Questions, answered
If yours is not here, email russ@tropiplants.com — we answer every message.
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 and it is normal. 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 email us within 48 hours under the live arrival guarantee.
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 only — the contiguous US plus Washington DC. We cannot ship to Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico: live plants entering those territories require phytosanitary certification and 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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