2019 ASHS Annual Conference

Māmaki (Pipterus albidus) is an endemic plant typically found in the understory of Hawaii forests. Historically used by Native Hawaiians for kapa cloth and medicinal purposes, today, there is an emerging market for Māmaki tea. Farmers are trying to meet the demands of the new market but reported high mortality rates after transplanting Māmaki into the field. We replaced the standard round plastic pots with anti- circulating Ray Leach “cone-tainers” or T.O. Plastics Sure Root Plug Trays from Stuewe & Sons to address the concerns. After initial germination, seedlings were transplanted into anti- circulating containers and trays and allowed to root for one month. Following the one month, the rooted plants were then transplanted into the field. Modification of the propagation containers, resulted in transplant success from an initial 10% to 90%. Encouraging vertical root systems and timely transplanting increased the productivity and longevity of Māmaki plants in commercial farming systems.