More about Mulberries

Customer comment on our Mulberry column in the previous newsletter:

...I planted a Himalayan mulberry, Morus macroura, about six years ago. For several maddening years, it shot only very long, un-branching tentacles out there, and it resisted my efforts to force some branching by pruning. It would send another long, reaching shoot from the tip of the pruned branch, with NO laterals. Several times, it did this. Finally, two years ago, it broke buds that looked like they meant it all along those long branches, and in one season, it fluffed out. The next season it elaborated on this, acting much more like a proper tree. The fruit is fabulous, three or more inches long, very sweet, with a rich berry flavor that’s more raspberry than mulberry. I guess it just needed more time. My understanding is that mulberries don’t really like to be pruned, but it needed to happen in this case, along a driveway, so I reigned it in, and now it’s a treasure. Be patient.
Cheers, your admirer, C

Check out our Mulberry trees.

Mulberries - biggest, sweetest, and compact...

Q: What is the difference between Pakistani and Australian Mulberry plants? Would one be better suited for South Florida backyard? Can one be maintained/pruned to be a tall shrub vs a large tree? Which one has the sweetest fruit? Thank you for the previous plants we've purchased from you. They're all doing great.!

A: These two varieties are very similar indeed. Both fruit are very large. Var. Pakistani fruit is a little longer than var. Australia and the tree is a more vigorous grower, but they both are very sweet, even before the fruit fully ripen. Both trees are a good choice and start fruiting at a young age.
We've had Australia in the ground in our garden for 4 years by now and for some reason, it has been very slow growing which is normally not the case with Mulberries. Maybe it is not fully happy with FL humid conditions.
There are two Mulberry varieties that can be maintained as bushes: Issai and Dwarf Everbearing. However, even vigorous Mulberry trees respond well to pruning and can be kept compact for easy harvesting. Just make sure to prune before the flowering season starts; here in S Florida Mulberries start flowering in March, and fruit start ripening during April-May.

Check out our Mulberry trees.

Magic mix for stubborn plants

Myco Mix - magic mix with Mycorrhiza

A word from the owner...
...When I first started growing tropical fruit trees, I noticed that Lychee just can't be grown from seed, period. The seed germinates readily, a little happy seedling grows like crazy... but only for the first couple weeks. Then it stops. Then it shrinks. Then it dies.
My teacher, tropical fruit tree expert Murray Corman (Garden of Delights), made fun of me for growing Lychee from seed, and explained his sarcasm with two words - "Need Mycorrhiza!" It appears that in Nature, Lychee seedlings can only grow around its mother plant which has this magic plant-friendly fungus around its roots! The only way to succeed with some seedlings is using this amazing Nature symbiosis... Check out Mycorrhiza - and try it, works 100% in all stubborn cases!

Myco Mix is an amazing underground secret to a better garden! This professional growing medium with Mycorrhiza is a must for establishing plants, recovering weak plants, and for transplanting applications, including seedlings and cuttings...Learn more...

Featured plant. Acacia sphaerocephala - Bulls-Horn Acacia

Acacia (Vachellia) sphaerocephala - Bulls-Horn

The name of this cool unusual tree comes from the shape of the thorns which do indeed resemble the horns of a bull! The tree has a strong, symbiotic relationship with a species of an ant, Pseudomyrmex sphaerocephala for which it is the obligate habitat. The ants act as caretakers for the tree, and clear the ground and keep it free of any other plants and even prune surrounding branches of other trees that threaten to outshade the acacia. Without the protection of the ant colony, the acacia tree would fall vulnerable to chewing insects such as beetles or caterpillars, and surrounding trees and shrubs would quickly outcompete the acacia without the maintenance work of the ants to keep the tree safe.

Check out this plant...

Hawaiian Dwarf is a True Star!

By Mark Hooten, the Garden Doc

Q: I live in Southern Ohio and love growing lots of tropical plants. In the warm months, they all go outside under the protection of tall trees, but in the cold months, they all come inside in a snug but very brightly lit sun-room. For many years I have successfully kept a dwarf Meyer's lemon which amazes my friends, and I am wondering if you could suggest some other dwarf tropical fruit tree which I might be able to grow that would amaze them even more?

