You can have them... We can ship!
Whether you live in Tropical Florida or Downtown New York,
you can grow tropical plants and enjoy the beauty of
fragrant flowers and exotic fruit. Bring some happiness
into your life and let us do the rest - grow these plants
for you and give you some advice how to keep them happy.
Stay updated with TopTropicals Videos by
subscribing to our channel at YouTube.com/TopTropicals and
get our latest video news of what is fruiting and
blooming!
Q:
Many refer to Astronomical Spring on March 20, as the
first "official" day of spring. But some will argue that
spring begins a few weeks before, on March 1st. When does
the Spring begin?
A:
Most people consider the first day of spring to be the
Spring Equinox, which will start this year at 12:15 p.m.
EDT, March 20th. This is because, astronomically speaking,
the sun is directly overhead of the Equator as the Earths
tilt begins to point the northern hemisphere towards the
sun.
As the earth rotates around the Sun, the Sun will be
situated directly overhead at mid-day at different times
of the year. The Vernal (Spring) Equinox is the day the
Sun is again highest in the sky at noon over the equator
as the apex progresses north. The day the Sun is straight
up at noon over the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn (23.5
degrees N and S latitude) are the summer and winter
solstices, respectively. Many refer to Astronomical Spring
on March 20, as the first "official" day of spring. Most
meteorologists say that spring begins a few weeks before,
on March 1st, because they observe seasons over different
time periods. Meteorological spring began March 1, summer
begins June 1, fall begins on September 1 and winter
begins on December 1.
Q:
We were just in Australia where guava juice was available
in the markets. Pretty sure I can grow different varieties
of Guava's here, as I have 3 already, but wondering if it
would be psidium guajava or littorale as the best bet for
making the pink juice we enjoyed. Thanks so much, your
plants are so healthy when they arrive!
A:
Both species are used for commercial juice making. We grow
lots of Psidium littorale - Cattley
Guava, Strawberry Guava - and we make delicious juice. Psidium guajava - Tropical
Guava, Guajava - is less juicy, fruit is somewhat dry, but
it still has a great flavor; you may need to add water to
blended pulp. And sugar - add it to both kinds of fruit!
"Dirty"
fruit: According to the Environmental Working Group
research, Strawberries are top the list of the 12
"dirtiest" fruits and vegetables grown commercially.
Spinach is the second, followed by (in order of
contamination) nectarines, apples, grapes, peaches,
cherries, pears, tomatoes, celery, potatoes and sweet bell
peppers. Each of these foods tested positive for pesticide
residues and contained higher concentrations of pesticides
than other produce. This causes of course chronic health
implications. Children are of special concern as younger
bodies have greater susceptibility to pesticides than
adult bodies, the report emphasizes. Pesticides may induce
chronic health complications in children, including neuro-
and behavioral problems, birth defects, allergies, asthma,
and even cancer...
"Clean
15": Avocados lead 2018's clean fruits and
veggies list, that also includes: mangoes, papayas, pineapples, kiwi, sweet corn, cabbage,
onions, frozen sweet peas, asparagus, eggplant, honeydew
melon, cantaloupe, cauliflower and broccoli.
Obviously, home grown fruit and vegetables are even
better. Such fruit as Custard Apples, Sapodilla, Sapote, Jackfruit, Dragon Fruit, Passion Fruit and other rare
varieties of tropical fruit, are even better for you
because they are not grown commercially, and the choice
from your own organic garden is the healthiest for
yourself and your family!
Plant them today and get your cleanest fruit tomorrow!
Q:
I am looking for a special mango called Fralan. It is the
most popular mango in Vietnam where I am from. Do you have
this variety?
A:Fralan is a relatively new
variety of Mango, originated from Thailand, with green
skin. In Thai, "Fralan" means "Thunder" - as the fruit
cracks when peeled. It also has another meaning
"Foreigner" as people from the West seem to speak too loud
for Thai ears. This mango has no turpentine aftertaste
unlike some other varieties. Its flavor is superior. The
flat seed is similar to Nam Doc Mai, it has no seed coat
which is a good advantage, leaves more room for flesh and
makes it easier to eat.
Fralan can be eaten:
a) when green - it is crunchy, sweet, producing cracking
sounds (=Thunder)
b) when yellow (fully ready) - very soft, no fiber
whatsoever
The tree is early-middle harvesting season depending on
climate and has a DWARF habit! Which make is excellent
choice for potting culture. See full list of Mango varieties
from our store.
Q:
We love your website and products. Do you have mango trees
with different types grafted on one? We live in Hawaii and
have space for an interesting mango.
A:
Here is the truth about multi-grafted mangos. It is the
same issue as with multi-grafted citrus (so-called "fruit
cocktail trees"). In most cases, multi-grafted fruit trees
look beautiful and healthy for the first couple years if
that long. What happens next - the most vigorous variety
will take over others and eventually all other grafts will
die off or those branches stay retarded without sufficient
production. There is a solution though, if you have
limited space and still want to have several varieties to
enjoy. Plant 2-3-4 desired varieties into 1 hole! Of
course production of each tree will reduce due to the
crowded situation, but overall crop will be as much as
from one big tree. And you will have all kinds of tastes
to enjoy! Very often trunks of such trees grow in
together, but because of having separate root systems, all
trees will remain equally strong and vigorous.
