Let's Build Gonave, Haiti!

The video above shows you how far the plant has come.  We are excited that we successfully grew this tropical plant from seed and will be the perfect plant for La Gonave, Haiti.  This plant not only has new growth on the existing branches, but also new growth is coming out of the soil.  This plant had been put in my garden in the planter at the early part of summer and I feel really helped our vegetables and fruit plants by attracting many bees and pollinators. Go Gonave!

This is what the Bidens Pilosa look like today.  The other two buds came out, and the original bud, had lost the flowers.  So now it has just a yellow center.  These plants bloom pretty fast once they start, and then loose the white pedals after about 2 weeks. The next stage is for the original bud to go to seed.  One of the interesting things about the Bidens Pilosa is that it is actually two flowers in one. Stay tuned! Go Gonave

It has been a while since I last made a blog, but trust me, I am pretty busy these days.  I wanted to share an update on the Bidens Pilosa which I planted many many months ago.  Finally the other day as I headed to my garden, I saw a bloom on the plant.  It happened over the course of a day.  I remembered going to the garden and watering.  That day there was no bloom.  I skipped a day and when I went back the next day there was a bright white flower with a yellow center.  The photo doesn't do the plant justice.  The flowers are a strong bright white, with a line running down the flower.  Then you have this yellow center that is also a very strong yellow.  I know that this plant will thrive in Haiti and it wouldn't take several months to achieve this same bloom. This plant should produce several hundred seeds just by itself.  Imagine hundreds of these plants on La Gonave?  If you notice how the plant provides great ground...

Bidens Pilosa Picture Update. This is what the Bidens looks like after a month and a half.  The plants now have a purple appearance to the stems.  They are more woody in texture and if I extend the plants out, they are at least 10 inches.  These plants look as if they are going to be more in the form of a bush. Keep in mind that while these plants should have bloomed by now with flowers, they were transplanted three different times.  The greenhouse failed to do what we needed, however the seeds sprouted three days after being transplanted. These plants will do well in a tropical environment more so that the mild winter of Seattle.  Possibly the plants will bloom and if so, we will show what these blooms look like.  These plants are needed for the honeybee industry and will be a great wild plant that currently exists in Haiti.  We probably won't do any additional updates on the plant and consider this experiment a success. Look for this plant...

The Bidens Pilosa are still going strong even though here in Seattle the weather has been somewhat cool.  The stems of the plant are now a purple color and the plant itself is starting to get more woody in appearance.  The plant doesn't stick straight up as it did in the past, but if it did, I would say the plant is over 6 inches tall.  Still no flowers, but there seems to be a few places on the plant that seem like a flower is about to appear. Given that we have had steady sun for a few days I think given a little more time we should see some flowers.  I am still holding out hope that the plant can make it to bloom stage.  So we will have to wait a bit longer. The Wildflower Association is in full swing.  We will be sending a few seeds over to the island in the next few days.  By June these plants will have a start on the island.  We still expect that by October the seeds will have time to form and bloom.  The Coral Vine already exists ...

I will be giving some information on the Bidens Pilosa.  This would be a month after they were just seed.  The plants didn't flower, but I will go into why, and what we plan on doing next with the plant. Keep in mind this very same plant will be planted on La Gonave soon. Stay tuned! Go Gonave

Today marks almost a month since the Bidens Pilosa have germinated.  The plants are not flowering, but the leaves are starting to change.  Not long ago the plants created additional stems with leaves.  Now it appears that the leaves are starting to change their design. As the plants start to grow, you will see that the next stage will be flowering.  I really am excited about how these plants transform and change.  In the wild, these plants would grow much faster in more ideal conditions. Go Gonave!

So this is the third week of the Bidens Pilosa, and I feel that they have to be transplanted into something else.  These plants are now growing secondary leaves.  Before they had the two leaves, now many are growing four leaves per plant. This will replicate many times per plant which is why the Bidens is so good at being a plant for butterflies and honeybees.  Each area will grow its own flowers, so one plant can have many flowers at a time.  See below. Go Gonave!

Bidens Pilosa are about 3 to 3.5 inches after Day 13.  After replanting the plants stopped their fast growing, but has since started taking off again.  They are in a heat room and that seems to also have helped as well. The plants are starting to stand up again.  One sprout was laying down after repotting them, but now has stood up.  Soon I will plant some seeds outside to see how well they do in the warm Spring temps here. Go Gonvae!

The Bidens Pilosa are still doing great.  Their growth has stopped, unless they are growing more slowly.  They have appeared darker in color, and look to be getting thicker.  Given the small amount of space they have, this could be why they are not getting taller, but could be that this is the stage where they have slower growth. The plants are beautiful, and I will keep updating about the progress.

The Bidens Pilosa are doing really good.  I had to change out the pot due to how fast they were growing.  Some of the plants are not standing like they were, so it could be that replanting them isn't a good idea and that where they are planted, they have to stay.  Understand that this is my first time seeing the plant and working with it. Keep in mind that the amount of sunlight that these plants have had has only been about 18 hours total since they were planted.   Above is Day 6-----------------------------------------------  Above is Day 7----------------------------------------------- This is Day 8------------------------------------------------- The plant did have strong long roots for being just on Day 7.  I expect that the plants will be stronger looking tomorrow. I also noticed that one sprout was coming out of the soil and stayed the same height for about two days.  The next day it was gone.  It was as if it ki...

