Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster

How to fertilize Caladiums and other Aroids

By Ed Jones, the Booster Guy

Q: I have a large collection of Aroid plants, different Monsteras, Philodendrons, and several unique varieties of Caladiums. I've been always told that Caladiums should not be fertilized, they don't like it. Is it so?

A: Caladium farmers often say that these plants don't need any additional fertilizer and that they really don't like it... The thing is, caladiums do not like DRY fertilizers, and this is why. Most Aroid plants do not like being watered too often, so dry fertilizers in combination with infrequent watering create excessive salinity for the root system. We have run some tests on the proper fertilizers for caladiums and the best results were performed after using SUNSHINE Robusta. It is amino acid based, so the delicate, large-leaved Aroid plants will not have to work quite so hard to take up the nutrients, and there will be no nutrient lock up in soil. The nutrients are readily available to these plants.
In this article, you will see some test results of caladiums fertilized with SUNSHINE Robusta vs. other brands of fertilizer, with more vigorous growth and larger leaf size occurring after use of Sunshine Robusta...

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Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster

Pineapple Season is Here!

Pineapple season is here and people often ask, "how do you get them to grow?" Well, the answer is simple really. One method involves cutting the top off a pineapple, prepping it and then planting it. You can find several different ways to do this with a short Google search. Of course the easiest way is to purchase plants that have already been started. You can do that here...

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Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster

Meet our new Booster Guy

Plants need food too! Our line of Complete Plant Nutrition system - Sunshine Boosters - will give your plants exactly what they need, and nothing they don't! The boosters are easy to use, and -

ON SALE NOW with FREE shipping

- as a part of our 4th of July specials!

We have a new team member to help you learn more about Sunshine Boosters and how they can make your plants grow healthy and fast.
Meet Ed Jones - our new Booster Guy! Ed will be your contact for all Sunshine Boosters questions, he will help you with fertilizer product selection and ordering.

Soon we will introduce some new fun stuff... including: new advanced formulas, and cool electronics for ultimate control of your plant collections, gardens, greenhouses, and groves... Stay connected!

MORE ABOUT ED >>

Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster

How to prevent mango flowers drop

Q:The mango blossoms my tree had in February have blown off due to weather conditions. Do you know what I can do to prevent this from happening again in the future?

A: The only "guarantee" to protect mango flowers from cold weather damage here in Florida is to plant a LATE flowering variety. Generally, mango trees are winter bloomers. Those varieties called "early season" start flowering in January (for example, Nam Doc Mai), and of course very often they get affected by cold, so they drop. Some varieties are so called "late season" - for example Venus. They start flowering in spring when the weather conditions are more favorable.
Another thing that may help you with mango flower drop is applying plant micro-element supplement Sunshine-Honey - it contains Molybdenum and Boron, which help flower and fruit development/strength and prevent their drop.

Read more: Boosting Mango Flowers and Fruit.

Healthy Plants: Q&A from Mr Booster

Healthy Heliconia Leaves?

Q: I purchased a heliconia from you a couple months ago. The new growth seems to be doing fairly well, however some of the larger leaves are discoloring around the edges then drying up. It's potted in a large pot with potting soil with 3 holes in the bottom to help with drainage in partial sun under a Royal Palm facing northwest. I'm here in Ft Myers. I was previously watering it every other day with your rapid growth fertilizer 1 tbsp per gallon but I have cut that back to once or twice a week. Please let me know your thoughts.

A: Heliconias and Gingers tend to develop dry leaves if grown in pots, especially ceramic or clay pots, because soil in such pots dries out too fast. These dry leaves are not caused by fertilizer, and you can see lots of new healthy green growth. The plant overall seem to be healthy. Continue fertilizing it with liquid Sunshine Robusta that is great for all wide-leaf tropical species, promotes green, lush foliage, and do not use any additional dry fertilizers!
Another suggestion, try to move the plant in more shady spot. Right now it sits in pretty bright light, this may be OK for established plants in the ground, but potted heliconias are very sensitive to hot sun. They get leaf burn easily.