By Ken Sakamoto, Star-Bulletin
David Yearian, left, and Ted Teves, grow multicolored
ti at Ti's Unlimited in Waimanalo.
FOUR years ago David Yearian and Ted Teves bought acreage in the back of Waimanalo to establish a nursery. Struck by the area's natural beauty, with its clear running stream and its glorious view of the Koolaus, Yearian proudly invited his mother to visit the new property with him. She looked around and burst into tears. Two nurserymen
give ti its dueIt took a great deal of imagination to project a house, lily pond, waterfall and a successful nursery in what was then a jungle of scrubby trees and weeds. It took them a year simply to clear the property before they could start building.
"We did most of it ourselves, but we weren't above inviting friends over and then handing them a pick and showing them where to start," Yearian said.
They call their nursery Ti's Unlimited, and they specialize in tropical flowers and rare ti plants, many of which they have hybridized themselves.
"We want people to be aware that ti isn't just a random plant you stick in your garden but a real ornamental. They look best in mass plantings, not as a single specimen," he said.
Teves has cultivated a good collection of bromeliads also sold at the nursery, "to make ends meet," he explained. Local gardeners are much more captivated by (and willing to spend money on) the more glamorous bromeliad than what they perceive as the rather boring ti. A walk through the garden will change that perception.
Ti plants are used in everything from hedges -- where they grow to 12 feet -- to miniature plants in borders. While they do grow the common dark green ti with its shiny leaves, Teves and Yearian specialize in plants with multi-colored leaves or leaves in solid colors other than green.
"Pink Sensation" has pale pink and green leaves, "Indian Feather" is red, green and yellow, "Root Beer" is bronze and "Judy Ormsby" is orange. There are many dozens more. They cultivate other hybrids as well as their own. A favorite is "Will I's Gold" (pronounced "Willie's Gold"), hybridized several years ago by Bill Dodge and Milton I. The leaves are a pale gold touched with pink and pastel green.
Yearian and Teves propagate most of their plants from seed, as many commercial nurserymen do, but they don't recommend the method to the home gardener. It takes a lot of patience, but it creates multiple plants. First, the ti must flower and set seeds, and this is forced through the use of gibberellic acid in a commercial product called Pro Gibb. It can take as long as four months for the seeds to germinate in a light potting mix, and when they do, you have no idea of what you'll get.
"They don't breed true," Yearian said. As many as 90 out of 100 seedlings propagated this way are thrown into the compost pile because they don't meet his standards.
"First we look for leaf texture. We want a substantial leaf, not wimpy, one that will hold up in the wind and sun. Next is color, and ti plants are just coming into color now. October through February are the best months. Finally we look for growth habits. You want a plant that is tight and compact, not loose and leggy," he said.
Teves and Yearian sell ti plants in pots or by cutting off the crown, the spiral of leaves at the end of the stem, from a plant growing in the garden. The plant will produce another shoot so the process continues.
"When you get the crown home, remove the lower leaves and then cut off (across the width of the leaf) half of the middle leaves. This permits photosynthesis, but requires less energy from the plant," Yearian said. Then the stem is planted in a pot.
You can also cut the stem into 3- or 4-inch canes and plant each one. But keep track of which is the bottom of the cane and plant that end down, or you won't get anything.
The two plant in a potting mix of one-third each of peat moss, perlite and cinders to which they add small amounts of Osmacote and steer manure. Then they create a mini-hothouse for each pot.
"Pack the media down firmly around the plant, water it so that it is moist, and then cover the whole thing with a plastic zip-lock bag. Leave it for two or three weeks in partial sun -- keep it out of the full sun or the plant will fry. You don't need to water -- it creates its own moisture inside the bag, and roots develop," Teves said.
Ti can also be propagated by removing the head of leaves and burying the stem or cane in a shallow trench. New plants will develop at the leaf nodes. "Any of these methods will work," Yearian said, "but I discourage rooting ti in water."
If you don't change the water regularly and often, it goes stagnant and the plant rots. More important, roots acclimate to water. "When you plant it in soil, it won't know what to do. The old roots will die and new roots will have to grow," he said.
Ti plants are strong, but are susceptible to two pests. One is fungus, which grows in damp, humid areas and rots out the crown. "There's not much you can do to prevent it," Yearian said. "But we've had good results spraying infected plants with Fore.
The other problem is the New Zealand cane borer that has already gotten into koa trees and palms. As soon as the plant sends out any sign of distress, like a nick from a weeder, the borer lays its eggs on cut.
The best prevention is to keep the plant healthy. If the borer shows up, Marathon is a systemic insecticide that is very effective, but expensive, Yearian said.
Ti's Unlimited is well worth the trip to Waimanalo and you'll come home with a greater respect for the ti plant. After all, the first Hawaiian settlers from the South Pacific used precious space on their voyaging canoes to introduce the plant here, and used the leaves for everything from food preparation to sandals.
The nursery at 41-978 Waikupanaha St. in Waimanalo is open on weekends and by appointment. Call 259-6322 for information.
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