LICH Landscape Hawaii Magazine March/April 2013 Issue

T U R F G R A S S I S S U E
T h e V o i c e o f H A W A I’ S G REN I N D U S T R Y $5.00
new
options
TURFGRASS
A new array of patented turf grasses
offers variety of characteristics to
thrive in Hawaii’s unique climate
shaping hawaii
landscape policy
11 legislative bills are slated this session
that will shape the landscape industry
saving water
Optimize irrigation controller schedules
to save up to 30% water
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
HONOLULU, HI
PERMIT NO. 1023
PRESORTED
STANDARD
MARCH | APRIL 2013

Public Works, Irrigation and Landscape Supplies
The proven leader in smart water management.
Hisco is the only authorized irrigation distributor of both Hunter and Rain Bird on
the islands, as well as your distributor for WeatherTRAK controllers and Atlantic
water gardens for pond products. Your one-stop shopping solution with our
complete line of Best fertilizer, Echo & Shindaiwa power equipment, landscape
lighting by FX Lighting, Vista Lighting and Auroralight. Our extensive inventory is
available to supply large or small projects. We deliver with same day delivery on
Oahu or shipping to the outer islands. Contact our friendly staff today!
803 Mapunapuna Street, Honolulu, HI 96819-2086
TEL (808) 833-4567 FAX (808) 833-9346 hiscosales.com

look
INSIDE
LANDSCAPEHAWAII.ORG 3
Formed in June 1986, the
Landscape Industry Coun-cil
of Hawai‘i is a state wide
alliance representing Ha-waii’s
landscape associa-tions:
Aloha Arborist Asso-ciation,
American Society
of Landscape Architects Ha-waii
Chapter, Hawaii Association of Nurserymen,
Hawaii Island Landscape Association, Hawaii
Landscape and Irrigation Contractors, Hawaii
Society of Urban Forestry Professionals, Kauai
Landscape Industry Council, Maui Association of
Landscape Professionals, Professional Grounds
Management Society, Big Island Association of
Nurserymen, and the Hawaii Professional Gar-deners
Association.
Landscape Industry Council of Hawai‘i
P. O. Box 22938, Honolulu HI 96823-2938
Editor
Christopher A. Dacus
Chris.Dacus@gmail.com
Advertising Sales
Jay Deputy
jaydeputy@gmail.com
Membership
Cheryl M. Dacus
Cheryldacus@yahoo.com
Designer
Darrell Ishida
Cover Photo
Photo by Sod Solutions
Captiva™ St. Augustine
The Landscape Industry Council of Hawaii is grateful
to these businesses for their generous support.
DEPARTMENTS
4 PRESIDENT’S MEMO
4 LICH NEWS
8 PEST COLUMN
10 NATIVE COLUMN
12 TREE STORIES
28 TOOL TIPS
30 HAWAI-‘ICOLOGY
FEATURES
6 LOUD & CLEAR
9 PLANT PONO
14 DROUGHT MANAGEMENT
16 MOWING TIPS
18 turfgrass review
20 LEILEHUA GOLF COURSE
27 TURFGRASS CERTIFICATION
COVER STORIES
7 SHAPING HAWAII LANDSCAPE POLICY
13 IRRIGATION SCHEDULE
22 NEW TURFGRASSES
22
Facebook
http://facebook.com/hawaiiscape
THE VOICE OF HAWAII’S GREEN INDUSTRY
Twitter
http://twitter.com/hawaiiscape
2 0 1 3 Boa r d of Di r ectors
Chris Dacus, President Brandon Au, Vice President
Matt Lyum, Treasurer Rick Quinn, Secretary
Director Emeriti
Boyd Ready Garrett Webb Jay Deputy
Lelan Nishek Steve Nimz
Directors
Aaron Agsalda Chuck Chimera Karen Ostborg
Carl Evensen Clifford Migita Mark Suiso
Chris McCullough Edmundo Reyes Orville Baldos
Christy Martin Josh Sand Randy Liu
Be Sociable!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Platinum Sponsors
Website Sponsors

4 LANDSCAPE HAWAII MARCH | APRIL 2013 Aloha,
LICH is off to a great start this
year!
The new 2013 LICH Board of
Directors is an energetic mix of
industry titans and young pro-fessionals
from a broad cross-section
of the industry and the
state. It’s the best leadership team in many years.
Look out for some great results this year.
Which comes first the nursery growing a new plant
or a designer specifying a new plant? Well LICH is
going to break the cycle and have an exciting evening
event featuring new non-invasive plants at the LICH
Runway Plant show with an actual fashion show
runway and real models! Designers and nurseryman
can both enjoy the evening. Don’t miss the big an-nouncement
in the next issue.
The UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Hu-man
Resources invited LICH to participate in the
UH CTAHR Advisory Council. The council consists
of green industry business leaders to provide guid-ance
to the college. LICH presented a 5-point action
plan of working with the landscape industry to Dean
Gallo which was well received. More strategic meet-ings
will take place in 2013.
A new LICH website is under construction and
should be online in a couple of months. It will be
super interactive and easy to navigate. The next issue
will have more information.
Keep up to date on all the events with our active
Twitter feed at @hawaiiscape or “Like” us on Face-book
at http://facebook.com/hawaiiscape.
Enjoy the issue and keep on reading :)
Chris Dacus
President
photo: Shaun Tokunaga
photo: Darren Miller photo: Michael O'Hara
President's
Column
CHIL Director Emeriti
lich
NEWS
Whats H appening
The members unanimously
approved of the selection of
Boyd Ready, Steve Nimz, Garrett
Webb, Lelan Nishek and Jay
Deputy as Director Emeritus.
A formal ceremony will be held
at the LICH Conference on
October 10th.
(L to R): Boyd Ready, Steve Nimz, Garrett
Webb, Lelan Nishek and Jay Deputy.
LICH Announces the
Runway Plant Show
IONA Contemporary Dance Theatre.
www.iona360.com
Upcoming Issues:
Tell a great story! Email the editor at chris.dacus@gmail.com.
MAY/JUNE
Theme: Edible
Landscaping
Story Deadline:
April 19th
SEP/OCT
Theme: Native Plants /
LICH Conference
Story Deadline:
August 9th
JUL/AUG
Theme: Sustainability
& Conservation
Story Deadline:
June 14th
Experience 50 new non-invasive
plants like never
before at the LICH Run-way
Plant Show with the
creations of IONA Con-temporary
Dance Theatre on June
14th at the Kapiolani Community
College Culinary School sponsored
by Alii Turf Company, D.R. Horton,
and Hawaiian Turfgrass. An evening
not to be missed featuring models
walking the runway with promis-ing
non-invasive plants, a rare plant
silent auction, cocktails and pupus
made from locally grown produce.
Nurseries should submit plants for
consideration by April 19th by email
Chris.Dacus@gmail.com for more
information. Check the website and
the next issue for more details on
ticket information.

Calendar of Events LandscapeHawaii.org
LARGEST NURSERY SELECTION ON KAUAI
60,000 SF Greenhouses 150 Acres of Plants & Material
KAUAI NURSEY &
LANDSCAPING, INC.
LIC.ABC-10825
808-245-7747
3-1550 Kaumualii Hwy
Lihue, Kauai, HI 96766
CERTIFIED EXPORT NURSERY
INTERISLAND SHIPPING
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
& DESIGN/BUILD
RESORT, COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL
INSTALLATION / MAINTENANCE
CERTIFIED LANDSCAPE TECHNICIANS
ARBORISTS
IRRIGATION DESIGN
INSTALLATION/REPAIR
Mon. - Fri. 7:30-5 / Sat. 7:30-4
WEB: www.kauainursery.com
MAIL: knl@kauanursery.com
Toll Free: 888-345-7747 Fax: 808-245-9289
Pruning
workshop
Nov. 17
THE VOICE OF HAWAII’S GREEN INDUSTRY LANDSCAPEHAWAII.ORG 5
photo: Carol Kwan
March 2
Puna ‘Ulu (Breadfruit) Festival
Puna, Big Island
March 6-7
2013 National Preservation Institute Seminar
UH Historic Preservation, Oahu
March 7
Recordkeeping Requirements
For Certified Applicators
Crop Production Services, Oahu
March 9
Trees From the Ground Down
Pearl City Urban Garden Center, Oahu
March 14
Recordkeeping Requirements
For Certified Applicators
Hawaiian Commercial and Sugar Company
Conference Room
Puunene, Maui
March 21-22
Pesticide Risk Reduction Education
Molokai Education Center, Molokai
March 30
The Secrets of Growing Hono Hono Orchids
Foster Botanical Garden, Oahu
April 5-6
Kauai Orchid & Art Festival
Hanapepe, Kauai
April 13
Certified Arborist & Certified Tree Worker
Exams
Honolulu, Oahu
April 15-16
Maui Community College, Maui
April 19
Irrigation Basics
Wahiawa Botanical Garden, Oahu
(Check website for details)
Aloha Arborist Association
(AAA) presented a Prun-ing
Young Trees and Shrubs
workshop for the Friends of
Honolulu Botanical Gar-dens
on Saturday, November 17, 2012, at
Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Garden. Certified
Arborists Dudley Hulbert and Carol Kwan
spoke on behalf of AAA and did demonstra-tions
of proper pruning techniques.
Carol Kwan is the President of Carol Kwan
Consulting, a Certified Arborist, and the Secre-tary
of Aloha Arborist Association.
LICH WINS DOA
$10,000 GRANT
LICH was awarded with $10,000
grant from the Department of
Agriculture to produce a native
plant poster for the DOA Buy
Local, It Matters. Poster will be
inserted free in the September / October
magazine.
Lobate Lac Scale revisited
by Carol Kwan
by Carol Kwan
Dudley Hulbert points out a poor branch
attachment and explains how to prune to
correct the problem and make a proper
pruning cut.
April 20-22
American Society of Irrigation Consultants
Annual Conference
Scottsdale, Arizona
April 30 – May 1
Division of Forestry & Wildlife, Big Island
June 14
LICH Runway Plant Show
Kapiolani Community College Culinary School, Oahu
October 10
LICH Conference
Blaisdell Exhibition Hall, Oahu
Hawaii Department of
Agriculture (HDOA) has
requested that the green
waste generated from
pruning or removing
a Lobate Lac Scale (LLS) infested plant
be left at the site where it originated to
reduce the risk of spreading this pest
around Oahu. For example, chipped green
waste from a tree can be left as mulch
under the tree that was pruned. Smaller
green waste, like hibiscus branches, can
be bagged in dark plastic and left in the
sun in an out-of-the-way corner of the
property for a few days. The heat gener-ated
in the bag will hopefully be sufficient
to “cook” the LLS. Leaving any of the
green waste out in the sun for a month or so
would probably work as well. Unfortunately,
research on the life cycle of LLS and how
long the different stages last doesn’t exist, so
this is just a best guess. It is certainly better
than doing nothing. LLS is sufficiently estab-lished
on Oahu to be impossible to eradi-cate,
but landscape professionals are the first
line of defense in slowing it down.
Most importantly, because LLS has only
been found on Oahu thus far, DO NOT
MOVE INFESTED MATERIALS BE-TWEEN
ISLANDS. As a reminder, all plants
and propagative plant material require in-spection
by the HDOA Quarantine Branch
before moving between islands. If found
infested with LLS, it will require treatment
to exterminate the pest before it can be
shipped.

