Questions, answered
If yours is not here, email russ@tropiplants.com — we answer every message.
Why are your plants so much cheaper than a garden centre?
Because you are buying the way a nursery buys. A retail garden centre purchases wholesale, pots the plant on, waters and heats it for a season, pays staff to tend it, then marks it up three to five times before it reaches a shelf. We skip all of that — you order six of a variety and they ship straight to you, so you pay much closer to the wholesale price. The honest trade-off is that our plants are younger and smaller than a finished retail specimen, and you have to take six of each. If you want one large plant today, a garden centre is the better choice. If you want a lot of plants cheaply, buy from us.
Do you sell wholesale to nurseries?
Yes, and to everyone else on the same terms. There is no separate trade price list, no wholesale account to apply for, and no resale certificate required. Nurseries, landscapers and home growers all pay the same price — the six-per-variety minimum is what makes that possible.
Is there a minimum order?
Six plants per variety, in multiples of six — so 6, 12, 18, 24 and so on. That is the only minimum: no minimum order value, no minimum number of varieties, no small-order fee. Mix freely; six of one banana plus twelve of a dragon fruit is a perfectly normal order. We sell in sixes because we buy in trays and pack in sixes.
How long does it take to get my plants?
Orders take 2–4 days to process before they ship, then two to four days in transit. We pack Monday through Wednesday only, so nothing sits in an unheated depot over a weekend. Prefer to collect? Local pickup is by appointment only — call or text Russ on (727) 254-9153 to arrange a time. The exception is a variety marked pre-order, which neither we nor our grower has on hand; those show the expected wait on the product page, and ordering holds your place in the queue.
Do I need a wholesale account or resale certificate?
No. We sell to nurseries, landscapers and home growers on the same terms and at the same prices. There is no account to apply for and nothing to prove — just meet the six-per-variety minimum.
How can I pay?
Card (through Stripe), Venmo, or Zelle. Cash is accepted on local pickup only. We do not accept checks, and we do not offer credit, terms or financing — every order is paid upfront. Venmo and Zelle orders are held 5 days for payment to arrive.
Why is there a fee on card payments?
Card payments carry a 3% processing fee, because that is roughly what the card networks take from us on every transaction. We pass it through at cost rather than raising everyone's prices to hide it. Venmo, Zelle and cash have no fee at all — pay that way and you pay exactly the listed price.
Do you charge sales tax?
No. Florida exempts seedlings, cuttings, and plants grown to produce food for human consumption — which is our entire catalog. There is no sales tax on any order.
Can I pick up locally instead of paying shipping?
Yes, and it is free. We are in Pinellas Park, FL, and pickup is by appointment only — call (727) 254-9153 to check availability and book a time. We give you the exact address once your appointment is confirmed. Please do not just turn up; there is not always someone here. Collecting in person also means zero transit stress on the plants.
Will these actually fruit where I live?
Most will, in a container. Everything in our catalog is hardy outdoors in zones 9–11, but the overwhelming majority of our customers grow in pots in colder zones and move them inside for winter. Bananas fruit on decks in Ohio. The limiting factor is light and warmth during the growing season, not your zone on a map.
How big are the plants you ship?
It varies by species — every product page lists the exact pot size and the height as shipped. Bananas and pineapples go out in 1 gallon pots at roughly 12–18 inches. Grafted trees like the Pickering mango ship in 3 gallon pots at 2–3 feet. These are established plants with real root systems, not cuttings or seedlings.
My plant arrived looking terrible. Is it dead?
Almost certainly not. Several days in a dark box causes yellowing and leaf drop — it is transit shock, not damage, and most of what we sell is fast growing and forgiving. Water it, keep it somewhere bright but out of direct sun for a week, and do not fertilize or repot for two weeks. If the stem is snapped or the plant is genuinely mush, photograph it and contact us within 48 hours. See claims and guarantee for what is covered.
When will my order ship?
We pack Monday through Wednesday only, so that no box sits in an unheated depot over a weekend. Orders are packed within 1–3 business days of the next shipping window, and transit is typically 2–4 days. You get tracking by email as soon as the label is created.
Where do you ship?
The lower 48 states — the contiguous US plus Washington DC — and the U.S. Virgin Islands. VI orders travel USPS Priority Mail with the USDA phytosanitary certificate the territory requires, so allow a few extra days in transit. We cannot ship to Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico: live plants entering those territories need inspection paperwork we are not set up to issue, and the transit times are hard on a plant regardless. We do not ship internationally.
Why can you not ship a particular plant to my state?
Some states restrict specific plant genera to protect commercial growers from pests and disease. It is a legal restriction, not our preference. The shipping page lists exactly which plants are restricted where, and checkout will tell you before you pay — never after.
Do I need two plants to get fruit?
Usually not. Bananas, pineapples, papaya (Red Lady), guava and passion fruit (Frederick) are all self-fertile. Among the dragon fruit, American Beauty and Physical Graffiti are self-fertile; Vietnamese White sets noticeably heavier fruit with a second variety nearby. Hand pollination improves yield on every dragon fruit regardless.
Can I grow these entirely indoors?
Coffee genuinely prefers it — it wants filtered light and will scorch in full sun. Pineapples and dwarf bananas do well in a very bright window or under grow lights. Dragon fruit and mangoes really want to be outdoors in summer; they will survive inside but fruit reluctantly.
How do you pack for cold weather?
Insulated boxes as standard, plus a heat pack added automatically whenever forecast temperatures along the route drop below 45°F. If your area is in a hard freeze we will hold the order and email you rather than ship a plant into weather it will not survive.
Can I cancel or change my order?
Yes, any time before it ships — just email us. Once a label is created we cannot pull it back, but the live arrival guarantee still applies.
Is my payment secure?
Payments are processed entirely by Stripe on Stripe's servers. Card details never touch tropiplants.com — we only ever see your name, shipping address, and what you bought.
What if I just have a growing question?
Email russ@tropiplants.com. You do not need to have bought anything. We would rather answer a question than sell a plant that fails.
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