A Day in the Life of a Seed

As we head into our 8th year of the Waimea Valley Native Forest Project, we would like to extend a big MAHALO to the community for their support. We recently surpassed 20,000 native trees, shrubs, and ground covers planted in our restoration sites! The work that goes into each planting is truly an amazing journey that starts with a seed dangling in the wind.

It’s all about timing. As we all know from gathering fruit, the abundance and timing of the harvest is always dependent on the environment. When it’s time to collect seeds or fruit, we must make it our priority to do so or we risk the seeds being blown away or eaten by various insects and birds. Next we have to clean the seeds. This usually involves each seed being handled individually and cleaned to the specifications in our native plant propagation books. From here the seeds are either stored in our “seed fridge” or sown directly into the media (fancy word for potting soil). Some seeds germinate in as little as 1 week while others can take the majority of a year before we see any growth. Once our seedlings are large enough we carefully transplant them into their final pot. During this whole process, we are slowly moving the individual plants into areas of the greenhouse with less and less shade which helps them adjust to the full sun environment that they will eventually be planted in. Months go by with daily care of watering, weeding, and being shuffled around………Up on Kalahe`e Ridge, on a hopefully shady day, we find ourselves with a truck load of happy little plants and a crew of eager volunteers. Our volunteers are the final hands that get to bless the ridge with these little solar powered warriors. Each one will play a vital role in the forest. Each plant has its own purpose and role to play. Every plant gets a little drink of water and some good intentions from the people planting, and then they are left to do what they know best. After all, this is their home. The water that they catch today will be the clean water that we and our children drink decades down the line.

Some of the trees you planted eight years ago are now 20 feet tall and reaching for the sky. They have created microclimates below them that are less hospitable to weeds (thank goodness!!!) and more inviting to the native shrubs and groundcover that they were meant to be there with. Many of the mature plants now produce seeds of their own.

Seeing the full circle makes us appreciate the numerous times each seed and plant was handled and cared for. It also makes us grateful for the work that these plants continue to do day after day on that sunny ridge with an amazing view. As an organization and an ohana, we are humbled by all the support from the local and global community. Without this support, those little seeds hanging in the wind would never have become the forest that they are evolving into today. Mahalo nui loa!