Mealtime

...for the plants that is.  Veronika and I have taken the past couple of days to fertilize all the plants on the grounds, using a number of different nutrient mixtures tailored to different groups of plants such as palms, grasses and banana plants.  Although we don't often think of plants needing to eat, they certainly do need to, just in a way different than we are used to thinking about it.  Plants use sunlight to make their own core sustenance but they also need other supplemental nutrients from their surroundings (usually from the soil) to keep them healthy.  This is similar to humans needing to eat more than just sugar or white bread to live healthily.  The Keys are predominantly coral stone bedrock with a thin layer of largely nutrient-poor soil, which makes it difficult to grow healthy plants, especially plants not native to the Keys, without adding rich soil and fertilizing.  In addition to general fertilizing, we responded to any special nutrient deficiencies plants on the grounds were showing.  It is convenient that plants will almost always show a certain type of stress in their above-ground vegetation that can help us diagnose what the plant needs before it is too late.  For instance, it is likely a Thrinax is experiencing a potassium deficiency if leaves develop many light-yellow spots, so if we found this (as shown below on one of our Thrinax), we applied a potassium mix.

Unfortunately, diagnosis is not always easy and different nutrient deficiencies can look similar.  Additional complications arise with plants that are picky about the amounts of nutrients they need.  Hibiscus is a good example; too much nitrogen and the leaves will turn brown or "burn," yet too little and the plants will do poorly.  Hibiscus is also interesting because it is often grown for its flowers, yet it does not tolerate phosphorus in levels anywhere near what is found in most bloom-enhancing fertilizer mixes.  Absorption of nutrients is also dependent upon the concentration of other nutrients/ions/compounds in the soil or water.  For instance, iron absorption is often inhibited by high levels of calcium in the soil or water.

Like humans, some plants make do with whatever food you give them or can live with very little, but others have much bigger appetites or specific "eating" requirements that are more difficult to accommodate, like Hibiscus.  It's a little scary, but I can imagine people in the near future picking up vitamin packs much like our fertilizer packs as their main source of nutrition because of convenience and not having to eat "healthy" foods that many people would quickly do without if they could, although I personally think they are quite tasty.  We really aren't that far off with people I've seen eating a donut for breakfast, but making it a "healthy" and "complete" breakfast by taking multi-vitamins with it.  Yikes.


Rick Hederstrom
Associate Director

Tropical Fruit!

When I first arrived at Kona Kai, I was thrilled to discover they have their own tropical fruit garden.  Not only that, but when fruit on the trees is ripe, they will pick it, prepare it, and make it available to guests both at the front desk and in the refrigerator at the pool; how awesome is that?!  It really serves to enhance the exotic atmosphere of the place and it is great fun to experience tasting fruits besides well-known choices such as banana, orange, and apple.  I know I was surprised to learn about the large variety of fruits in the world, many of which taste fantastic, and yet I rarely see them in stores.  In addition, there is nothing quite like being able to taste fruit right off of the tree (much commercial fruit is picked unripe before shipment - think bananas, tomatoes, etc. - and cannot compare to fruit that finishes ripening on the plant, in my opinion).  Yesterday, I had the opportunity to prepare and arrange my first fruit selection for the guests:

In the bottom-left of the picture, we have a star fruit (Averrhoea carambola) surrounded by Jamaican cherries (Muntingia calabura).  Pumello (Citrus maxima - in both bowls) and jaboticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora - the dark purple spheres between the pumello wedges) are arranged on the wooden tray, and two Hibiscus flowers add a stellar splash of color to the presentation.  It always fascinates me to think about the many plants producing parts that are extremely tasty and nourishing to humans, and I often contemplate why this is.  Plants as food for humans is a big part of ethnobotany and it is always humbling to know that we would have nothing to eat if plants did not exist.

Rick Hederstrom
Associate Director