| 1. Where do you Ship? Answer: We are certified to ship live plants to all 50 US states. We send via 2nd day Fedex. We don't ship live plants to other countries. We will consider exporting seeds if you are certain that they are permitted by your government. We will Not be responsible for shipments seized by foreign agricultural authorities or customs. |
| 2. When will my order be ready? Propagation schedules vary greatly between species. Weather affects production schedules. So it can be immediately available or there may be a wait up to several months. I try to start new batches every 2 or 3 months. But I don't have a crystal ball and can't predict when people will order. So sometimes there is a waiting period. We do not charge credit cards until we are ready to ship your order. |
| 3. Are you open to the public? I am open by appointment in the late afternoons and on weekends. |
| 4. What is the best way to reach you? Email is best. I try to reply within 24 hours. If you don't get a response, please email again. If you call and don't leave a message, You will not get a returned call; I assume that if there is no message, it wasn't important, a wrong number, or that it was a telemarketer. |
| 5. What pesticides do you use? We use neem oil, pyrethrins (natural and synthetic)and occasionally imidicloprid (synthetic nicotinoide). We may add a miticide such as abemectin when needed. I try to minimize the number of toxic chemicals. We must spray prior to shipping but I wash the plants just before packing. Typically, the spraying prior to shipping is with a pyrethrin. We sometimes have to use a fungicide if it is very rainy and cloudy for prolonged periods. I try to grow plants that thrive in a rainforest environment so that chemical use can be minimized. |
| 6. What types of fertilizer do you use? For container grown plants in soil free media, I use Nutricote 100 13-13-13 with micronutrients; 100 day slow release. We sometimes use chelated iron and magnesium sulfate to supplement deficiencies. Plants in ground are given Bioflora organic fertilizer, seaweed extract, and chelated micronutrients. It seems that after using Bioflora, I have to supplement with iron and magnesium. It appears that Bioflora has a higher pH or more calcium than many of our rain forest tropicals prefer. |
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Email: steve_starnes@yahoo.com (you can copy and paste the email address into the To: line of your message)
Steve: Cell Phone: 808-333-0505 Email is the preferred way to reach me. But if you call,
the best time to call is between 4pm and 8 pm HST. Remember the time difference between Hawaii and the mainland
Open by Appointment. Late afternoons and weekends
Hawaiian Tropical Plant Nursery, LLC
P.O. Box 1511
Kea'au, Hawaii 96749