Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 12 Aug 2025

Six guava varieties that will keep you picking year-round

Tropical Guava - Psidium guajava

🍉 Six guava varieties that will keep you picking year-round

🍉 Everyone loves guava! Sweet, fragrant, and packed with flavor. At TopTropicals, we have a whole guava forest, with varieties for every space and taste: Tropical Guava - Psidium guajava.

🍉 Why we love Guava?

💋Fast-growing and sun-loving
💋Thrives with plenty of water but handle short droughts
💋Starts producing right away - no years of waiting
💋Abundant fruit harvests
💋Perfect for containers or small gardens

🍉 What are the best Guava varieties? Our favorites are:

💋Dwarf Guava - stays under 6 feet but produces full-sized fruit.
💋Honeymoon Variegated - leaves and fruit have variegated patterns, turning golden when ripe.
💋Barbie Pink - pear-shaped yellow fruit with thick pink flesh, low in pectin, perfect for fresh eating or juice. Larger than Ruby Supreme and cold-hardy for a tropical fruit.
💋Hong Kong (Hawaiian) - large, round fruit with smooth pink skin, sweet flavor, and few seeds. Very productive, with a spreading growth habit.
💋Kilo White - huge fruit (up to 1 kilo = 2 lbs) with soft white flesh and few seeds. Great container plant, fruits even when small.
💋Tikal - compact tree with yellow-skinned, pink-fleshed fruit. Fruits year-round and starts young. Great for beginners.

🍉 Health boost in every bite:

Guava is one of the richest sources of vitamin C – even more than oranges. It’s loaded with antioxidants, fiber, potassium, and lycopene, which support immunity, heart health, and digestion.

🍉 Whether you’ve got space for a tree in the yard or just a container on the patio, a guava will reward you with beauty, fragrance, and sweet fruit in no time.

🛒 Pick your guava variety

📚 Learn more:

How to grow a Guava Tree: Practical Guide to Growing Guava
More about #Guava

#Food_Forest #Guava #Discover

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Date: 10 Sep 2025

Pitaya vs Dragon fruit - what is the difference and how to grow it?

Pitaya vs Dragon fruit - what is the difference and how to grow it?

🌵 Pitaya vs Dragon fruit - what is the difference and how to grow it?

🍉 Pitaya and Dragon Fruit are the same plant!
Both names refer to climbing cacti in the genus Hylocereus. The word pitaya is more common in Latin America, while dragon fruit is the name used in Asia and English-speaking countries. They come in different types: white-fleshed (Hylocereus undatus), red-fleshed (Hylocereus costaricensis), and yellow-skinned (Hylocereus, or Selenicereus megalanthus). All share the same growth habit and care needs. Pitaya or dragon fruit - whichever name you use, it's one of the easiest exotic fruits to grow at home.

🍉 How to grow Dragon Fruit

Get a desired variety or start from a cutting - let the cut end dry for a few days before planting to prevent rot.
Plant in well-draining soil with lots of sun.
Give it a strong support to climb on - it's a vining cactus.
Water deeply but let the soil dry between waterings.
Flowers open at night and need pollination - some types are self-fertile, others need cross-pollination.
With care, you can enjoy fruit in 1-2 years. Remember to ferilize!

🍉 Dragon fruit varieties

🔴 ⚪️ Red skin, white flesh (Hylocereus undatus) - The most popular type, and the biggest fruit. Mildly sweet, refreshing, and often compared to a kiwi crossed with a pear.
Varieties: David Bowie, Delight, Hana, Lake Atitlan, Seoul Kitchen, Vietnamese Jaina, Hana

🔴🔴 Red skin, red flesh (Hylocereus costaricensis) - Sweeter, juicier, and more intense in flavor. The deep red juice can stain, but it’s loaded with antioxidants.
Varieties: American Beauty, Bloody Mary, Eureka Red, Costa Rican Sunset, Mac Edwin, Halleys Comet, Mac Edwin, Makisupa, Mega Red, Physical Graffiti, Sweet Red

🔴🟣 Red flesh, purple/magenta flesh (Hylocereus x costaricensis) - Hybrids, usually between red and white varieties.
Varieties: Cosmic Charlie, Edgar's Baby, Halleys Comet, Natural Mystic, Physical Graffiti, Purple Haze, Tricia, Voodoo Child, Zamorano

🟡⚪️ Yellow skin, white flesh (Hylocereus, or Selenicereus megalanthus) - Smaller fruit, but the sweetest of all. Crisp, juicy, and tropical with notes of pineapple or honey.
Varieties: Amarilla (Kirin), Colimbiana, Godlen Dragon, Palora, Thai Gold (Hawaiian)

Each type looks stunning and tastes slightly different, but all are easy to grow once you give them sun, support, and patience.

