Garden Blog - Top Tropicals
Date: 18 Mar 2019
Featured plant. Sauromatum (Typhonium) venosum - Voodoo Lily
Sauromatum (Typhonium) venosum - Voodoo Lily
Rare Amorphophallus ralative, Typhonium venosum (Sauromatum venosum), is
a common shade-loving house or garden plant from temperate and tropical
Africa and Asia. This plant is also known as the Voodoo Bulb because of its
ability to flower from a corm without soil and water. Tuberous perennial with
solitary, segmented round leaf and strange, arum-like flower. Rare collectable,
it is a showy exotic container plant.
Typhonium grows to around 20 inches tall from an underground corm. A
large corm can spawn multiple new corms. Inflorescences emerge before the
leaves. An inflorescence has a purplish-brown-spotted, yellowish spathe and a
purplish-brown spadix which emit a strong odor perceived as similar to cow
manure, rotting flesh, or a dirty wet dog, depending on who smells the
inflorescence ;) The odor lasts only a day and attracts carrion-feeding insects which can
pollinate this plant.
Plants we have in stock, have tubers 1-2"in diameter. The plant goes
dormant in winter and starts sprouting in March-April. Keep soil slightly
moist but not wet, and wait for the magic leaf to pop up... The plant should
flower within a year or two.
Date: 18 Mar 2019
Cocoa plant after winter
Q: I purchased the Theobroma cacao two months ago. The leaves are wilting from the edges. Do you think this from not enough water, too much water or not enough sunlight? I am keeping the plant indoors.
A: During winter time, Cocoa plants even inside our greenhouse look the same. Dry tips of the leaves are normal for this time of the year. It is a combination of lower temperatures and low humidity that causes it. Indoors air humidity is especially low. Weather permitting, bring plant outside in the bright shade, when temperatures are above 65F. Humidifier and water-spraying will help too. You may put the plant on top of a tray with pebbles/water. Do not overwater - extra watering is not a substitute for high humidity. As spring comes, Cocoa plants start looking greener and grow new healthy leaves.
Date: 15 Mar 2019
Save Coffee from extinct!
The most popular kind of coffee for commercial production, Coffea arabica, is already on the endangered species list. According to research, Coffea arabica plant could become extinct in as little as 60 years.
Coffee requires a forest habitat for its survival. With so much deforestation going on around the world, wild coffee species are being impacted at an alarming rate. Coffee plants grow in very specific natural habitats, so rising temperatures and increased rainfall brought by climate change can make coffee impossible to grow in places the plants once thrived.
Read the whole article
See video: Top Tropicals Showcase: Coffee plant
To reserve a cup of coffee for yourself and your children, plant the Coffee tree now!
Date: 15 Mar 2019
Spring mulching
Q: When do I start re-mulching my garden? Should I wait till summer?
A: It is time now to get ready for the growing season when not
only plants start growing, but weeds as well. To protect your garden from
unwanted invasives, keep a thick layer of mulch in areas around tree trunks and
shrubs.
Heavily mulch your garden at least once a year, at springtime. Add
mulch during the year as needed.
After mowing your lawn, use cut grass (hay) as a mulch around trees.
Hay is the best natural mulch, it compresses well after the rain or watering
and becomes very dense - weeds won't grow through it. You may cover it with
some colored mulch of your choice for a more attractive look.
Mulching is also helpful for retaining water for root systems, so
plants will require less frequent watering.
Date: 12 Mar 2019
Spring tips
Once temperatures stay above 65F, growing season starts for tropical plants.
1. Increase watering as soon as you see new buds opening and new leaves growing
2. Trim all dead or damaged wood 1-2 inches above new growth
3. Apply the following treats to make your plants happy:
- granulated balanced fertilizer
- SUNSHINE Superfood microelements as foliar spray for healthy growth, profuse flowering, and disease/bug resistance
- SUNSHINE-E to help plants come out of dormancy faster and increase metabolism. 100 ml bottles and 50 ml bottles available for large plant collections.
- SUNSHINE-Honey to fruit trees so you can enjoy sweeter and bigger fruit later this year
4. If nights are still chilly, take potted plants outside to enjoy the afternoon sun and bring them back indoors for the night.