BETEL PALMS ON MAUI
If you have ever traveled the South Pacific and Asia, you may have come across the practice of chewing "betel nuts". It's an important cultural activity where the user gets a pleasant feeling from the chemical reaction caused by chewing the nut of certain palm trees (Areca catechu), in combination with a certain vine leaf and lime. This mildly euphoric stimulant is attributed to the presence of relatively high levels of psychoactive alkaloids.
Betel palms grow well in Maui's climate, and generally start to bear fruit at about the age of four to six years. They can produce clusters of nuts 2 or 3 times a year, and continue to produce fruits for 60 to 100 years.
Here are some young plants which have sprouted from nuts incubated in shredded coconut husk. These are almost ready to go into the ground. Betel nut cultivation could be a viable agricultural activity on a small island like Maui.
Georgina M. Hunter R(S)
Jim Sanders Realty Inc.
Paia, Maui HI
808 283-0635
EMAIL
www.eastmaui.com
search some listings
On Maui, all kinds of palm trees grow easily. Coconut palms thrive at lower elevations due to the mild climate and plentiful rainfall. They are so easy to grow, that you can just toss a coconut on the ground and forget about it. After a while, it will sprout, take hold and grow. The first few years it grows pretty slowly, but once a trunk starts to form, it really takes off. They can reach heights of about 70-100 feet. Tall trees are very popular additions to new developments in the resort areas.
Recently a neighbor of ours sold truckload after truckload, to be hauled away to Wailea on Maui's south shore. It was quite interesting seeing the process, as they excavated the root ball, and stacked the trees on the flatbed truck for delivery. Once delivered and planted, with proper care, they will leaf out and flourish once again. After about 1 year, the tree looks like it has always been there. It's almost instant tropical landscaping.
Georgina M. Hunter R(S)
Jim Sanders Realty Inc.
Paia, Maui HI
808 283-0635
EMAIL
www.eastmaui.com
search some listings
