Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 8 Sep 2021

Fertilizer and the Fall Garden

by Ed Jones, the Booster Guy

...Well Labor Day has come and gone. Summer is winding down and depending on where you live, thoughts are now turning to pumpkin spice, witches, fall decor and gardening. Wait, did I just say gardening? Yes, if you live in the deep south, and I do, it is time to think about fall gardening and fertilizer. Even those of you in the north can put in a few quick crops now for fall. Think onions, radishes, lettuce and other greens and of course, garlic...

Next month, we can start putting out our plants that do better in cooler weather. We will put out some beans and of course cabbage. We may do some potatoes too. What do you like to grow?
But what about fertilizer? Glad you asked. Now, most of us have our favorite brand of fertilizer. Some of us had some secret fertilzers that we used in the past. For me it was composted alpaca manure. Yes, we raised alpacas in the north, but that is another story for another day....

...Once the temperatures have begun to drop, it is better to use a good liquid fertilizer. The one I will be using this year is SUNSHINE Robusta. SUNSHINE Robusta is an organic amino acid based liquid fertilizer that is safe to use with every watering. It uses amino acids to chelate (bind) micro-nutrients and makes it easier for plants to take them up from the soil. Most fertilizers use EDTA to chelate their micro-nutrients and plants must use about 4 times more energy to break them down than they do with SUNSHINE Boosters. This means that your plants will have more energy to put into growth. And isn't that what we are after?
With Special Seasonal price for 16 oz bottle reduced to only $19 with FREE shipping, this is your best choice of organic, safe fertilizer for your vegetable garden!..

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Date: 8 Sep 2021

Nepenthes: Deadly Traps of Monkey Cups

by Alex Butova, the Witch of Herbs and Cats

...The name "monkey cups" refers to the fact that monkeys were once thought to drink rainwater from the pitchers. This is false; monkeys do not drink from them, and the pitchers are filled with digestive juices, rather than rainwater. The trap contains a fluid of the plant's own production, which may be watery or more viscous, and is used to drown the prey...
...The lower part of the trap contains glands which absorb nutrients from captured prey. Along the upper inside part of the trap is a slick, waxy coating which makes the escape of its prey nearly impossible...
...Prey usually consists of insects, but the largest Nepenthes species may occasionally catch small vertebrates, such as rats and lizards. Records of cultivated plants trapping small birds have been made!..

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Date: 29 Aug 2021

Those mouthwatering Blackberries...

Blackberry Patch Bundle Exclusive Collection

Two Collections of Superior Blackberry Varieties, well adopted to tropical and subtropical climates. Mouth watering, all time favorite fruit will be always with you - these plants are so easy to grow!

Blackberry Patch Bundle Exclusive Collection - buy 3 get 2 free.
The Collection includes 5 blackberry varieties: Navaho, Osage, Ouachita, Triple Crown Thornless, Iceberg White Blackberry.

Blackberry Patch Bundle Premier Collection - buy 3 get 2 free.
The Collection includes 5 blackberry varieties: Arapaho, Caddo, Kiowa, Natchez, and Prime-Ark Freedom.

Mouth Watering High Protein Blackberry Cobbler

Ingredients

25g light butter
45g self-rising flour
33g vanilla whey
20g egg whites
50g almond or cashew milk
75g blackberries
Stevia/Splenda to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt butter half-way so it's just warm, not hot. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except for blackberries. Pour into a 4-5" ramekin sprayed with Pam. Sprinkle blackberries on top of batter and bake for 15-20 minutes. It's best slightly gooey on the inside (not completely cooked). Enjoy!

Date: 29 Aug 2021

Tropical Fruit Collections

September is a great month to plant. The soil is warm and the air is beginning to get cooler which helps to encourage new roots to grow. For much of the Country, September typically brings more opportunity for additional rain and moisture, allowing you to water less. Take advantage of this time of year to establish new plants in your gardens!

Tropical Fruit Starter Collection

Tropical Fruit Starter Collection - 4 plants for price of 2.
Tropical Fruit Starter set for half price! Rare tropical fruit trees that are easy to grow even for beginners. Start today to get fruit of your labor tomorrow! The Collection includes 1 of each: Fig, Banana, Mulberry, and Pomegranate.
Ficus carica - Fig Brown Turkey
Musa - Banana Double Mahoi
Morus sp. - Mulberry, Dwarf Everbearing
Punica granatum - Pomegranate var. Eversweet

Super Foods Bundle

Super Foods Bundle Collection - 4 plants for price of 2
Super Foods Bundle for half price! Get health foods right from your backyard. Start today to get healthy tomorrow! The Collection includes 1 of each: Goji Berry, Spice Ginger, Pomegranate, Tropical Asparagus (Katuk).
Lycium barbarum - Goji Berry
Zingiber officinale - Spice Ginger
Punica granatum - Pomegranate var. Eversweet
Sauropus androgynus - Katuk, Tropical Asparagus

Rare Fruit Collection

Rare Fruit Collection - 4 rare plants for half price.
Rare Fruit Set for Real Collectors - for half price! Hard to find, much wanted species all at once at low cost! Limited time offer. The Collection includes 1 of each: Chocolate Tree, Vietnamese Pepper, Peanut Butter Tree, Jackfruit.
Theobroma cacao - Chocolate tree
Piper sarmentosum - Vietnamese Pepper, Lalot
Bunchosia argentea - Peanut Butter Tree
Artocarpus heterophyllus - Jackfruit Super Thai

Date: 22 Aug 2021

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.