The Hawaii Island Landscape Association is holding its fifth annual conference packed with information on some of the best ways to manage your landscape or those of your clients. ADVERTISING The Hawaii Island Landscape Association is holding its fifth annual
The Hawaii Island Landscape Association is holding its fifth annual conference packed with information on some of the best ways to manage your landscape or those of your clients.
The conference is a gathering for members of the Big Island green industry including landscape architects, nursery growers and educators. It is a wonderful opportunity to connect or reconnect with the movers and shakers in the industry. Anyone interested in landscape management practices, tips and techniques is welcome to attend.
The presenters for the educational sessions are all experts from the University of Hawaii or the green industry who will share their knowledge on subjects including edible landscaping, bokashi composting, invasive species and turf grasses for Hawaii.
The conference is scheduled for Oct. 18 at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel. In addition to the educational sessions, exhibitors at the trade show will showcase landscape plants, as well as gardening and landscaping products and services available on the Big Island.
Early registration for HILA members is $90 while nonmembers will pay $110. Students are welcome at $75. The fee includes the educational sessions as well as lunch, a plenary on restoring native dryland forests and the trade show. After Wednesday, ticket prices will be $20 more, except for students.
Part of managing any landscape is pest awareness. Two key members of the Hawaii Invasive Species Committee, James Parker and Robert Parsons, will give a presentation on identifying and dealing with some of the pests that have invaded our shores.
Brian Lievens will speak about ways to successfully include edible plants in a landscape. Gary Eoff will offer a discussion of plants that can be grown for cultural uses with a focus on those that ancient Hawaiians used for cordage. The plenary session, led by Jen Lawson from Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative, will address the cultural and ecological importance of restoring native dryland forests and growing more natives that can survive dry conditions.
John Palos, landscape manager at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, will speak for plants during his presentation, “If Plants Could Talk”. Looking at gardening and landscaping from a plant’s point of view can affect how we plant and maintain our landscapes.
Russell Nagata from UH-Hilo will offer some expert advice on choosing the best turf grass for Hawaiian landscapes including tips on its care and successful maintenance.
Organic considerations are becoming increasingly important in landscaping nationwide. Micah Barker from Bio-Scape Hawaii will talk about ways to use organic principles in landscapes. Ashley Goo will offer instructions and a demonstration of a bokashi composting system that uses available inputs for large- and small-scale composting while reducing odors and maximizing space.
For those interested in starting or expanding a landscape maintenance business, Brian Burke from Grass Busters Landscape will offer some sound advice for running such a business in Hawaii. Burke has worked in the landscape industry for more than 20 years.
More information and registration forms are available under the “Annual Conference” tab at hilahawaii.com, or by contacting Ty McDonald at admin@hilahawaii.com or at the UH Extension office in Kainaliu at 322-4884.
The Hawaii Island Landscape Association sponsors education and training classes throughout the year, a certification program for landscapers in the spring and scholarships for aspiring landscape workers in addition to this conference. Find out more about HILA at their website.
Tropical
gardening helpline
Jan asks: I just harvested my first kalo corms from my garden and want to know the best way to cook them. Should I peel them or cook them with the skin on?
Answer: Either skin on or off will work. Cleaning the skin thoroughly can be tricky so most cooks remove the skin and any imperfections in the corm before cooking.
The important thing with cooking kalo, or taro, is that you cook it long enough to neutralize the oxalic acid in the corms that can cause an itchy sensation on the tongue or in the throat. For this reason cooks often cut kalo into cubes or slices that can cook evenly and thoroughly. Baking the corms whole and unpeeled usually takes an hour at 450 degrees. Wrapping the corms in taro, banana or ti leaves and again in aluminum foil will achieve a result similar to steaming.
Many modern kalo cooks use a pressure cooker to steam the corms. If you cook a lot at once you can freeze some for later use. When the pieces are soft enough to be easily punctured with a fork, they are done. Testing a small piece can confirm that the “itchi-ness” is gone. In a pressure cooker this can take 15 to 20 minutes. In a regular pot with a steamer or one filled with water and kalo pieces it can take almost twice as long to cook completely. Cooking on high heat with salt added can speed up the process but you need to watch the pot to avoid burning.
If you want to make taro fries, cut the corms into thin slices or rectangles. Presteaming can help the fries cook faster. Longer steaming, baking or boiling may be needed to get taro roots soft enough to mash into poi.
Email plant questions to konamg@ctahr.hawaii.edu for answers by certified master gardeners. Some questions will be chosen for inclusion in this column.
Diana Duff is a plant adviser, educator and consultant living on an organic farm in Captain Cook.
