Low Maintenance Fruit Growing

[rawvegan]

Have a lot and want to start clearing away and planting some fruit trees that can manage on their own. Any ideas would be helpful. What fruits grow well non-maintained if I plant them in August or September? Will there be enough rain for them to not die if I'm not around?

[Hawaii Bound]

First, we would need to know where your lot is located. There can be a HUGE difference in precipitation depending on where your lot is located and at what elevation. Fruits that grow well at lower elevation do not do as well at higher elevations or won't grow at all. Give us a little bit more information.

[Carey]

And be aware that things happen... this spring has been absurdly dry by us, & I planted, & have has to water the investment all spring... sooo not normal

[unknownjulie]

Honestly, I dont think "anything" can really manage on it's own except for invasive strawberry guava. Possibly some banana trees planted in cindersoil or something but I am not terribly hopeful if it's jungle. I'm trying to do the same thing, although I live in Hilo and I find myself going out to my lot with jugs of water regularly to check on things and keep things alive. According to the stats we get a lot of rain, but there was a month period last fall when it was hot and barely rained, and we are now in another weather pattern like this. IF you plant a larger avocado tree it might make it- since I've heard of people "finding" mature avocado trees hidden on their jungle lots from some long ago planter, but I think you might just be wasting your money. My lot is at 800 ft elevation.

[macuu222]

Make sure that your planting area has FULL sun. Fruit trees need full sun to produce fruit. Anything less than 6 hours of full sun per day will probably only get you green leaves. They also need sunnier, less cloudy areas like lower HPP,and Hawaiian Parks and Shores. With that said...the easiest ones to grow are Tahitian Lime, Meyers and Eureka Lemon, Dancy Tangerine, and Ruby red grapefruit. Just give them a good shot of triple 8 in the early spring and fall. And I would suggest "dwarf" varieties unless you like to climb 15 to 20 feet to pick your fruit.

[Cagary]

One cannot just plant a tree anywhere in Puna, leave and hope to have it survive.

Trees need extra water to get established during their first year in the ground. Often times there is enough rain to get it established, BUT if it does get enough water this will mean that the other plant growth around the tree will really take off and overwhelm it. The plants that grow wild in Puna are very aggressive. They will move into the space you have cleared for your trees amazingly fast. The worst are the vines that will actually grow up on your tree and use it for a ladder to the sunshine. If you are gone for a few months and if there is normal rainfall, you might be shocked at the amount of weed growth on your lot during this relatively short period of time.

There is also the possibility the not enough rain will fall and in this case, your tree will die from lack of water.

Hiring a reliable person (or company) to do a minimum of maintenance on your trees while you are not here is one solution. This will allow you to give your fruit trees a head start towards their fruiting stage before you start living on the property. This need not be expensive. There are a lot of good, knowledgeable people in Puna looking for work.

-Veritas odium parit”(Terence 195–159 BC))-"Truth begets hatred".

[rawvegan]

great thanks. i figured out lot is just about corner of C & 5 if that helps. I think its right at 1000 or just below on one end and just above at the other end.

[rawvegan]

Hawaiian Acres

[unknownjulie]

When I looked at lots in HA I noticed there were less invasives than the lower elevations, but also less soil than my lot in Orchidland. I think it'd be tough out there to get anything to grow unless you used a D9 to rip up the lava, then hauled in cindersoil for a growing area, and then cultivated it regularly. The vines are indeed incredible and they are the first thing you see when you attempt clear, to plant trees. I planted podocarpus along my lot lines and I am now having to monitor the vines. Is your lot surveyed? Make sure it is and marked well. It's easy to get turned around out there in the jungle!

[unknownjulie]

IF you use a D9, you might want to request quite a small area of clearing, since those machines are so huge that they seem to do a bit more clearing than is requested. I did this and ended up with what I wanted in the end, and it's about twice what I actually requested. Those HA lots are usually long and thin, so you'd get your money's worth just ripping up the lava to put in a long driveway to the back of the lot and then doing a clearing back there. Just my two cents. Definatly DO NOT clear the entire lot or anything crazy like that! Then if you do rip a driveway you'll have to probably haul in some loads of gravel or cinder to make it drivable and then hire someone to go out to the lot possibly twice a month and cultivate your plants. HOw long before you want to move out onto the lot?