Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 10 May 2024

What is Jaboticaba? I like the sound of this word!

What is Jaboticaba? I like the sound of this word! What is Jaboticaba? I like the sound of this word! What is Jaboticaba? I like the sound of this word!
🍇 What is Jaboticaba? I like the sound of this word! 😁

Jaboticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora) is the most popular native fruit of Brazil that famous Brazilian Vine La Vino Tinto is made of!🍷

🟣 Grape-like purple fruit with a thick skin and delicious melting pulp somewhat resembling Northern Black Currant in flavor.

🟣 Trees grow very slowly and due to small leaves and dwarfish growth habit are often used as bonsai. Some old bonsai specimens can fruit.

🟣 Larger specimens are very valuable because it takes Jaboticaba up to 7 years from seed to start fruiting.

🟣 Similar to Mamey, Jaboticaba has cauliflorous fruit - that grow on main stems or woody trunks.

🟣 Jaboticaba is relatively cold hardy, mature trees are taking down to 23 F for short periods without serious damage.



🛒 Shop Jaboticaba trees

#Food_Forest #Nature_Wonders #Container_Garden

🏵 TopTropicals

Date: 30 Sep 2025

Loquat salsa: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

Loquat salsa: quick-n-fun exotic recipes

🍴 Loquat salsa: quick-n-fun exotic recipes



🔴Dice Loquat fruit with tomato, onion, and jalapeno.
🔴Great spooned over grilled fish or eaten with chips.

Loquat Salsa Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh loquats, peeled, pitted, and diced
  • 2 medium tomatoes, diced
  • 1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, finely diced
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Peel and pit the loquats, then dice them into small cubes.
  2. Dice tomatoes and onion, finely chop the jalapeno.
  3. In a bowl, combine loquats, tomato, onion, jalapeno, and cilantro.
  4. Add lime juice and salt to taste, stir gently to mix.
  5. Chill for 15 minutes before serving.

Serving Suggestions

  • Serve with tortilla chips.
  • Spoon over grilled fish, chicken, or shrimp.
  • Use as a topping for tacos or salads.

🛒 Plant your Loquat tree

#Food_Forest #Recipes #Loquat

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Date: 2 Oct 2025

Blue Ice Cream banana youll never find in stores!

Blue Java Banana, Ice Cream Banana

🍌 Blue Ice Cream banana you’ll never find in stores!



🔵 The Blue Java Banana, also known as the Ice Cream Banana, is the banana everyone wants - and for good reason.

🔵 First of all… it's blue. Yes, really. When the fruit is unripe, it has a frosty blue-green tint - especially striking in the sun. These short, chunky bananas are only about 4 inches long and grow in beautiful bunches under mauve-colored flowers. The whole plant is a tropical showstopper.

🔵But the real magic happens when the fruit ripens. The blue fades to yellow… and inside? Oh my God - it’s heaven! The texture is soft, smooth, and creamy. And the flavor? Like vanilla ice cream.

🔵That’s how it got the name Ice Cream Banana. And this isn’t just a gimmick - it’s a cold-tolerant, vigorous variety that grows fast, reaches 10-15 feet tall, and produces heavy bunches (up to 60 pounds!) of sweet fruit that you can eat raw or cook with.

🔵 Your store-bought bananas can’t compete with this. Add it to your edible landscape, food forest, or patio garden - this one is a must-have! Grab it while it’s in stock. Or if it’s sold out - hit that wishlist button.

🛒 Explore Banana Varieties

📚 Learn more:


Is Blue Java Banana really blue? Great question!
Why every garden needs a banana tree (or three!)
The best varieties of edible Banana to plant
What banana fits anywhere - Banana Truly Tiny
How to double your banana crop without extra space - Banana Double Mahoi
Which Banana has red fruit and leaves - Banana Bordelon
Why everyone wants Banana Lakatan - Banana Lakatan
More about #Bananas

#Food_Forest #Bananas

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 3 Oct 2025

Plant for birds: feast for wildlife and people from a tiny vine!

Passiflora suberosa - Corkystem Passion Vine

Plant for birds: feast for wildlife and people from a tiny vine!



Passiflora suberosa - Corkystem Passion Flower: did you know this Florida native passion vine is more than just a butterfly host? Birds love it too - they’ll happily snack on the little fruits and sing you thank-you songs all day long!

And yes, the fruit is edible for people as well! The berries are small, but they make a fun and exotic treat.

The plants has a tiny flower and a tiny fruit – both only about half an inch – but together they create a mighty native habitat.

It's a triple win: butterflies, birds, and people can all enjoy something from this charming little plant. Plus, it’s the larval host for Gulf Fritillary, Zebra Longwing, and Julia butterflies, and its tiny greenish flowers provide nectar all year long. Fast-growing, easy, and full of life – a real gem for any Florida garden.

This vine is delicate and compact, perfect for a medium trellis or climbing a small tree. Unlike the big, aggressive passion vines that can cover a whole fence, this one stays manageable.

This Passion vine is not just charming and wildlife-friendly, it’s also tough as nails. Cold hardy and easy to grow, this native vine takes whatever Florida throws at it – heavy rains, long droughts and heat, poor sandy soils, even total neglect – and still thrives. A perfect choice if you want beauty, wildlife, and resilience all in one little plant.

🛒 Plant this small and tough vine with food and wildlife benefits

📚 Learn more:


✦ What is the sweetest Passionfruit?
✦ How big is Giant Granadilla?
✦ Does Red Passion flower produce edible fruit?
✦ The truth about Passion flower and Passion fruit
✦ Top 20 plants for a Butterfly Haven
✦ Top Eight irresistible vines for a hummingbird haven

#Food_Forest #Hedges_with_benefits #Butterfly_Plants #How_to


🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

Date: 18 Apr 2024

How to water a new Mango tree?

Mango tree in the ground with fruit

Q: I got a large mango tree from your garden center recently, planted in the ground, but noticed the corners of the leaves turning brown. It was full of little fruit when I planted it but now they are falling off... I wonder how much should I water the mango tree? We have lawn sprinkler system that runs daily, is this enough?

A: Generally speaking, never rely solely on your sprinkler system when planting a new tree, especially during the first week or even several weeks if you have no rain. By rain, we mean a nice downpour. Here in Florida, we usually have a hot and dry spring, and while springtime is great for starting new trees, additional hose-watering becomes essential for establishing them during the first months.

Dry leaves are a signal of under-watering. Make sure to hand water your mango tree every day for at least the first week after planting. Even if you have an individual sprinkler for the tree, ensure that the soil around the rootball receives enough water, not only around the trunk. Surprisingly, the bigger the tree, the more it may suffer from a lack of water, and sprinkler watering does not saturate the large root system, sometimes only reaching around the trunk. Big tree means lots of leaves and branches - they all get thirsty!

Mangos are pretty drought-tolerant trees, but only once established. They even benefit from hot, drier air (means less leaf fungus). However, young trees require regular irrigation until they start growing new leaves and branches.

Note that fertilizing your Mango tree is especially important during the spring and summer seasons - the period of active growth. This ensures that the tree takes the best advantage of nutrients with a faster metabolism encouraged by high temperatures. Give your tree a chance to build up lots of energy for the cooler winter as well as for the next flowering and crop season. To ensure a strong tree and reliable crop with no fruit drop, apply Sunshine Mango Tango liquid fertilizer with every watering and watch your mango tree become a Champ!

Shop Mango Trees

Sunshine Mango Tango liquid fertilizer with mango fruit

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