News and Events


«January 2025»
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
303112345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
272829303112
3456789

Be an AgPro!

Be an AgPro! 11 October 2018

Be an AgPro!

Registration is now open for the AgPro professional-development training on October 23 and 24 on Maui. The two-day event, with the theme of “Extending Our Reach: Technology Use in Cooperative Extension,” will offer Extension agents and specialists the latest updates relating to the use of technology in agriculture, livestock, and Extension education.

In Their Own Words

In Their Own Words 11 October 2018

In Their Own Words

Through collaboration with community partners, CTAHR Cooperative Extension was able to reach 14 Thai farmers on Kaua‘i and 10 Thai farmers on O‘ahu last week by providing bilingual workshops. Farmers noted that both workshops were very informative and that they are interested in attending additional workshops in the future.

They’re into Growing in a BIG Way!

They’re into Growing in a BIG Way! 28 September 2018

They’re into Growing in a BIG Way!

East Hawai‘i 4-H had a record year at their recent Hawai‘i County Giant Fruit & Vegetable Contest, adding six new contest records, including a 2.37-pound giant tomato, a 16.74-pound coconut, a 2.02-pound lemon, a giant 7.47-pound sweet potato, a 14.5-inch sunflower head, and, astonishingly, an 84.5-inch-long gourd!

Healthy Facts About Social Media

Healthy Facts About Social Media 28 September 2018

Healthy Facts About Social Media

In a recent Star-Advertiser column, HNFAS nutritionists Joannie Dobbs and Alan Titchenal discuss the role that social media can play in affecting and maintaining people’s health. They point out that a lot of what we read on social media about food and diet can be “biased and misleading,” especially if it’s disseminated by special interest groups with their own agendas.

Fire Fighter

Fire Fighter 20 September 2018

Fire Fighter

Clay Trauernicht (NREM) recently published an article in Civil Beat’s “Community Voices” forum entitled “Fire Is the One Hawaii Disaster We Can Avoid.” As he explains, there’s nothing people can do to prevent many of the natural disasters that have hit our state in the past few months. But one natural crisis that we can prevent is wildfire.

 

Bunch Back Against Bunchy Top

Bunch Back Against Bunchy Top 12 September 2018

Bunch Back Against Bunchy Top

Attend a Banana Macropropagation Workshop to learn how to propagate healthy, disease-free banana plants using macropropagation techniques! This field day will cover management of Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV), a demonstration of rapid BBTV detection, and propagation of clean banana plants through macropropagation.

Catch the New Wave on Catfish

Catch the New Wave on Catfish 12 September 2018

Catch the New Wave on Catfish

There’s an exciting new technique in town for catfish producers: the use of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG)! Find out more at the Chinese Catfish Hatchery and Spawning Workshop, which will be held at the Waimanalo Research Station’s Aquaponics Lab on Saturday, September 15, from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon.

Feeling Seedy?

Feeling Seedy? 12 September 2018

Feeling Seedy?

Come to the Hawai‘i Seed Fest, providing “Local Seeds for Local Needs,” on Saturday, September 22, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Waimanalo Research Station. There you can join local community conversations on the hows and whys of growing seeds specifically adapted for Hawai’i. Attendance is free, but advance registration is required.

Get Pepped Up

Get Pepped Up 12 September 2018

Get Pepped Up

Need a little spice in your life? Come to the Jalapeño Pepper Field Day at the Poamoho Research Station on Tuesday, October 9, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. This field day will provide field observations of 20 commercially available mild and regular-heat jalapeño pepper varieties, including gorgeous purple peppers!

 

Go Pro—AgPro!

Go Pro—AgPro! 12 September 2018

Go Pro—AgPro!

Extension agents and specialists are invited to the AgPro professional-development training on October 23 and 24 on Maui. The two-day event, with the theme of “Extending Our Reach: Technology Use in Cooperative Extension,” will offer the latest updates relating to the use of technology in architecture, livestock, and Extension education.

Healthy Eating with the Kaleiopu‘u Keiki

Healthy Eating with the Kaleiopu‘u Keiki 12 September 2018

Healthy Eating with the Kaleiopu‘u Keiki

Monica Esquivel (HNFAS) took a visit to the Kaleiopu‘u Elementary kindergarten classrooms to share information about nutrition, physical activity, and community resources for healthy eating and food. The presentation was a part of a project to help the 135 kindergarteners at Kaleiopu‘u learn about healthy food choices and exercise.

 

A Century of Extension Excellence

A Century of Extension Excellence 6 September 2018

A Century of Extension Excellence

CTAHR’s Cooperative Extension will be celebrating its 90th year with UH, along with its 4-H program’s 100-year anniversary. A celebration luncheon will be held on November 7 at the Ala Moana Hotel’s Hibiscus Ballroom, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Don't miss it!
 

Documents to download

How Risky Is Your Food?

How Risky Is Your Food? 6 September 2018

How Risky Is Your Food?

Junior Extension agent Kylie Wong Tavares has been awarded a Roy A. Goff Memorial Endowment Fund scholarship of $750 in support of her coursework on “Quantifying Food Risk” and “Foodborne Disease Epidemiology,” funding that will allow her to better serve her clientele.
 

Composting Helps Water Quality

Composting Helps Water Quality 6 September 2018

Composting Helps Water Quality

Extension agent Glen Fukumoto (HNFAS) recently returned from the island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia, where he was doing work on water quality and piggery systems as part of his MultiState Extension project with the college’s Pacific Island land-grant partners. 

Get Your Spray On

Get Your Spray On 30 August 2018

Get Your Spray On

A Small-Scale Pesticide Application Demonstration is being held at the Poamoho Research Station on Saturday, September 22, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. This field day will cover small-scale pesticide-application equipment, sprayer calibration techniques, selecting the right application equipment for the job, and much more.

Go the Course

Go the Course 30 August 2018

Go the Course

Cooperative Extension will be offering a Pesticide Reduced-Risk Education Short Course on O‘ahu on October 16–17. This in-depth two-day short course will educate participants about handling pesticides, including herbicides, in ways that will reduce risks to people and our environment.

Reproductive Success from Hawai‘i to Brazil!

Reproductive Success from Hawai‘i to Brazil! 30 August 2018

Reproductive Success from Hawai‘i to Brazil!

Kyle Caires (HNFAS) gave two presentations on his collaboratory research at the XXIVth Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Society of Embryo Technology in Florianopolis, Brazil, on improving reproductive success in Wagyu or ‘Japanese Black’ cattle and characterizing the microbiota of the vaginal tract of sheep.

Where the Pigs Are

Where the Pigs Are 30 August 2018

Where the Pigs Are

Swine specialist Halina Zaleski (HNFAS) is quoted in an article about the resurgence of Hawai‘i’s pork industry published in Honolulu Civil Beat. She explains that pork is a critical part of many cultures in Hawai‘i—not just any pork, but the whole pig, which makes it unique in terms of livestock production and opens a critical space for local producers.

Make Way for Macadamia

Make Way for Macadamia 30 August 2018

Make Way for Macadamia

Mark Wright (PEPS) was interviewed for a Civil Beat article on efforts to control the macadamia felted coccid, a pest of macadamia that can suck the trees dry of sap, killing them. Mark is one of the state’s foremost researchers on the coccid and says that the insect is taking its toll on the industry.

Land and Sea

Land and Sea 22 August 2018

Land and Sea

Co-PIs Andre Seale and Rajesh Jha (both HNFAS), in collaboration with Darren Lerner and Darren Okimoto of the UH Sea Grant College Program, recently received a 3-year NOAA Sea Grant 2018 Aquaculture Initiative award of $749,815. 

RSS
First1415161719212223Last
13 April 2020

Potting Mix, Fertilizer, and Irrigation

The right combo will boost your container garden

Potting Mix, Fertilizer, and Irrigation

Vegetables grow year-round in Hawai‘i, but sunshine and good weather aren’t enough to guarantee success. What happens under the ground, where the roots are developing, is critical to the success of your garden. In this article, we’ll cover how to “feed your food” with the right growing mediums, nutrients, and hydration.

Potting Mix

Commercial potting mixes generally do not contain soil, but rather different materials that promote drainage, aeration, moisture, plant support, and nutrient absorption. They’re ideal for containerized gardens. You can readily find potting mixes at garden nurseries, supermarkets, home improvement stores, or online.

You can also supplement the store-bought mixes with extras from home. For example, topsoil from your garden can be added in a 1:1 ratio—but be careful if soil-borne plant diseases are a problem in your area. You could also add compost, up to 50% of the total mixture. Coir (shredded coconut husk fiber) is another alternative material that can be used in place of, or in combination with, potting mixes.

Fertilizer

One of the most important aspects of successful gardening in Hawai‘i is proper fertilization. A common misconception is that store-bought potting mixes and local garden soils have adequate nutrition to carry all crops to harvest. Unfortunately, mixes often do not come with fertilizer included, and even if they do, they probably don’t have sufficient nutrients to carry the vegetable through its life cycle.

A good general-use fertilizer for containerized plants is Osmocote, which can be incorporated at planting, at a rate of 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon per gallon of media. This fertilizer releases nutrients slowly over a long period of time.

General-use granular and dry fertilizers are good options for Hawaiʻi, too. They tend to be fast-acting and are best applied by incorporating directly into the soil. You can also re-apply the fertilizer to the top of the soil line every 2–3 weeks. Foliar fertilizers are water-soluble and can be applied to the soil or sprayed onto the plant’s foliage.

Many organic fertilizers are available to local gardeners. They provide nutrients and contribute to soil health. Organic fertilizers are typically plant or animal based and release nutrients slowly over time as they decompose. The more you garden, the more you’ll learn how to adjust the amount of nutrients for the crops being grown, in order to achieve optimal productivity.

Watering

Daily watering is sufficient for container vegetable gardens. Irrigating in the morning will provide water for plants during the day when they need it, while minimizing excess moisture at night that can contribute to disease. During hot weather and longer days, irrigation may need to be applied more than once per day in order to keep up with plant water demand or minimize heat stress. But avoid overwatering to minimize root-rot diseases. A simple hose-end timer connected to flexible plastic tubing with drip or spray emitters is easy to install from parts found at local garden shops, and can provide water when you are away at work.

At least once a week, give the plants an extra-thorough watering to flush out any excess salts that may have built up because of the fertilizer. Keep in mind that drainage will carry away nutrients that can pollute streams and the ocean, so try to direct drainage to landscape plants and soil, rather than into the storm drain.

For specific questions about pest management, visit the UH Master Gardeners website.

Jari Sugano and Kalani Matsumura, Cooperative Extension Service and Master Gardener Program, UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources