...According to folklore, people living in the Himalayas who eat Goji berries are reputed to live to between 120 and 150
years old... The famous Li Quing Yuen - a herbalist selling litchi, goji
berry, wild ginseng, and gotu kola along with other Chinese herbs, and lived off a diet of these fruits,
herbs and rice wine - ate Goji berries on a daily basis. Is said he to have
lived to over 250 years... Is this possible? Find out!
Q: I purchased a heliconia from you a couple months ago. The new
growth seems to be doing fairly well, however some of the larger leaves are
discoloring around the edges then drying up. It's potted in a large pot with potting soil with 3 holes in the bottom to help with drainage in partial sun under a Royal Palm facing northwest. I'm here in Ft Myers. I was previously watering it every other day with your rapid growth fertilizer 1 tbsp per gallon but I have cut that back to once or twice a week. Please let me know your thoughts.
A:Heliconias and Gingers tend to develop dry leaves if grown in pots,
especially ceramic or clay pots, because soil in such pots dries out too fast.
These dry leaves are not caused by fertilizer, and you can see lots of new
healthy green growth. The plant overall seem to be healthy. Continue fertilizing
it with liquid Sunshine Robusta that is great for all wide-leaf tropical species,
promotes green, lush foliage, and do not use any additional dry fertilizers!
Another suggestion, try to move the plant in more shady spot. Right now it
sits in pretty bright light, this may be OK for established plants in the
ground, but potted heliconias are very sensitive to hot sun. They get leaf burn
easily.
Mark your calendar:
June 19, 2021
Summer Solstice Celebration with PeopleCats
Special Event you can't miss!
First day of Summer and the longest day of the year! Live Jazz in the
Garden, lots of cool vendors
and "A Roof for Rufus" cat adoptions...
Come join the Top Tropicals crew for the longest planting day of the year.
Onika, Bella, Mark and David will be here soaking in the sun and helping you
to pick the right plants...
Saturday, June 19th
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Top Tropicals is proud to partner with A Roof for Rufus cat adoptions. Each cat attending this event has been
hand picked and approved by King.
Don't miss this event! Talk to the kitties and find your companion in life.
PeopleCats never betray and they will love you forever!
...When you drive along the savannah and veld of South Africa, you can
see a groups of lion's cubs running among the tall savannah grass. Their ears
look out of the grass as bright cheerful spots. The tips of their tails swing
by the wind with the grass where the cubs hide. Why so many Lion's cubs?
What a surprise! However, these are not the cubs of the King of Animals, these
are the tips of pretty flowers endemic to this region...
...A curious thing, the plant continues growing through the flower! This
creates a multi-level appearance...
...Leonotis has a long history of medicinal use by traditional African
tribes... This plant has a history of being used for its psychoactive properties
which have been compared to a mild version of the Cannabis plant... Modern
herbal medicine mainly uses this plant for a calming tea infusion...
Since the demand in rare tropical plants increased dramatically, we had
to extend our nursery so we can satisfy all our customers' plant needs. So we
started a new grow farm!
Our new, second location: Top Tropicals B-Farm in Sebring, FL (Highlands
County), is still under construction, but we already grow a huge selection of
rare flowering and fruiting plants for you. And of course Mr B is the supervisor of his own B-Farm!
Those who live in Central Florida, are welcomed to pick up their orders
from B-Farm, save on shipping cost, and eliminate shipping stress for your
plants. Please contact our Customer Service to make an appointment for picking up your order in
Sebring. At B-Farm, our office is still under construction so we do not have
regular hours open for public yet. For now, please shop online and you may pick
up your plants either from our Ft Myers Garden Center, or from B-Farm in Sebring. Please note: Due to 2 locations, some plants may or may not be
available at one of the locations, please verify over the phone first, before
planning your pick up trip!
Q: Can you suggest tropical fruit that can be grown (cold hardy)
in Zone 9?
A: There are quite a few tropical/subtropical trees that will
grow well in zone 9. Our favorites are:
Figs - very cold hardy and drought tolerant. Loquats - grafted trees that start fruiting right away, reliable
producers. Tropical Mulberry - very fast growing trees that can take freeze, heavy
producers. Macadamia - these trees are of a compact nature, very easy to grow and
start producing nuts right away.
Many different varieties of Eugenias - tropical cherries - all-time favorites. Another tropical cherry - Malpighia, or Barbados cherry - starts fruiting in small size under one food tall! Great for containers.
Tropical (Low Chill) Peaches, Nectarines, and Plums. See full list of low-chill, relatively cold hardy fruit
trees.
And of course -
Bananas!
Don't forget to fertilize your
fruit trees to improve their cold hardiness!
Macadamia nuts are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and
healthy fats. Their potential benefits include weight loss, improved gut
health, and protection against diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and heart
disease.
Native to Australia, Macadamia trees are now grown in various places around the world, such
as Brazil, Costa Rica, Hawaii, and New Zealand.
Like most other nuts, Macadamia nuts are rich in nutrients and beneficial
plant compounds. They are also linked to several benefits, including improved
digestion, heart health, weight management, and blood sugar control.
10 health benefits of macadamia nuts
1. Rich in nutrients
2. Loaded with antioxidants
3. Boost heart health
4. Reduce risk of metabolic syndrome
5. May aid weight loss
6. Improve gut health
7. Providing anticancer properties
8. Boosting brain health
9. Bumping up your longevity
10. Easy to add to your diet Learn more...
Delicious Macadamia nuts are loved by everyone, but they are so
expensive from a grocery store... If you are excited about this nut, start saving: get your
own tree and harvest your own goodness!
Macadamia are very handsome trees. They are easy to grow, require very
little care and are relatively cold hardy. The are slow growing, compact bushy
trees that start fruiting within 2-3 years from seed. Macadamias trees are
reliable producers. The most important in Macadamia cultivation - do not
over-fertilize this plant, it is very sensitive to regular fertilizer. Use only
liquid plant food, and provide Micro-elements on regular basis.
Q: I received a mango tree we ordered last week (I am in
California) and am trying to make sure we take care of it properly. I noticed the
corners of some leaves have began drying out. I wanted to see if there was
anything else we should be doing or if it is something normal. Overall the tree
looks good and the leaves have perked up, but I noticed the dry tips on a
handful of leaves. Any help is appreciated! I have not fertilized in the pot yet
or applied the mango sunshine booster.
A:Your mango tree looks pretty healthy, and these dry leaf tips
may be caused by overall shipping stress. You have dry air in California, and
temperatures may be getting up, this may cause additional drying effect. You
may start fertilizing with a liquid fertilizer, it will help the plant to get stronger and grow
faster - then heat and dry air won't be a problem as soon as the plant becomes
better established and hopefully go into a bigger pot soon, or in the ground.
Make sure to provide regular water if you have hot dry summers.
Q: I purchased a Pomegranate var. Vietnam, 3 gal from you in Feb. Your lit says trim for
the first 3 years to encourage new growth. How old is my tree, please? Would
you recommend I trim before leaving for the summer on April 30?
A: The Pomegranate trees we have for sale are grown from cuttings
and are about 2 years old. Once you plant the tree in the ground, it will
start producing new shoots. You don't need to trim it now. The best time will
be end of summer.
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.
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".
