Today is Earth Day and in many locations around Hawaii, the nation and the world, people will be doing “acts of green.”
Earth Day was conceived 42 years ago as a way to raise the collective environmental awareness, leading to protection and conservation of the environment in which we live. As a result, thousands of miles of waterways have been improved, millions of trees have been planted and thousands of tons of garbage have been collected from every location we inhabit. Through this environmental awareness movement, many of us have come to view the planet not as one of infinite resources, but one that is finite in its limits to provide.
While typical Earth Day volunteerism consists of green-minded opportunities ranging from beach cleanups to native plant restoration efforts, you don’t have to engage in an organized event to be a part of Earth Day. You can choose to participate by making your garden environment better for all of us. And it’s like participating in Earth Day every day of year.
Going green at home isn’t only about organic and natural methods of farming, after all, slash-and-burn agriculture mimics natural cycles. The garden is a great place to start moving toward greener and sustainable methods of gardening and landscaping, and the best part is it’s simple and can save you money.
When fertilizing, conduct a soil analysis to determine the level of soil fertility. You can then apply the proper amount of fertilizer for your crop. Overfertilization results in dollars going to waste and can contribute to excessive plant growth that makes a plant more attractive to pest and diseases. It can also lead to nutrients entering the environment and ending up in places where they can cause harm. Instead of applying all of your fertilizer at planting, apply it over time, or use a slow-release fertilizer to control the amount of available nutrients in the soil. This reduces the chance of leaching because of excessive rain or irrigation. The practice of banding fertilizer within the planting row within the root zone will also reduce the amount of fertilizer you need to apply for proper plant growth. There is no need to apply fertilizer in areas where there will be no roots to take up the nutrients.
When using pesticides, remember it is an offense to use a pesticide of any kind that is inconsistent with the label directions. The most common offenses are eyeballing the amount you are using and applying it to crops not listed on the label. Many people pour pesticides directly into the sprayer, add water and apply it to all of their crops. Apply pesticides only when the pest or disease is present and only when pesticide application will be economically beneficial. Excessive and careless application of pesticides can harm nontargeted organisms should they move from the application site. Be aware of rain and runoff when applying pesticides.
Reduce the amount of pesticides you apply by taking advantage of biological control agents that control certain pest problems. These can be predators that feed directly on the pest such as lady bird beetles on aphids or parasites such as the wasp that uses aphids as a nursery to feed its larva in order to complete its life cycle. Insects can also be used to control plants by directly feeding on the host plant, reducing its vigor to compete.
In support for more sustainable agriculture and food production, the University of Hawaii at Manoa, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources Komohana Research and Extension Center will offer a free workshop on the nonrecirculation-hydroponic growing method from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Komohana center. All participants will receive free starter kits. For more information, call 981-5199.
Visit the CTAHR website at ctahr.hawaii.edu/Site/Info.aspx or any of the local Cooperative Extension Service offices around the island for more information.
Russell Nagata is the Hawaii County administrator of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. He can be reached at russelln@hawaii.edu.
