Posts: 45
Threads: 10
Joined: May 2007
We'll be going to Puna in the next few days to check out properties and hopefully make a purchase.
While there, we would like to visit a few nurseries to get an idea on prices, what's available, and so forth.
What are your favorite nurseries in Puna for fruit trees and ornamentals?
Also, once we make our purchase we are thinking about doing a lot of planting of fruit trees even though we probably won't actually begin building for 3-4 years. (We are buying now because prices are so low on land.) Would we have to worry about people coming along and digging up our little trees after we return to the mainland?
Jimmy
Posts: 1,261
Threads: 55
Joined: Nov 2005
I like Rozettes on Kaloli, they have a nice selection. There are always plants at the farmers markets. A bigger problem than theft would be your trees getting swallowed up by weeds if you're not going to build for awhile. I landscaped and planted an acre in lower Leilani, intending to build. My plans changed, I sold, the new owners were off island, arranged to have it mowed every six months. The mower man didn't know about the trees, mowed the entire acre flat. 26 avocado trees, several citrus, palms, many others, probably a couple thousand dollars worth of plants and 2 years work gone.
Posts: 274
Threads: 25
Joined: Nov 2003
Hi Jimmy,
My favorite nursery is Paradise Plants, across the highway from Walmart. They specialize in a lot of exotice stuff, and it's all well cared for. I would doubt someone would steal your plants, my only thoughts are with the heavy rains we get alot of fertilizers get washed away quickly, so your trees in their younger years may suffer if you aren't hear to prune/fertilize, but I suppose it's worth a try. My bananas and starfruit seem to do ok with out a lot of fertilizer needs. I dump chicken manure on them every few months.
Good Luck! Angela
Posts: 1,727
Threads: 29
Joined: Feb 2006
If you buy enough fruit trees, you can get them directly from Plant It Hawaii. http://www.plantithawaii.com/ They are basically the folks who do all the grafted fruit trees in the state. Hey, if you want to do some serious gardening, they are for sale, too. A turn key business and you can garden all you want.
"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson
Posts: 45
Threads: 10
Joined: May 2007
All great suggestions! I see that plantithawaii.com is wholesale only. They require "a $500 minimum purchase and a G.E. tax license." Hitting the $500 minimum would be easy. We expect to spend thousands. Do they ever make exceptions?
Jimmy
Posts: 942
Threads: 17
Joined: Aug 2005
Twice a year, they open to the public without GE tax licenses. Still really good rates. They just had their spring sale. Call them and find out when the fall sale is.
John Dirgo, R, ABR, e-PRO
Island Trust Properties, LLC
808-987-9243 cell
http://www.hawaiirealproperty.com
leilaniguy, that's a heartbreaking story.
Hotzcatz, thanks for that referral. Hadn't heard of those folks!
It's nothing to get a G.E. license. puna_bound. It's cheap. You don't have to be a wholesaler. I don't know if they have rules about full time residency. (why would they object to taking part time residents" money, though?)
I've not been to Rozette's but hear only good things about it. My favorite plant person at Paradise Plants used to work for Rozette's and gives good advice.
For small nurseries, I check out both Garden Exchange in Hilo and Paradise Plants; they differ in what they offer at any given time.
I guess I would not plant an orchard unless I had someone maintaining it or I could visit it every three months at minimum, for all the reasons given. Not unless you are willing to mentally let it go. Although there are a few things that would be hard to kill. Citrus needs food and water while getting established. Bananas are pretty tough. But then, neither bananas nor papayas need more than a year to be bearing.
Be very cautious about planting any vines, including lilikoi, as they will overrun everything if you aren't there to control them.
One plant group that can use a head start would be palms (other than coconuts). Some are quite slow growing, and the larger sizes can cost hundred of dollars per palm!
My first planting I do is usually to work on the perimeter and any privacy screening issues, but that's me.
Have fun! This sounds very exciting.
Posts: 331
Threads: 30
Joined: Aug 2006
Aloha Farms in Hawaiian Acres (808-966-8814) have many grafted fruit trees, similar to Plant It Hawaii. But after going to their semi-annual plant sales last month, PIH is my favorite. The lady working there told me that their next sale to the public will be in Nov.
Another of my favorite is Poki Fruits, Inc. They are in Honomu but they bring their plants to Maku'u Farmers Market every Sunday. I got few fruit trees from them that were not available at the other two places mentioned above. And their trees are very nice.
If you are looking for banana plants, Marvin Banasky at Maku'u market has many different varieties that I don't see at other nurseries.
Have fun.
when I go through Honoka'a I always stop at the nursery adjacent to Tex's. It's a little expensive but it has some things I don't see elsewhere.
Posts: 45
Threads: 10
Joined: May 2007
Thank you, everyone! I anticipate needed this info in a month or two!
Jimmy
|
