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TopTropicals Newsletter / 13 Apr 2021
Todays 10 coolest plants. Barbados Cherry equal to 65 oranges. Why Avocado is not flowering? Coolest new arrivals.
"...A cat is there when you call him - if he doesn't have something better to do..."
- Bill Adler -
In the photo: Artocarpus heterophyllus - Jackfruit.
With TopTropicals huge availability of cool rare plants, sometimes it is hard to make a choice... Our customers often ask us to help them with selection. Today, we are introducing a new spotlight: Today's 10 coolest plants. These plants are specially selected by our horticulturists as winners: the most interesting, hard to find, much wanted, or simply looking awesome and in full bloom. As our thank-you to our returned customers and subscribers, they will come to your inbox with discount coupons for your WHOLE order!
Pick from Today's 10 coolest plants below and enjoy your savings!
Min order $100 excluding S&H. Exp. 4-17-21. Check out FREE shipping.
Photo of actual plants today, from top left:
10. Ficus natalensis variegata - Hearts in the Snow
9. Salvia leucantha - Mexican Bush Sage
8. Tecomaria Mango - Bright Orange Sunset
7. Cestrum nocturnum - Night blooming jasmine
6. Cymbopogon citratus - Lemon grass.
Photo of actual fruit trees for sale today, from left to right:
5. Avocado Day
4. Macadamia
3. Avocado Brogdon
2. Mango Fralan
1. Spondias purpurea - Jocote, Red Hog Plum
...If you are looing for a low-growing tropical fruit tree that's quite colorful in fruit and starts fruiting right away - plant Barbados Cherry...
...Small, bright red, berry-sized fruit has a vitamin C content up to 65 times that of an orange! A single fruit contains the minimum daily recommended vitamin C requirements...
...Barbados Cherry is very easy to grow and is generally free of pests, diseases, and any problems. It is drought tolerant and requires very little care. And the best part is, it will fruit for you right away! As small as 2" tiny plant can bear fruit!..
Q: I have 5 avocados. Three of your cold hardy varieties and two others that have all flowered and set fruit in the past. The last two years including this year, not a single one of them has put out any flowers. I am getting lots of new growth like one would expect on a tree too young to flower. The last two years have been very mild with out any damaging frost where in previous years they lost all their leaves due to frost yet started putting out flowers once winter was over. I am confused because they have all flowered and set fruit previous years. Any ideas would be appreciated.
A: From information you provided, and considering the trees get lots of full sun and cold was not an issue, the only explanation is - lack of nutrients. Here is an example.
Very common situation: you get a small 2-3 ft Avocado or Mango tree in 3 gal pot (or even smaller) from a nursery, full of flowers, and sometimes even a small fruit. You bring it home, plant it in the ground or a bigger pot, it looks happy and grows like crazy. Then next year - oops, no fruit, sometimes not even flowers. What happened?
When the tree lived in a nursery, it was provided with all necessary nutrients through the injector systems (continuous feed); or some nurseries may use top dress smart release on regular schedule. Regardless of fertilizer type, professional grower's set up delivers plant food non-stop, on regular basis, with balanced formulas. Plants are not only growing fast but also ready to produce, since nutrients are always available for a full growth cycle.
When you plant a tree in the ground (or larger pot), conditions change. They may be beneficial for the plant: lots of room for roots to establish, hence lots of vegetative growth. Even if you planted it using good quality fertile soil, this soil may contain mostly nutrients responsible for vegetative growth (branches and leaves). Chances are, your soil may be rich in Nitrogen (good for green growth), but poor in other elements responsible for flowering and fruiting (Phosphorous, Potassium, and many important micro-elements such as Molybdenum, Boron, Iron, etc.). Besides, existing soil gets exhausted quickly, and within a year a two, if you don't add fertilizer, flowering and fruiting may be reduced or even stopped. This is why fertilizing program is very important for fruit trees that are expected to bring a crop soon.
- SUNSHINE C-Cibus - Crop Nutrition Booster - balanced food for fruit trees
- SUNSHINE-Honey - sugar booster - promotes more efficient blossoming and pollination, makes flowers bigger and reduces bud drop
- SUNSHINE SuperFood - for improving fruit trees production
Also keep in mind that some fruit trees have a habit of "skipping" a year and may either produce less or not produce at all every other year. In any case, balanced nutrition program can help to fix this "bad habit".
