DEAN SENSUI / DSENSUI@STARBULLETIN.COM
The ficus at left was rescued from the dump and thrives in horticulturist Jackie Ralya's home.
The great indoors All it takes is a seed of inspiration for greatness to sprout from nothingness. For Sterling Morton, an 1850s Nebraska journalist who loved nature, the treeless landscape was the seed it took for Arbor Day to grow. The movement he started is now a national holiday, celebrated in April on the mainland during spring and today in Hawaii to take advantage of fall rain for planting.
The benefits of trees can be enjoyed
Plant giveaway
in the home as well
By Ruby Mata-Viti
ruby@starbulletin.comAlthough the day honors the merits of trees by adding more to the outdoor landscape, horticulturist Jackie Ralya enjoys them in small pots inside her Makakilo home.
"It's just a great feeling, sitting under a tree; I like bringing that feeling of the great outdoors inside."
Beyond making occupants feel comfortable psychologically, it has been proved through research conducted by Texas A&M University that stress can be reduced within five minutes of viewing a setting with trees, producing significant changes in blood pressure and muscle tension.
With proper drainage most trees can do well indoors, said Ralya. In sunny Hawaii they don't require direct light to thrive.
"I've always had a tree in each home I've lived in. I've even had citrus trees in my home."
Ralya's career as a horticulturist stems from having spent years in Virginia staring at a barren 1-acre-plus lot, where she was in charge of the household and children while her husband worked. The landscape needed tending, so when the children were old enough to go to school, she studied horticulture at the university 52 miles away, one class at a time for a decade until she completed her degree. With each class came a tree and more knowledge.
"If you want it bad enough, you'll do what it takes."
She now is technical-support volunteer coordinator for Kaulunani Urban Community Forestry, an organization which, among other things, provides grants to the public to plant trees.
Between that and heading up the Hawaiian Electric Tree Giveaway where more than 2,000 trees will be distributed for free tomorrow at various sites, Ralya manages to find time caring for her indoor foliage.
"I wonder if it will bear fruit indoors," she says, speaking about an 8-foot-tall avocado tree she just brought in from a sun bath. It shades her picture window from the sun.
DEAN SENSUI / DSENSUI@STARBULLETIN.COM
An avocado tree, below, takes center stage. She's hoping it will bear fruit.
"I'm lucky," she said, "I have a tall (25-foot vaulted) ceiling, so I can have taller trees inside."
For indoor trees, she recommends ficus ("Chinese ficus, for sure") and the schefflera, also known as the "octopus" tree, for those lacking a green thumb. Palms also do well ("especially Manila palms").
"Bamboos are a good bet, too," she said. "They grow fast outdoors, but indoors, in a pot, they are like bonsai and grow very slowly, although you have to watch for spider mites and mealy bugs."
The cure for pests, she said, is a quick dose of alcohol.
"I just spray them with rubbing alcohol. Vodka and rum work, too, but it gets too sticky."
Plants have to be acclimated gradually, so she recommends introducing a tree purchased from an outdoor garden shop into the home slowly, first by setting it under a shade tree outdoors, then moving it to a porch until the plant becomes accustomed to the shade. This process takes one to two weeks.
"Trees like a ficus will drop leaves after a month," she said, "but don't panic."
This is natural, she said. The thick-celled leaves that need lots of sun will be replaced by thinner, lighter leaves not requiring as much.
She is the plant doctor of the family and neighborhood, it seems, stumbling across wilted plants people have anonymously left in her driveway for her to nurse to health. Even her brother, who lives in a high-rise downtown, will drag plants out of the trash bin, abandoned by black-thumbed condo dwellers, for her to revive. Her entire family benefits from the bounty she has salvaged, resulting in lush trees for their yards.
IN MOVIES AND myths, trees have often been presented as possessing humanlike characteristics. If she were a tree, Ralya said, she'd be a tiare gardenia.
"It's my favorite flower. I love the smell. It's a small, dainty tree, but the wood is hard and it grows so slow."
One such plant in her mother's yard has died, and she's having difficulty digging out the root.
"Those are stubborn," she said, which seems to relate to Ralya as it also takes perseverance to accomplish things worthwhile .
"That's me; I'm very stubborn."
Benefits of trees
>> The net cooling effect of a young, healthy tree is equivalent to 10 room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day. -- U.S. Department of Agriculture>> Landscaping, especially with trees, can increase property values by as much as 20 percent. -- Management Information Services/ICMA
>> One acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and puts out four tons of oxygen, enough to meet the annual needs of 18 people. -- U.S. Department of Agriculture
>> "Shade from trees could save up to $175 per year (per structure) in air conditioning cost." -- Lowell Ponte
Source: www.arborday.org
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About 500 trees will be given away at each of the following sites beginning at 7 a.m. tomorrow to celebrate Arbor Day: Kahe Power Plant, 92-200 Farrington Hwy.; Wahiawa District Park, on California Avenue; Urban Garden Center, 962 Second St., Pearl City; Hawaiian Electric Co., 820 Ward Ave., and HECO Koolau Baseyard, 1387 Ulupii St. Plant giveaway
Free books will also be distributed on plant care and selection. Get there early, supplies are limited.
Call 543-5670 for more information.
Also: 200 trees will be distributed 1 p.m. tomorrow at the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach Hotel.
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