We have been very lucky here in Hawaii, since hurricanes seldom come our way, but it is important to be on the alert every year: “June too soon, July stand by, August a must, remember September, October all over!” We
We have been very lucky here in Hawaii, since hurricanes seldom come our way, but it is important to be on the alert every year: “June too soon, July stand by, August a must, remember September, October all over!”
Officially, hurricane season has been extended to include November, but like tornados east of the Rocky Mountains, they may surprise us almost any month.
According to meteorologists, we are expecting a very active hurricane season in the Atlantic north of the equator, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.
South of the equator, the weather forecast is much more pleasant, and I hope this holds true, since Voltaire Moise and I are now leaving for a tropical fruit project north of Rio in Brazil.
It is supposed to be the cool dry season there, but we will also be in Bahia, the Amazon and Roraima. The latter is one of the most remote and unexplored regions of Brazil, so who knows what surprises the weather will hold for us. This region borders on Venezuela and Guyana and is famous for gigantic flat-topped mountains, or tepuis, up to 9,000 feet in elevation.
It is the region where some of the world’s tallest waterfalls are found, including Angel Falls in Venezuela. This magnificent 3,200 foot waterfall is much like Akaka Falls, but over six times larger. The biodiversity of plants and animals atop the tepuis suggests that many new species are yet to be discovered.
Incidentally, these strange mountains are what inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to write the book, “The Lost World.”
If we miss the hurricanes both going to Brazil and returning through the Caribbean, we come home just in time to start preparing for storms in Hawaii.
Risk certainly includes dealing with the weather, but farmers need to think about the many other risks taken in their business. So it is a great time to consider “risk management”! Right on time, our new University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources agricultural extension agent, Andrea Kawabata, has announced that there will be two risk management schools to be held June 7 in Kona and June 9 in Ka‘u.
According to Andrea, the schools hosted by the college will focus on helping farmers learn how to manage legal, production, financial, labor and marketing risk aspects of their business. The Kona conference will take place at Courtyard at King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel and the Ka‘u conference at the Old Pahala Clubhouse from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Registration will commence at 8:30 a.m. For further information, RSVP Andrea Kawabata at 322-4892 or Didi Diaz-Lyke at 887-6183.
While considering risk management, remember hurricanes are like unwanted company, they often come when they are least expected. One year we have none, the next we have several. Some have really given us trouble in recent years, so it is important to be prepared.
Inspect your trees for dead branches that seem ready to fall. Also, look for dead branches that are firm but brittle. A gust of hurricane force wind can snap an arm-sized branch from a tree and send it at missile speed through a picture window. A low-hanging branch over a roof can wreak havoc. Powerful winds can turn the limb into a tool of destruction.
Removing dead and out-of-place limbs is a good idea, even if there is no storm. Fan-like fungus growing on the side of a tree trunk indicates rotten spots that need attention. A wound made by poor pruning, damage from earlier storms, or the gouge of an auto bumper can start decay. The auto-made wound can easily be filled with a water-tight material, as it is not more than kneeling height. But other rotting areas will require experience at climbing to dizzying heights on a trembling ladder. Often it is cheaper in the long run to call in a professional to handle the tree-top jobs.
Some older trees with Y-shaped crotches are prone to split apart. Check the trees in this category. If necessary, place temporary props in the appropriate places, or make the tree one unit again with steel rods and turnbuckles.
Remove decayed trees that are too weak to hold up under the strain of a storm. This action will save you grief later.
Palm fronds are wicked to deal with if propelled by high winds. So clean away all loose palm leaves at the first hint of a storm.
Actually, even 100-mile-per-hour wind is not as dangerous as it sounds if necessary measures are taken before the wind reaches gale force. Of course it is important to retreat indoors while the unwelcomed storm is stripping your shrubs outside.
If your home is located in an area that might be flooded, you’ll be given ample notice to evacuate hours before the storm reaches your area. Otherwise, there is no safer place than in a well-built home.
As soon as the storm is past, it is a good idea to inspect the trees and other plants around the house. Usually all the plants will show signs of wind damage. But with a little trimming, propping, resettling of root systems, fertilizing and watering, nearly all plants that were shaken loose from the ground can be salvaged.
Many of our tropical trees grow rampant with extensive root systems. That’s why we prune to keep them from getting out of hand, but be sure to prune the correct way. It might be wise to wait until hurricane season is pau before major root pruning, since excessive root reduction could make the tree more vulnerable to blowing down.
Here’s a scheme for gardeners whose yards are full of trees. It’s a way to keep lawns with flower beds near them healthy, too. The trouble with roots of many big trees, banyans, Ficus species and eucalyptus, is that they are too greedy. Their roots will fill a flower bed or a new lawn in just a few years after the trees were planted.
When this happens, you can be sure that they aren’t doing the smaller plants any good. Very likely, the tree roots are competing so fiercely for soil’s available water and nutrients that grass, shrubs and flower roots suffer.
With lawns, this action often demonstrates itself right before your eyes. If big trees grow at one side of a large lawn, notice that whenever the lawn goes without water for any period of time, the grass nearest the trees is always the first to show the bluish cast and lifelessness that indicate wilt. Ultimately, the grass will fade out under the tree until none is left.
The countermeasure is to cut the tree roots that grow into the bed or lawn and then make it impossible for new roots to grow back into the area by using root barriers. Rhizomes, like running bamboo, can also be kept in check by this method. Of course, it is better to choose one of the many clumping bamboos to avoid bamboo spread.
Remember, major pruning of branches and limbs should be done if looks like one of those busy hurricane years. Avoid butchering the tree, because severe overpruning of broad leafed trees and palms can create serious disease issues or even the death of valuable specimens.
Again, a reminder that root pruning should be done after the storm season. If in doubt, contact one of our many local certified arborists to make sure the job is done correctly. June through October is usually the crucial period, but again a reminder that hurricanes and Kona storms have been known to develop at almost any time of the year.
This information is supplied by the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. For further information, contact the office near you.