A: Without hesitation, I would strongly suggest a particular variety of carambola (star-fruit) called Dwarf Hawaiian, as it is truly special as tropical fruit trees go. First and foremost, they begin fruiting at a very young age, often while only in a one-gallon pot, and even less than a couple of feet tall with a very little trimming. Better even is that they are perfectly happy living perpetually in a pot. I have one myself which is content in a 12 inch pot and which fruits freely throughout the year. Also, even though it should be too much to be expected, the fruits are of the highest quality and are as sweet as candy. I also like the fact that the fruits hang decoratively on the tiny tree for quite some time before finally ripening, rather like ornaments. One of these little trees in-fruit is an amazing sight and ought to make anyone take notice, especially in a sun-room in Ohio! They really are very easy to grow, and if you have a Meyer's lemon which does well, you'll certainly have no particular issues with a Dwarf Hawaiian carambola.

However, I have found that in order for them to remain extra dwarf and fruit especially precociously, this variety needs to be grafted and not cutting grown. Fortunately, Top Tropicals has recently obtained a number of these extra wonderful grafted trees which are of the highest quality I have seen in some time, all of which will likely begin fruiting very shortly. They simply are wonderful little trees! Check them out...

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.

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.

Champaca tree during Spring

Q: The Joy Tree that I purchased from you is going fine but the leaves have brown tips that shriveled up. How can I avoid this?

A: All Magnolias prefer rich and moist soils. These are some useful tips for growing Magnolia champaca:
- when planting in the ground, dig a big hole and replace sandy old soil with a rich organic mix containing compost and lots of peat moss to retain moisture.
- water daily for the first few months until the tree is well-established and root system is large and strong.
- use a large amount of mulch around planting
- remember that during springtime (especially March through May) champacas go through the semi-deciduous stage and lose a lot of leaves. Sometimes the tree may start looking drying out - all the sudden, overnight. Give it a few weeks and you will notice new light green re-leafing that will dress up your tree when the time comes.

Check out Champaca trees:

Pisces Zodiac lucky plants

Pisces- 2/19 - 3/20. As a WATER sign ruled by both Jupiter and Moon (and Neptune, that was not discovered until 1846, after the plant correspondences were established; Neptune is considered a "higher octave" of the Moon), Pisces plants are often large but hard to find, and may grow near the ocean. The most healing plants for Pisces are those that strengthen the immune system or have an antibacterial effect. Pisces plants may also catalyze expanded states of awareness and be helpful in dream work.
Herbs connected to Pisces are ruled by its former ruler, the Moon (Neptune, the current ruler, was not discovered until 1846, after the plant correspondences were established; Neptune is considered a “higher octave” of the Moon). Diseases of Pisces have traditionally included psychotic disorders, various forms of substance addiction, lung diseases such as tuberculosis, and ailments of the foot; contemporary herbalists also add immune system diseases. Pisces is strengthened by rosemary's ability to promote an aura of centered grounding. This protective herb helps strengthen boundaries and cultivate a closer connection to the physical realm.

Pisces Zodiac lucky plants: Water lily, Lotus, Clematis, Wisteria, Lisianthus, Brunfelsia, Echinacea, English Lavender, Rosemary, Coconut palm, Cranberry, Clove, Coccoloba, Sea Oats, Mangroves, Ochrosia, Aquatic plants, Colocasia, Alocasia, Aralia, Ficus trees, Banyan, Peepal, Banana, Mango, Mimosa, Olive, Anise, Vilca and Yopo, Kava-kava, Nutmeg, Anthuriums, Eucalyptus, Bauhinia, Clusia, Caesalpinia, Callistemon, Bucida, Cassia fistula, Cordia, Calabash, Lipstick palm, Delonix, Elaeocarpus, Erythrina, Fatsia, Guaiacum, Mahoe, Koelreuteria, Kopsia, Macaranga, Pandanus, Peltophorum, Psychotria, Banesteriopsis, Tabebuia.

For other signs information, see Plant Horoscope Page.

Australia Planting 1 Billion Trees To Fight Climate Change

Australia plans to plant 1 billion new trees to fight climate change, by the year 2050. That is a lot of trees and is the first real effort the country has made toward combating climate change. The only real problem is finding enough space to plant that many trees...
A billion trees is a billion trees, and even with a team of 30,000 people planting a tree per day for the next 31 years, the final tally would still only be 339,450,000 trees. Australia will need a tree army to get that many trees planted by 2050... Read the whole story...

How about planting just one tree today and save the World one step at a time?

On the photo: Callistemon, Australian native tree.