So to do an update on the Bidens Pilosa, which are only 4 days old and over an inch tall.  These plants are very vigorous in their growth.  When I go to La Gonave in October I will be there for about a week.  I know now what to expect as far as these plants are concerned.  Literally before I head home, these plants will already get their start.  Keep in mind while our setup does mimic the conditions on La Gonave, it isn't ideal. The soil is of better quality than what is on La Gonave, however in areas where we plant wildflowers we will treat and condition the soil with natural fertilizer and compost.  Given the humidity, full sun, and good fertilized soil, I expect these plants to do even better in the environment. As you can see, the sprouts are growing very fast.  This is a real example of how we can create a successful product regardless of the environment.  The best strategy for the honeybee program is to have plants that can grow fast a...

Day three of the Bidens Pilosa.  So when we replanted the seeds of the Bidens Pilosa, we didn't expect them to germinate so quickly.  So I will do more updates on this plant due to how quickly they grow.  As mentioned we added more seeds and slightly covered them on March 16th.  Below is a picture of what those seeds have done. Now keep in mind this is only day 3 as there was no activity before.  The fact that this plant can sprout in less than a week will make it the perfect plant to start with some ground cover in areas of La Gonave that has no vegetation. Also future plans of constructing roads will need plants like this that can be planted along the roadway and ditches.  These plants will pull out any pollution that is in the soil.  As a result the runoff water is cleaner as it enters waterways.  Due to the plant absorbing pollution, any plants that are along the roadway should not be eaten.  The Bidens, while very healthy to eat ...

The Bidens Pilosa has started germinating in soil.  We had to put the seeds indoors and in a room that is set for temperatures of 70 - 80 degrees.  With us adding more seeds, and a very thin layer of dirt over the seeds, it took the seeds only two days to show results. This is a major step in our research of not only reforestation, but also proving plants that have many benefits to people as well as pollinating birds, animals, and insects.  The plants will help with our later farm projects as well.  These plants will serve as seeding plants only.  Meaning we will harvest these plants and get the seeds to expand our project in Haiti.  The seeds will be in their raw form to be planted, and some will be turned into paper that can be planted We will post the progress of the Bidens Pilosa on our Gonave TV channel on YouTube once the plant has reached its full size. Go Gonave!

Our efforts to reforest La Gonave and aid in the honeybee project got a boost on March 11, 2015.  At our North American facility in Seattle, WA we planted Bidens Pilosa in a greenhouse that will mimic the environment in La Gonave, Haiti.  The Bidens Pilosa exists in Haiti, and often in the US you will see the plant along roadways.  The plants help pull pollution out of water, thus it is very helpful in filtering water, and pulling water into the ground. The Bidens Pilosa will be a major contributor to the honeybee project on La Gonave.  In Florida the plant is a major source of nectar for honeybees.  Also the plant is planted amongst mango trees to help pull nitrogen out of the soil.  Too much nitrogen and mangos don't manage well. We are excited that we are starting the first steps of producing wildflowers on a scale to be planted on La Gonave.  While the plant does exist on the mainland, there has not been any confirmed reports of ...

As  I mentioned in a previous post, we ordered Bidens Pilosa (Photo 1.2).  These wildflowers are a key plant that Floridian honeybees use for honey.  The plant can flower throughout the year.  The plant also has many healthy benefits for people. Today we test planted the seeds on top of the soil.  We have a small greenhouse test box that will mimic the temperature and humidity of Haiti.  We will test how fast the seeds germinate, how fast the plants grow, and just gaining basic data on the plant. The Bidens Pilosa will form a future Forest Floor for La Gonave.  To understand the forest floor of what Haiti is suppose to look like, see photo 1.0. Photo 1.0 The Bidens Pilosa doesn't tolerate shade, but initially it would form the forest floor.  (Photo 1.1) Photo 1.1 Once the Under Storey and canopy is developed by Moringa and Banana Trees, the Bidens Pilosa will soon fade away and grow only in areas that lack...

The first stage of creating honeybee fodder on La Gonave was started a few days ago.  The Bidens Pilosa seeds have been ordered and will soon arrive at our offices.  The Bidens Pilosa are plants that honeybee love and get a large amount of pollen as well as nectar from.  The State of Florida mentions that this particular plant makes up a large amount of the honeybee fodder for their industry. The plant will undergo some soil tests here.  After that, the plant seeds will then be planted on a park reserve on the island of La Gonave, Haiti.  Also the plant will be placed outside of the city of Anse-a-Galets.  This plant will be in the range of the honeybee, but away from so much human and animal traffic.  Other plants are being considered, and we will give you details as they become available. Go Gonave!

One of the most important things that has come out of the fodder assessment study on La Gonave has been what plant growth can be established that will benefit the environment, multipurpose, and a plant that will not be harvested or destroyed by the local population. Bidens Pilosa will produce bright white flowers and a large yellow center.  In fact the plant flower is a 2 in 1.  The white pedals are a flower, but the yellow center contains many independent flowers.  Bidens Pilosa can handle the soil and sun of Haiti, but makes a perfect food product for honeybees.  Due to the extremely fast growth, low water needs, and the fact the plant can multiply itself very easy, makes this a perfect plant to help with honeybee production. The plant also can be eaten by humans in salads, tea, etc.  It serves as traditional medicine in many cultures as it helps treat worm infections in humans in Africa. As mentioned in a previous post, the reforestation of La Gonave...