Q: Since I have never grown a soursop tree before I need some pro help. My tree was delivered absolutely beautiful, leaves were a pretty green. I potted it and gave it a good drink of water and put it in a shaded area outside. Then the weather here became cool so I brought it in for a few days until the weather
warmed, and it lost all the leaves. Is it in shock and will come around eventually? Will I be able to grow this tree indoors during winter?
A: Soursop - Annona muricata trees are very sensitive to temperature drops. This always causes leaf loss. You seem to be doing everything right. Do not water until soil gets slightly dry; keep it in bright shade. The weather should be good now with high temperatures and humidity rising. No fertilizer until the plant shows active new growth. Be patient with your plant, it should recover soon.
Soursop is an ultra-tropical tree and doesn't take any freeze. If you live in cooler climate, keep the plant in a pot (the good news is,
Annonas in general have compact nature and are perfect for container culture). Bring the tree indoors during cold period,
providing bright light.
Remember that grafted trees start flowering and producing fruit right away, unlike seedlings of Soursop that may take a few years till
fruiting.
We have very interesting article about growing and fruiting Soursop in apartment. Check out Tropical Treasures Magazine #7.
Date: 31 Jan 2017
Plants of Love. TopTropicals Webinars
Plants of Love - Valentines Day Sale. For Valentines day, look beyond roses for a plant that will last a lifetime! It is not a surprise that the most popular plants that has been ordered from TopTropicals for Valentines day for the past 3 years, are: Vanilla, Chocolate, Grape, Strawberry tree, Rose apple - all things you get for your Valentines!
This year we are celebrating Valentines day with our special local event - "Aphrodisiacs, or Plants of Love".
When: Saturday, February 11, 2017, from 10 am to 2 pm
Where: Toptropicals Garden Center, 13890 Orange River Blvd, Ft Myers, FL 33905
Agenda: 10:00 am - Explore the grounds: Customers can come in to look through the nursery and guided tours through gardens.
12:00 pm - Aphrodisiac plants. Class on plants used for aphrodisiacs throughout history.
1:00 pm - Plant giveaway. Must be present to win one of the aphrodisiac plants in lecture.
2:00 pm - sale ends.
Special Love Discounts for local visitors! Snacks and drinks.
Just a few examples of the most famous plants of love that we will be talking about -
Coffea arabica - in East Africa and Arabia it was a sacred beverage to African sufis. For aphrodisiac results mix in cardamom and honey.
Banisteriopsis caapi, Ayahuasca - giant liana from tropical Amazon forests psychedelic, ritual inebriant that promotes potency. Drink is made from the bark and is taken in love rituals to revive the mythical past of the tribe.
Areca catechu, Betel Nut - seeds have stimulating effect on the entire body and eros. It's a traditional aphrodosiac in Ayurvedic medicine and is counted among the eight types of pleasure in the Brahmanic tradition. It has magical and religious properties and used as an offering to the Gods.
Theobroma cacao, Chocolate - mild stimulant, beans contain aphrodisiac. Antient Indian "recipe of chocolati" will be shared at the event! Cocoa was considered the "food of gods".
Cinnamon - in Southern Asia used as stimulant, in food or massage oil for erotic stimulation.
Cola nitida, Cola nut - used in love magic, was used as currency in W Africa.
Cananga odorata, Ylang-Ylang - increases eroticism with oil inhaled. Prescribed to treat impotency and frigidity.
Butea monosperma, Flame of The Forest - is traditionally used to manage male sexual disorders.
Mimosa pudica, Sensitive Plant - significantly increases the libido and hormonal levels of testosterone.
Satureja Viminea, Kama Sutra Mint Tree - used for love gel...
- and much more!
TopTropicals Webinars. Welcome to Top Tropicals Webinar! Discover the world of Rare Plants and surround yourself with a Tropical Paradise! Our plant experts will be answering your garden questions. Our next LIVE air time is just before Valentines Day - Saturday February 11, at 2 pm ET, with a topic of... of course, Aphrodisiac Plants! Get your questions ready!
Date: 26 Jan 2017
Aquarius Zodiac lucky plants
Aquarius - 1/22 - 2/18.
Aquarius is an AIR sign ruled by odd-ball Uranus.
The water-bearer's plants will often grow in unusual places and may vary in appearance. They often have purple or blue flowers, or may have unusual colors.
