What is ʻUlutopia?

Just as the name suggests, surrounded by the Garden Isle’s lush landscape, ‘Ulutopia is a beautiful little ‘ulu orchard tucked away behind the community college in Puhi, Kauaʻi. The Co-op was fortunate enough to visit recently, and here’s what we learned…

ʻUlutopia is a research field at Kauai Community College for Breadfruit husbandry where most of the field activities such as planting, irrigating and data recording are implemented with the participation of undergraduate students. ʻUlutopia is also a place for sharing breadfruit related agronomical information to community adults and scholars.

It was started in 2014 as a joint Venture between KCC and the National Tropical Botanical Garden’s (NTBG) Breadfruit Institute.

There are a total of 64 ‘ulu trees that were planted in 2016, and staff and students have been conducting trials of varying fertilizer application rates and recording yields each year. They also painted their tree trunks, implementing a tried-and-true orchard technique called “Lime-washing” or “White-washing”, usually to prevent sunburn and disease, but in this case, feral pigs and ants. Part of ʻUlutopia’s plot is also situated on a slope allowing for some unique insights into the production and management of ‘ulu on sloped landscapes.

Nutrient Management Trial

    • Fertilizer application of 10-20-20
    • Four replicates of 16 trees at 12 pounds per tree
    • Applications varied from 1, 2, and 3 times per year for each replicate
    • In 2019 (once fruiting started) a “Boost” was added twice per year of 7-30-20 at 6 lbs per tree in June & December

Pig & Ant Deterrent Strategy

    • Copper Sulfate + lime + water (fine grained, equal parts)
    • Create a paste as thick as possible
    • Spray or paint on trunks and exposed roots (wear proper protective equipment)
    • Prune lower branches on Ma’afala trees especially, to prevent sneaky pig rooting activity

Results

    • Some individual trees produce up to 1,000 lbs per year
    • Overall the orchard produces about 8,000 lbs per year
    • Total yield was 13,000 lbs in 2022
    • Regimen of frequent fertilization increases fruit yield
    • Found to perform well as a hillside crop

Our guide that day, Project Director Brian Yamamoto, also tells us that the trees located down-slope seem to produce better than the trees up-slope. He suggests they may simply be benefitting from nutrient run-off from the up-slope trees. While analyzing the agronomic data on long-term studies like this will always have it’s challenges, Brian reminds us that developing best practices is only part of ʻUlutopia’s purpose, the other is to develop the research skills of undergraduate students at KCC.

We thank Brian, KCC, and the Breadfruit Institute for sharing their work, and to all the students who have contributed to the project over the years. We’re excited to see what else they learn in the coming years as it is educational efforts like these that will help us all re-establish ʻulu as a staple crop of Hawaiʻi.

If you’re ever in the area, be sure to check out… ‘Ulutopia!