This November is jam-packed with important activities on our island. The heat of summer is pau, and it is time to get out in the garden and start planting. ADVERTISING This November is jam-packed with important activities on our island.
This November is jam-packed with important activities on our island. The heat of summer is pau, and it is time to get out in the garden and start planting.
Arbor Day on the mainland is in the spring, but in Hawaii we celebrate the day Nov. 7. It is not just a day for us. It’s the whole month and then some. This November we have a busy schedule of plant and gardening events, starting with the Plant Sale Extravaganza Saturday, Nov. 1, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Old Kona Airport Pavilion. There will be orchids, bamboos, palms, fruit trees water plants, air plants, cactus and succulents, just to mention a few. Several plant experts will be there to answer your gardening questions.
Of course, don’t forget to vote on Election Day, Nov. 4. Remember: That is our way to plant the seeds of democracy!
On Friday, Nov. 7, the Hawaii Chapter of the International Palm Society is sponsoring an evening with internationally known Scott Zona. He will be sharing some of his exploits of palm explorations and discoveries from the Amazon, New Guinea, Madagascar and more. He is known in palm circles as the Indiana Jones of palms. Dr. Zona is with the Florida International University, Miami and has written over a hundred papers on palms. He has been involved in discovering new species and protecting some rare endangered and almost extinct palms. The presentation will be held at the University of Hawaii Hilo Campus big Lecture Room 100 at 7 p.m. This is not to be missed. There will be several experts there to help you get better acquainted with the world of palms, For further information, contact chapter President Tim Brian at 619-838-4093.
November is also the major coffee harvest and the 44th annual Coffee Festival from Nov. 7-16. All kinds of activities and celebrations will be happening. Check out their website at konacoffeefest.com. For further information, contact Mel Morimoto, president, at 747-5424.
The Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in Captain Cook is celebrating Arbor Day by having a tree giveaway and educational activities Nov. 7-9. For details, check out bishopmuseum.org/greenwell.
Hawaii Island is home to rare plants from all over the world. It is kind of a Noah’s Ark for many endangered species. The potential for tropical, subtropical and temperate agriculture is only limited by our imagination.
The Big Island, more poetically known as the Orchid Island, is the home of thousands of species of orchids. It is strange that we have chosen to call it the Big Island because it really doesn’t describe it accurately. We have thousands of species and varieties of orchids and the most active volcano in the world. It seems more appropriate to call it the Orchid Isle, or the Volcano Isle, to describe this fantastic place. There are many islands in the world that are much bigger, but none that can brag of such a profusion of orchids and volcanic activity. We have most of the world’s climates represented here, so can grow almost anything if it is planted in the right microclimate.
Hawaii’s land sometimes requires a novel approach to farming. Crops like field corn and sugar cane require many acres to even approach profitability. Even tree crops like macadamia, avocado and coffee need several acres to net enough money to support a farm family.
If you are limited for space and can’t plant trees, consider foliage and flower crops like orchids. They can be grown on a small scale. Our tropical climate is ideal for many ornamental foliage and flowering plants that are almost impossible to grow outdoors anywhere in the continental U.S. These do best at lower to mid elevations. Our lava lands like the Keahole and Panaewa Agricultural Parks are ideal. Since many of these plants are grown in pots, they do not require prime soil acreage.
Orchids are probably the most well-known of the high-priced flowers. Many species are found growing wild, and many more have been introduced by orchid enthusiasts. Traditionally, Vandas, Cymbidiums and Cattleyas were grown on the Orchid Isle, but Dendrobiums have become the orchid of today.
In Hawaii, Dendrobiums are called cane orchids. Dendrobiums are basically epiphytes, rock or tree dwellers, but will adapt themselves to bed or pot culture.
Cane orchids are grown beautifully in beds, preferably cinder or crushed rock beds, raised above the surface of the ground. Such beds must have perfect drainage and dry quickly. Frequent watering is needed. The warmer the region, the heavier the watering schedule. Dendrobiums often require a shade structure, as do many other ornamental crops grown in the sunny lowlands.
Another popular group of ornamentals for limited spaces are Bromeliads. The Bromeliad family is just another way of saying the Pineapple family. Of course, many seasoned Hawaiian gardeners are old hands at growing not only pineapples in their yard, but many other tropical Bromeliads.
Most members of this family resemble the pineapple plant in growth, but a few, like Spanish Moss, Tillandsia usnoides, have slender stems hanging to as much as 10 feet. Many Bromeliads are epiphytes, that is, they grow on trees but they are not parasites. They use other plants for support.
Bromeliads have much to offer as houseplants. In addition to their handsome foliage and unusual, often brilliantly colored flower clusters, many kinds have leaves that turn to pink or shades of red when the plant is in its long-lasting bloom period. Some bromeliads also display colorful fruits that may remain on the plant for a year after the flower fades.
Bromeliads are easy to grow and combine well with ferns, orchids, philodendrons and begonias. Native to the tropical regions of North, Central, and South America, they tolerate temperatures from 100 right down to frost, depending on the species, but most perform best between 60 and 90 degrees.
They grow in a fast-draining but moisture-retentive media, where air can circulate freely around the plants, similar to orchids. Most bromeliads produce their best bloom and most colorful foliage when grown in locations that receive plenty of light. However, to prevent the burning of foliage and flowers of the more tender kinds, they are grown in shady locations.
So whatever your limitations are, think green and plant a tree, or at least adopt an orchid.