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6669 Capsicum annuum x Capsicum chinense - Biquinho Pepper |
Grown in 6-10"/1-3 gal pot, large plant $39.00 ![]() |
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4763 Capsicum frutescens - Wiri Wiri Pepper |
Grown in 6"/1 gal pot, small plant $39.00 ![]() |
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6668 Carissa macrocarpa x Humphreyi Variegata - Variegated Natal Plum |
Grown in 6"/1 gal pot $49.00 ![]() |
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2837 Cyrtostachys lakka - Lipstick Palm, Red Sealing Wax, 1 gal |
Grown in 6"/1 gal pot $89.00 ![]() |
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6620 Monstera karstenianum Peru |
Grown in 4-6" pot $49.00 ![]() |
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6672 Philodendron rugosum aberrant - Pig Skin |
Grown in 6"/1 gal pot $149.00 ![]() |
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6661 Philodendron speciosum - King of Philodendrons |
Grown in 10"/3 gal pot $299.00 ![]() |
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6670 Alocasia cuprea - Red Secret |
Grown in 4-6" pot $169.00 ![]() |
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6671 Anthurium vittarifolium |
Grown in 4-6" pot $129.00 ![]() |
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1018 Artabotrys hexapetalus - Ylang Ylang vine |
Grown in 6"/ 1 gal pot $69.00 ![]() |
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2035 Bauhinia variegata alba (candida) - White orchid tree |
Grown in 10"/3 gal pot $44.00 ![]() |
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5241 Brugmansia Jean Pasco - Yellow Angels Trumpet |
Grown in 6"/1 gal pot, small plant $39.00 ![]() |
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1039 Brunfelsia lactea - Lady of the night |
Grown in 10"/3 gal pot $39.00 ![]() |
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5024 Burbidgea schizocheila - Voodoo Flame Ginger |
Grown in 6"/1 gal pot $39.00 ![]() |
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2543 Cassia fistula - Golden Shower Tree |
Grown in 6-10"/1-3 gal pot $49.00 ![]() |
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1360 Cassia javanica - Apple Blossom Tree |
Grown in 10"/3 gal pot $49.00 ![]() |
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3168 Chambeyronia macrocarpa - Red Feather Palm, Flame Thrower Palm |
Grown in 6"/1 gal pot $59.00 ![]() |
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4871 Crossandra undulifolia Orange Mona Wallhead |
Grown in 10"/3 gal pot $29.00 ![]() |
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6128 Duranta variegata - Variegated Sky Flower |
Grown in 6"/1 gal pot $39.00 Sale: $29.00 ![]() |
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6326 Eranthemum wattii - Blue Sage (Purple) |
Grown in 4-6" pot $34.00 ![]() |
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4755 Eucharis grandiflora - Amazon Lily |
Grown in 6"/1 gal pot $39.00 ![]() |
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1081 Eugenia uniflora - Surinam Cherry, Red fruit |
Grown in 6"/1 gal pot $39.00 ![]() |
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2056 Fagraea racemosa (blumeana) Javanica |
Grown in 10"/3 gal pot, small plant $54.00 ![]() |
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2389 Gloxinia sylvatica - Bolivian Sunset |
Grown in 6"/1 gal pot $29.00 ![]() |
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5431 Gynura procubens - Longevity Spinach |
Grown in 6"/1 gal pot $39.00 ![]() |
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4027 Hibiscus mutabilis Cotton Candy - Mallow Hibiscus |
Grown in 10"/3 gal pot $39.00 ![]() |
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3217 Leucophyllum frutescens - Texas Sage |
Grown in 10"/3 gal pot $34.00 ![]() |
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3019 Malvaviscus arboreus penduliflorus Rosea (Peach) |
Grown in 6"/1 gal pot $39.00 ![]() |
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3501 Musa - Banana Dwarf Namwah (Nam Weh) |
Grown in 10"/3 gal pot $49.00 Sale: $39.00 ![]() |
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4063 Nashia inaguensis - Moujean Tea, Bahamas Berry |
Grown in 10"/3 gal pot $47.00 ![]() |
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1189 Senecio confusus - Mexican flame vine (Pseudogynoxus chenopodiodes) |
Grown in 10"/3 gal pot $49.00 ![]() |
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3518 Senna surattensis (Cassia glauca) - Scrambled Egg Bush |
Grown in 10"/3 gal pot $39.00 ![]() |
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3319 Synsepalum dulcificum - Miracle Fruit, 1 gal pot |
Grown in 6"/1 gal pot, small plant $49.00 ![]() |
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2266 Terminalia catappa - Tropical Almond |
Grown in 6"/1 gal pot $69.00 ![]() |
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3181 Tibouchina lepidota - Jules Dwarf |
Grown in 10"/3 gal pot $34.00 ![]() |
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1382 Aphelandra sinclairiana - Panama Queen |
Grown in 6"/1 gal pot $34.00 ![]() |
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6140 Aristolochia gigantea var. Brasiliensis - Giant Pelican Flower |
Grown in 10"/3 gal pot $59.00 ![]() |
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2543 Cassia fistula - Golden Shower Tree |
Grown in 6-10"/1-3 gal pot $49.00 ![]() |
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6658 Ficus elastica Tineke |
Grown in 6"/1 gal pot $39.00 ![]() |
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4790 Macadamia integrifolia x tetraphylla - Macadamia Nut |
Grown in 10"/3 gal pot $79.00 ![]() |
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6654 Manfreda undulata - Chocolate Chips |
Grown in 6"/1 gal pot $39.00 Sale: $29.00 ![]() |
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4174 Morus sp. - Mulberry, Dwarf Everbearing |
Grown in 10"/3 gal pot $69.00 ![]() |
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1181 Psidium guajava - Guava Ruby Supreme |
Grown in 10" / 3 gal pot $79.00 ![]() |
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1391 Pyrostegia venusta - Flame Vine |
Grown in 10"/3 gal pot $39.00 ![]() |
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1193 Spondias purpurea - Jocote, Red Hog Plum |
Grown in 10"/3 gal pot $79.00 ![]() |
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1170 Persea americana - Avocado Day, Grafted |
Grown in 10"/3 gal pot $89.00 ![]() |
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4113 Persea americana - Avocado Brogdon, 3 gal pot, Grafted |
Grown in 6-10"/1-3 gal pot $89.00 ![]() |
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3690 Mangifera indica - Fralan Mango, Grafted |
Grown in 10"/3 gal pot $89.00 ![]() |