take shipping without a problem - such as Mango or Sapote trees. You may not want to start with Avocado, Papaya, Carambola, or Cacao - unless they go to an experienced grower - these may take some time and skill to etanblish. Fig trees are super easy in shipping, but figs may drop leaves in Winter - for this same reason, you may think twice about deciduous plants like Sugar Apples, Grapes, Mulberries or Persimmons to be sent as gifts. On the other hand, if you are sending a deciduous tree to a gardener who can appreciate the variety, this may be a good choice - dormant plants take shipping with less stress!

Holiday special: On the picture: Adenium Xmas Santa. A Holiday Special Desert Rose with Christmas-colored flowers - deep-red and white.

Still not sure which plant to choose? You may buy a Top Tropicals Gift Certificate

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