Salt Tolerant and Fast Growing Trees?

[Dinamight]

Still looking to fill in the hole in our landscaping, which seems to be a tunnel for salt spray. We will have to buy something as I don't think we have much in our yard that will work. Our bottle brush plant is destroyed and the areca palms we put in had to be moved.

I have found some salt tolerant trees in my Hawaii tree book: kamani, hau, milo, autograph tree (although I understand that one is invasive and should be avoided and sea grape. We do have sea grape and it seems to grow fast.

Any recommendations on what we should buy for fast growing, salt tolerant plants/trees? We'd like something that grows high quickly as we have a 2 story house.

Thank you!

[Radiopeg]

Some suggestions you could research http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/occl/manuals-repo...erance.pdf I like the looks of Casuarina aka Ironwood, but it can be invasive. Anyway it is a list you can start from.

Life goes on, with you or without you.

[Rene Siracusa]

Native coastal trees are all salt tolerant, as are coco palms and Noni. Besides the ones mentioned above are Hau, Kukui, Ala'a and Lama.

[robguz]

I'm 1/4 mile from the ocean but my Kou tree does very well and has pretty flowers. All the native hibiscuses have done well, especially the red and that yellow one that's the state flower. Hoawa is another native that's doing well. And of course Ohia do very well pretty close to the water, but aren't fast growing.

[missydog1]

I don't know if you've considered clumping bamboo. I love it.

Quindembo's catalogue lists a few species as salt spray tolerant.

quote:

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Otatea acuminata aztecorum - Mexican weeping bamboo
HT: 15-20 / 1½" CANES
Tolerates both sea spray and periods of dryness.

Dendrocalamus membranaceous
HT: 40-50 / 4" CANES
SPECTACULARLY QUICK GROWTH. This is a great choice for instant gratification.A plant of this species was planted at the National Tropical Botanical Garden on Kauai, across the street from the ocean, and is doing very well in that location; not showing any burn from the ocean spray.

Bambusa multiplex Alphonse-Karr - Chinese hedge bamboo
HT: 20-25 / 1½" CANES
Takes any condition, even high winds and sea salt.

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Alphonse Karr is a lovely bamboo, yellow with pink and green vertical stripes. Photo:
http://bamboonursery.com/photos.asp?type=9

The Mexican weeping is a slighter plant.

The dendrocalamus is a giant bamboo, and grows super fast. I've grown a different species of dendrocalamus twice now (d. brandessii, and both times it reached 20 feet in a year, from a 2 foot tall plant. However, it's not drought tolerant, in case you're in a dry spot.

Here's the bamboo catalog. The owners are very capable of suggesting the perfect bamboo for a site.
http://bamboonursery.com/catalog.asp

[missydog1]

http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/occl/manuals-repo...erance.pdf

This looks to be the same list of salt tolerant plants that Radiopeg posted. for some reason her link comes up Page Not Found. Zone 1 are the suggested plants. Bad news for the list, bottle brush is a zone 1, and didn't work for you. Arecas are zone 2, can't handle the full intensity.

I would never plant casuarina. They are expensive to get rid of, and they poison the ground underneath their canopy for other plants.

[Radiopeg]

Thanks Kathy for posting the link correctly. I googled the Mexican weeping bamboo and it is nice looking.

Life goes on, with you or without you.

[Dinamight]

Thanks all! We are right across the street from the ocean and since the 2 lots have been cleared for building since we moved here, our plants (and house) have taken a beating. We are also looking to recover our privacy and block the view of an ongoing building site.

The bamboo in the photo looks perfect. We have a yellow bamboo at the back of our house and when it's growing I have recorded 6" a day but I have been told it does not like salt. However I will try to get some that are salt tolerant, thank you KathyH.

Indeed our bottle brush is suffering and dying in the salt, the arecas are burning and other than coconuts, ironwood and quava, not much makes it. However, we have moved some seagrape to the offending corner and I understand it does well in the salt, so hopefully it will survive and grow to provide cover. We have several clumps and I will try to move more.

I don't really like ironwood and have gotten rid of some that have caused problems in the gutters, but I would be happy if I had a few of around 20' there now.

Thank again for all the helpful advice and information. We will try to find some of the plants/trees mentioned.

[Rene Siracusa]

For some of the native trees, contact Mark at holeinursery@yahoo.com.

[missydog1]

Best of luck with your trying situation, Dinamight! I certainly can relate to your wish to screen a building site -- yesterday if possible. I've been in that situation, in fact that was how I discovered the wonders of bamboo.

The problem with using bamboo to remediate an immediate eyesore is that the affordable sizes are small plants. It will take a season or two before they come into their own. Unlike other shrubs that grow continuously, many clumping bamboos only go through shooting phases once or twice a year -- typically fall and spring. Each season, the diameter of the culms increases, so if you buy one that already has good sized culms, you gain a year or two on your screen for the price of a hundred dollars or so.

Of the ones I linked, dendrocalamus is the one that most rapidly gets a big presence. There's a good reason why the words "instant gratification" are in its description.


The Mexican weeping is a very graceful specimen, but it doesn't provide a really solid fencelike presence. Alphonse Karr is a very attractive bamboo due to its colorful culms.