Date: 1 Feb 2021
The Secret of Longevity
finally revealed!
"...Time spent in the garden doesn't count against your lifespan..."
Want to live longer? Surround yourself with plants
If you want to live longer, live around green space. The Barcelona
Institute for Global Health found that for every 10% increase in vegetation that's
within 1,600 feet of your home, your probability of death drops by 4%.
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Why gardening could help you live longer:
1. It gets you into Nature.
2. It's good exercise.
3. You'll eat what you grow.
4. It exercises your mind, while also relieving stress.
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Gardening helps you live to 100
Many of the world's centenarians share one common hobby: gardening. Could you extend your life and drop your stress by taking up the pursuit, too? People living in these so-called "blue zones" have certain factors in common - with daily exercise habits and a plant-based diet, for starters. But they share another unexpected commonality. People are gardening well into old age - their 80s, 90s and beyond. Could nurturing your green thumb help you live to 100? Let nature nurture you!
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The healthiest people in the world don't go to the gym.
Moving naturally throughout the day might sound pleasant and romantic,
but the reality is that 100 years ago only 10% of us had sedentary jobs,
whereas today it's 90%. However, there are still easy ways to add more movement into your busy lifestyle. The research also showed that walking even as little as two hours per week could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, cancer, and help you live longer.
What work out can be better than Gardening? Fresh air, lots of exercise, yet fun and rewarding!
See also: Forget the gym and get to gardening.
In the photo: The Father of American Tropical Fruit Horticulture Bill Whitman, age 92, is presenting his book Five decades with tropical fruit to Top Tropicals after giving a tour
Date: 15 Jan 2021
Never-never be without one! Ctenanthe lubbersiana variegata
Stevie's Pick: what's special today?
Our exotic plant grower Steven Gowdy spotlights the most interesting plants he discovers and recommends today while working in TopTropicals greenhouses.
Year 2021 is celebrated as a Year of Variegated Foliage plants, and I have something special for those rare plant collectors. Besides exclusive Monstera variegata Thai Constellation, there are a few less expensive plants that are as much beautiful and yet fit into any budget.
Known as the Never-never plant, this beauty is native to Brazil. I think in South Florida a shade garden should
never-never be without one!
Ctenanthe lubbersiana variegata has deep
variegation, with branching bamboo-like stems and oblong green, veined leaves that are mottled with cream and gold. Needing high humidity and indirect, bright filtered light, it just screams tropical and fun! Ctenanthe is a close relative of showy Marantas grown for the beauty of their foliage, and also makes a great house plant in
cooler climates.
In warmer climates, it can be planted as an under story plant. The plant is growing to 2-3 feet high and 4-6 feet wide, with leaf patterns of indistinct cream and green marbling. It does have a rapid growth rate and liking soil moist, but not soggy. In the winter, water
should only be given when the dirt is somewhat dry. Watch out for mealy bugs, spider mites, and aphids and apply Sunshine NoBug if you notice any - they
will be easy to get rid of.
Give it a liquid fertilizer SUNSHINE Robusta - Rapid Growth Booster and divide as needed.
This plant is one of my favorites. I planted a nice specimen at TopTropicals entrance gate last year, and now we finally have beautiful baby plants propagated from it, looking great!
Date: 11 Jan 2021
Tropical gardener beginning-of-year checklist
Final pre-Spring check of whatever we had forgotten! For a gardener, the year ahead is a chance to do things you want, as a way to achieve the things you need to do. If your number one New Year's resolution is to garden more (a want-to item), you also will be exercising more (a need-to). Or if you plant a new edible garden (want, want, want), you will end up checking off "eat more leafy vegetables and fruits" from your to-do list!
12 steps to get ready for 2021 season:
1 - Spray fruit trees and houseplants with insecticide and micro-elements
2 - Continue spraying SUNSHINE-Epi to improve plant hardiness
3 - Protect tender plants during cold spells and especially from freeze
4 - Reduce watering during cooler months, keeping the root zone on a dry
side
5 - To give your plants a kick start, fertilize with liquid SUNSHINE Boosters fertilizers - they are safe to be used year round
6 - Plant fruit trees: winter planting is beneficial to avoid heat stress for roots
7 - Plant Butterfly and Hummingbird Attractants
8 - Plant bulbs, vegetables and herbs. Use eco-safe, natural SUNSHINE boosters for all your edibles.
9 - Plan your summer garden and order seeds early
10 - Start tropical plants from seeds (indoors for cooler climates)
11 - Start ordering tropical plants and beneficial soil mix to get them established after shipping in pots
12 - Clean and oil garden tools
Date: 23 Oct 2020
Cashew Nut tricks and challenges
Q: I bought a cashew plant in May of this year it has been slow-growing well then all of a sudden it started dying. I have cut it back halfway down. So a plant that was close to 3 ft tall is now 1 1/2 feet. I see new leaves trying to spring closer to the root. Help! It's in a huge 18"wide pot, I have not put it in the ground yet. I am in the Orlando area.
A: Generally speaking, Cashew is not the easiest plant to grow. Cutting it down added more stress to the plant. A few thoughts:
1) Chances are, the tree was over-watered (possibly summer rains, we had pretty wet summer this year in FL). Cashew trees are very sensitive to over-watering while young. Considering it sits in pretty large pot, this may have created soggy conditions. Don't bother repotting the plant now, just try to reduce watering. We have less rains now. If you have automatic sprinklers, move it away from sprinkler so you can control moisture manually. Even better - move it under roof (lanai, etc) where it still can get lots of bright light, but you can control water.
2) In Orlando, winters are too cold for this tree. Make sure to protect it from cold - bring inside when temperature drops below 65F, especially considering that the plant is still struggling.
3) Keep in mind that Cashew is semi-deciduous tree, meaning it looses leaves during cooler period. If all leaves are gone but the stem still green (after nail scratch) - just give it time, it may start growing vigorously in Spring.
4) You may apply Sunshine Boosters with every watering (which should be once a week, or even less frequent if the soil is still moist) - SUNSHINE C-Cibus - Crop Nutrition Booster
Keep the plant in full sun or at least very bright filtered light. It must be always warm. Bring inside if below 65F.
Date: 30 Aug 2020
Memory Garden: Do It Yourself Paradise
A true moment of peace, calm, and gratitude...
by Frank La Rosa, Del Mar, CA
...I term my garden one of memories because almost every plant in it
have been given to me by some person that I cared for. The Sicilian jasmin came
from a nice lady who brought it from Sicilia in her purse, and she in turn
gave me a cutting from which I have propagated three more plants. The Mermaid
rose came from my father-in-law a rosarian, who "bootlegged" it, actually (in
his boot) in the trunk of his car as he drove from Texas where he lived.
Today that rose reaches up up the second story and covers the arch out
front...
I have made four stone arches in this Memory garden. One is the entrance
to the Chapel of All Good Spirits. It took me two years to build it from
stones I collected from many loved places...
