Fertilizing Kalo at Hoʻokuaʻāina

Mahalo to everyone who has asked about what we use and when we fertilize our kalo. Rachel and Keliʻa are here to share our process. We like to fertilize our kalo 3 times, (1) one week after it’s planted, (2) at 2/3 months, and (3) at 5 months. We use Bone Meal for the first two rounds and Sulfate of Potash in the last round. Our bone meal is sourced locally and made from ground-up fish bones. It is a great source of Nitrogen and Phosphorus. Nitrogen is what makes the leaves green. Yellowish or light green leaves are a sign that the kalo is lacking nitrogen. The Sulfate of Potash is a great source of potassium and used to encourage root growth. Typically at around 5 months, the kalo leaves have grown full and provide a canopy that blocks out the sun, keeping the weeds at bay and allowing for the corm to use all the nutrients in the soil to grow big.