The most healing and beneficial plants for Aquarius are the ones that help circulation, relax the nervous system, or promote inspiration. When Uranus was discovered, it replaced Mercury as ruler of Aquarius. Physiologically, Uranus rules the bioelectrical impulses that power the body's nervous system (nervous tension and nervous exhaustion brought on by powerful changes in the environment are related to both Mercury and Uranus). Physically, Aquarius rules the lower legs, the calves, and the ankles, and the electrical impulses that travel through the body's nervous system. The nervous system itself is ruled by Mercury, and Uranus is said to be a "higher octave" of Mercury. Since Uranus was discovered after the correspondences with plants had been established, the herbs used in Aquarius are Mercury herbs. Always difficult to pinpoint, quirky Aquarius appreciates the unusual and complex flavor of star anise. Use this star-shaped spice when you wish to bring happy surprises into your life.
New Video: TopTropicals at TPIE show in Ft Lauderdale. Last week, your friends at Top Tropicals attended the 2017 Tropical Plant International Expo in sunny Ft. Lauderdale Florida. The Expo was an opportunity for Top Tropicals to introduce our SUNSHINE in a Bottle plant boosters as well as to bring a very rare plant Enchanted Incense to the tropical plant market!
Stay updated with TopTropicals Videos by subscribing to our channel at YouTube.com/TopTropicals and get our latest video news of what's fruiting and blooming!
Date: 15 Nov 2016
SUNSHINE in a bottle - your help during winter
Q:
I have been using your new plant hormone SUNSHINE
for plants after shipping, and I must admit it does make
a big difference! They recover right away. I order
plants online very often, and usually it takes up to a
week or more until they start showing new growth. After
SUNSHINE treatments, they look fresh within a day or
two. My question would be, for improving cold tolerance,
what do you recommend? I live in Florida and it is still
warm here, should I start spraying my garden now or
should I wait until cold spells?
A:SUNSHINE
is very effective plant stimulant that helps tropical
plants survive different kinds of stress, including
cold, heat, drought, low light, etc. At TopTropicals
gardens and nursery, we have been using this hormone for
many years to protect our plants from unfavorable
conditions, and it saved us many rare tender species,
and lots of money!
The sooner in Fall you start treatments, the better.
Don't wait until cold spell. SUNSHINE works slowly and
in very low doses. The mechanism is actually about
boosting, building up the plant's own immune system. Low
doses once a week, even every other week will work just
fine, so you will need very little of the product. For
less than $5 you can help expensive rare plants to go
through winter painlessly. Recommended application is
only 2.5 ml/1 gal of water, to spray every 1-2 weeks
throughout winter period.
Start spraying your plants with SUNSHINE now, to help
them survive short winter days, build up insect
resistance (especially for plants indoors), and what is
most important, to remain strong through lower
temperatures. These are our suggestions:
- SUNSHINE-T
- thermo-protection booster. It is specially
formulated for winter protection of tropical plants. To
improve cold hardiness even more, spray 1-2 days prior
to cold with 5 ml/1 gal solution and after that,
continue applications with 2.5 ml/1 gal solution every
10-15 days throughout winter period.
- For large plant collections, and in-ground gardens in
subtropical areas, take advantage of very cost effective
bulk items 50
ml and 100
ml bottles of SUNSHINE.
- Don't forget that SUNSHINE is only a stimulant, and
not a plant food. While regular fertilizer should be
avoided during winter months, it is always beneficial to
apply microelements through foliar spray. During cooler
period, chances of chlorosis increase, because at low
temperatures iron is difficult so absorb by roots
especially in moist soil, hence iron deficiency! Our new
Iron supplement SUNSHINE-Super-Iron
microelement booster will help to avoid yellowing leaves
and to maintain your plants strong and healthy during
slow growth period. Ultra-potent, highly absorbable iron
mix, with chelated Iron with DTPA (instead of usual
EDTA) that is better soluble in hard water and more
effective for chlorosis. This mix contains both EDTA +
DTPA chelated iron in higher concentration than regular
micro-elements mixes.
See all SUNSHINE
booster products in our store. For advanced
information on SUNSHINE plant boosters, history of use,
formulation, and frequently asked questions, visit our
manufacturer's website TTLaboratories.com.