Landscaping "from scratch"

[Hotzcatz]

Wonder if there is anything we can do with all these sprouted coconuts to turn them into a resource instead of a pain?

[JerryCarr]

You can always haul your unwanted sprouted coconuts to the new black sand beach at Kaimu-Kalapana and add them to the hundreds already there. Even if only 10% survive, it should produce a big grove and help restore one of the island's treasures.

Cheers,
Jerry

[canhle]

Aloha Kapohocat and Hotzcatz,
What kind of coconut is it? Do you know the growth rate of coconuts?

Mahalo
Canh


canhle

[Hotzcatz]

I dunno, the coconut tree was here before I was, it might even be older than me. It doesn't seem to be a Samoan coconut since it is very tall. Is there such a thing as a common coconut tree? Our house was built about ninety some odd years ago so the coconut could be about that old as well. All the folks I've chatted to who have lived in this house remember the coconut tree being there and one of those folks was over seventy years old and he had been born in this house and lived in it as a child.

Coconuts, like all plants, grow at different speeds depending on the growing conditions they are in. With enough sun and water, I think it can take a coconut tree about five to seven years before it will be big enough to make coconuts. So, they are rather slow growing considering they are a tropical plant.

[Brad W]

I planted the first coconut that fell from our tree when we bought two years ago. It's about seven feet tall now and really coming into it's own. They love palm fertilizer. We have had great success in planting starts of other tropicals, sometimes using a take root powder, but sometimes not. Glen, if I may, plant with an eye toward the size of the bush/tree at maturity (usually less time than you think), otherwise, you'll be needin' a good chainsaw. Think Jurassic Park.

[canhle]

Thanks Hotzcatz

canhle

[canhle]

what edible vines grow well on the big island?

canhle

[JerryCarr]

Malabar spinach, cucumbers, pole beans, lilikoi, and a type of Japanese squash (sorry, can't remember the name, but they sell it at Garden Exchange) are just a few edible vines that come to mind. I am sure others know more.

Cheers,
Jerry

[allensylves]

I cannot say for sure about the Big Island, but chayote = mirliton = Sechium edule should grow very well. It does not really look like it, but it is in the squash family. It makes fruits when the days get short enough. However, the tender tips (the part that snaps off easily) make a good vegetable, including the tendrils. I particularly like them in a broth type soup.

You plant the whole fruit with the big end partly buried. Hopefully someone sells the fruits locally.

Allen
Baton Rouge, LA & HPP

[Carey]

Bitter melon (for asian & filipino dishes) grow great along our fence in Keaau, if any one wants starts...
Aloha, Carey