🛒 Explore and collect Dragon Fruit varieties

📚 Learn more:

· How to grow Dragon Fruit from a cutting - Quick Guide
· How to grow Dragon Fruit 📱
· Planting your own Dragon Fruit plantation
· Do-It-Yourself Support Structure for Dragon Fruit
· Grow Your Own Exotic Dragon Fruit Garden
· Top 10 fruit you'll ever need for your health benefits: Dragon fruit
· What does Dragon Fruit Flower look like?
· Why you need to grow your own dragon fruit
· Do red, white and yellow Dragon fruit taste differently?
· What to do with a lot of Dragon Fruit

#Food_Forest #How_to #Dragon_Fruit

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Date: 11 Oct 2025

What fruit contains an enzyme that is used as a meet tenderizer?

Papaya - Carica papaya

🍊 What fruit contains an enzyme that is used as a meet tenderizer?

✔️ Papaya (Carica papaya) is more than just a tropical treat - it's a natural digestive aid packed with powerful enzymes. The most famous one, papain, is so effective at breaking down proteins that it's actually used as a meat tenderizer! That same enzyme helps your body digest food more efficiently, easing bloating and supporting gut health.

✔️ Beyond its digestive superpowers, papaya is rich in vitamins A and C, making it a strong ally for your immune system and skin. It’s a fast-growing, space-saving tree that starts producing fruit within a year, and dwarf varieties can fit even in small gardens or containers.

✔️ For home gardeners, dwarf papayas are quickly becoming favorites. These compact varieties grow beautifully in containers, making them perfect for patios, greenhouses, or small yards. Even in cooler climates, they can thrive with a bit of protection. This season’s top picks are TR Hovey, Lady Red, and Wang Deng.

✔️ Papayas are endlessly versatile in the kitchen - enjoy them fresh as a dessert, blended into smoothies, tossed into salads, or even used in cooking.

✔️ Fun fact: the fruit and even the leaves can be used to tenderize meat naturally. Sweet fruit, strong plant, easy to grow - papaya really does it all!

📚 Learn more:

🟡more about #Papaya
🟡 Why your gut is begging for papaya
🟡 How to grow tons of fruit in limited space - it's incredible!
🟡 Carefree Garden: practical Guide to Growing Papaya.

🛒 Grow your own meat tenderizer - Papaya

#Food_Forest #Papaya

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Date: 20 Nov 2023

Growing Dreams and Happiness:
A Decade at Top Tropicals

By Kristi VanBenschoten,
Top Tropicals Manager

"The purpose of agriculture is not the production of food,
but the perfection of human beings"
- Masanoby Fukuoka -

Working with Top Tropicals for the past decade, I frequently hear heartwarming comments from customers like, "Oh, wow, this place is breathtaking," "You must adore working here," "Isn't it marvelous to be in harmony with nature every day?"

The truth is, yes, all these sentiments hold true, and I genuinely cherish every single one of these comments; however... If you were to inquire about my most cherished aspect of working here, I would have to say that my absolute favorite part is when a husband calls and says:

"My wife and I embarked on a honeymoon five years ago, and we stumbled upon this exotic wonder called Helicona Lobster Claw. My wife was captivated by it. I would love to surprise her with one for our upcoming anniversary. Do you happen to have them?.."

...Or when a bereaved wife sends an email, expressing:

"My beloved husband recently departed, and he held a deep affection for Gardenias. I wish to plant one in our front yard as a living tribute to his memory. Could you kindly recommend one?..."

Or, it could be the heartwarming scene of a new father visiting with his young son, exclaiming:

"I have a dream of creating a bountiful food forest for my children with fruit and other edibles. I want them to experience the enchantment of watching food grow and to impart the wisdom of cultivating it. Can you guide me in this endeavor?"

Or the passionate plant collector who has spent years on a quest to acquire that one elusive specimen, the final piece of their adored collection. We spare no effort in locating it, and when we succeed, it fills me with an indescribable joy!

You see, here at Top Tropicals, we don't merely sell plants; we trade in precious memories, lofty aspirations, and vivid visions for a brighter future. We deal in dreams. These dreams are nurtured in pots with a touch of fertile soil and an abundance of love. This is the essence of what makes Top Tropicals so special to me:

We Grow Happinessâ€¦

Explore Top Tropicals

Date: 27 Jul 2023

How cats eat pineapples

TikTok Reels from TopTropicals

Our PeopleCats love roaming in the gardens. They often guide customers in our Garden Center, and their favorite isle is fruit trees! At this time of the year, Pineapples are ripening, and these fruit are always fun for both people and PeopleCats.

In this short video, Philemon and Scooby are discovering new tastes of Pineapple varieties.

More to see: Watch Philemon eating Avocado!

Discover more exotic plants and fun garden happenings from our TikTok updates!

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