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"We had to burn down the forest in order to save it."
That said, there might be something to this; one of "theories" (probably part of some "study") is that a healthy (well-fed) ohia might be able to survive ROD.
Still seems like we should be planting replacements instead of testing theories.
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Rock powders are also good for health of plants. I believe that they help prevent a lot of the mineral bindings that you see in the leaves of plants. I've noticed a great difference in the health of vegatable b seedlings and citrus trees when using them.
One that is available is called Azomite in powder or granular and other you can use is the local mortar sand that is ground in the quarries. The mortar sand is a finer grade than the regular sand so it becomes more available to the plant. However I also use regular quarry sand.
http://www.nantahala-farm.com/rock-dust-...th-s.shtml
Slow Walker
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a healthy (well-fed) ohia might be able to survive ROD.
This has been one of the tenets of organic gardening, that a well fed plant with a full, balanced array of nutrients will be able to better resist and survive attacks by insects, fungus, virus, or bacteria. If this is to be an effective measure in the case of ohia tress and ROD, any fertilizing probably needs to be done sooner rather than later, as it does appear there is a point of no return beyond which the vascular system of the trees can no longer transport water.
"One may pretend knowledge of philosophy more successfully than that of arithmetic." -Last Aphorisms (or how about, one may pretend knowledge with an opinion more successfully than with facts)
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
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Ohia will survive this just like it survived 'Rust' a few yrs back, you dont see Rust anymore, it killed all of the related nonnative Rose Apple Trees and was seen on Ohia too at the time, but not anymore.. its ran its course....
because there are so many different kinds of Ohia here, if you look at the worst areas of dead trees there is always a few live and very healthy ones mixed in right next to them...
Polymorpha means 'many forms'
the misinfo above, is thinking that once the trees are affected w/Ceratocystis fimbriata, you can somehow reverse this and 'cure' them... NO, its a fungal disease inside the tree, in the wood... its NOT a parasite!
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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
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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
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Ohia will survive this just like it survived 'Rust' a few yrs back.
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
BH,
Yes I believe Ohia will survive also but if owners dont replant and more people move in and doze their lots then ohias one day may only survive in zoos. Used to be plenty opihi too.
Slow Walker
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From the original post, I get the impression that one person tried something, and it seemed like it worked, so they are telling everyone that it's a cure. At best, that's irresponsible.
I notice the OP hasn't posted anything else, which makes me think they're joining groups all over just to post their theory as fact.
><(((*< ... ><(("< ... ><('< ... >o>
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quote:
Originally posted by bananahead
Ohia will survive this just like it survived 'Rust' a few yrs back, you dont see Rust anymore, it killed all of the related nonnative Rose Apple Trees and was seen on Ohia too at the time, but not anymore.. its ran its course....
No it didn't, it's still around. We just got lucky that this particular strain wasn't very virulent against ohia. You still see them infected with it though; I had a seedling killed by it a couple of years ago. And it has practically driven the nioi extinct on Oahu; before the rust there were lots of big trees even in alien forest, now they only survive in cultivation where they can be treated with fungicide. Stop the treatment and they die within a couple of months (even when treated they usually have a few spots of rust).
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My findings are based on a year of hard work. It seemed obvious to me that after 34 yrs of intense vog-induced acid rain, any sweetening of the soil would provide a measure of balance to these overly acidified forests, however, another experiment with lime wasn't as effective, shocked a tree or two and turned leaves yellow. The added nutrients in hardwood ash explain a lot about why my trees perked up. I compared ash-treated and untreated trees to gauge the difference in a years time. The treated trees bushed out while the untreated ones stayed spindly. I do not recall having named this fertilization process as "a cure" but like with any systemic malfunctions in carbon based life forms, boosting immune support helps slow down or prevent disease. Nothing too complicated here. To Midnight Rambler: In my experience, the parts of a tree that are suffocated by CF never rebound but if caught in time, the remaining functional vascular systems of the tree seem to be able to keep delivering nutrients to unaffected branches (at least within a span of a year). Speed in treatment is imperative which is why pre-treatment seems even more effective. I think any and all measures to aid the forests are vital including stone dust or if injectables prove viable, etc...Trying this out on seedlings might not be a good idea because wood ash mixed with water is also potassium hydroxide,(KOH) or caustic lye (anti parasitic, anti fungal) and might burn baby roots. To those of you who believe that we have all the time in the world to wait on definitive answers about whether the issue is fungal or parasitic, be aware that fungal infections are often spread by parasites, ie: assume it is a compound infection. Fire permits are available to Ag land residents but the easy work around is to use a food pit which is legal in Hawaii County as well as smokehouse and fudo  I used a barrel the size of a laundry bin with welded rebar legs. Nothing fancy. The forest is our watershed and ROD is all of our problem. I am sharing my experiences in the hopes that other folks will find them useful on their own property and it is in accordance with state recommendations of burning diseased wood. ON another interesting note, Dr Bambu in Lower Puna reports that if you have to take down a sick tree that if you paint both cut ends with sodium borate (concentrated borax) that the disease does not as readily jump to the next healthy trees. Borax should not effect wood ash effectiveness but I have not tried it yet. To those of you excited about this conversation thank you and keep up the good works! !!!! To Lee M-S, contempt prior to investigation is something that has always puzzled me, This is an easy experiment unless you don't like to get your hands dirty.
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I thought your post was sincere OG, and thank you for sharing it.
I usually save our wood ash for bananas, but will spread it on Ohia now. We have nothing to lose by trying it, and we definitely have some dead Ohias again this year which should be burned.
We always keep some hot dogs or a few potatoes wrapped in tin foil near our "cooking " fire, just in case...
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To Kenney: A barbeque and a chance to save the rainforest! I mean, who can argue with that logic? I'll bring beer
Someone else asked for citation....I do not receive funding for thinking and caring about this magical forest so I am not currently held to the constraints of the scientific community who have to wait years before they can act on one good idea. This is one resident sharing with other residents. Most of the info I posted can be found readily by google: The volcano is acidic, ash is alkali; Fire is commonly known to serve an ecological function of soil replenishment; The Japanese have an ancient tradition of charring building materials to make them pest resistant; Borax a known repellant and antifungal; Google www.naturalliving.com for a citing on hardwood ash N-P-K rating as fertilizer. This is just connecting the obvious dots. Let the scientists figure out the specifics, but maybe we can collectively buy them some time.
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