Love It or Leave It
We’ve learned a lot this year here at Seascapes! We’ve learned lessons from being out in the nursery every day, observing plants and soil. And we’ve definitely learned tips & tricks from our customers, who are always coming to us with new questions and knowledge! Of course even as nursery employees, we’re making mistakes and fall victim to bad habits in our own gardens. But we’ve also learned good tips or alternatives to combat these bad habits. So we’re making a resolution to drop the bad habits, and try our best to keep the good ones! Now we get to share our resolutions with you, and hopefully you’ll join us in leaving the bad garden habits in 2023, and bringing the new, mindful habits into the New Year!
Leave It: Impulse Spraying
We all know the dangers of using pesticides and harmful chemicals around our house and gardens. But we should also be mindful of using any products as a first response to pests on our plants. Spraying should be a last resort after all other environmental methods have been used. And all warning labels and proper application instructions should be thoroughly read and followed before any spraying occurs.
Love It: Integrated Pest Management
Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, is a pest management method that takes into account common sense practices and comprehensive approaches to treating pests in and out of the home. Before treating a pest problem, the pest or disease should first be identified to ensure it is a threat to the plant and not a beneficial or benign organism. Prevention is the best method. Be attentive to your plants and observe any signs of pests or disease to stop anything from spreading before it becomes a problem. Control methods should be the first line of defense, removing any infected leaves or branches or simply wiping away any pests seen on your plants. Always do your research! A quick Google search of signs and symptoms can help you easily identify the problem and find a more targeted solution. Keep monitoring the plants after removing infected parts, and if the problem continues, move to using a neem oil, horticultural oil, or insecticidal soap. Continue to monitor and observe if these treatments are working before resorting to a stronger solution.
Leave It: Lawns and Turf
Turf and lawns can look nice at first, but they require an immense amount of irrigation and energy throughout the year to even keep alive. Aside from racking up your water bill, they’re not great for the environment either. Lawn maintenance practices quickly add up over the years. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, Every year across the country, lawns consume nearly 3 trillion gallons of water a year, 200 million gallons of gas (for all that mowing), and 70 million pounds of pesticides. While small areas of your yard can be easier to maintain with a lawn, using turf or grass for an entire property requires high irrigation and maintenance, and depletes the natural biodiversity on our island.
Love It: Groundcovers and Nitrogen Fixers
Groundcovers are a great alternative to your typical lawn. Mix and match different plants to add more diversity to your open spaces and round out your landscape design. You can even prioritize planting nitrogen fixers as groundcover, to add nitrogen back to your soil and encourage more plant growth in your garden. One common groundcover we carry is the Perennial Peanut. This nitrogen fixer has proven itself a great option for groundcover because it is drought resistant, resistant to many pests and diseases, and needs minimal fertilizer. Groundcovers like Perennial Peanut save homeowners costs in water, energy, maintenance, and reduce your home’s carbon footprint. It is durable enough of a groundcover to walk on and gradually grows overtime without the threat of taking over your garden or natural areas.
Leave It: Volcano Mulching and Poor Weed Whacking
Poor mulching practices can make or break your tree planting (literally). Mulch can be a great additive to your garden practices, utilizing it to help keep weeds out, prevent erosion, and conserve water. But if done poorly, it can have negative effects on your plants and leave them vulnerable to disease and rotting. Avoid creating a mulch volcano, or over-piling mulch around the trunk above the soil line. Creating this big mound can cause the trunk to rot and even kill your tree. The excessive mulch traps moisture around the trunk and doesn’t allow airflow. Another common mistake people make when mulching their trees is not creating a wide enough barrier for the mulch. If grass is growing too close to the base of the tree, any mowing or weed whacking may injure the trunk or roots and can cause wounds. These wounds weaken your tree’s base and can even kill the tree over time.
Love It: Mindful Mulching
The right amount of mulch makes all the difference. Mulch should be applied to create a barrier between the trunk and the surrounding grass or groundcover. The experts recommend that mulch not exceed 4” high. 2-4” is the ideal thickness, which will allow drainage while still creating a barrier to keep weeds out. As for diameter, wider is always better. The more of a barrier you can provide between your tree and any mower or weed whacker going by, the more protected it will be from any dings or cuts. Extending the mulch out further will also make mowing easier, less ducking under branches or getting in too close. Pay attention to how the rain affects your mulching and add mulch to areas where rain has swept any patches away. Keeping the area well maintained early on will protect your tree and save you time and energy down the road!
Leave It: Imported Plants from Big Box Stores
Many of the big box stores with their own nurseries sell plants that could be considered invasive or a threat to native plants. You may have seen news reports of these stores even mislabeling invasive plants as native ones in Hawaii! It’s best to be mindful of what you’re buying from where. Big box stores can be great for houseplants and annual hanging baskets, but it’s always good to be aware of what you’re bringing home. Although there’s been lots of public influence encouraging certain stores to stop selling specific invasive plants, there aren’t a lot of regulations in place to monitor what’s coming into these stores and leaving with customers. We as consumers should be doing research before buying any plant, to make sure what we’re taking home to put in the garden won’t threaten any other plants in your backyard or natural forests nearby.
Love It: Buy Local, Plant Pono
Buying local is always a good idea! Especially from places that propagate plants on island and know where their plants are coming from. Here at Seascapes, we follow the Grow Pono initiative, which requires us to refuse to sell any plants from their “Don’t Plant These” list and avoid selling anything they deem risky. This initiative was established by the Kauai Invasive Species Commitee, which works to prevent, control, or eliminate the most threatening invasive plant and animal species in order to preserve Kauaʻi’s native biodiversity and minimize adverse ecological, agricultural, economical, and cultural impacts. We are happy to be a Grow Pono Endorsed Nursery and take pride in our selection of plants, knowing that what we grow won’t threaten our native plants. We also thoroughly inspect all plants brought in from off island to ensure no invasive pests are being brought to Kauai. It takes all of us to be mindful about what we plant here on our beautiful island, and we try to do our part by eliminating any invasive or dangerous species from our inventory, inspecting any plants imported from off island, and educating our customers about planting pono!
Leave It: Overbuying Plants
One of the biggest mistakes eager homeowners make is overbuying plants. And who can blame them! It’s hard to walk around the nursery and not want to buy one of everything. But overbuying can lead to an overcrowded garden, and make your landscape look overgrown and neglected. The great thing about plants: They’re always growing! So there’s no need to buy every plant in the biggest size pot. Another mistake people often make is buying without having any measurements or quantities in mind. Poor planning can not only hurt your garden, but your pockets, too. You can always buy more if needed, but it’s not always easy to return plants if you buy too many!
Love It: Planning for the Future
The best garden is a well-thought-out garden. Take time to walk around your space and think about what would work best, taking into account the amount of sun the area gets, any height restrictions, and your personal preferences. Take measurements of the areas you are looking to plant in and figure out what will fit well in each space. Do research ahead of time to make sure the plants you choose won’t grow to be too big or unmanageable in your space. Plan ahead! Buy with the foresight of what your plants will grow into. And of course, always ask for advice! Our Seascapes staff is eager to help you select the right plants for your space. Whether its figuring out the right quantity of groundcover flats, or picking the perfect tree for full-sun, we’re here to help make the tough decisions easier!