Grand All Tropical Fruit Groups Meeting 2013 Hawaii

[fruitlovers]

I just got word that the grand tropical fruit groups meeting for 2013 is on in Hawaii. Probably in Kona, but small chance also it might be in Honolulu. Would be late September or early October. Anyway, it's a meeting of CRFG, HTFG (Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers), and hopefully they will invite and attract all other big fruit groups in Florida, Brazil, Phillippines, Israel, etc. Don't think this has ever been done before. So that would be a good time to visit Hawaii. Just giving you a very early heads up so you can start saving your dollars and seeds and vacation slot. 

[Tim]

Sounds like it's going to be fun, we still won't be able to bring anything back to CA.

[fruitlovers]

Sounds like it's going to be fun, we still won't be able to bring anything back to CA.

Yes you can!
Seeds: no problem.
Plants: you need to buy from a certified nursery that uses sterile media. They can be inspected at airport right before you board.

[BMc]

Sounds fun!
Wonder if they'll invite the RFA or STFC from here?

[fruitlovers]

Sounds fun!
Wonder if they'll invite the RFA or STFC from here?

Oh sorry, i knew i forgot some country(s). Yes ofcourse Australia and NZ groups will be included.

[fyliu]

I've been hearing about this since last year and will definitely be there. I heard about the great pulasans at the regular annual meetings.

[cyclonenat]

That would be awesome to go to

[ScottR]

Yes Oscar, We've known it was on back burner for a few years now it looks like it's going to happen !!! can't wait.

[ReneeFLL]

Oscar do you know when more info will be out?

[Tim]

Thanks for the correction, Oscar. 
An honest question here, how easy or difficult is it to find a nursery using sterile media with pots sitting on a bench? 

Yes you can!
Seeds: no problem.
Plants: you need to buy from a certified nursery that uses sterile media. They can be inspected at airport right before you board.

[fyliu]

I hear Frankie's has good experience shipping plants to California.

[Tim]

This is part of an email sent from Frankie's regarding shipment to CA, I don't know if anything's changed since?

...The mangoes are all in dirt which are not allowed even with barerooting...

[fruitlovers]

Thanks for the correction, Oscar. 
An honest question here, how easy or difficult is it to find a nursery using sterile media with pots sitting on a bench? 

Yes you can!
Seeds: no problem.
Plants: you need to buy from a certified nursery that uses sterile media. They can be inspected at airport right before you board.

For fruit trees Frank's nursery on Oahu is certified for export. Most of his plants are grown on benches in sterile medium. Plant it Hawaii on Big Island might also be able to do it. You should contact them and inquire as to specific plants you are looking for.

[Tim]

You missed my previous post 

For fruit trees Frank's nursery on Oahu is certified for export. Most of his plants are grown on benches in sterile medium. Plant it Hawaii on Big Island might also be able to do it. You should contact them and inquire as to specific plants you are looking for.

[fruitlovers]

You missed my previous post 

For fruit trees Frank's nursery on Oahu is certified for export. Most of his plants are grown on benches in sterile medium. Plant it Hawaii on Big Island might also be able to do it. You should contact them and inquire as to specific plants you are looking for.

No i didn't miss it Tim. That is just for mangos. Who from Florida really needs more mangos?  Besides you might be able to get scion wood if you are desperate for some particular cultivar.

[Tim]

Got it ... will try to find out what's in sterile medium fit for shipping to CA.

I wonder if Bernie Dizon from the PI will be there? 

[fruitlovers]

Got it ... will try to find out what's in sterile medium fit for shipping to CA.

I wonder if Bernie Dizon from the PI will be there?

That's what i was trying to answer in my post: almost everything!

[fruitlovers]

Oscar do you know when more info will be out?

My guess is that more information will not be available until it is formally announced at the next CRFG meeting in September. Anybody going to that?

[ScottR]

I'll be attending the F.O.F. up in Santa Rosa,Ca. And Joe Sabal who is on the board of directors is in my local C.R.F.G. chapter and I can find out from him when it's decided. I just hope they can keep the price down because I know the HTFG conference last year seemed a little pricey for us mainlanders.

[jez251]

Sounds like the kind of event that would finally make me go to Hawaii. Plus my wife would absolutely love it and couldn't hassle me about another trip!

I'm already hoping to make it to northern Brazil later this year, so a trip to Hawaii next year sounds perfect!!!

Jaime

[BMc]

I'm hiding the first $100 under my bed now.  It'll mean cutting down on the number of plants I buy from now till then though - which is probably a good thing 
Back in the olden days I could have flown to the mainland US with a week stopover in Hawaii for less than it costs to get to Hawaii on a budget airline now! Oh well, suck it up and get with the times, eh? (Sad, I'm only 30!  )

[fruitlovers]

I'll be attending the F.O.F. up in Santa Rosa,Ca. And Joe Sabal who is on the board of directors is in my local C.R.F.G. chapter and I can find out from him when it's decided. I just hope they can keep the price down because I know the HTFG conference last year seemed a little pricey for us mainlanders.

I've complained also to organizers about how much more expensive the conferences here are compared to CRFG conferences. What i was told is that renting a gathering area here costs way more than in California. I know at the Pomona gathering they rented that college area super cheap. NOt possible here unfortunately.

[fruitlovers]

SAVE THE DATE FOR HTFG CONFERENCE
Event Part of California Rare Fruit Growers Fall Festival
 
HONOLULU— The 23rd Annual Hawaii International Tropical Fruit Conference will be September 27-29, 2013, starting at the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus. Titled “Best of Both Worlds,” the week-long gathering is in partnership with the California Rare Fruit Growers Fall Festival of Fruit. The conference is expected to attract more than 100 visitors from the Golden State.
Presented by the statewide Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers (HTFG) and California Rare Fruit Growers (CRFG), the event is geared to farmers, educators, orchard managers and proponents of sustainable agriculture. Since 2011, the confab includes stops on all four Hawaiian Islands to reach out to more growers and take tours of existing agricultural operations. Planned tours on Oahu are Frankie’s Nursery, the Urban Garden Center, Lyon Arboretum and Foster Botanical Garden. The confab moves to Maui on Monday, Sept. 30 and continues to Hilo, Kona and Kauai October 1-3, with tours set at Maui   Pineapple Company and Kauai’s National Tropical Botanical and Allerton Gardens.
Ken Love, HTFG president, says the conference will have breakout sessions on specific crops, while delving into a wide range of topics like value-added product development, food preservation and safety, fruit nutrition and marketing.
The conference is open to the public. Registration forms and fee schedule will be available in April at www.htfg.org or by contacting Love at kenlove@hawaiiantel.net or Mark Suiso at suiso@aloha.net.