Master Gardeners plant sale combines with ʻŌhiʻa Love Fest at Sunday event in Hilo

The annual plant sale of the East Hawaiʻi Master Gardeners and the 8th ʻŌhiʻa Love Fest will take place together on Sunday at the University of Hawaiʻi Komohana Research and Extension Center in Hilo.

More than 1,200 plants that were lovingly grown will be available for purchase. And people who attend can celebrate the Ōhiʻa, the most abundant tree in Hawaiʻi and learn how to combat Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death that is killing it.

The event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Master Gardenersʻ program teaches people of all skill levels about various topics associated with Hawaiʻi agriculture and what it takes to grow successful plants the right way. 

This year, the Master Gardeners have focused on growing plants through agro-forestry methods, the practice of intentionally growing trees, plants and crops together for sustainable land use and climate change mitigation. They also have emphasized improving soil health and biodiversity. 

“We have been partnering with different agencies to start agro-forestry demonstration plots, which will be great in the long run,” Master Gardener Coordinator Laura Rieber said. “If you look at untouched areas, you can see the magnitude of plants growing together and agro-forestry is using this natural system, but we are utilizing plants that do well grown in the tropics such as turmeric and ʻulu.”

This year’s plant sale will feature 77 varieties of native plants and perennial edibles grown by Master Gardeners, seed starts from the University of Hawaiʻi, ʻulu trees from the ‘Ulu Cooperative, indigenous crops from the Indigenous Cropping Lab, cycads from the University of Hawaiʻi botanical garden and native plants from Hawaiʻi Forest Institute.

The plant sale is cash-only and will be at the Komohana Extension Center, 875 Komohana St.

The plant sale also will be the time to ask questions regarding agriculture and environmental issues with information booths from 30 exhibitors (see the list below).

“We urge everyone to come with questions since our extension agents will be here to assist farmers and gardeners with the most relevant and helpful information,” Rieber said.

Speakers will make presentations. The Master Gardeners will be offering tours of their Komohana Ethnobotanical Garden. And, the Hawaiʻi County 4-H Club will be selling food throughout the day. 

The ʻOhiʻa Love Fest began as a way to inform the community about the disease, which still is affecting forests on the island.

“It is a challenging fungus to work with and there is no cure,” said Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death specialist Charlotte Godfrey-Romo. “However, we’re learning about small steps we can take to prevent the spread of Rapid ʻŌhia Death and our goal is to teach people everything weʻve learned so far.”

On Hawaiʻi Island, more than a million ʻōhiʻa have already died from this fungus, called Ceratocystis. Healthy trees appear to die within a few days to a few weeks.

“These trees have been here for hundreds of years and itʻs our duty to protect them for all they do for us,” Godfrey-Romo said.

“The ʻŌhiʻa is a crucial tree that is home to so many endemic species. They gather water, which recharges aquifers and prevents erosion.”

Attendees at the ʻŌhia Love Fest can learn how to plant and care for ʻōhiʻa lehua during a free native planting workshop with the Big Island Invasive Species Council and the Department of Forestry and Wildlife. The workshop runs from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Sunday and registration is required.

“Having this event with the Master Gardeners Plant Sale feels like a great way for the community to come out and see what we can all do for the whole of the ahupuaʻa,” Godfrey-Romo said. “There are some great strides in technology and very simple knowledge that can go a long way for ʻōhia and many other native plants that will be available.”

Throughout the year,  Master Gardeners also are tasked with disseminating current research from the University of Hawaiʻi and making it digestible to the farmers and gardeners they serve in the community.

Master Gardeners expand the outreach efforts of the Cooperative Extension Service by interacting with the gardening public through a helpline, demonstration plots, information booths at fairs and farmers’ markets, open house events and educational programs for gardening groups.

“I really want people to know about our helpline, because it is a year-round service and an important service we offer to community members,” Rieber said. “They can call, or come in to the office to talk with Master Gardeners about gardening, plant and insect identification, garden planning and integrated pest management.

The helpline and the Komohana Extension Center is open for questions and conversations from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. every Friday.

For more information on identifying Rapid ʻŌhia Death and what to do to combat it, visit the Unversity of Hawaiʻi at Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources website. To report suspected cases in new areas on Hawaiʻi Island, contact ʻŌhia Love Fest at ohialove@hawaii.edu. 

Exhibitors at Sunday’s event:

• East Hawaiʻi Master Gardeners
• Friends of Liliʻuokalani Gardens
• Little Fire Ants Lab
• Mauna Kea Forest Restoration Project
• Big Island Invasive Species Committee
• Hilo Orchid Society
• Seed Savers
• Kalōpā Park volunteers
• East Hawaiʻi Outdoor Circle
• Go Farm Hawaii
• One Cacao Tree
• Exhibitors with Plants
• Ulu Cooperative
• Hawaii Forest Institute
• UH Botanical Garden
• Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers:
• Indigenous Cropping Lab
• US Forest Service Kylle Roy
• Department of Forest and Wildlife Hawaiʻi Island
• Agricultural Diagnostic Service Center
• Nā Ala Hele Trail and Access Program
• Stampingfabric
• Terraformation
• County Climate & Sustainability
• Hawaiʻi Environmental Restoration
• Akaka Foundation
• Spatial Data Analysis and Visualization lab
• Extension Agents from the College of Tropical and Human Resources
• Getting to Know Pacific Crops