10-28-2013, 05:13 AM
the 'polymorpha' Ohia (meaning many forms) will naturally adapt to every environment and has been doing so for 50+ million years here in Hawaii... they are healthy and are found everywhere in Puna not screwed by the cleared land/sugar cane fields (then albezia gunpowder waiwi etc. take over). Ohia are one of the only endemic trees that can compete and win with the invasives.
But Ohia will easily die back if disturbed.
If you live down in lower HPP and build a home (w/catchmentt/well) and remove all of the native plants around the trees ie all of the moisture retaining Uluhe, which most people remove down there, this WILL cause the trees to die back when there are unusually long droughts. These trees will stress and the tops will die back at first, the limited soil gets too dried out if you remove the endemic/indigenous mulch layer that keeps the soil below moist in times of lower rain. If you are sucking water from roof catchment nearby, this is water being robbed from these stressed Ohia and will also help to kill the older trees back as well.. Ohias are not dieing up on the hill in the watershed area because they get enough rain even if disturbed... yes Ohia do make rain
they help collect water droplets on cloud swept ridges that drip down to the ground that wouldnt have if the trees were removed in the watershed) Disturbed land is the main reason Kohala area (5-Star hotel area) is so dry now the natural trees (wiliwili, 'ohe, etc.) that grew in that 'now desert' were removed (by Hawaiians and postCook) and deep rooted water sucking non-native kiawe were planted out, even removing more of the natural moisture from the land.... that = driest spot in the USA NOW!
do not disturb the native plants, and plant more native plants!
******************************************************************
save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha
But Ohia will easily die back if disturbed.
If you live down in lower HPP and build a home (w/catchmentt/well) and remove all of the native plants around the trees ie all of the moisture retaining Uluhe, which most people remove down there, this WILL cause the trees to die back when there are unusually long droughts. These trees will stress and the tops will die back at first, the limited soil gets too dried out if you remove the endemic/indigenous mulch layer that keeps the soil below moist in times of lower rain. If you are sucking water from roof catchment nearby, this is water being robbed from these stressed Ohia and will also help to kill the older trees back as well.. Ohias are not dieing up on the hill in the watershed area because they get enough rain even if disturbed... yes Ohia do make rain
they help collect water droplets on cloud swept ridges that drip down to the ground that wouldnt have if the trees were removed in the watershed) Disturbed land is the main reason Kohala area (5-Star hotel area) is so dry now the natural trees (wiliwili, 'ohe, etc.) that grew in that 'now desert' were removed (by Hawaiians and postCook) and deep rooted water sucking non-native kiawe were planted out, even removing more of the natural moisture from the land.... that = driest spot in the USA NOW!do not disturb the native plants, and plant more native plants!
******************************************************************
save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha
******************************************************************
save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha
save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha