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Grafters

Grafters 27 June 2018

Grafters

Responding to popular demand, the Kona Extension Office offered two hands-on coffee grafting workshops for coffee producers last week. Alyssa Cho, Stuart T. Nakamoto, and Andrea Kawabata provided participants with an overview on the coffee root-knot nematode project and the important points of how and why to graft coffee plants.

Be There! At the Fair!

Be There! At the Fair! 20 June 2018

Be There! At the Fair!

If you haven’t signed up as an exhibitor for the Hawaii State Farm Fair on July 14 and 15, there’s still time, and there’s still a need: the Saturday morning (9 a.m. to noon) and Sunday afternoon (1 to 5 p.m. shifts still need to be covered.

Livestock Aloha

Livestock Aloha 20 June 2018

Livestock Aloha

The 61st Annual Hawai‘i County 4-H Livestock Show and Sale was held at the Rocking Chair Ranch (aka Anderson Arena). It was the project conclusion for 40 youth who had been working for many weeks feeding, training, and grooming their steers, heifers, pigs, goats, lambs, rabbits, and poultry.

Broken Links in the Supply Chain

Broken Links in the Supply Chain 20 June 2018

Broken Links in the Supply Chain

Associate Dean for Extension Kelvin Sewake was interviewed for an article in Supply Chain Dive about the effects of Kilauea's volcanic activity on the supply chain on the Big Island and throughout the state. The article reported that he and other members of the college are working to help find solutions so farmers won’t have to stop farming.

Be There, at the Fair

Be There, at the Fair 13 June 2018

Be There, at the Fair

Show off your program or project at the Hawaii State Farm Fair on July 14 and 15! Exhibitors are encouraged to offer family-oriented games or activities or samples. Please RSVP to Cheryl at ernst@hawaii.edu by Thursday, June 14, with your preferred shift(s) and your topic.

The Buzz at the Garden

The Buzz at the Garden 13 June 2018

The Buzz at the Garden

More than 300 visitors learned about insects that pollinate home gardens and Hawai‘i ecosystems at the Urban Garden Center’s recent Second Saturday event.
 

Food Fit for Pigs

Food Fit for Pigs 13 June 2018

Food Fit for Pigs

Rajesh Jha and Halina Zaleski (both HNFAS) provide their expert opinions in a story in Civil Beat about what should be done with the island’s food waste to best increase food security.

A Flowering of Promise

A Flowering of Promise 7 June 2018

A Flowering of Promise

Candidates for junior/assistant Extension agent for Floriculture and Nursery Industries on the Big Island will be giving their interview presentations starting next week: Robert Cating will present on Tuesday, June 12, Russell Galanti on Monday, June 18, and Emma Neigel on Monday, June 25.

Taste of Ag

Taste of Ag 7 June 2018

Taste of Ag

The Taste of the Hawaiian Range is returning to its agricultural roots and taking on a more family-friendly focus this year. It will consist of a free day-long ag festival, including farm tours and fun and educational activities for keiki, followed by a cooking demo and the much-anticipated evening food-tasting gala.

Go(a)t Ag Careers?

Go(a)t Ag Careers? 7 June 2018

Go(a)t Ag Careers?

Last week, CTAHR’s Kaua‘i team and the Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau jointly hosted the 23rd Annual Agriculture & Environmental Awareness Day at the Kaua‘i Agricultural Research Center, with multiple exhibits and lectures for the 5th-grade students from local schools who attended.

Lab of Possibilities

Lab of Possibilities 7 June 2018

Lab of Possibilities

The cover story of last week’s Crave section of the Star-Advertiser is all about the ADSC Seed Lab. The seeds it sells come from varieties that have been shown to grow well in Hawai‘i’s unique conditions, and they’re fresh, local, and extremely affordable!

New Faces: Kim Joaquin

New Faces: Kim Joaquin 7 June 2018

New Faces: Kim Joaquin

Kim (Kamalu) Joaquin has started as the new office assistant in the Kamuela Cooperative Extension Office as of Tuesday, May 29. She comes to the college by way of the North Hawaii Community Hospital in Kamuela, and we’re glad she made the switch. Welcome to the CTAHR ‘ohana, Kim!

Wowed by Science

Wowed by Science 7 June 2018

Wowed by Science

Associate Dean Ania Wieczorek and the Saturday Gene-iuses program, and the “Wow Factor” that they promote in kids, are featured in the Good Neighbor column of Midweek Magazine. It’s good timing, because registration is now open for the program, which will start up again in the fall.

Maui Funding No Ka Oi

Maui Funding No Ka Oi 30 May 2018

Maui Funding No Ka Oi

For those applying for the Maui County FY 2019 grant competition, proposals are due directly to Maui County administrator Cindy Reeves at reevesc@hawaii.edu before 4 p.m. on June 14. Projects are expected to be completed within the calendar year, no extensions, and the budget needs to be firm.

What’s in Your Soil and Water?

What’s in Your Soil and Water? 30 May 2018

What’s in Your Soil and Water?

The ADSC) is offering assistance to producers affected by current volcanic eruptions in Puna, Volcano, Pahala, and Oceanview areas. The farmers are allowed to submit free samples of water and soil for testing of pH and heavy metals. O'ahu growers were also invited to send samples to ADSC after the flooding in April.

Sports Diet

Sports Diet 30 May 2018

Sports Diet

Monica Esquivel (HNFAS) recently spoke at the Hawaii Athletic Trainers’ Association High School student workshop on what Registered Dietitians (RD) do, the pathway to becoming an RD, opportunities at UH Manoa, and how diet and food interacts with the body.

Saturday Is for Gene-iuses

Saturday Is for Gene-iuses 30 May 2018

Saturday Is for Gene-iuses

Associate Dean Ania Wieczorek and her Gene-ius Day team recently completed their 6th year coordinating the Saturday Gene-iuses Program, an exciting science education series that offers classes once a month to engage a total of students in innovative hands-on science activities.

All That Poamoho Does

All That Poamoho Does 30 May 2018

All That Poamoho Does

U.S. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard’s senior legislative assistant, Dave Chun, visited the Poamoho Experiment Station to learn more about the research and Extension demonstration projects taking place there and was impressed by the work being conducted by CTAHR’s dedicated faculty and farm staff!

Pollinator Power

Pollinator Power 16 May 2018

Pollinator Power

The O‘ahu Urban Garden Center will be promoting pollinator-protection awareness and strategies at its Second Saturday at the Garden event on June 9 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. The program is coordinated by members of the Bee Hui at the UGC, who provide community education and outreach about bees’ and other pollinators’ essential services.

Music for the Birds

Music for the Birds 16 May 2018

Music for the Birds

Scientist Melissa Price collaborated with artists and the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra to create six animated movements that educate youth about Hawai‘i’s endangered native bird species and the importance of conservation.

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1 May 2020

Fast Green Food

Grow a salad bowl in your back yard

Fast Green Food

You may be eating less salad these days. Everyone’s making fewer trips to the supermarket, and lettuce and other tender greens are easily perishable. But growing your own lettuce is a great solution—now and going forward. Lettuce is fast growing and ideal for backyard gardens. You can pick individual leaves each day or harvest whole heads at once. By starting a new set of seeds or transplants every few weeks, you can create succession plantings to ensure a continuous salad bar!

Temperature and Varieties

Lettuce does best in cool climates or during cool seasons. At higher temperatures, lettuce can bolt (flower), become bitter, and form loose heads.

No problem! Just make sure you select the right lettuce. Varieties with tolerance to high temperatures can be grown in warmer areas year-round.

The variety commonly called ‘Mānoa’ lettuce, identified by CTAHR researchers as ideal for Hawai‘i conditions, has always been a local favorite. It has a buttery flavor and crisp texture—my family loves to eat it with a little mayonnaise and shoyu as dressing.

However, in recent years, ‘Mānoa’ lettuce has become extremely sensitive to heat. It may prematurely bolt and develop “tip burn” on the leaf edges. So CTAHR has identified ‘Ānuenue’ as a more heat-tolerant variety. Similar to ‘Mānoa’, it’s another local favorite that can be grown at low elevations. Both can be grown year round in Hawai‘i, and the seeds are available from the UH Seed Laboratory (which offers mail ordering).

There are plenty of other lettuce varieties you can try—just look for types that say they’re heat tolerant. Plant several for a rainbow of colors and tastes!

Nip Problems in the Bud

Besides heat, tip burn can be caused by not enough water, too much fertilizer, or not enough calcium in the soil—but these conditions are easy to fix. First, try watering your lettuce more, then ease up on the fertilizer. As a last resort, add a soil supplement containing calcium.

Thrips, birds, and spotted-wilt virus can also affect your backyard lettuce crop. Consult the UH Cooperative Extension service for the latest pest-control techniques.

Be sure to wash lettuce and other produce thoroughly before serving, to remove any tiny snails or slugs that might be on it.

Feed Your Heads

Lettuce grows best in soils rich in organic matter with a neutral pH. Add organic compost, properly composted chicken manure, and a sprinkle of triple superphosphate fertilizer (0-45-0) to the planting hole for a healthy start. If you can’t find superphosphate, a general-use fertilizer such as 16-16-16 is fine.

After planting, apply a dry general-use fertilizer every three to four weeks or fertilize every two weeks with a water-soluble fertilizer. Because lettuce is eaten raw, use clean, potable water for overhead irrigation and when fertilizing.

Happy salading!

Jari Sugano, O‘ahu County Administrator, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources