+- Punaweb Forum (http://punaweb.org/forum)
+-- Forum: Punaweb Forums (http://punaweb.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=3)
+--- Forum: Farming and Gardening in Puna (http://punaweb.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=13)
+--- Thread: Adventures of a beginner gardener in Volcano (/showthread.php?tid=4129)
Pages:
1
2
Adventures of a beginner gardener in Volcano - Adam79 - 05-29-2008
Hafa adai, (bonus points if you know that greeting and where it's from)
I bought a purple lilikoi last week and put it in a fairly large container with good potting soil. Within a couple days the leaves started turning white/ashy and falling off. I'm at 3000' and I chose the purple variety because I heard they are much more hardy. I'm not a green thumb by any means so I'm wondering if anybody knows why this is happening. It has to be one or more of the following: Not enough nutrition, too much rain, too cold, not enough sun. Any ideas?
I am also having similar trouble with my sugar snap peas they have been in the ground (3x4 raised bed) for over a month now. They initially shot right up and were growing at a good rate. Then in the last week or so the leaves have started to shrivel a little and also turn pale. Not sure how they turned so suddenly. The only thing that is different in that time frame is we did have a couple of unusually hot days up here. I did keep them watered fairly well during that timeframe.
My green beans have been doing great, which are in a pot. I actually took the seeds from some green beans I bought that were spoiling, dried them in the window for a couple days and planted them. I didn't expect much but they have been my biggest surprise. Not big enough to trellis yet or give beans but steadily growing.
Cherry tomatoes are sprouting healthily in a couple hanging baskets.
Spinach is looking real nice. I think that may be my easiest low-maintenance crop so far.
Strawberries are growing slow but steady, no sign of fruit yet.
Green onions sprout up very small but don't seem to go anywhere from there. I'm thinking it may not be hot or sunny enough for those here.
My poha berries are looking good as always and probably ready to start dropping in the next month or so.
Bought a small green tea shrub. Not counting on getting much out of it and tea is pretty cheap to buy anyway. Just thought it was cool to have and if I can use the leaves to make my own some day then great.
Bearss Lime tree still alive and healthy. Its only a couple months old so I know I have a long time to go with that one. It is understood that I may be fighting an uphill battle with that one in my location. If I ever get to a point that I don't think it will survive, I'll probably put it up for adoption.
My next attempt will be growing potatoes in a large container.
With the exception of the poha berries, everything is in my raised bed or in containers. I have experimented with keeping the containers under my eaves for cover from the rain and moving them out in the open so they can catch more sun when it is not so rainy. The most frustrating thing has been the lack of sun and persistent precipitation up here, despite quite beautiful weather down in Hilo the last few weeks. I realize that probably just comes with the territory at this elevation, and in return I get no coquis, no need for A/C or even a fan, and incredible peace and quiet. I'm sure lots of residents of Hilo and lower Puna would love for the loudest noise to be that of the crickets at night and birds during the day. I'd like to welcome any input or advice about some of the challenges I'm having, and suggestions on what else I should attempt to grow. I have a little control over how much water my plants get, but am at the utter mercy of mother nature about how much sun I get. Perhaps the theme I should stick with is plants that aren't overly dependent on constant sunshine.
I'll now turn it over to some thumbs of a greener hue. I await your wisdom and thank you in advance for it.........
RE: Adventures of a beginner gardener in Volcano - Carey - 05-29-2008
Håfa tatatmanu hao?
Too much rain??? How much have you guys had recently???
I have notice a lot of plants looking peaked too.... a lot of our ti leaves are getting yellow blotches & more are falling than normal...
In Keaau we are having fairly low rain (my drought indicator plants, the snow on the mount, are starting to indicate LOW WATER!), but I started noticing ti & dacenea around Hilo & home looking weirdish a couple of weeks ago...
could this be VOG????
(last semester we had some Chamorro speaking students in class, & I learned very little Chamorro.)
RE: Adventures of a beginner gardener in Volcano - Les C - 05-29-2008
I'll bet that, these days, it makes a lot of sense for Puna growers to test for acidity in the air and rain. Maybe litmus test a rain gauge? Also, many fruiting plants may grow at Volcano's elevation, but they may not fruit. Maybe because of the average temperature?
It might make sense to fashion a greenhouse and maybe use some grow lamps to fill in where the sunshine and warmth may be lacking.
RE: Adventures of a beginner gardener in Volcano - Adam79 - 05-29-2008
Very impressive with the Chamorro, though I have to admit that is about as far as my Chamorro skills go. It is the language of my paternal grandmother as she is a native of Guam. My dad, aunts, and their generation still spoke it though English was their first language. They are really the last generation to be able to speak it fluently. It is quite interesting to listen to my aunt be speaking normal English to my grandmother then all of a sudden weave back and forth between English and Chamorro, all withing the context of a single paragraph or even sentence. I'll be visiting them there this July for only the second time ever so I will have to make sure and pick up some words and sayings. It is another dying language much like Hawaiian, though just like Hawaiian there are a lot of efforts to revive and keep it alive by the younger generations. But I reluctantly digress back to my original topic......
As far as the rain goes, I would say it rains at least a little every single day, some more than others. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with my lilikoi trouble or if its more the sun/temperature. As far as the vog goes, I don't think so because we've been pretty vog-free here the last week and a half. That is the same time I have owned the lilikoi vine. Perhaps I am a little overzealous in thinking that I can grow it here? I have read somewhere that they (the purple variety) can go up to 4000'.
RE: Adventures of a beginner gardener in Volcano - Adam79 - 05-29-2008
I think I should be asking this question too:
what should I be taking advantage of growing at my location?
By that I mean, what might I be able to grow better here than down the hill?
On a sidenote, I really wish I could find a blueberry plant and give it a try.
RE: Adventures of a beginner gardener in Volcano - Carey - 05-30-2008
Our neighbor just gave us some seeds of a berry she said was just like blueberries (she grew up in Keaau, then went to college NY & marriage NJ, now lives 3/4 time in NJ & 1/2 Keaau....) These were around her house when she was a kid, but she found the seed while out on a walk... have enough to share...
Adam, email me if interested... We are in Downtown Keaau
a picture of the berries, flowers and leaf are:
http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/PunaWebFriends/photos/view/db85?b=12
any ideas? She said these were common in camp workers yards...
RE: Adventures of a beginner gardener in Volcano - mikewj - 05-30-2008
Carey, your neighbor sounds like an interesting person. apparently, she has the ability to be in two places at once (now lives 3/4 time in NJ & 1/2 Keaau) Just kidding, I know it's a typo! (Isn't it?)
RE: Adventures of a beginner gardener in Volcano - Carey - 05-30-2008
Speed travel... (that is the problem....fingers don't go the speed of the brain, and the brain has been on vacation anyhoooo.)
But she really is an amazing person, just not quite in the 2 places at a time league
RE: Adventures of a beginner gardener in Volcano - mella l - 05-31-2008
Carey are the blueberries seasonal or everbearing?
If I were at 4000 ft elevation I'd give artichokes, swiss chard, and asparagus a try, also a hearty spinache. Not there yet!
mella l
RE: Adventures of a beginner gardener in Volcano - Carey - 05-31-2008
Mella, I don't know... there are blossoms & berries on the plant she told us of (she found it on her morning walk... her yard no longer has the plant..)
Does any one else know what this is &/or any other info... got lots of itty bitty whitish seeds if anyone wants...