Establishing landscaping | ? for Daniel (& Others)

[hpp4me]

We're finally getting serious about getting some landscaping in on our untamed (never cleared, never ripped) HPP 1 acre lot on 3rd Avenue. Retirement is still a few years off, but the thinking is that if we put our foundation plants in now, we can build later on a tropical paradise.

Any advice on the process would be appreciated. We are thinking that we should put a well in now and hire a neighborhood kid to water as needed (we'll be on the mainland). That means that we would somehow have to have housing (right term?) for a pump, as well as an electric source to run it. Any advice?

Also, should we rip? We have a few ohias on the front of the lot we would like to keep, but everything else is junk and weeds, according to our real estate agent. (Lots of those ferms that are all over hpp.)

If we go ahead, is this the correct order:

(1) Staking and pinning
(2) Clearing
(3) ripping
(4) drill well
(5) build some sort of housing for the pump.
(6) Electrify pump (how?)

Is there anyone there, a landscape person perhaps, who might be a good project manager for this task?

Also, if we rip, do we have them put in the drive way path and house pad at the same time? We do not have a house design yet, but I suspect the house would go next to our neighbor's house. Everyone seems to put their homes the same distance from the road in HPP.

Once we plant the trees and hedges, do we let things go wild again and clear the lot again when we build? Or do we pay someone to come in every month to keep things cleared? Maybe the kid we hire to water could do that, too?

If we plant, will our landscaping get stolen?

Finally, what might the total costs be, minus the cost of the plants?

Thanks for your guidance!

[allensylves]

The chances are if you put in an above ground pump, it will be stolen very quickly. We had pumps stolen from both our houses in HPP during brief times when they were not rented. I grew up with a well about 600 feet deep and the pump was down in the bottom of the well. That means you have to have some way of pulling out the lengths of pipe (20 feet in our case) in order to pull up the pump for repairs. But it also means the grab and run thief will not bother with it.

Allen
Baton Rouge, LA & HPP

[hpp4me]

Wow, I never considered the possibility that someone would steal the entire pump! With home invasions in the news every few weeks, murders, theft, and too few BI doctors, it leaves one with a lot to think about. It really is like the wild, wild west!

[Daniel]

Yes, it would be very hard to steal a submersible well pump. We only sell submersibles. They are vastly superior to jet pumps. As for running the well you do need a power source, weather it be a temp pole or a generator. You can set it up with or without the pressure tank. Without would probably be best so as to not tempt robbers with a fancy looking pressure tank. We can show you how to do it. You just have to remember not to close the valve while the pump is running if you do not have a pressure tank. The lot may or may not need to be dozed before the rig can get in. It depends where you want the well and how smooth the ground is. If you would like to call me you're welcome to call. Our number is 966-4129. Have a great day!

Aloha,

Daniel R Diamond

[hpp4me]

Thanks, everyone.

My conclusions are that it is too risk to put in a well if we are not their to guard it.

Instead, we should plant drought-reistant plants. From the above and posts on other threads, here is the list we have so far:

Agapanthus
Allamanda
Avocado
Aloa Vera
Bananas
Bougainvillea
Cannas
Crotons
Dracaena
Dwarf Poinciana
Gardenia
Hibiscus
Lantana
Lo'ulu (a palm)
Macadamia
Mangos
Mexican clumping bamboo
Palms
Papaya
Penthas
pineapples
Puakenikeni
Pulmeria
Spider Lillies
Ti

Planting should be done around November.

I still have not figured out the "how" of planting, since we cannot walk on our lot. There is a lot of brush, weeds, understory plants. It is embarrassing to say, but we bought our lot without ever walking it.

I have seen those huge brush lawnmowers on television. I wonder if there are people there who can "mow" the lot. We would then clear the area where we want to put in a plant and use permeable landscapping fabric to keep the weeds away in our absence. Does this approach make sense?

[waynesb]

That is quite an eclectic list! I would recommend against planting Bougainvillea if you're not going to be there to keep it in check. Agapanthus.... Why? Certainly the Avocado, Macadamia, mango and palms make sense if you're sure where you want them. The rest I'm not familiar enough with to have an opinion (which you didn't ask for anyway) so I guess I'll stop there.

[missydog1]

I would take some of these off the list, some because they take no time to be established and others because they need care.

Agapanthus - no need, short lead time.

Allamanda- if you plant the vine form, it will over-run the land.

Avocado - yes
Aloa Vera - no need
Bananas - yes, if you get enough rain.
Bougainvillea - no, will make a thorny mess.
Cannas - no, they love water and the slugs love to eat them.
Crotons - yes
Dracaena - yes
Dwarf Poinciana - yes
Gardenia - no, it needs water.
Hibiscus - no, it will get covered in blister mite and needs water to establish.
Lantana - no, it will spread and become a pest.
Lo'ulu (a palm) - don't know it.
Macadamia - haven't planted it.
Mangos - yes, but the new tree probably needs water, and site it carefully because it grows 60 feet tall.
Mexican clumping bamboo - try one to see if it can handle the lack of irrigation when young. This bamboo will be full sized in two years ... I have planted it.
Palms - yes, but site them carefully.
Papaya - not sure about lack of water, but it's cheap to experiment. Needs fertilizing.
Penthas - fine, but the weeds and brush will bury it.
pineapples - very hard to weed around them.
Puakenikeni - needs fertilizing, needs water until established, relative of gardenia.
Pulmeria - yes, it can take it, BUT if you plant small pieces you have to keep it cleared as this is a slow-grower that likes sun.
Spider Lillies - tough as nails, although slugs eat them.
Ti - yes, and it's considered good luck.

[hpp4me]

Kathy,

How about other large tropical fruit trees, such as Rambutan, lychee, durian, and jackfruit. Can these take care of themselves if planted during the rainy season and then ignored for a few years?

[allensylves]

Again you have a theft problem if you plant high-value plants. I think it was Canhle that mentioned a while back that he had a jackfruit tree stolen from his property in HPP. It was planted, not in a pot and I think he lives there. At least make a diagram of where you plant things and DO NOT leave labels on or around the things you plant, so they will be less desirable to steal.

Allen
Baton Rouge, LA & HPP

[hpp4me]

quote:

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Originally posted by allensylves

Again you have a theft problem if you plant high-value plants. I think it was Canhle that mentioned a while back that he had a jackfruit tree stolen from his property in HPP. It was planted, not in a pot and I think he lives there. At least make a diagram of where you plant things and DO NOT leave labels on or around the things you plant, so they will be less desirable to steal.

Allen
Baton Rouge, LA & HPP

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This is a reason why I am thinking that doing just a partial clearing w/o ripping makes sense. It is unlikely that a few small trees planted toward the back would even be noticeable from the street. By the time they grow a few feet, they would be too difficult to steal.