Any neighbors? Fern forest Kaleponi rd

[Jschultz]

Im looking at buying a lot on Kaleponi rd about a third of a mile down from Middle rd. Anything you can tell me about the nieghborhood would be great. Just wondering if anyone has tried to grow pistachios in fern forest?

[DanielP]

Fern Forest sits upon a 4-600 year old lava flow, so little soil. I also doubt that Pistachios would like the moist climate.
Land is cheap in Fern Forest for a reason. Wet and cool.
Hire a pinfinder and walk with him to get to know your lot. When you say down from middle rd. I assume that you are refering to the "middle rd." below Captains Dr.
Fern Forest's best attributes: closer drive to Kona side and seldom sweltering hot.
There are some iffy neighbors spotted around the forest, so find your spot and check a few out. Some great folks too.

[Andy]

Pistachios require a minimum of 800 chill hours. Chill hours are 45F and below. Way to wet in Fern Forest too.

[Jschultz]

I saw in the gardenweb forum that someone in upper puna was growing pistachios and they were doing well. As for soil I read another post that someone got 60 yards of mulch delivered from the dump for $600.00. I'm thinking a couple of those and a couple loads of cinder and sand would be a great start. How about almonds?

[kani-lehua]

Own a home on Kaleponi Road that's currently being rented out. Miss the serenity, starry nights and coolness up there. Don't miss not being able to walk my dogs due to the ones wandering around the neighborhood. Bananas did very well up there and some citrus for us.



"a great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices."

w. james

[DanielP]

Jschultz,
Have you been to Fern Forest?

[YurtGirl]

Growing things here is definitely trickier than at lower, drier elevations. Mulch from the dump contains all kinds of pests, both bugs and invasive plants. I hate to see that stuff brought in up here where we don't have a lot of the bug issues yet. Stinging nettles and coquis just came to our neighborhood about a year ago

But yes, you can bring in dirt/fill (hopefully good dirt/fill) and some lots actually have quite a bit of dirt. Our lot has about 8". For our fruit trees we did our research for our elevation and jack hammered holes. We supplement with Goat and Chicken poop compost. Pistachios, huh.... Interesting.

We have a client that lives on Kaleponi. She's a sweet older lady. Another two ladies in that area are elderly sisters, they're wonderful too, and hilarious to talk story with. Quite a few pigs around there because one of the property owners feeds them. A couple of shady folks in the area, just be sure to make a curved drive so they can't tell when you're home and put in a gate first thing. Establish a presence and get a dog.

[DanielP]

set your gate in back off the road 100' or so. Make it a stout one.

Ed to add: Coffee is a good crop. you will need to rip 2-3' deep and harvest lasts 6+ months at that altitude.

Dan

[kani-lehua]

We moved to Kaleponi Road in 2008. Coquis were already present at the time. Have also seen 1 Albizia tree.

"a great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices."

w. james

[YurtGirl]

Yeah, the Albezias come in on a lot of the bulldozers. Our neighbor cleared a drive and housepad a few years ago and then just left it. We go over and pull baby Albezias every few months, no way we want those things blowing seeds our way. Our coffee has never, ever produced up here. It grows, it's green, but no flowers, no fruit. We've tried fertilizer, but still a no go.

As for the gate, I'd put the gate in 30 - 40' or so. If you put it too far in, then thieves can park and cut the gate at will. No one would see them. If you put the gate where you can safely pull off the road, but it's obvious when a car is parked in front of the gate or someone may be messing with it, then your good neighbors can help keep an eye out. The other part of the equation is to USE your gate. Even though it's a hassle, close it when you are home and when you are away. That way it's anyone's guess as to whether someone is home or not. The longer the drive, the more expensive it is. Aggregate costs a small fortune out here to bring in for your drive and housepad. You could easily add $1000+ for an extra 100' of driveway, with aggregate and machine work. But usually going in 200 - 300' is adequate to obscure the view of a house in da forest.