loud & clear
By Kelly Greenwell
6 LANDSCAPE HAWAII MARCH | APRIL 2013 While we’re all
aware of a num-ber
of recognized
economic indica-tors,
probably the
most conspicu-ous
for the Kona side of the Big Island
is the number of private aircraft now
parking at our airport.
What this means to us in the landscape
industry is not just the arrival of a well-heeled
clientele, but even more impor-tantly
the basis upon which to confirm a
vital message to our elected officials.
These visitors and part time residents
will not accept a second class setting to
invest either their time or money on, and
they will go elsewhere in the future if we
do not provide for their expectations.
It is critical that the landscape indus-try
build on this message and convey its
significance to those who are elected to
determine the future of these islands.
If there is one certainty we need to
remember about legislative activity it’s
that elected officials almost always give
their attention to issues they believe affect
or concern the majority of their con-stituents.
This often involves perspective
rather than numbers, with the “loudest
voice” usually getting the most response.
What gets lost is that catering to the
wants of affluence is often a pretty good
idea in fueling a growing economy.
Our industry generally has not spoken
with that ‘loud voice’ and our message
historically has failed to gain support
from a government that lately seems fo-cused
only on a cost and budget applica-tion
to the issues.
No one disputes the need for respon-sible
spending however very few of our
legislators seem to grasp the concept of
investing through strategic spending or
long term vision.
We need to consider that the vision of
Hawaii in the eyes of people who have
never been here is of a tropical para-dise.
Unfortunately an expectation met
all too often with at least some level of
disappointment. Not that the landscape
industry hasn’t tried to respond to this
situation, but more so in that we are
not sufficiently recognized by either the
elected leadership or by so many of those
who live here and have come to accept an
often substandard level of aesthetics no-toriously
displayed in our public domain.
If anyone is now in an opportune posi-tion
to change this dynamic it is us, the
people who deal with clients that demand
and can afford a level of aesthetics that
complies with their vision of what Hawaii
should be. We must therefore shoulder
the responsibility and adopt the mission
to restore and maintain an environment
worthy of our island home. It is the land-scape
industry who in so doing will focus
legislative spending in a direction that
both restores and preserves the appropri-ate
and desired future for us all.
Our place should be to work toward
developing a higher profile in the com-munity,
insisting that our parks, road-sides,
open spaces, beaches, harbors,
airports and other public places become
recognized worldwide for beauty and ac-cessibility,
and that the vision of Hawaii is
based on what will then be real.
If we act now, there can be federal
funding available for creative and imagi-native
legislation designed to not only
strengthen our economy, but promote
sustainable and appropriate growth as
well. Our course of action would be to
meet with the legislature, as the LICH and
as individuals to explain the value of aes-thetics
to building and maintaining this
healthy environment, and to join forces
with other like-minded groups to form a
coalition of private sector representatives
in getting the word out to the community
whose members ultimately determine
who fills the seats at the legislature.
Specifically we need to target projects that
require undeniable attention and lobby
for spending on these needs. This will
then be seen as responsible spending by
legislators and will become the basis for
federal allocations that apply to the effort.
Perhaps an immediate opportunity in
getting up to speed is to initiate debate
on the introduced legislative propos-als
(SB648 and SB649) to ban the use of
glyphosate i.e. Roundup in landscape
management. If we lose our tools, our
ability to work efficiently diminishes
and our voice will have lost much of its
needed impact. (Follow these and future
initiatives at www.capitol.hawaii.gov)
Kelly Greenwell is Owner of Hawaiian
Gardens.

shape hawaii’s
FUTURE & YOURS
IN 5 MINUTES
By TCHRIS DACUS he legislative session
opened January 16th and
LICH is tracking and
testifying on 11 legislative
bills that could benefit or
harm our island environ-ment
and the landscape industry. The
bills propose changes to the laws for nui-sance
trees, leaf blowers, landscape archi-tect’s
license, graywater usage, permeable
paving and irrigation water conservation.
As an expert on these issues, legislators
want to hear from you on these impor-tant
issues. If not you, then who? It’s up
to each of us to be engaged and take time
during the legislative session too weigh in
on these issues.
“Healthy citizens are the greatest asset
any country can have.”
– Winston Churchill
LICH is testifying on the legislative bills
below. By the time you receive this maga-zine
these bills may have changed or died.
LICH supports the following bills:
▪ GRAY WATER – Senate Bill 454
Encourages the department of health
and the counties to promote widespread
use of gray water in the interests of water
conservation. Clarifies that guidelines for
the use of gray water for irrigation pur-poses
shall be liberally construed so as to
allow widespread use of gray water. LICH
Supports Senate Bill 454 with the amend-ment
to exempt single-family residential
use from permit requirements for washer
water usage.
▪ WATER CONSERVATION BMPS –
House Bill 1017 & Senate Bill 803
Establishes a one-year pilot program
requiring DAGS, DOT, and DLNR to
implement irrigation water conservation
best management practices, as established
by the Landscape Industry Council of
Hawaii. LICH Supports House Bill 1017
and Senate Bill 803.
▪ PERMEABLE PAVING - House Bill
1394 and Senate Bill 1305
Establishes an income tax credit for
taxpayers who maintain permeable sur-faces
on their property. Permits a taxpayer
to deduct from state income taxes the
costs of certifying an organic agricultural
operation or determining a qualifying
property’s net water infiltration. LICH
supports House Bill 1394 and Senate Bill
1305.
LICH opposes the following bills:
▪ NUISANCE TREES - House Bill 69.
Codifies civil liability for nuisance trees.
Endangers all property line trees state-wide
with civil liability language includ-ing
“…an overhanging branch that drops
leaves, flowers, or fruit shall be deemed to
constitute a danger or cause damage for
purposes of this section.” LICH opposes
House Bill 69.
▪ LEAF BLOWERS - House Bill 1041
Restricts the use of leaf blowers to two
hours between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on any
day. Makes it illegal to operate a gasoline
powered leaf blower within a residential
zone unless the operator is personnel of a
licensed business.
LICH Opposes House Bill 1041.
▪ LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT LICENSE
- House Bill 326 and Senate Bill 57
Requires professional architects,
engineers, land surveyors, and landscape
architects to present a tax clearance
certificate to licensing agency prior to
issuance or renewal of the license. LICH
Opposes House Bill 326 and Senate Bill 57.
LICH was instrumental in getting both of
these bills to be deferred and probably will
not be heard again this year.
▪ GLYPHOSATE – Senate Bill 648 & 649
Prohibits the sale, distribution, transfer,
and use of pesticides containing glypho-sate
(RoundUp herbicide active ingre-dient)
for cosmetic application. LICH
Opposes Senate Bills 648 & 649.
Ready to give it a try? Providing input
has never been easier than now. You can
testify at a hearing or just submit testi-mony
online. Online testimony can be as
a simple as just saying “Support” or “Op-pose.”
First, check our FaceBook page at
http://facebook.com/hawaiiscape for the
latest news on which bills are being heard.
Then visit http://www.capitol.hawaii.
gov, search for the bill (i.e. HC69), click on
button near top “Submit Testimony”, and
complete a seven question form. In 5 min-utes,
you will shape our island’s future by
sharing your expertise on issues that are
important to you.
Chris Dacus is a landscape architect
and arborist for the Hawaii Department of
Transportation and the president of LICH.

pest
COLUMN
LINDA BURNHAM LARISH
8 LANDSCAPE HAWAII MARCH | APRIL 2013 Female Monkeypod-kiawe moth AAGIN
The Monkeypod (Sa-manea
saman), is a
popular landscape
tree in Hawaii.
It grows in many
other tropical areas
of the world, although it‘s native
range is the northern region of South
America and Central America south of El
Salvador. The Monkeypod is recognized
for its umbrella-like canopy and leaflet
closure which allows sunlight and rain to
filter down to its roots so that the grass
grows right up to its massive trunk. Be-cause
of the tree’s dominant place in the
landscape, it becomes readily apparent if
this giant is under siege and looses its foli-age.
Unfortunately, since the 1970’s, this is
what occurs nearly every year somewhere
in Hawaii’s landscape when the Monkey-pod
defoliators strike.
The triad of defoliators which attack
the Monkeypod tree are the Monkeypod
Kiawe Caterpillar (Melipotis indomita
(Walker)), the Black Witch Caterpillar
(Ascalapha odorata (L.)) and the caterpil-lar
of the Kiawe Caterpillar (Polydesma
umbricola Boisduval). Of the three, the
most severe pest of Monkeypod is the
Monkeypod-Kiawe Caterpillar which
usually makes up more than 98% of the
larvae collected on Monkeypod. Trees
can remain defoliated for as long as two
years but sometimes die due to prolonged
leaf-loss.
The life cycle of these three defolia-tors
is very similar in habit and duration.
Female moths lay their eggs in crevices
in the tree’s bark and upon hatching, the
larvae crawl up to the tree’s foliage to feed
at night. In the early morning hours, the
larvae migrate back down the trunk of
the tree and hide under the bark or in the
STRIKE
soil at the base of the tree during the day.
Development from egg to adult can take
from one to two months for the three
defoliators.
In order to disrupt this cycle, in a 1987
study, Tamashiro and Mitchell of the
University of Hawaii sprayed the trunk
of Monkeypod trees with five different
insecticides and then tied carpet around
the trunk to collect the larvae. Of the
insecticides which proved effective, only
two are available for use today; carbaryl
and diazinon. Today, when an outbreak
of Monkeypod defoliators occurs, the
remedy is to apply carbaryl (Sevin®) as a
dust to a swath of carpet and tie it around
the trunk of the Monkeypod tree so that
the dusty side of the carpet is facing the
tree’s bark. The top of the carpet is tied
loosely so that the caterpillars can crawl
in to hide early in the morning while the
bottom of the carpet is tied tightly to
secure it to the trunk. Sevin is refreshed
bi-weekly and usually if the remedy is
applied for six weeks, it is sufficient to
control the caterpillar attack.
Linda Burnham Larish is a Survey Ento-mologist
with the Pacific Cooperative Stud-ies
Unit, the Hawaii Department of Forestry
and Wildlife and the Hawaii Department of
Agriculture.
References:
Staples, G.W., and C.R. Elevitch. Sama-nea
saman (rain tree). Species Profiles for
Pacific Island Agroforestry. April, 2006.
www.traditionaltree.org.
Tamashiro, M. and W.C. Mitchell.
Control of three species of caterpillars that
attack Monkeypod trees. College of Tropical
Agriculture, Hawaii Agricultural Experiment
Station, Misc. Publications 123. 1987.
(Melipotis indomita)
Photo courtesy of the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, Plant Pest Control Branch
Damage to Monkeypod caused by caterpillar defoliators
photo: Maury Heiman
LARVAL DEFOLIATORS
OF DEKMNOOPY

doing plant our part pono
to By christy martin
It used to be that the Hawaiian
ecosystems with the highest
diversity of plant species were
moist and wet forests. Today,
the highest plant diversity can be
found in our yards and botanical
gardens, and the number of plant species
introduced to Hawaii grows each year.
Although the vast majority of Earth’s
250,000+ plant species would not be
invasive if imported and grown in our
islands, a small percentage would be
superweeds that alter the ecosystem or
natural resources. Plants are not checked
for their potential to become invasive
when they are imported, and our nox-ious
seed and weed rules regulate less
than 100 species of plants, most of which
are already present in Hawai‘i.
Now, there is a new website that can
help everyone make informed plant
choices. Plant Pono (www.plantpono.
org) provides planting information on
non-invasive ornamental plants (pono
plants), to help you select the right plant
for your yard. These pono plants were
selected by noted horticulturist Heidi
Bornhorst, and were screened by the
Hawaii-Pacific Weed Risk Assessment
(HPWRA) system, a highly-accurate pre-dictor
of invasiveness.
The website also allows users to search
the more than 1400 plants that have
been screened by the HPWRA to date.
The HPWRA is like a free background
check for plants, which uses professional
plant screeners to research published in-formation
to answer 49 questions about
the plant, resulting in a prediction that
is more than 90% accurate at flagging
invasive plants.
If you want to know whether a plant is
invasive or not, just type in the common
or Latin name, or part of the name to
automatically search the database. If the
plant has not yet been screened, you can
request this free service by filling out our
online form.
The Plant Pono Forum is also a feature
of the new site. The forum is a moder-ated
page for questions and answers on
invasive plants, and we hope it will be-come
a valuable resource to see archived
discussions.
Fountain grass, Miconia, Australian
tree fern, Pampas grass: each of these
plants were imported and sold as orna-mentals,
and each have spread far beyond
their intended ornamental setting. Some
threaten the watershed, others are fire
promoters, and all of them are replacing
native ecosystems. When these plants
were imported and promoted, we didn’t
have online resources or the HPWRA to
alert us to the threat. Today, with www.
plantpono.org, we have the tools to
significantly reduce the importation and
use of invasive plants, and that’s pono.
Christy Martin is the Public Informa-tion
Officer for the Coordinating Group on
Alien Pest Species, a voluntary public-pri-vate
partnership working to protect Hawaii
from invasive species and a member of the
LICH Board of Directors.

native
COLUMN
10 LANDSCAPE HAWAII MARCH | APRIL 2013 propagation of
ohia, janice uchida &
using vegetative
cuttings
chris kadooka
At the University of Hawaii
in Manoa, we operate a
fungal disease laboratory
and confirm the pathoge-nicity
of new fungi on lo-cal
plants. Healthy disease
free plants are needed for these tests and
plants are propagated by employing clean
seeds or cuttings. These healthy plants
are required to test the infectivity of new
fungi, to document early symptoms and
to record disease progress.
For Ohia or Metrosideros polymorpha,
we commonly use seeds for propagation.
However, it takes many years to produce
a plant ready for pathogenicity testing,
as well as for retail or for out planting for
commercial operations. Alternatively, by
using vegetative cuttings, propagation is
faster and clones can be made from valu-able
plants. The following describes basic
procedures used to propagate ohia from
cuttings.
Gathering cuttings: When going into
the field to obtain cuttings of Ohia
plants, it is important to keep the cut-tings
hydrated and vigorous. Thus bring
a bucket of water to place the cut ends of
the cuttings in it. If specific trees are se-lected,
bring newspaper to the field, place
cuttings on the newspaper with the stem
ends together, wrap cuttings in a bundle,
tie or tape, label, and place cut ends in
the water.
Cuttings are taken from the tips of
plants and are cut into pieces about 5 to
10 inches (7 to 12 cm) in length. Avoid
tips with flowers or young growth. Tips
with expanded mature leaves are the
best. If tips with flowers, buds, or young
leaves are gathered, then remove them, at
the time when cuttings are prepared for
planting (Figs. 1 and 2)
Preparing cuttings for planting: Take
each cutting, gathered from the field and
cut into smaller pieces, each with about
8 to 12 leaves. Seven to 10 leaves per cut-ting
will be common. The lowest leaves
on the cuttings are removed, as well as
any buds, flowers or young shoots. The
remaining leaves are cut in half to reduce
transpiration from the cutting. The cut
stem ends are dipped into Hormex Root-ing
Powder that contains indole-3-butyric
acid at 0.3%. Cuttings are then inserted in
Sunshine Mix Blend #4. For the potting
mix, placed it in a clean, large container,
add water, and mixed until the medium
is wet. Place the mix into pots (e. g. 4”
in diameter), filling the pots then press-ing
the medium into a firm layer. The
Figs. 1
Figs. 2

Figs. 3 Figs. 4
medium should fill about ¾ of the pot.
Insert the cuttings into these pots. Place
numerous cuttings in each pot (about 10-
15). The greater the number of cuttings,
the higher the humidity will be. This
will discourage water loss and help the
cuttings to retain water and initiate new
roots (Fig. 3).
Location: Place cuttings in a cool
location, with light, and preferably on
a completely clean bench at least 24 to
30 inches above the ground. We grow
the Ohia cutting and plants in a glass
greenhouse with a solid roof and screen
walls located in Manoa valley. Fans keep
the temperature under 30 C during the
hottest periods but overall, 25 C would
be better. Cuttings should be placed in a
shade house or under solid cover. Gently
water the cuttings at least once a day.
Avoid areas that are windy as this will
increase water loss from the cuttings.
Some growers will also place the pots of
cuttings into a tray then place the tray
into a large clear plastic bag that is cut
about 4 to 6” above the plant. The walls
of the bag, keep humidity high although,
the top is open. The bag is clear and
does not interfere with light transmis-sion.
Drainage should be excellent and
holes should be made on the bottom of
the plastic bag to allow for good drain-age.
Sanitation: The bench should be clean
with no algal or moss growth. If there is
such growth then scrub off the material
and be sure to also scrub the under sur-face
of the bench. Drench the bench with
10% bleach (one cup bleach and 9 cups
of water). Following the bleach treat-ment,
allow the bench to dry then rinse if
needed. Clean the legs of the bench also.
Clean the ground to remove algae, moss,
fern and any weeds. Cover with new
gravel, cinders, or weed mat.
Avoid pests: Be sure that there are no
insects (ants, millipedes, fungal gnats)
or snails or slugs. These pests will move
pathogens into the pots and the cuttings
will be contaminated. Even weak patho-gens
will cause problems for these tender
cuttings. Thus, use new potting mix,
clean pots, and clean benches. Environ-ments
that are slug and snail free are
highly recommended. Growers can also
use mist benches. However, be sure that
there is no moss or algal growth on the
bench or in the surrounding area. Ad-equate
light is also needed. Clean the area
that will be used for the Ohia cuttings.
Again keep slugs and insects out.
Transplanting: Cuttings are frequently
rooted in 3 to 4 months. Remove the
entire pot of cuttings, by laying the pot
in its side, holding the cuttings and
move the entire mass outwards. Pull all
cuttings out, side-wards. Do not pull
upwards or roots will be lost. Proceed
slowly and avoid breaking or injuring any
of the roots. Healthy roots are white. If
any are brown, discard all the cuttings in
that pot. Use Sunshine Blend 4 for trans-planting
the cuttings and pre-moisten
the medium as before. Add about ¼ pot
of moist medium to bottom of each pot
and hold the cutting in the center while
filling the edges of the pot. Fill each pot
to ¾ filled with one cutting per pot. Add
a small amount of fertilizer to a corner
surface of the pot. The fertilizer used is
Osmocote Slow Release fertilizer at triple
14. Water and return to an environment
with at least 65% shade. As cuttings are
established in 2-3 weeks, move them to
an environment with more light. Once
the root system expands, growth will be
rapid. After a month or two, plants can be
grown in higher levels of light. After a few
months if they are getting too large for
the 4” pot (Fig. 4), transplant to 6” pots,
and eventually into 10” pots.
Janice Y. Uchida, PhD and Chris Y.
Kadooka, Research Associate, both are with
the Department of Plant and Environmen-tal
Protection Sciences at the University of
Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and
Human Resources.

12 LANDSCAPE HAWAII MARCH | APRIL 2013 exceptional trees
at waimea valley north shore of oa‘hu
NEED AN
AAGGRRIICCUULLTTUURRAALL
LLOOAANN??
Purchase open land, build a dwelling, operating
loans, line of credit, equipment purchase, truck or
automobile purchase, refinance a mortgage or agree-ment
of sale, etc.
Both the Federal Land Bank Association of Hawaii, FLCA
and Hawaii Production Credit association can custom design a
loan to meet your needs.
We offer: Long term loans, short term loans,
competitive interest rate programs, flexible
repayment schedules, excellent loan servicing
options, etc. We also have programs for Young,
Beginning, Small and Minority Farmers.
FARM CREDIT
SERVICES OF
HAWAII, ACA
Federal Land Bank Association of Hawaii, FLCA
Hawaii Production Credit Association
C A L L O N E O F O U R L OA N O F F I C E R S A T :
Oahu Office 2850 Pa‘a Street, Suite 100
Honolulu, HI 96819
Phone: 808-836-8009
Fax: 808-836-8610
www.hawaiifarmcredit.com
Hilo Office 988 Kinoole Street
Hilo, HI 96720
Phone: 808-961-3708
Fax: 808-961-5494
From the Neighbor Islands Call Toll Free 1-800-894-4996
FCS of Hawaii, ACA is part of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide system of leading agricultural financial institutions
which started in 1917. FCS of Hawaii, ACA has been doing business in Hawaii since 1966 through its subsidiary the Federal
Land Bank Association of Hawaii, FLCA. The FCS of Hawaii, ACA is not a Federal Agency of the Federal Government.
tree
stories
josie hoh
Recently, 22 stately trees
at Waimea Valley were
approved by the Arborist
Advisory Committee to be
listed as Exceptional Trees.
This program was founded
by the State of Hawaii in 1975 to mandate
each county to establish a County Arbor-ist
Advisory Committee which enacts
regulations to protect trees of exceptional
stature. Exceptional trees must meet one
or more of the following criteria: historic
or cultural value, age, rarity, location, size,
esthetic quality and endemic status.
At Waimea Valley, the new Exceptional
Trees include two Monkeypod (Samanea
saman); two Ohe-makai (Reynoldsia
sandwicensis); and 18 Wiliwili (Erythrina
sandwicensis) trees. These century-old
monkey pod trees with 9 feet diameter
trunks awe our guests at the visitor
center. These endemic Ohe-makai and
Wiliwili trees were used culturally by the
Hawaiians. Ohe-makai was used to play
a game called kukulu‘ae‘o (stilts). The soft
light wood of the wiliwili is still used for
outriggers and occasionally surfboards
and was used as fishnet floats. These ex-ceptional
trees existed in the Valley before
the Waimea Arboretum and Botanical
Garden was created in 1972.
These trees live in an area steep with
cultural features and spiritual signifi-cance,
Waimea Valley has 78 recorded
archaeological surface sites. Two large he-iau,
Puu O Mahuka and Kupopolo, guard
the entrance to the Valley with fishing
shrines dotting the coastal edges. House
lots and agricultural terraces are found
along the valley floor. Waimea Valley and
the adjacent ridge of Pupukea remained
important centers of religion and spiri-tuality
until 1819 and were presided over
through the centuries by kāhuna nui who
were direct descendants of Pa‘ao.
Josie Hoh is a trained horticulturist and
is the botanical group manager for Hi‘ipaka
LLC dba Waimea Valley.
Photo courtesy of Waimea Valley
Century-old Monkeypod trees at the visitor center.

irrigation
programming
for 2013 By allan schildknecht
How long
do you
run your
control-ler
for?
It’s
amazing how often I walk up
to an irrigation controller and
look at how long each station
is scheduled to operate. Re-gretfully,
it’s more of the norm
to see spray heads set to water
15, 20, even 30 minutes every
day, applying up to an inch of
water, when they only need to
run 6 or 7 minutes per day.
So how long should you run your
systems: Today, most spray-type sprin-klers
apply 1.5” to 2” of water per hour?
The average evaporative losses on Oahu
are about 0.18” so on an average day, in
theory you need to irrigate less than 7
minutes per day to replenish the full ET.
However, not all plants need full ET and
not all areas will be the same.
A protected shady area of your property
may only have losses of 0.12” or less while
a dry, windy area that exposed to full
sun will be higher. Each plant type has a
different crop co-efficient. For example,
a cool-season turf grass may have a crop
co-efficient of 0.9 to 1.0 which means
it needs 90% to 100% of ET to survive.
Warm season turf grasses however are
happy with 65% to 75% of ET. Like most
hard wood shrubs only need 40% to 60%
of ET, but tropical ornamental plans can
be as much as the cool season turf.
We also see most controllers set to
irrigate every day or every-other day, but
is this best for the plantings? Perhaps, if
it’s a sandy well-drained soil, but most of
Hawaii soils are clay or loam soils which
would be better to irrigate every three
or four days. The trick is to water deep
enough to encourage the roots to grow
deeper. This not only allows for healthier
plants, but will also allow the soil to act as
a reservoir to supply the root zone during
drier periods.
Computing this out can be difficult,
but there is new technology, which will
allow it to be automated in the future.
In the 1920’s the first irrigation con-trollers
were introduced into the mar-ketplace.
These were expensive and did
little more than turn on or off the valve
at a given time. While crude, they were
an improvement over the manual night
watering man, it replaced.
Today’s new “Smart Controllers” do
so much more and can actually pay for
themselves in water savings within the
first year.
Typically these new controllers use ei-ther
on-site data, from NOAA stations or
from soil moisture sensors, to collect the
data for the site, and then automatically
compute the run time for each station,
based upon the actual site conditions.
Initially when you set up the controller,
it does take slightly longer, as you must
supply the controller with some basic
data. The basic set-up includes program-ming
in the sprinkler type for each valve
(sprays, rotors, drip), the plant material
you’re irrigating (turf, shrubs, trees, etc.)
the soil type (clay, loam, sandy) the
solar exposure (full sun, part sun,
shade) and the slope condition and
the computer automatically will
program each station on a daily
basis, depending upon the actual
climatological data for the site.
For those desiring to even save
more water, you can do advanced
programming to customize the
actual precipitation rate, the
desired root depth of the plants,
location on slope (top of slope
needs more water than bottom of slope)
and the amount of effective rainfall you
want the controller to utilize.
Historically, these Smart Controllers
save anywhere from 30% to 50% of the
amount of irrigation used on a site over
conventional control systems.
As with any controller, the cost of
the controller varies depending upon
the brand and features, but we’ve seen
eight-station models with a list price of
less than $200 on up to very sophisti-cated
versions which sell for twice that
or more. As with anything you would get
more features with the more expensive
ones, but even the less expensive models
will save you money.
Today, you can hire a professional to
program your irrigation system and then
retain him on a monthly basis to fine
tune it as the climatological conditions
change….or you can use a Smart Control-ler,
which easily walks you through the
programming and will save both you and
your client money.
Mr. Schildknecht is the President of Ir-rigation
Hawaii, Ltd and is a Professional
Member of the American Society of Irriga-tion
Consultants (ASIC), an Irrigation As-sociation
certified irrigation designer (CID),
Hawaii’s first EPA Water Sense Partner.

preparing dought your management plan
In the past decade, we’ve seen and
heard a lot of new “Buzzwords”
in the landscape industry. Words
such as LEED, sustainability, low-impact,
urban sprawl, being green,
and many more have become
commonplace.
Another “buzzword” which has been
around for a while, but has never really
discussed much in Hawaii is “Drought
Management Plan”.
Ancient Hawaiian’s had drought man-agement
plans, which date back hundreds
of years. These laws that governed water
usage were known as the Kanawai or
“laws of water” and were enforced by
a strict Kapu. Damaging an irrigation
system or harming a water source was
punishable by death in cases. Water con-servation
was the preeminent law of the
land and was very successful in support-ing
Hawaii’s population.
Officially, The State of Hawaii imple-mented
the development of their initial
modern day “Hawaii Drought Plan” in
2000 and this was updated in 2005, but
has really never been implemented on a
statewide level. Prior to then, drought was
addressed as a temporary emergency and
actions that were taken in response to
these emergencies.
The first recorded drought took
place in the 1890’s, due to a com-plete
lack of long-range planning,
which continued into the 1920 when the
Honolulu Water Commission (now BWS)
took over the management of water in
the Nuuanu area of Honolulu. Ironically,
almost 100 years ago, they faced some
of the same issues that we face today.
Antiquated systems, haphazard usage and
perhaps most important of all, a lack of
planning, not so much on a Kingdom,
State or Municipal level, but by the
individual user.
Historically, the key item
with all Drought Management
Plans is to develop and imple-ment
these ideas before
the drought occurs. Key
elements include;
▪ A comprehensive
rainfall pattern and cli-mate
monitoring system
By allan schildknecht
▪ A network of people and organiza-tions
who can effectively assess evolving
shortages
▪ Clear plans on how to immedi-ately
address both short and long term
droughts before they occur.
The landscape industry cannot do
much in predicting or changing rainfall
but we can monitor it and we do have
access to historical climatic conditions
which we should take advantage of. We
also are a network of people who have not
only the capability but also their duty to
assess future shortages and implement
contingency plans before the shortages
occur.
Basically, this means we need to priori-tize
the usage of water before and during
drought periods. The State of Hawaii
Administrative Rules of the State Water
Code HRS 174C-62, indicates the highest
priority of water usage should be Domes-tic
usage, followed by municipal, military,
Ag, Industrial and lastly Golf, Recreation-al
and Landscape applications.
While restrictions vary by County, the
Honolulu Board of Water supply has
three warning levels, Caution, Alert and
Critical.
▪ Under a Caution Level, users will be
requested to voluntary conserve water es-pecially
the reduction of irrigation usage.
▪ Under an Alert Level mandatory
water use restrictions may be placed upon
customers, with the possibility of fines,
surcharges or disconnection to the water
service.
▪ Under Critical Levels mandatory
water use restrictions will be implement-ed
and an aggressive water conservation
program will be essential.
14 LANDSCAPE HAWAII MARCH | APRIL 2013

As a user or landscaper, how can you prepare a Drought Management Plan for your property? The first step is
to prioritize your site both from a maintenance level as well as from the user’s respective; Examples may be;
Priority Res/Com Water use Hotel/Resort Water use Golf Water use
1 Front/Entry 20% Entry 13% Greens 2%
2 Lanai Areas 7% Pool/Rec Area 15% Grn Sur/Approach 3%
3 Child Play area 10% Formal Garden 15% Tees 5%
4 Rear Yard 35% Open Space 30% Fairways 40%
5 Side Yard 20% Side Areas 15% Roughs 35%
6 Back of House 5% Back of House 10% Practice 10%
7 Other 3% Other 2% Other 5%
Total 100% 100% 100%
Obviously, the priority that you would
want to reduce first would be your lowest
priority areas. If you’re asked to volun-tary
conserve water, you may want to re-duce
your water usage by 25%. Depend-ing
upon the type of landscape you’re
maintaining, you’re going to first look at
the back of house, side yards or roughs
to meet this requirement. If the warning
increases to an Alert level with manda-tory
50% cut back you’re going to look at
reducing your usage at those areas plus
some of the higher priority levels but
minimizing the cut back in your highest
priorities until absolutely needed.
While water reductions may be re-quired
there are other things you as the
landscape manager need to consider:
▪ Most Important: Know your water
needs for your site and the application
rate of your system and apply the water
properly. Do this now before any drought.
▪ Prepare a drought plan and imple-ment
it early, before it’s mandatory.
▪ If this is a public area, post the
drought notices so your clients know why
you’re doing what you’re doing. It’s better
to warn the users before it gets to the
“Shock and Awe stage, and it will help you
keep your job.
▪ Use your as-built irrigation plans to
highlight the areas selected for reduction.
▪ If looking long range, consider planting
a more drought tolerant turf/plantings.
▪ Aerate your turf areas to improve the
efficiency that the water being applied
▪ Adjust your watering times often.
Daily is best, but monthly as a minimum
for commercial sites.
▪ Apply wetting agents to also improve
the efficiency of the water being applied
▪ Budget for more hand watering of
“Hot spots” Don’t irrigate the entire area
when only a 20’ x 20’ area is dry.
▪ Maintain your equipment to top
shape. A sharp blade causes less damage
to the turf than a dull blade and the turf
will not require as much water to recover.
▪ Consider a less frequent mowing
and fertilization schedule.
▪ New sprinklers are far more efficient
than older versions. Consider up-grading
your system either on a circuit-by-circuit
basis or everything. Do not however re-place
only one sprinkler at a time, do all of
them on the same zone at the same time.
▪ Upgrade your control system. Many
new control systems can save 30% to
50% of the water applied through better
management.
▪ Ask for help from a qualified consultant.
Best Advice – Be Prepared. It’s not if,
but when the next drought will happen.
Mr. Schildknecht is the President of
IrrigationHawaii, Ltd and is a Profes-sionalMember
of the American Society of
IrrigationConsultants (ASIC), an Irrigation
Associationcertified irrigation designer
(CID),Hawaii’s first EPA Water Sense
Partner.

16 LANDSCAPE HAWAII MARCH | APRIL 2013 mowing tips
Proper mowing height is im-portant
in maintaining the
health and overall appear-ance
of turf grasses. Each
kind of turf grass has its
own recommended range of
upper and lower mowing height.
Mowing near the lower end of the
range in some species can be beneficial
by causing an increase in the growth of
the stolons and rhizomes, resulting in
increased turf density. However, mowing
too low will reduce the amount of leaf
area, which will decrease photosynthesis.
This will decrease the root mass resulting
in a reduced tolerance to foot traffic and
to heat and water stress, resulting in a
brown lawn. Mowing near the lower end
of the recommended range is tolerated
better during the summer months in
Hawaii when our warm season grasses are
at their highest growth rate. Home lawns
should not be cut lower than ½ inch,
very low mowing at ¼ inch or below
should be restricted to golf greens and tee
boxes, where turf species adapted to low
mowing and special professional care and
equipment is required.
Raise the height a little during the
winter months when the growth rate is
much slower. Even a small increase in
height can produce significant benefits
by allowing more leaf area resulting in
deeper roots and higher stress resistance.
However, mowing above the upper end
of the range often results in a loose tufty
appearance and a rapid growth of the
thatch. This gives the lawn a spongy feel,
which will lead to scalping during mow-ing
and other problems.
The actual mowing height you use
should depend on the mowing height
tolerance of your particular type of grass,
how often you mow, and its location. In
shaded areas, for example, raise the
mowing height by 30 to 50 % to com-pensate
for the lower rate of pho-tosynthesis
of the leaf blades under
low light.
A second consideration is selec-tion
of mower. The mowing tolerance
of your individual turf species will be
By jay deputy
the main factor in determining the type
of mower to use. The two basic types of
power mowers are the reel and rotary
mowers.
A reel mower is best to use on lawns
cut at one inch or less. A reel mower
cuts with a shearing action as mul-tiple
blades (7 to 11) turn against
a stationary bed knife. The
reel mower produces a
better lawn appearance
when the blades
are kept sharp
and aligned with
the bed knife.
Reel mowers
Recommended Preferred Approximate
Mowing Height Mower frequency
(inches) (days)
Table of mowing
information
Turf species
Common Bermudagrass 1 to 2 rotary 7
Improved common Bermudagrass 3/4 to 1 1/2 reel/rotary 7
Hybrid Bermudagrass 1/2 to 3/4 reel 5 to 7
Seashore & other varieties of paspalum 1/2 to 3/4 reel 5 to 7
Emerald Zoysia 1/2 to 3/4 reel 7
Z3 & newer varieties of semi dwarf Zoysia 5/8 to 1 reel 7
El Toro Zoysia 3/4 to 1 1/2 reel/rotary 7
Centipedegrass 1 1/4 to 2 rotary 7 to 14
St Augustingrass 2 to 3 1/2 rotary 7 to 14

• Specimen Trees in Boxes
• Fruiting Trees
• Palms
• Topiaries
• everything else
in Kona
329-5702
have disadvantages in that they
are more expensive to purchase,
more difficult to maintain in
good working condition, not very
maneuverable around corners
and in tight places and on uneven
terrain. They do best on relatively
open level lawns cut at less than
one inch.
Rotary mowers should be used
on lawns cut at one inch or higher.
A well-designed rotary mower lifts the
grass by creating suction and gives a uniform crew
cut type look. A mulching rotary mower keeps the
clippings in suspension long enough to re-cut them
several times and discharge them directly down into the
thatch. The blade must be kept sharp. As the rotary blade
becomes dull it tends to produce a frayed leaf edge that dries
out, giving a brown or yellow cast to the lawn. Rotary mowers
are less expensive than reel mowers and are far more versatile.
They handle weeds and thick grass with ease and are much
more maneuverable. They can also be used to mulch and bag
leaves and other small yard debris as a substitute for raking.
Mow often enough so that you do not remove more than
1/3 of the leaf growth at a time, the lower the cutting height
the more often you will mow. If you follow the recommended
mowing frequency, clippings should not cause a problem and
should be left on the lawn. This will recycle much of the nu-trients
that would otherwise be lost if clippings are bagged. As
much as 50% of the nitrogen fertilizer you put onto the lawn
can be retained in this manner.
Jay Deputy is the state administrator for the Certified Land-scape
Technician program and a Director Emeritus of the LICH
Board of Directors.

Zoysia St. Augustine
Seashore Paspalum Bermudagrass Centipede
a review of
frtugrasses used in hawaii
18 LANDSCAPE HAWAII MARCH | APRIL 2013 There are two general kinds
of turf grasses available.
They are called Cool
Season and Warm Season
for obvious reasons. Only
the Warm Season grasses
can be used in Hawaii. Cool Season spe-cies
like Kentucky bluegrass, fescue and
rye will not survive the hot summers in
Hawaii even though the seed is sold here
as shade grass.
The Warm Season species are Bermu-dagrass,
Paspalum (Seashore and some
newer varieties), Zoysia (several varieties),
Centipede and St Augustine.
Bermuda grass was once the most
popular choice for home lawns in Hawaii.
The traditional common Bermuda grass
was widely used until the late 1960s when
the first hybrid, Sunturf Bermuda, was
introduced. Decades later other Bermuda
hybrids became more popular.
Common Bermuda grass (Cynodon
dactylon) can be grown from seed. There
are many new improved seeded selec-tions
that are of much higher density
and better color than the original type
used several decades ago. However these
seeded selections do not yet compete
with the hybrids for top quality. The main
advantage with these seeded types is the
lower cost and ease of planting. All hybrid
Bermuda varieties do not produce viable
seed and must be planted by vegetative
methods, usually by spreading stolons.
There is now a nice variety of Bermuda
hybrids available. Until recently Tifsport
and Tifway 419 were the best choices for
sports fields and home lawns. Several
new introductions , notably Celebration
and Tif GRAND, have recently become
available that have higher density and
better color and are also reported to have
better shade tolerance than the other
Bermuda hybrids. Several dwarf varieties
are also available, but they are best suited
for use on high maintenance golf courses
and high end homes and resorts.
All Bermuda grasses, both hybrids and
common seeded varieties, require a higher
fertilizer program than any of the other
warm season grasses and show the least
shade tolerance. Mowing is best with a reel
mower at one half to three fourths inch
mowing height for most hybrids and one to
two inches for the common Bermudas.
There are several types of Zoysia (Zoy-sia
japonica) available in Hawaii. El Toro,
Z3 and emerald are the most common.
El Toro has the widest blade, very similar
to centipede grass. It grows much more
rapidly than the other types and can be
mowed at heights from three fourths to
one inch with a reel mower or one to one
and one half inches with a rotary mower.
Z3 and emerald should be mowed lower,
one half to three fourths inch. Emerald
Zoysia blades have a very fine texture,
often referred to as “pokey grass” and can
develop a thick thatch and form mounds
when cut above an inch. Emerald devel-ops
thick thatch much more rapidly than
By jay deputy
Photos: University of Hawaii CTAHR

Z3 or El Toro. Z3 has smaller, thinner
blades than El Toro.
All Zoysias have good shade tolerance
and very high wear tolerance, but because
of their slow growth, Z3 and emerald
will recover very slowly when once worn
down. All Zoysia varieties are normally
planted from small squares of sod planted
at about one foot intervals. The time for
full establishment can vary from four to
five months to longer than one year de-pending
on the time of year, variety and
planting distance.
Some newer varieties of Zoysia have
recently been introduced. Zeon has a
combination of a fine-textured look, very
low irrigation requirements, substantially
less fertilizer requirements, and very low
thatch production. JaMur Zoysia is a me-dium
textured grass, similar in look to El
Toro grass, but it’s a lot easier to manage,
needing less water and less fertilizer.
Geo Zoysia has a fine texture similar
to Emerald, but with a much softer feel
and lower thatch development and can be
mowed below one half inch. Empire is a
blue-green turf with a blade width slightly
wider than El Toro and can be mowed
from one half inch to two inches.
Seashore Paspalum (Paspalum vagina-tum)
has been widely used in Hawaii for
its salt tolerance. Zoysia is also salt toler-ant,
but it handles salt in a completely
different way. Where paspalum must be
flushed with fresh water to move the salts
through the soil column, Zoysia stores
the salt in its leaf tissue. So, to remove
salt from Zoysiagrass, all you have to do is
mow it and remove the clippings.
Several varieties of paspalum are
available. Seashore Paspalum (Paspalum
vaginatum) is the most common and
the newest is Sea Isle 2000. Sea Isle
2000 is rapidly becoming the choice for
golf courses, replacing the traditional
Bermuda turf. The most outstanding
characteristics of these paspalums are a
fast growth rate and very high salt toler-ance.
On the down side, it builds thatch
rapidly and is not very tolerant of many
of the commonly used herbicides and is
not very shade tolerant. Both varieties are
best mowed under one inch with a reel
mower. It is normally planted by spread-ing
stolons or by plugs.
Saint Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum
secundatum) is the coarsest of all of the
warm season grasses used here. It must be
mowed above 2 and one half inches and
requires a heavy duty rotary mower. It
can build a very thick thatch layer which
will eventually lead to difficulty in mow-ing.
It’s most endearing trait is very good
shade tolerance along with fairly high salt
tolerance. Planting is usually from rooted
sprigs of sod. Several new dwarf type
varieties such as Captiva St Augustine are
now available which have finer, shorter
blades, build less thatch, and tolerate
lower mowing heights.
Centipede grass (Eremochloa ophiu-roides)
is the other choice available for
Hawaii lawns. It is normally planted from
seed and will establish in two to three
months. Centipede has good shade toler-ance
but has very poor wear tolerance and
requires more water than all other warm
season grasses. It grows rather slowly and
requires less maintenance than most of
the other grasses.
For more information on any of the
these grasses see the ads in this issue and
for general landscape information visit
the College of Tropical Agriculture and
Human Resources website at www.ctahr.
hawaii.edu. Click on publications on the
home page.
Jay Deputy is the state administrator for
the Certified Landscape Technician program
and a Director Emeritus on the LICH Board
of Directors.
EKO Compost is made in Hawaii. It’s an integral part of the
islands’ ecosystem. It’s also one of the Founding Members of the
U.S. Composting Council’s Seal of Testing Assurance Program.
You can find EKO Compost at :
Maui EKO’s Plant
Central Maui Landfill - Pulehu Rd. Puunene
808-572-8844
Hawaii Grower Products
Maui , Lanai & Molokai: 808-877-6636
Big Island: 808-326-7555
Pacific Agricultural Sales & Service
Oahu & Kauai: 808-682-5113
M a de
O n
M a u i
COMPO STIN G
USC O U N C I L
Seal of Testing Assurance rubens.mauieko@gmail.com
Puunene, Maui

before shot 8 green
The Renaissance of a Classic - Leilehua Golf Course
20 LANDSCAPE HAWAII MARCH | APRIL 2013 Opened in 1949, Leile-hua
Golf Course has
always been consid-ered
one of the finest
military golf courses
worldwide, and a
favorite to the local Hawaiian golfing
community.
So one might ask, “If Leilehua is such
a great golf course, why was it recently
renovated?” The answer is a simple.
Although the golf course layout was
solid, Leilehua had been showing its age
for many years and it was evident that
it was time for a change. The large trees
had overtaken the fairways, bunkers were
holding water, putting surfaces were slow
and uninteresting and more tee space
was needed.
So, in 2010 a professional design/ build
team was hired to work with the Army
and Leilehua personnel to refurbish the
golf course and bring it up to high qual-ity,
modern-day standards. The team
comprised of Stellar, golf course architect
Mark Miller and DHR Construction, was
given a “wish list” and a budget. Although
the task seemed daunting, the team’s
main focus from the start was to deliver
the entire wish list within the given
budget.
Project Approach
The wish list consisted of four main
items. In order of priority, the request
was for new full-length concrete cart
paths, the removal of 160 large trees,
18 new teeing complexes and, if at all
possible, 18 new green complexes. Led
by Stellar, the team quickly realized that
some inventive value engineering would
be required, and sacrificing the quality
of the project, in any way, was not an
option. Resourceful and environmentally
sustainable solutions would be a primary
focus as well.
Value Engineering
Tree removal would to be a major
expense, so the team hired Steve Nimz, a
prominent arborist in Hawaii, to consult
on the project. Working closely with
Steve Takashige, golf course superin-tendant,
and Mark Miller, Nimz took a
more detailed approach to the overall
tree removal picture. Collectively, they
determined that many of the trees could
be pruned and others could be saved,
resulting in a major construction cost
savings.
Next, the team focused on the con-crete
cart paths. Danny and Joy Ramos of
DHR Construction had established their
business in cart path installation, and
brought their valuable expertise to the
table. Through minor design adjustments
and creative construction techniques, ad-ditional
construction costs savings were
realized.
The team’s next focus was on the con-struction
of USGA style greens and tees.
Of which was the most significant and
costly portion of the project would be
the greens construction. A USGA green is
considered the optimum root zone envi-ronment
for growing turfgrass, and is the
most widely used construction method.
This method requires a very specific root
zone mixture consisting of silica sand,
blended with peat moss. For Hawai-ian
golf courses, this can be expensive
because everything must be imported.
The sand for example was imported from
Vietnam, the peat from the mainland.
By mark miller

Additionally the irrigation system needed
to be remodeled to accommodate the
changes in these features.
Final Results
Leilehua’s original layout was kept
intact, bestowing its welcoming charm
and calming beauty, but the course now
defiantly has sharper teeth that make the
course more challenging yet fun to play.
Tees, for the most part, have been rees-tablished
in their original location. The
most notable difference is they are now
ample in size, with a wide variety of tee-ing
areas, along with newly introduced
forward tees on every hole.
Trees canopies are now pulled back
and cart path locations are much im-proved,
welcoming golfers to grip it and
rip it. The difficulty of Leilehua now lies
in the all-important approach shot. The
new greens can be described as subtlety
undulating to uniquely contoured, with a
couple of surprises in store for first tim-ers
(beware of holes 8 and 15). Menacing,
yet delightfully shaped bunkering, guards
the greens.
The turfgrass chosen for the new
AFTER shot 8 green
Mark Miller, formerly with Belt Collins
Hawaii/ Nelson and Haworth Golf Course
Architects, has operated as an independent
golf course architect since 1999, DBA Miller
Design, LLC from his office in Arvada, Colorado. Leilehua greens is MiniVerde Ultra Dwarf
Bermudagrass, recently introduced to the
islands. MiniVerde is considered a supe-rior
turfgrass for putting greens and tees;
known for its dark green color, salt and
shade tolerance, and resistance to disease
and rapid recovery from injury. The fine
blades of this grass can be closely mowed,
allowing these new greens to roll fast, if
desired.
So warm up your approach game, and
come out and enjoy the newly remodeled
classic, Leilehua Golf Course. You will
love the new look, and the new challeng-es
that compliment this timeless beauty.

Turf grasses
and a Native Grass
22 LANDSCAPE HAWAII MARCH | APRIL 2013 Turf grasses today include an
array of patented turf grasses
that offer your clients unique
characteristics. We asked
national and local turf grass
suppliers to tell us about the
latest turf grasses that are available in Hawaii
and we received a great response. It’s truly
amazing how traditional grasses have been
optimized for more drought resistance, lower
mowing height, insect resistance, different
color shades, greater foot traffic tolerance,
shade tolerance, and there’s a native grass
that’s now available too. You name it there’s a
grass that’s perfect for your project.
Captiva™ St. Augustine
Captiva ™ St. Augustinegrass is an im-proved
release from the University of Florida.
Captiva offers a visual and dramatic improve-ment
to the common St. Augustine grasses
found throughout Hawaii. Captiva has a deep
dark green color, shows resistance to the
Southern Chinch Bug, and is very shade toler-ant.
Unlike common St Augustine, Captiva
is a true low-mow grass and is a slow vertical
grower which greatly reduces the frequency
of mowing. It grows well with minimum
water once established. Captiva is a great low
maintenance grass for many types of Hawai-ian
landscapes. Hawaiian Turfgrass in Hawaii
grows Captiva ™ St. Augustinegrass. For more
information visit www.sodsolutions.com or
www.hawaiianturfgrass.com.
BERMUDA GRASSES
Celebration® Bermudagrass
Celebration® is a striking blue-green
bermudagrass that offers proven excep-tional
performance throughout Hawaii in
a wide range of applications. Celebration
ranked #1 in a comprehensive drought study
and requires fewer inputs, making it an
environmental-friendly grass to the sensitive
Hawaiian landscape. Celebration has also
received top ratings for wear tolerance, divot
New Patented
offer new options
Photo: Sod Solutions
compiled By Chris Dacus
Captiva™ St. Augustine Close-Up

LANDSCAPEHAWAII.ORG 23
Celebration® Bermudagrass MiniVerde® Bermudagrass
recovery and low surface hardness. It has an
excellent recovery rate from damage and wear
and has excellent sod strength due to a dense
root system and tight runners. While being
extremely heat tolerant, Celebration tolerates
cooler temperatures while retaining its color.
Celebration in both scientific studies and real
life applications has a higher degree of shade
tolerance than other bermudagrass variet-ies
allowing it to stretch the normal limits of
bermudagrass in shaded applications. From
professional golf to the NFL, home lawns to
sports fields, Celebration is a proven excellent
choice for optimal performance and quality
for Hawaii. Southern Turf in Hawaii grows
Celebration Bermudagrass. For more infor-mation
visit www.sodsolutions.com or
www.southernturfhawaii.com.
MiniVerde® Bermudagrass
MiniVerde® Bermudagrass variety ‘P-18’ is a
high shoot density, stoloniferous bermudagrass
for production of high quality golf greens. Mini-
Verde tolerates continuous close mowing, has a
dark green genetic color and excellent low tem-perature
color retention. MiniVerde does not
exhibit purple leaf coloration due to anthocyan-in
production typical of Tifdwarf bermudagrass
exposed to low, non-freezing temperatures.
MiniVerde will tolerate relatively high amounts
of sodium and therefore is adapted for use with
reclaimed water. MiniVerde also tolerates soil pH
levels of from 5.5 to 9.0 but will perform best at
pH 6.0 to 6.5. MiniVerde has few pest problems
and tolerates close, frequent mowing. MiniVerde
Bermudagrass is locally grown by Alii Turf Company.
For more information visit www.aliiturf.com.
Riviera Bermudagrass
Riviera Bermudagrass is an improved
common bermudagrass that was released
in 2001. Unlike all of the hybrid selections,
Riviera is grown from seed. This makes es-tablishment
less labor intensive and is much
less expensive. Riviera Bermuda has superior
density, texture and color as compared to
other improved common bermudagrass
varieties. It is very wear tolerant and recov-ers
quickly from damage making it an
excellent choice for use on many sports field
applications. Riviera has been use extensive-ly
on golf courses, home lawns, roadsides,
and almost every venue of sports. Riviera
Bermudagrass is locally sold by Koolau
Seed & Supply Co. and can be reached at
(808) 239-1280.
Riviera Bermudagrass TifGrand® Certified Bermudagrass EMPIRE Turf®
THE VOICE OF HAWAII’S GREEN INDUSTRY Photo: King Ranch Turfgrass
Photo: Hawaiian Turfgrass
Photo: Koolau Seed & Supply Co.

Geo™ Zoysia Jamur® Certified Zoysia
in-between, making it one of the most versatile
options for everyone under the sun. TifGrand®
is ideal for sports fields in stadiums and on
school playing fields. It’s also well suited for
home lawns and commercial properties where
shade trees or buildings cast shadows for part
of the day. Hawaiian Turfgrass is the exclusive
TifGrand® certified grower in Hawaii. For
more information visit www.tifgrand.com or
locally www.hawaiianturfgrass.com.
ZOYSIAGRASSES
Where paspalum must be flushed with
fresh water to move the salts through the
soil column, zoysia stores the salt in its leaf
tissue. So, to remove salt from zoysiagrass,
all you have to do is mow it and remove the
clippings. It’s that easy. For its combination of
low maintenance, low water, low fertilizer and
easy removal of salts, Zoysia can be the future
of turfgrass in Hawaii.
TifGrand® Certified
Bermudagrass
TifGrand® is the world’s first Bermudagrass
scientifically developed to produce a superior
turf cover in full sun and to thrive in as little as
five hours of direct sunlight per day. TifGrand®
has a natural dark-green color even at lower
fertility, promising to make it a very envi-ronmentally
friendly grass. TifGrand® can be
mowed very low, relatively high, or somewhere
24 LANDSCAPE HAWAII MARCH | APRIL 2013
Photo: Blade Runner Farms Photo: Blade Runner Farms

EMPIRE Turf®
EMPIRE Turf® is an improved medium-bladed
zoysia grass perfect for the Hawaiian
climate as an alternative to El Toro and Myer
zoysia, having less disease issues and a greater
resistance to some problematic insects.
EMPIRE Turf is known as “The Proven Zoysia
Grass®” on the mainland and has been in
Hawaii for several years. EMPIRE adapts to a
wide range of soils and climates, is a drought
tough turfgrass that grows particularly well
in the soils of Hawaii. EMPIRE Turf is easy to
mow and tolerates a wide range of mowing
heights, as it can be mowed as low as ¼ inch
and up to 2 inches
It is a standout performer for a wide variety
of uses EMPIRE’s lush blue-green color and
compact leaf growth make it visually ap-pealing
while its hardwearing nature gives it
outstanding durability. EMPIRE is the most
viable medium-course zoysia for Hawaii.
Southern Turf in Hawaii grows EMPIRE Turf.
For more information on visit www.empire-turf.
com, www.sodsolutions.com, or
Geo™ Zoysia
Geo™ Zoysia is an exciting fine-textured
Zoysia that will soon be available in Hawaii. A
unique cross between a Zoysia Japonica and a
Zoysia Tenuifolia, it offers an excellent alter-native
to emerald zoysia. Geo has a beautiful
emerald color, fine texture, is extremely wear
tolerant and has minimal thatch. Geo is ex-tremely
shade tolerant, it performs well with
only a few hours of direct sunlight. These
unique characteristics make Geo Zoysia an
excellent choice for use in Hawaii from golf
to homes, commercial applications and land-scapes
of distinction. Geo Zoysia is grown by
Southern Turf in Hawaii. For more informa-tion
visit www.sodsolutions.com or
JaMur® Certified Zoysia
JaMur Zoysia is the most drought tolerant
zoysia available. JaMur Zoysia produces a lush,
dense turf and offers excellent recovery from
traffic and wear. With its adaptability to full
sun and moderate shade sites, JaMur is one of
the most versatile turfgrass varieties available.
JaMur Zoysia is a medium textured grass,
similar in look to El Toro grass, but it’s a lot
easier to manage, needing less water and less
fertilizer. Its attractive blue-green color is the
ideal choice for high visibility and high traf-fic
residential and commercial applications.
JaMur is considered by many to be the most
versatile of all the warm-season turfgrass
varieties. If there were ever a single turfgrass
cultivar that every homeowner, landscape
professional, and sod producer should be
considering, JaMur Zoysiagrass is the one.
Hawaiian Turfgrass is the exclusive JaMur
Zoysia certified grower in Hawaii. For more
information visit www.theturfgrassgroup.com
or locally www.hawaiianturfgrass.com.
Photo: Forest & Kim Starr
Pili Grass SeaDwarf® Seashore Paspalum
® Certified Zoysia
ZeonTHE VOICE OF HAWAII’S GREEN INDUSTRY LANDSCAPEHAWAII.ORG 25
Photo: Blade Runner Farms Photo: Environmental Turf

26 LANDSCAPE HAWAII MARCH | APRIL 2013 PERMEABLE PAVERS MAKE PROJECTS POSSIBLE
GO GREEN WITH THE AQUAPAVE PERMEABLE ON SITE STORMWATER SOURCE CONTROL SYSTEM
WHEN IT POURS …… IT STORES
BENEFITS
 NO SLOPING REQUIRED
 INFILTRATES UP TO 354 INCHES OF RUNOFF AN
HOUR
 ROOF WATER MANAGEMENT
 GROUNDWATER TABLE RECHARGING
 WATER HARVESTING
 OIL CONTAMINATES MANAGEMENT
 FILTERING & TREATMENT OF POLLUTANTS
 LOWER CONSTRUCTION & LIFE CYCLE COSTS
 30-40 YEAR LIFESPAN
 SLIP AND SKID RESISTANT
 UP TO 12 LEED POINTS
 GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS
 CONSIDERED A BMP
 COMPLIES WITH NPDES
 PAVERS CAN BE ENGRAVED FOR FUNDRAISING
APPLICATIONS
 PARKING LOTS
 RESIDENTIAL DRIVEWAYS
 COMMERCIAL ENTRANCES
 SIDEWALKS
 PLAZAS
 LOW SPEED RESIDENTIAL ROADS
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
FUTURA STONE OF HAWAII
WWW.FUTURASTONEHAWAII.COM
841-7433 C23741
L1F® Certified Zoysia
L1F Zoysia is extremely fine textured,
ultra-exclusive, high-end, unique dwarf
type Zoysiagrass unlike anything else com-mercially
available. L1F Zoysia is extremely
shade tolerant and is a great option for
Sporting Fields and Golf Courses as it
requires lower inputs compared to Bermuda
and SeaShore Paspalum. For sports fields
and golf courses requiring a fine blade Dwarf
Zoysia variety, L1F Certified Zoysia is a great
option. L1F is coming soon to Hawaiian
Turfgrass in Hawaii. For more information
visit www.theturfgrassgroup.com or locally
www.hawaiianturfgrass.com.
Zeon® Certified Zoysia
A beautiful turfgrass, Zeon is a fine-bladed
Zoysiagrass, it has a beautiful dark green color
and soft leaf texture making it a true “bare-foot
lawn grass.” Zeon Zoysia is the golf grass
of the Rio Olympics. Zeon Zoysia’s extensive
root system allows it to quickly recover from
drought, it can handle full sun, and has excel-lent
shade tolerance only requiring as little
as 3 hours of direct sunlight. Compared to
Emerald, Zeon has a faster rate of spread. Ex-pect
coverage from plugs on one foot centers
in about twenty to twenty-four weeks which
is considerably faster than Emerald’s normal
growth rate. Zeon does not produce the heavy
layer of thatch, which makes Zeon easier to
care for and can be mowed with a standard
rotary lawnmower. If you are looking for a
fine textured, dense turf with exceptional “eye
appeal”, Zeon Zoysia is the grass for you. Ha-waiian
Turfgrass is the exclusive Zeon Zoysia
certified grower in Hawaii. For more informa-tion
visit www.theturfgrassgroup.com or
locally www.hawaiianturfgrass.com.
NATIVE GRASS
Pili Grass
Piligrass is a native grass and indigenous
to Hawaii. It’s use is mainly as a no-mow
type ground cover. It is an erect perennial
native bunch grass and is found on all major
islands. It mainly grows in arid and some-times
rocky areas from sea level to over a
thousand feet. Pili grass was once the main
thatching material used by Polynesians for
the construction of their homes. Under
natural conditions in Hawaii, it grows
between 1 to 3 feet in height., The long-awned
seeds are sharp and pointed, forming
tangled masses as they mature. This makes
it very difficult to enter a mature stand of
Pili grass. Pili grass is locally grown by Alii
Turf Company. For more information visit
www.aliiturf.com.
PASPALUM GRASS
SeaDwarf® Seashore Paspalum
SeaDwarf is the only true dwarf seashore pas-palum.
SeaDwarf® is suited for use on golf cours-es
tee-to-green and on sportsfields such as soccer,
baseball, softball and football. If you’re looking for
the finest texture, fastest ball roll, lowest mowing
heights and tightest knit in a Seashore Paspalum,
you’ve found it with SeaDwarf. SeaDwarf is the
premium Seashore Paspalum turfgrass. SeaDwarf
is locally grown by Alii Turf Company. For more
information visit www.aliiturf.com.
The variety of new turf grasses offers new
choices with unique characteristics. So next
time you’re considering a turf grass for a proj-ect
consider all the choices available today
and contact the local turf grass representa-tives
to help point you towards the turf grass
that will work the best for your clients.
Chris Dacus compiled this article written by
national and local turf grass experts and sup-pliers.
Chris Dacus is a landscape architect and
arborist for the Hawaii Department of Transpor-tation
and the president of LICH.

Why Certification is
The Future of Turf in
Hawaii
By Bill Carraway
Many industries offer consumers a
variation on the Better Homes &
Gardens Seal of Approval, a J.D.
Power rating, or some type of third-party
verification that what they’re buying is the
real deal. In the turf industry, our method
is Certification. Here in Hawaii, grasses
are certified by the Hawaii Department of
Agriculture.
Why is this important? The hinge-pin to
Certification is determining the genetic pu-rity
of production fields of a given turfgrass
variety.
Let’s look at El Toro Zoysia, for example,
a long-time standard for lawn grass in
Hawaii. Just a few years ago, the Patent
for El Toro expired. Once a variety’s Patent
expires there is no way to enforce Certi-fication
requirements, thus any producer
anywhere and at any time can expand
production from any source, to any field,
without the source field or the expansion
field having to be inspected for off-type
grasses and/or mutants within the popula-tion.
Without Certification, there ceases
to be any oversight as to the quality and
purity of the grass that is being produced
or purchased.
Several Certified turfgrass varieties
are now available, or are in production, in
Hawaii, for use on home laws. TifGrand
Bermudagrass is available for sale now.
This shade tolerant Bermuda well suited
for lawns and sports fields. Zeon Zoysia
is a fine textured, dense turf that will be
available for sod sales in the summer of
2014. JaMur zoysia is a medium textured
zoysiagreass similar in look to El Toro but
requires fewer maintenance inputs.
Bill Carraway is Vice President of
Marketing at The Turfgrass Group.
03-10-09/0000229489
3009 PMP-PENARO Proofed By: jmahoney
KOOLAU SEEDS & SUPPLY R 2.00 X 2.00
Susan Owen
Manager
Contact
(808) 239-1280 Office
(808) 239-2151 Fax
E-mail
owens001@hawaii.rr.com
48-373 G Kamehameha Hwy
Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744
Turf grass
Certification in Hawaii By albert louie
The Hawaii Dept of
Agriculture, Com-modities
Branch of
the Quality Assurance
Division is the official
designated agency
of the Association of Official Seed
Certifying Agencies (AOSCA) to certify
vegetative propagated turf grasses such
as Bermudas, Centipede, Zoysia, St.
Augustine and Seashore Paspalum. The
life of the stand for classes of founda-tion
registered or certified turf grasses
will continue as long as the varietal
and mechanical purity for the class is
maintained.
Why certify turf grasses? To assure
buyers that they are getting the variety
of turf grasses that is of genetic purity.
It is usually a requirement by the
licensing agency for turf grass varieties
to be certified. Varieties that are certi-fied
are usually Mainland certified or
registered sod sprigs.
The following are procedures for
the applicant to get the turf grass to be
certified. The applicant will submit to
the certifying agency (Hawaii Dept of
Agriculture): the name and address of
the applicant requesting for the service,
the name of breeder of the variety, the
variety name, the origin and breed-ing
history of the variety, a detailed
description of the morphological,
physiological and other characteristics
of the plants that distinguished it from
other varieties, Note: This will be the
description used by field inspectors
to determine varietal purity, evidence
(data, graphs, charts, pictures, etc.),
supporting identity of the variety and
any statements of claims made con-cerning
its performance characteristics,
(e.g. yield insect or disease tolerance,
lodging). a statement delineating the
geographical area of adaptation of the
variety, procedure for maintaining
the stock seed classes and number of
generations a variety may be multiplied,
and the description of how the variety
is to be constituted if a particular cycle
of reproduction or multiplication is
required.
Field Standards are the handling of
the crop after planting and prior to in-spection,
the field must be rogued and/
or spot sprayed during the growing sea-son
to remove (1)other varieties (2) other
perennial grasses (3) most common
weeds, (4) objectionable and noxious
weeds in excess of agency standards.
Minimum of three inspections are
required throughout the year of the same
field. A field or portion of a field may be
certified. Plantings of vegetative propa-gated
turf grasses must be isolated from
any other variety and other perennial
grasses by an artificial barrier and/or strip
at least six (6) feet wide to prevent mixing
during the growing season and harvesting
operation.
For Turf Standards Procedures – an
official serially numbered certificate or
tag will accompany each shipment of
certified, sprigs, sod or plugs. A com-plete
record on the amount of certified
turf sales will be maintained and made
available to the official of the Hawaii
Department of Agriculture. The record
will include (a) class of certified turf
grass sold (Foundation, Registered or
Certified), (b) kind and variety, (c) field
number, (d) date of harvest, (e) amount
of turf shipped (square feet, cubic feet,
bushels, etc.).
Fees for this inspection include travel
costs based on the current federal mile-age
rate of 56.5 cents per mile and $38.00
per hour.
Albert Louie is the Fresh Fruits and
Vegetables Inspection Specialist, Seed Cer-tification
Director & Food Safety Auditing
Coordinator for the Hawaii Department of
Agriculture.

TIPS tool
P H Y L L I S J O N E S
28 LANDSCAPE HAWAII MARCH | APRIL 2013 warranty
does not mean
guarranty
HAPPY NEW YEAR
READERS!! Are you off
to a good start? Let’s all
commit to becoming
more knowledgeable
about what we do and
how we can do it better. I’m ready to help
in any way that I can, so if you have ques-tions,
feel free to ask. For this issue, let’s
start with everyone’s favorite topic, when
is a warranty not a warranty?
WARRANTY
DOES NOT MEAN
GUARRANTY
The story I am about to tell is true.
Earlier this year I was making a sales call
to an experienced, professional land-scaper.
He had purchased a chain saw
one month earlier, and I asked him how
the saw was working. It is here that the
story begins. After purchasing the saw,
he explained that they brought it back to
their shop, took it out of the box, and put
fuel in it. They went to start the saw; it
started but would die when they tried to
“rev” it up. They tried several times and
the same thing happened; no high rpms.
They took it back to the dealer, explained
the problem and they were told to leave
the saw. It would be checked out. Three
weeks later, they got a call; the saw was
fixed. It was a problem with a kink in the
fuel line. Situation corrected — problem
solved. Warranty would cover the repair.
They picked it up and took it
back to their job site.
They
started it up and could not get full
throttle. Back it went to the dealer. After
a few days, he got a call from the dealer—
the saw is ready. It was at this point that
I happened to be in the dealer’s shop, and
there was a discussion about whether
the second visit was warrantable. The
shop found internal problems with the
carburetor, and made the necessary
repairs.
What do you think — was the
second visit covered under war-ranty?
Let’s break it down. War-ranty
covers a defect in parts or
workmanship from the factory.
So does the second visit con-stitute
a warranty situation?
Should both situations be
warranty? First, the saw was
not started at the shop. There
was no way to determine if
the “fuel line problem” was
a defect from the factory. If
it had been started, with both
parties present, at the time
of purchase,
the

first problem should have been discov-ered
before the saw left. The second
problem –carburetor—would also have
been caught at that time, prior to the saw
leaving. Once the saw left
after the first repair, there
were the usual ques-tions
about whether
carburetor failure is a
legitimate warranty
claim. There could
be questions about
other factors which
may affect carbure-tor
performance;
fuel, application. Did
anyone “play” with
the adjustments?
(In general, as
long as the equip-ment
is running
correctly at the
time of purchase,
and there have
been no service
bulletins about
problems with
that particular
model of equipment, warranty would not
apply.) Of course there are times when it
is a 50-50 call.
There are also situations
where there are parts
replacements
(recalls) even
outside the
warranty pe-riod.
These
are
usually safety
related issues,
and these are covered
under warranty.
So what happens next? Is a shouting
match that turns ugly, the next step?
More often than not, other factors come
into play — what is the customer’s history
with the shop; how knowledgeable, expe-rienced,
and skillful is the mechanic and/
or salesperson who is dealing with the
customer. Of course we are looking for a
win-win resolution. As sales people,
we all want to, and need to, keep
our customers happy. But at
the same time custom-ers
need to be self-protective
by being
knowledgeable
about what they
are buying,
so that
they can
justify
why they
are requesting
warranty. (Dealers can
only get paid by the factory
for warranty claims if they can justify the
claim to the manufacturer.) For example,
in this situation, if the warranty period
is 2 years, and there were carburetor prob-lems
6 months after the date of purchase,
I doubt that the carburetor would be cov-ered
under warranty. If the same problem
appeared when the equipment came out
of the box, and the shop’s fuel was used, it
would be more likely that the carburetor
would be covered under warranty.
No customer wants to buy equipment
that is broken; and no dealer is trying to
sell a customer a broken piece of equip-ment.
Each party must do their share and
hold some responsibility. How do you
think this story ended? What would have
been an adequate resolution for you?
Next issue we will be looking at some of
the new trends in the industry, and where
does it fit in to your operation.
Phyllis Jones is with A to Z
Equipment and Sales, formally
A to Z Rental Center, in busi-ness
for over 25 years.

hawai‘-
30 LANDSCAPE HAWAII MARCH | APRIL 2013 quick session: 1
creating
MEANING
FROM NAMES
by Kekuhi Keali‘ikanaka‘oleohaililani
We’re going to have a
quick sesh (session)
and debrief here be-fore
we jump into the
real article.
So, who rushed out
and searched Puku‘i & Handy’s Hawaiian
Dictionary or wehewehe.org to understand
the notion of “Mahina Lā‘au”? No worries.
We’ll do it together. Let’s see what WE can
conjure up in terms of a broad image and
nomenclature (image not so much definition)
for Mahina Lā‘au. (btw: Lā‘au is spelled with
a macron over the first “a”). Go to wehewehe.org
as we step through this.
mahi - to cultivate; a farm; a farmer; planta-tion
patch; Cf. mahi‘ai, mahina, mahiku (hint:
always good to look up the Cf.’s)
mahina -moon, month, moonlight; 2.
crescent shaped fishhook; 3. eye of the snail at
the end of its horn; 4. farm, plantation, patch;
5. variety of onion similar to silver onion; 6. a
variety of sweet potato ( you see, I didn't know
this one!)
Lā‘au - tree, plant, timber, wood, stick,
pole, rod, splinter, thicket, club, blow of a club,
strength, rigidness, hardness, male erection,
to have formed mature wood as of a seedling,
woody, wooden, stiff as wood; 2. medicine,
medical; 3. lump or knot in the flesh, to feel
such a knot or stiffness; 4. picture frame; 5.
general word for canoe endpiece; 6. for nights
of the moon beginning with Lā‘au, see malo, 31,
35(la'aukukahi, Lā‘aukulua, Lā‘aupau)
Now, here’s OUR broader image. You with
me?
Mahina Lā‘au - cultivator of plants/trees....
kay, straight forward enough. Here’s where
we start broadening. Having fun now...
Mahina Lā‘au - cultivator of medicine
(to ingest, for the mind, body, for the land).
Now, you see the potential implications of
the name. All of sudden we’re not only beau-tifying
or designing for the visual aesthetic or
the functional aesthetic. Now we’re co-cre-ating
for the purpose of healing mind, body,
spirit, of both the kanaka and the land-sky-ocean
connection. NO WONDER Lā‘au also
means a lump or to feel a knot and stiffness!
You’re working two honua-s (bodies) at once!
Go get that lomi you sooooo deserve!!
Mahina Lā‘au - to farm with the intent to
strengthen like a tree.
Mahina Lā‘au - the Lā‘au moon phases.
Mahina Lā‘au - medicine cultivated in the
reflection of the moon. To cultivate Lā‘au,
which is a very MALE image, (if you missed
that one) in the reflection of the moon,
which is a very female image, brings the
“doer”, you, into a wonderful balance while
creating balance. Now, that’s good stuff!
And, lastly, for now,
Mahina Lā‘au - trees, plants, medicine,
Lā‘au moons
So who is the Mahina Lā‘au? The cultiva-tor
of plants, trees, medicine, who pulls from
and depends on both the male energies of
the image of Lā‘au (this is not to say that all
Lā‘au are male, the visual representation is)
and the female energies of the moon, for the
purpose of ________; you fill in the rest.
You see, to grasp the Hawai‘i-ness of the term,
this process is necessary. It is THE #2 priority
investment when creating your intimate and
embodied relationship with the Hawai'i uni-verse.
Ultimately, when you are curious enough
to investigate, deconstruct, and reconstruct the
nomenclature or story of
a Hawai‘i name for a plant,
person, place, or elemen-tal
phenomenon, even at
the most rudimentary level,
what magically happens is the
emergence of a bigger, brighter
image of the name. This process
of deconstruction and rebuilding
is called “makawalu” (by my Mom,
Pua Kanahele). Makawalu means to engage
multiple perspectives. Try it! Try it with plant
names, wind names, place names. I know you
want to! See told you it was a quick one. Now,
the real article.
Rick Quinn provides the prompt for this
issue’s Hawai-‘icology thoughts. Mahalo Rick
and Heidi Bornhorst for your inquiries.
Chris,
I really like the column by Kekuhi
Keali’ikanaka‘oleohaililani at the back of the
Jan/Feb LICH mag. Now I know I’m a Mahina
lā‘au !
Using plants in landscaping with an under-standing
of their connection to the current and
past culture of Hawaii is important to me, and
the new column looks like it will provide some
great information along those lines.
I think we should be using more native ferns
in our landscapes. Can you please pass on to
Kekuhi to consider including some discussion
of native Hawaiian ferns and their place in
Hawaiian culture and use.
Thanks.
Rick Quinn
icology
Embodying the
Hawaii Universe

Equipment Rental
Just Got Even
EASIER
from
HAWTHORNE
Rent-It Service
www.catrentalstore.com/
hawthorne-rent-it-service
All the information
you need is
RIGHT AT YOUR FINGERTIPS.
The new website is available
on your mobile device, taking
the ease of doing business to
a whole new level. It provides
the highest quality support at
your convenience – anytime,
anywhere, when you need it!
Obtain a Quick Quote /
Browse Equipment /
Find a Local Rental Store
800-543-6916
Our Palai Community
Who is the first plant to pop up on a lava
flow? Who are the plants you might find in
and around fresh water sources, whether a
spring, a river, a cave, big cracks, or the side
of a water worn pali? Who are the plants
most used by hula people (watch Merrie
Monarch kahiko night)? Who is one of the
significant seed nurseries of the forest? And,
here’s the $1,000.00 Jeopardy question: She
was Hi‘iaka-i-ka-poli-o-Pele’s companion
and totem in the story of Pele and Hi‘iaka.
Answer: “Who is Pa‘u o Palai”.
Palai, the fern. The appear-er, disappear-er,
and reappear-er of all manner of forest. They
are the dinosaurs of our plant communities...
well, maybe except for some fungi or mosses.
These monocots (is that right?) pack some
punch in terms of Hawai‘i practice, func-tion,
and veneration. In the Hawai‘i family
system, if you are the first born, you’re the
hiapo, the eldest, the boss of the family.
No difference with our plant family. I
wonder if we’ve considered the palai
or the fern to be THE HIAPO of the
forest because she/he is the first to
appear on a lava flow? Most times
we don’t. She’s not the biggest,
doesn't have attractive flowers,
and doesn’t get the headlines in
terms of lists, yet, the palai IS the
HIAPO, the elder sibling of all
the major forest communities on
the ‘aina, landscape. The exception
might be the higher and lower “wao”
or natural land divisions, but of course I
don’t know EVERYTHING :)
The palai is the initiator and the
invigorator and has more longevity
then some of the other vegetation that
we use in hula, which is why we use
palai. The idea of palai is to make soft,
flexible, malleable. The magic of the
palapalai, pala‘a, ‘iwa‘iwa is that their
softness and the subtlety of their scent
is deceiving. They are prolific in their
reproduction. Which is the reason
we use palai in ritual: in hula rituals,
in farming, planting and harvesting
rituals, in revivification, at funerals,
in Makahiki rituals, in healing rituals.
In ritual, to have the fern present, is just
like having your family’s oldest Aunty
at the dinner table. It’s a recognition of
the genesis, the rigor, and the fragility of
life. In our traditions, we have very strict
harvesting rules for ferns because my
negligence in the treatment of the palai
will have serious repercussions on the
health of the forest, not to mention
my spirit. Whoa!
The palai people, whether you’re
working with hapu‘u or kupukupu
or ‘ekaha or amau‘u, peahi, or moa,
have multi-functional uses.
Aside from the instilling the
ideas of profundity, flexibility,
and origins, we also use the fern people for
weaving, for dyeing for scent, for medicine,
for bandaids, for lei making, for food, and
for cloth printing. We've indigenized some
of the introduced ferns into our practices
because...well, why not. And because of their
general usefulness in attracting metaphysical
outcomes, as well as functional outcomes.
So, is the fern significant in Hawai'i prac-tice?
YES, undoubtedly! If you want to at-tract
or impose the characteristics of the fern
that I mentioned above into your landscape,
go out and simply observe how this unas-suming
plant community interacts with the
other people of ka (the) nahele (bushes). Get
the digest sized Fern Book. I looooove that
one. Keep it in my car.
Anyway, remember the $1,000.00 Jeopardy
question about Hi‘iaka and Pa‘uopalai? We’ll,
there’s a great story! But, I’ve gone over my
word limit. I’ll leave you with a smidgin of
the importance of Pa‘uopalai to Hi‘iaka. The
Pele is the lava. So there’s your landscape.
She is the older sister of Hi‘iaka which
means, the land is required for Hi‘iaka to do
her job. Hi‘iaka’s function is the green-ing of
the landscape. Pa‘uopalai or the “clothing of
ferns” is the totem and companion of Hi‘iaka.
Which means Pa‘uopalai is a necessary com-panion
of Hi‘iaka because________? Why?
If you have inquiries to prompt our next
topic of discussion, you may send them
directly to me, at ohaililani@gmail.com.
I am Kekuhi Kanae Kanahele
Keali'ikanakaoleohaililani. My paternal
family ties are to Keleikini of Kaua‘i, Nauoho
of Hana, Maui. My maternal family ties are to
Ahiena of Puna, Keali‘ikanakaole of Ka‘u, and
Kanaele-Kenao of Kohala. Learning about and
engaging with my relations in nature, from
Hawaiinui, Hawaii-iki, Hawaiipamamao
(this Hawaii, the Hawaii within, and the
Hawaii beyond the horizon), thoroughly
excites me. Cultivating relationships and
making ecological connections for
myself and others is my gift and my
passion.

HERE, NOW
The Future of
Turfgrass
in Hawaii
jamur zoysiaTM
JaMur Zoysia is a
medium-textured Zoysia
with significant
drought tolerance.
TifGrand is a
fine-textured dwarf type
Zoysia with excellent
shade-tolerant semi-dwarf
Bermudgrass.
Captiva is a Southern
chinch bug resistant dwarf
St. Augustine grass.
HAWAIIAN TURFGRASS
Zeon is a fine-textured,
shade tolerant,
environmentally friendly
Zoysia, requires less
water & less fertilizer.
L1F Zoysia is a
shade tolerance.
PO Box 89-3340 | Mililani, HI 96789 | www.hawaiianturfgrass.com | hawaiianturfgrass@gmail.com | 808.371.0527

LICH Landscape Hawaii Magazine March/April 2013 Issue

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (7)

Similar to LICH Landscape Hawaii Magazine March/April 2013 Issue

Similar to LICH Landscape Hawaii Magazine March/April 2013 Issue (18)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

LICH Landscape Hawaii Magazine March/April 2013 Issue