Learn How to Grow Ti Plants - Episode 4 - Nā Pāka ma ka Hale

Happy National Public Gardens Week in mid-May 2020 ! To celebrate, we are debuting our first garden class as part of Nā Pāka ma ka Hale (Parks at Home), brought to you by the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation and our five Honolulu Botanical Gardens.
In this class our Botanical Garden Recreation Specialist, Iris Fukunaga, will talk about the versatile Ti plant and how to propagate it, including how to plant, grow, and care for this prevalent and culturally significant plant.
The Ti plant was one of the plants brought over by the early Polynesians that settled the Hawaiian Islands, referred to as canoe plants (the Polynesians discovered the islands using canoes). It has many useful qualities as it was used for: thatching, footwear, raincoats, food storage, medicine, and to make ‘ōkolehao (translating literally to “bottom up” in Hawaiian) an alcohol made from the roots of the plant.
Today we see Ti leaves being used to make lei, wrap foods such as the laulau, and create beautiful floral arrangements. The Ti plant is also a symbol of good luck and it is also believed to ward off evil spirits.
Ti plants can be propagated from stalks of already established plants, but make sure you have permission to remove parts of the plant before doing so. First, you can cut off the top of the Ti plant and place it in a clear glass vase which can be used as a lovely decoration. Keep the water clean and not cloudy to prevent bacteria from harming the plant. This Ti will eventually grow roots and can be planted in the ground. I also proceeded to cut the stalk into pieces about six to ten inches in length which will be used to propagate more plants.
It can either be planted vertically which will produce a single plant or it can be planted horizontal, which will yield several Ti plants. This horizontal way takes a little more time to develop its root system. Place it in a container with soil that can provide good drainage. Ti plants love water and have a deep rooting system. When propagating try and take your cuttings in the morning and use a clean sharp tool.
Because Ti plants can grow from a vertical or horizontal cutting, if it falls over it can grow anew. Like the Ti plant, we encourage everyone to be resilient, versatile, and strong.
With that strength you can plant more Ti, and also visit our five Botanical Gardens. Foster and Lili‘uokalani botanical gardens are located in the heart of urban Honolulu. Foster’s 14 acres include an impressive collection of rare and beautiful tropical plants, exceptional trees, and beautiful orchid collection. Lili‘uokalani Botanical Garden is 7.5 acres of native Hawaiian flora and the beautiful Waikahalulu waterfall. Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Garden is a 400-acre tropical rainforest flora located in Kā‘neohe. Wahiawā Botanical Garden is 27 acres of cool, humid tropical splendor while Koko Crater Botanical Garden includes dry-land plants inside an extinct volcano’s crater in East O‘ahu.