Fun Facts

  • Blue Harbor Tropical Arboretum (BHTA) and farms are on approximately 164 acres.
  • BHTA has over 400 mature cashew trees and we recently planted 900 seedlings and plan another 1100 next year.
  • There is no commercial cashew roaster on the island.  All local cashews are roasted in someone’s yard.  BHTA is trying to develop a “cashew co-op” to improve the quality and help create cash revenue and jobs for islanders.
  • Most of the mature fruit trees were planted 12 years ago.  This orchard has hundreds of trees including 35 different types of exotic fruit from many different countries.
  • We have over 45 varieties of Heliconias and ornamental Gingers planted all around the property that put on a stunning display of flowers year round.
  • BTHA is committed to water conservation, sustainable agricultural methodologies, and protecting our fragile tropical eco-system.
  • Our retention pond is 12′ deep and holds 2,300,000 gallons of rain water run off.  This water not only provides for irrigation during Roatan’s 6 month dry season, but also dramatically reduces the soil erosion from flowing on to the coral reef from the yearly 114 inches of tropical rains.
  • Our hydroponic lettuce and herbs use 90% less water (yes you read that right) than lettuce grown in soil and we get 7 harvests a year vs. 2 in soil.  Our lettuce is stronger and fresher than yours!!
  • The coral reef is Roatan’s patrimony and we must all help protect it.
  • We use the drip system for irrigation to conserve water usage and prevent run off.  We have two wells at around 135 ft. producing 175 gal/min for both potable water and irrigation when necessary.
  • Our drip system for irrigation and potable water distribution requires over 2 miles of buried pipe.  To be ultra safe we also use a UV purification system for your safety.
  • Our water pump in the lagoon moves 1250 gallons of water per minute.
  • All well water is collected in a 55,000 gallon water storage cistern.  From these cisterns all irrigation is gravity fed, significantly reducing our electrical consumption.
  • In the dry season we can use 7000 gallons of water a day to irrigate.
  • The complete water system, pumps, main valves, tank levels and all the drip irrigation system valves are computer controlled.
  • The computer controls and security system require about 6000 lft of fiber optic cable.
  • We can run the water system and view the security system from anywhere in the world over the internet.
  • All night lighting is LED to conserve energy.
  • The conservatory building is 50’ x 100’ x 23’ at the highest point and can withstand 130 mph winds. The waterfall rocks are from the east end of the island and all were placed one by one. The water flows over the rocks at 350 gals/min. The fog pump produces 1500 psi. and has 58 nozzles.
  • The office/ storage building is 86’ x 28’ x 10’ and can also withstand 130 mph winds. The roof can support a full array of solar panels which we will install in the future.
  • All trees that are removed for construction and limbs are chipped in our chipper and used as mulch. Leaves, old fruit and grass clippings are added to our compost pile.
  • Our conservatory houses over 500 hundred different  plants and trees including;   30 species of orchids, including the orchid vine that produces vanilla beans,  a dozen different Heliconia varieties, mature Honduran Mahogany, various fruit trees and hundreds of exotic plants from all over the world.