Mold & Mildew: What are they good for?

I spend quite a bit of time combatting mold and mildew in my house, especially around the fridge. I know bleach kills mildew and whitens any discoloration, but we have a cess pool and my husband says, "Don't use bleach!" Just what are mold and mildew, and why are they so happy at my house? How can I make them feel less welcome?

Mold and mildew are classified as fungi (fungus is the singular and fungi is the plural). Fungi do not make food of their own, but absorb the nutrients they need from plants, food, and dry leaves. They are are among the world's decomposers, which help break down dead materials inorder to be used again as soil. Mold organisms can be white, orange, green, or black, and mildew is white and powdery. Both reproduce by spores and can be a health hazard if left unchecked. These fungi need moisture, a food source, a place to grow, so the first step in controling them is to eliminate the source of moisture, then clean the area with detergent and water, followed by a cleaning solution of bleach and water. For those who cannot use bleach, there are bleach alternatives. So, like centipedes, mold and mildew have their job to do in our world. There is the classic mold experiment that young children can do: You will need a sandwich size ziplock bag, a half a piece of bread, and a small amount of water. Place the bread and water in the bag, seal it, and let the children observe the bread as the mold grows over the next few days. Even before the experiment, let the children draw or write their predictions on what will happen. By the way, that is not a picture of my house; I got the picture off the web.

Centipedes:What are they good for?

Centipedes: What are they good for? I do not like centipedes; they scare me. I think they are ugly and aggressive, and they are hard to kill because of their speed. So why are there centipedes?

The Hawaiians call centipedes kanapi. The anatomy of a centipede is segmented and long. The number of legs can vary from 50 to 100. The first pair of legs are poisonous jaws which are used to kill insects such as cockroaches, mothes, flies, worms and even small animals. They like to live in moist places such as your compost pile, rotting wood, or under stones. So, like geckos, centipedes help keep the insect population down and in that way are helpful to us. If you want to keep the centipedes out of your house, clear out all rotting wood, compost piles, grass clippings, and stones from the foundation of your house. I thought I once heard that centipedes were decomposers, but I counld not find any information to support that.

From keweahoaks.com

Short on Soil

I live in an area of Puna where the soil is not very deep. In some parts of my property the soil is only a few inches deep. I would like to grow vegetables and make flower beds. How can I increase the soil on my property?


I found a Hawaii Island web site that says composting creates soil and is good for the environment. Their brochure says that compost is decomposed organic matter and is an essential part of soil, and anyone can create their own composting bin right in his or her own backyard. To start composting you will need green material which is high in nitrogen: grass clippings, weeds, manure, seaweed, nutshells, coffee grounds, and brown material which is rich in carbon: tree and shrub trimmings, dry grass and leaves, shredded paper, newspaper. Next, find a covenient spot about 3 feet long and 3 feet wide. First place a layer of green material and then a layer of brown material and wet each layer. Keep alternating the layers until the pile is about 3 feet deep, and make sure that the pile is moist. Last, turn the pile once a week. You will know that the material is decomposing because the temperature will rise to about 130 degrees. In about a month you can have compost to add to your garden. I also found another site which has lots of information on composting, explained in a way that kids can understand.

Another environmentally friendly way to increase and improve soil for gardening and/or farming is vermiculture, or worm composting. Hawaii Island has a terrific resource for vermiculture in Piper Selden. She conducts vermiculture workshops island wide and has a well-developed Web site with information on worm composting with a local flavor.

This is the India Blue worm, Perionyx excavatus which is the best composting worm for Hawaii.

These sources are a good start for local folks who want to develop the soil on their property, as well as serve the environment in several ways.