Q:
I am thinking about buying a Gardenia as a present for my
mother's garden in Florida. What is the difference between
grafted and non-grafted gardenias?
A:
Gardenias are one of our finest shrubs, growing to a
height of about six feet in warmer areas of the United
States. They have very attractive, shiny evergreen leaves
that are about four inches long and, each spring-summer,
produce the loveliest of white flowers that are
delightfully scented. In areas with alkaline soils, like
Florida, only grafted gardenias can be planted in the
ground: graft provides nematode resistance, tolerance to
poor, sandy and alkaline soils, and healthy, dark green
foliage. Grafted varieties have rootstock of Gardenia
thunbergia - the most resistant species of all gardenias.
Dioscorea
elephantipes. Dioscorea is a curious plant
with tuber above ground level covered with layers of corky
bark, resembling a caudex. It is a slow growing, very
unusual succulent. Tuber contains saponins, originally
cooked and eaten as a famine food by the Hottentots.
Caudex that grows up to 6’ in nature, resembling an
elephant's foot and looks as if it is segmented into
geometric patterns (smaller plants look like tortoises)
and looks dead but is actually a living tuber. A plant
with 18" caudex can be almost 100 years old! The plant
grows into a vine with attractive heart-shaped leaves and
small yellow flowers. Culture is relatively easy. The
vines may die back and regrow several times a year,
depending on the particular plant and your region. The
plant doesn't send down deep roots, so plant in a shallow
pot about 1" larger than the diameter than the caudex. Potting soil should be very
porous/loose so that there is easy drainage. Water
well around the edges. Keep in a warm area and wait for
the first shoots of the vine to appear. Water regularly
from that point on. The plant should not be kept damp as
with other tropical plants. Allow it to dry before
watering again. Many books will say that they are winter
growers, because they are native to the southern
hemisphere. In fact, they grow in all seasons! Let the
plant be your guide. You cannot force them to grow, and
over watering will simply cause them to rot.
Elephant Foot is a collectors item, but remarkably easy to
grow. It will be with you for years with no effort. It is
a wonderful conversation piece! See more info about Dioscorea
elephantipes.
Q:
I have recently moved from New Jersey to Florida (Orlando
area) and I am so excited to start my own Tropical
Paradise Garden! A few years ago I visited Hawaii and saw
many beautiful colorful Bougainvilleas as well as fragrant
Frangipani. Do they grow well in Florida? These are
flowers of my dream!
A:
Both Bougainvillea and Plumeria grow well in most
parts of Florida, especially South and Southwest.
Bougainvillea can tolerate some light freeze and can be
seen in the streets of Central Florida (young plants
require some cold protection for the first year), so it is
a very good candidate for your new garden. Keep in mind
that unlike in Hawaii, where they bloom year around,
Bougainvilleas tend to have a distinctive flowering season
which in Florida is winter time - these plants enjoy dry
weather that triggers their bloom. To enjoy Bright
bougainvillea flowers for a long time, apply balanced fertilizer, prune
regularly (this promotes flowering on new growth) and keep
established plants on a dry side. Dwarf cultivar Pixie is super compact and
can be grown in pots or in a small garden without any
pruning! See photo of Pixie on the left. Plumerias, all-time perfume
favorites and symbols of Hawaii, are also residents of
many gardens and collections throughout state of Florida.
Their cold hardiness is close to the one of Bougainvillea,
however keep young plants protected from frost. There are
also many new exciting cultivars including multiple
"rainbow" colors, and several dwarf varieties, some of
them are evergreen - Plumeria obtusa. Plumerias
are very undemanding and can stay happy and blooming in a
pot and without regular watering. Give them as much sun as
possible, and enjoy the fragrance for many months!
SUNSHINE boosters for recovering
plants after shipping
Q:
I live in Garden City, NJ and have a sun room with a
tropical plant collection that I keep at about 40-45
degrees in winter. I used Sunshine booster during winter
for my plant collection and results were amazing! I
haven't lost a single plant. Now I see you have more
products and I am planning to purchase more plants, how
should I use Sunshine boosters to help plants recover
after shipping?
A:
Spray SUNSHINE-E solution right after receiving a plant
from shipping. It will boost up the plant and make it
50-60% stronger and easier to recover after shipping
stress. After that, apply SUNSHINE-SuperFood
microelement booster to provide everything necessary for
the plant to grow vigorously and happily. SUNSHINE-E is
indeed a wonderful plant stimulant and stress reliever,
although it is not a "magic-cure-all" medicine where one
can't find its active ingredient. The hormone
(epibrassinolide) is well-known and used in different
countries along with other hormones for promote growth,
fruiting, blooming, rooting, etc. One of the most amazing
properties of SUNSHINE is that it works in extremely low
dozes. Only a few drops will be enough to make a solution
in distilled water, to treat a large size plant. If you
want to try it out, one 5 ml bottle will last for several
applications. Large bottles of SUNSHINE 50 ml and 100 ml -
great for small and big gardens. It is a good idea to
start bi-weekly applications to improve your plants
tolerance to Summer heat, drought and improve disease
resistance. The formula works through plant metabolism
within 2-4 days, repeat application not sooner than in one
week. After application of SUNSHINE-E, don't forget to
boost your plants with SUNSHINE-SuperFood .
