PLANT NATIVE

PLANT NATIVE

Naturally NKO gets asked questions all the time – “Why is my bougainvillea not flowering?” “My hibiscus has a white bug - what is it?” “My lawn has brown patches - what do I do?” Many times these are temporary conditions that left alone nature will take care. That said if your garden looks flat you may have to take some corrective measures to bring it to a healthy and lush appearance.

Fertilizers can support healthy plant growth, but like in life too much of a good thing (Lilikoi Pie!) may have negative effects. It is important to apply only what “food” a plant can use. Over application of plant fertilizers can have a negative effect on your garden and the larger natural environment. Plus they cost a lot!
When fertilizers and plant food nutrients are over applied they tend to leach into the surrounding soil, find a way into our ground water and run off into streams and the ocean. Where this happens we may find aggressive aquatic plant growth in reservoirs, streams, lakes and bays. These invasive aquatic plants may look nice at first glance but they choke off the sunlight and oxygen that support the area’s natural ecosystem. Not a good thing.

One of the best solutions to having to use additives and fertilizers in your garden is to consider using native plants or others plantings with low fertilizer needs and turf like El Toro sod.

A smart approach, when evaluating how to feed your lawn and garden is to take the simple step of doing a soil test. A simple soil analysis will show if you are applying too much, too little, or the wrong type of fertilizer. The cost of fertilizers is significant and without a reliable soil analysis you may be wasting money and time using the wrong product and not getting the results you expect.

Hawaii experts say not to buy commercial test kits as they are not “not calibrated to give accurate recommendations for Hawaii.” Call your local University of Hawaii Cooperative Extension Service (CES) office for information on how you can take and submit soil samples to the UH Agricultural Diagnostic Service Center (ADSC) for testing. The Kauai CES office can be reached at 274-3471. We do know that you will want separate soil tests for your lawn and for your garden. When the results come in the cooperative extension agent should be able to help you understand the test report, recommend the type(s) of fertilizer for your landscape, and the proper application amounts for your landscape needs. If this is for your lawn you want to get info on how to correctly calibrate your fertilizer spreader.

With the proper information you will be feeding your lawn and gardens what they need. Soil testing is not complicated and with CES experts information you will be on your way to a healthy landscape and know you are protecting the natural Hawaii environment.

NKO is the BEST Kauai source for El Toro sod that is grown in Poipu. Call Abby at 645-0710 and she can let you know when the next harvest will take place.