Never too far away from the ocean, wild ʻakiʻaki will vary in color based on how much rain it's recently received; compare the richer green in the header photograph to the more straw-colored ʻakiʻaki here growing along O‘ahu's dry Wai‘anae coastline. ʻAkiʻaki goes through repeated reproductive cycles, at times having dozens of flower spikes and at other times being spikeless (Photograph of reproductive ʻakiʻaki courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr CC BY 3.0.). ʻAkiʻaki spreads through the sand with its long rhizomes, here exposed to reveal the connected roots (Photograph courtesy of tomfire CC BY-NC 4.0.). On Maui along Mokulele Highway, this long strip of ʻakiʻaki helps control both erosion and alien weed growth (Photograph courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr CC BY 3.0 US.). While ʻakiʻaki doesn't naturally grow far from the ocean, it does just fine inland as you can see in this small native Hawaiian coastal garden; the sandy soil here likely helps but is not required.

Growth Requirements

General

    No one has yet found a native Hawaiian replacement for the popular alien turfgrasses (e.g., Zoysia, St. Augustine, Bermuda) we see everywhere here in Hawai‘i. Currently, ʻakiʻaki is the best we've got, but it, unfortunately, has some shortcomings. It grows a bit too tall to be easily cut, its upright stems and leaves uncomfortably poke up at your feet or backside, and it cannot survive heavy foot traffic. However, it also has a few upsides: it requires very little water; it will grow in just about any type of soil; and it is extremely tolerant of salt (both in the air or water). Hopefully, we will see ʻakiʻaki more and more in community landscapes over time, since there are lots of places where ʻakiʻaki's advantages outweigh its deficiencies, such as along roadsides (see photograph above), in the less populated areas of community parks, and along the borders of golf fairways. Lastly, near the ocean, ʻakiʻaki is hands down the best grass for stabilizing dunes and beaches to prevent sand loss.

    Plant ʻakiʻaki in a site with full sunlight for all or most of the day; it will languish if planted in constant shade. When first planted, water your ʻakiʻaki regularly (i.e., once or twice a week) until it is established and shows signs of growth. You can then reduce your watering in many places to near zero since ʻakiʻaki is quite tolerant of drought. However, when ʻakiʻaki becomes drought stressed, it will start to brown (actually more tan than brown) and the above-ground stems and leaves will begin to die and turn gray. Therefore, to keep your ʻakiʻaki always green and growing, we recommend watering it once every one to two weeks.

    ʻAkiʻaki spreads primarily by the outward growth of its subterranean rhizomes and not by seedlings. Therefore, if you are trying to cover a large area, we recommend spacing small plugs (i.e., a small section of rhizome with roots and a few upright stems) 6 to 12 inches apart. Then, water the plugs regularly until they are established, growing well, and fill in the bare ground between the plugs. 

    ʻAkiʻaki grows best in sand or sandy soil (maybe, because it's easier for its rhizomes to push their way through?) However, it will grow in just about any type of soil; we have grown it in sand, as well as sandy, coralline, clay, and organic-dominant soils. You can even get it established in the cracks of a coral or lava substrate by partially filling the cracks with some sand or soil. While in the wild, ʻakiʻaki is seen in flooded sites, we recommend against planting your ʻakiʻaki in any site that is regularly waterlogged.

    Compared to the alien turfgrasses mentioned above, ʻakiʻaki grows slowly, which means it requires little maintenance. If you want, you don't have to cut ʻakiʻaki at all. However, we have found that our ʻakiʻaki looks nicer (in our opinion) when we cut it every six months or so. For small areas (like the coastal garden pictured above), do this with a hand-sickle or power-hedger. Afterward, consider removing (by hand) all the grass clippings, as well as any dead (gray) grass, for a tidier look. For larger jobs (like the roadside pictured above), try using a powered weed-trimmer or a riding lawnmower at its highest possible cut setting. Go slow and high to prevent the trimmer or mower from grabbing any rhizomes and pulling them out of the ground (and wrapping around the trimmer-head or mower-blade). Typically after a cutting, our ʻakiʻaki will thicken by putting out a bright green flush of new stems and leaves from its rhizomes.    

    In-the-ground ʻakiʻaki doesn't seem to require any fertilizer to grow and stay green. However, if your ʻakiʻaki grows too slowly, lacks color, or is container-bound, consider spraying it in the early morning every couple of months with an organic or inorganic water-soluble fertilizer diluted to ⅓ to ¼ the recommended strength. Additionally, this coastal grass seems to benefit from an occasional (i.e., every few months) spraying with seawater (maybe, because the seawater supplies it with essential nutrients?) However, only spray your ʻakiʻaki with seawater if it is growing in an area assigned to salt-tolerant plants since the salt can be difficult to leach out of the soil later on.

Pests and Diseases

    In our experience, ʻakiʻaki is a relatively pest- and disease-free grass. Rarely, it will become infested with sap-sucking insects (i.e., aphids, mealybugs, scale insects). However, these infestations often go away on their own (particularly, if the grass is periodically sprayed with seawater). Containerized ʻakiʻaki will sometimes become infested with root mealybugs, and, therefore, should be regularly (and carefully) removed from their pot for inspection. Refer to the Pests & Diseases page for ways to deal with the above-mentioned pests.

Special Features and Information

General

    The Grass family (Poaceae) is a diverse group of plants that includes approximately 12,000 species within 780 genera worldwide. It is the most economically important plant family, providing humans with food, building and landscape materials, and fuel [WikipediA;Poaceae]. 

    In Hawai‘i, there are about 50 species of native grasses. Many of these are endemic, with several being rare or endangered. There are also many, many more alien and naturalized (i.e., growing and reproducing in the wild) species of grasses today in Hawai‘i [Flora of the Hawaiian Islands]. 

    While there are over 200 species of Sporobolus worldwide [WikipediA;List of Sporobolus species], the indigenous ʻakiʻaki is the only native species of Sporobolus found in Hawai‘i; there are also several alien naturalized Sporobolus species in Hawai‘i [Flora of the Hawaiian Islands].

Hawaiian Name

    ʻAkiʻaki is also the name of a red seaweed (Ahnfeltia concinna) that must be eaten in small bites because of its toughness. The name mahiki makes reference to exorcising evil spirits. Mānienie is used as the first half of the Hawaiian names of several (mostly alien) species of grasses found in Hawai‘i [Pukui & Elbert 1986].

Etymology

    Sporobolus is derived from the Greek words, spóros, meaning "seed," and bállein, meaning "to throw," referring to how the seeds in many species are ejected as the fruit dries [Quattrocchi 2000]. Dropseed is one vernacular name for this species.

   The species name, virginicus, is a reference to the Virgin Islands, one of many places this species is found [Gledhill 2008].