Edible Landscape: fruit bearing hedge

Photo above: Biquinho Pepper (2 months old plant)

Q: My mom had to remove a hedge for some renovations and after being heartbroken about losing my little bird haven, I've decided to plan on a fruit bearing hedge that offers some privacy and places for the little fledgling to wait for food. Any suggestions? I was thinking blueberries or citrus but open to any ideas.

A: Below are a few suggestions for a fruit bearing hedge planted with fast-growing, tropical species. They will contribute to a nice edible landscape for both your family and the birds - they will be very happy!

Larger size hedge (small trees), grows full-size within 1 season:
- Loquats
- Dwarf Mulberries (very cold hardy too) such as Dwarf Everbearing

Medium size hedge (shrubs or vines), 2-3 seasons to grow full size:
- Black Surinam Cherry Lolita
- Blackberries and raspberries

Low hedge (4-5 ft tall, 1 season, fast growing):
- Biquinho Pepper
- Wiri Wiri Pepper

Citrus is probably not a good idea, not bird's favorite, and blueberries require a special acidic soil here in Florida, so they will need extra maintenance, special soil, and heavy mulching.

Blackberry hedge

Surinam Cherry Lolita, 2 year old plant

Loquat (5 years old bushy specimen)

How to fertilize herbs and vegetables

Q: We moved to Florida from New York earlier this year. My wife and I used to grow many fresh veggies and herbs in our garden up North during Summer, but it seems like in hot Florida the season for them is not until Fall. So we are preparing the beds and also looking for some organic fertilizer solutions. We've heard a lot about your natural Boosters and wonder if they can be used in our vegetable garden?

A: You came to the right place for organic fertilizer solution. Sunshine Boosters are based on organic amino-acids and are completely natural, non-toxic, eco-friendly, and do not build up nutrients in the soil. Their mild formulas designed specifically for edibles.
We just have started our own vegetable garden with some Biquinho and Wiri Wiri peppers, cherry tomatoes, and basil, and will be adding more as the the weather cools down.
For small scale gardens (both vegetables and herbs), you can start with Sunshine Robusta - a total feed "all on one". All necessary elements are provided in just one bottle, both macro- and micro-elements, it is a scientifically balanced formula. For larger gardens, especially if you have fertilizer injector system, we recommend Sunshine Boosters Pro Series - this product is much more economical, and you will need to mix only 3 solutions into your watering tank at the time of watering.
For more information, please contact our Booster guy Ed Jones, he can help you with selection and dosage information. Sample Discount program is available for samples of Sunshine Pro.

Jasmine for a fence

In the photo: Jasmine Maid of Orleans

Q:We are looking for a jasmine variety without thorns that we can grow on a wire fence...

A: All true jasmines (Jasminum spp.) are thornless. So you are safe to get anyone you like. The most vigorous, fast growing jasmines that grow into a vine, are:
Jasminum dichotomum
Jasminum pubescens
Jasminum nitidum
Jasminum officinale
Jasminum sambac Maid of Orleans - the most fragrant!

In the photos: Jasminum nitidum (Star Jasmine)

Leonotis leonurus:
Lion cub's tails looking out of a tall grass...

by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

...When you drive along the savannah and veld of South Africa, you can see a groups of lion's cubs running among the tall savannah grass. Their ears look out of the grass as bright cheerful spots. The tips of their tails swing by the wind with the grass where the cubs hide. Why so many Lion's cubs? What a surprise! However, these are not the cubs of the King of Animals, these are the tips of pretty flowers endemic to this region...
...A curious thing, the plant continues growing through the flower! This creates a multi-level appearance...
...Leonotis has a long history of medicinal use by traditional African tribes... This plant has a history of being used for its psychoactive properties which have been compared to a mild version of the Cannabis plant... Modern herbal medicine mainly uses this plant for a calming tea infusion...

CONTINUE READING >>

In the photo: Mr B stays calm with his Lion's Ears...

Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster

Fertilizing in Winter

Q: I have many tropical plants in my garden, both in the ground and in pots. I realize it is wintertime and some of them, the Hydrangea, Hibiscuses, and roses are in bloom but the rest of them seem wilty and droopy. Is it alright to fertilize them now, or should I wait for a few days? I have an all purpose tropical fertilizer and a 20-20-20 also. Please advise what to do.

A: During wintertime, tropicals may suffer from low temperatures and lack of sunshine which causes droopy leaves, and leaf loss.
Regardless of the cause and plant condition, you should NEVER apply traditional dry fertilizers during cool months. When cold, dry fertilizers (EDTA-chelated) may create nutrient lock up in soil and damage the roots. Dry fertilizers (both granulated and water-soluble) can be used only during hot season - when min temperatures stay above 65F for at least a week in a row, and daytime temperatures are over 75-80F. During hot, active growth season plant metabolism increases. This provides less chance for a chemical root burn, as the nutrients are used up quickly.

However, liquid fertilizers, as long as they are amino-acid based, can be used year round. From our own experience last winter, we discovered that fertilizing sickly looking plants (with signs of cold damage and root issues) with Sunshine Boosters actually revived those plants. Sunshine Boosters even brought back to life some hopeless specimens. Take a look at this gardenia that grows in our garden (picture above). See full article.
In your case, it would be beneficial to use a mild formula of liquid boosters in combination with Sunshine Epi -a natural plant hormone that boost their growth and helps to cope with cold-, temperature- and low-light-related stress.

These are the products we recommend:
- Sunshine Bombino - add to every watering
- Sunshine Epi - twice a month as foliage spray

Since you grow plants in pots, feeding program is especially essential, because plants are limited with a container size where roots can't reach out to more food in the outer soil. In professional nursery set up with injector irrigation systems, container plants are fed daily (depending on season, more than once a day) with every watering. This is why greenhouse plants are so healthy looking.
So feel free to give your plants Sunshine boosters with every watering, dozing according to the label. During cold period, plants need less frequent watering, so fertilizer input will be balanced accordingly, it will depend on temperature and plant metabolism.