7th Grade
Abigail Adachi, Kahea Akina, Maka Alameida, Hauoli Falealii, Keola Kahalewai, Charles Kamelamela, Shaelan Kaneakua, Kay-Dee Kawano, Kaiulani Laemoa, Esther Lopez and Alisha Mollena Na O.
8th Grade
Kyle Klemp, Kaipoi Kondo, Nolan Nartatez, Sammilyn Pule-Kaahanui, Ehukai Rawlins, Emily Spires and Brianna Tangonan.
Milo: Molokai’s High End Sustainable Resource
Growing green will feature another Hawaiian tree this month. Unlike Kukui which has a number of medicinal and soft wood uses this tree has a valuable hard wood. Milo (Thespesia populnea) is a classic coastal and low land tree throughout the Pacific. In Hawaii we see it in parks, school grounds, other community areas, and naturalized along the ocean.
Milo is one of the many plants which came with the native Hawaiians to these islands. Being indigenous to the pacific it is adapted to the common coastal stresses such as wind, full sun exposure, and sea spray. The Hawaiians planted this tree extensively for its wood and stature which creates an inviting space at the beach.
Written by an early missionary of Milo: “It was planted about the houses of the al'i, as is well remembered around that of Kamehameha the Great at Waikiki." Then, as well as now Milo has created 'umeke or wooden calabashes of the highest quality. Many of these calabashes were so cared for they were named and passed down for generations. It was also used in making dye and a simple cordage. Interestingly it was kukui nut oil that was used to oil these calabashes.
Milo is a medium sized tree in the Hibiscus family (Malvaceae) 10-50 feet tall with a wide range of growing characteristics. Milo can be seen as a large sprawling shrub with its main stem nearly prostrate on the ground or as a stately specimen planting. This style of growth is one of Milo's strengths as well as what can make it hard to control.
Few trees allow the grower the ability to utilize multiple main stems or branches the way Milo does. For example Norfolk Island Pine has one main stem, if you cut this top it will produce a multiple number of tops which will be structurally compromised as they become larger and larger which will need to be removed or will more than likely fail. Milo on the other hand can have a number of main stems from the ground level all taking different angles of growth. This becomes useful in the case of a windbreak tree under 30 feet or when you want to harvest a portion of the tree without cutting the whole tree down.
The second style of growth mentioned is the single trunk with a bell shaped canopy. This is what is commonly found in the parks and around the house as it allows a shaded area below the tree to enjoy. Milo is a fast growing tree, often attaining the height of 10-15 feet in 3-4 years. The flower is yellow in the morning fading through the day to a light red. They are one day hibiscus like flowers. The seed pods that arise from the pollinated flowers are abundant even on a young tree which makes propagation usually easy.
I like to propagate Milo the same way as Kukui. I take the mature seed pods which are dark brown not green and smash the pod up with my hands leaving the seeds exposed. Then I use standard bagged potting soil and a seed flat. Put about an inch of potting soil in the flat, lay the seeds down on the soil, and cover the seeds with another inch of potting soil. Keep the soil moist and within 1-3 months you will have small Milo trees.
Using the right tree in the right place is important. Due to its fast growth and medium size, Milo might overwhelm a small space. Also the leaf litter and constant rain of seed pods might be too much for some people in tight areas like patios and decks. Understanding these characteristics ahead of time will help you decide if Milo is right for that space.
Milo is one of my favorite trees. Due to its ability to be pruned extensively I have found many uses for this tree at my nursery. It also has a slightly poisonous nature which makes it resistant to a wide range of pests and pathogens. This is a nice trait in horticulture, but it is also something to be aware of. The properties of the wood are for another article, but it is of the highest quality. I feel Milo wood could be one of Molokai's high end sustainable resources which could be exported as "Made in Molokai".
Growing green is written by Fred Richardson/ Botanist, Owner of Molokai Nei Organics a Nursery and Landscaping company, 558-8215.
Banana Bunchy Top Virus, BBTV, has once again has made its appearance in central Moloka’i.
BBTV was first discovered on Molokai in 2005. Infected banana plants were killed and removed. Subsequent disease survey indicated that Molokai was free of the BBTV. However laboratory test conducted in November and December on suspected samples resulted in positive finding of the disease.
Banana is one of the most consumed fruit in the world. No doubt Moloka’i has contributed to that statistic as many families are growing their own plants in their back yard. Our geographic isolation has made it difficult for dreadful banana diseases to make it to our island. Banana disease such as Panama Wilt has existed on Oahu for many years and has limited the banana varieties they can grow to Williams and the Brazilian. Molokai has been fortunate to be free of the P. Wilt and able to produce other varieties such as Chinese and Bluefield.
Unlike Panama Wilt, BBTV is nondiscriminatory and will infect and destroy all banana varieties. There is no plant resistance for this viral disease. Banana Bunchy Top Virus is a disease that survives and moves in the vessels of the banana plants. The disease is moved from infected plants and transmitted to other banana plants by aphids. There is no anti virus solution that will cure the plant of the disease. The infected banana plants will serve as a reservoir of the virus that can be moved to other plants by aphids. While there is no regulation that requires anyone to destroy their infected plants, it is best for Molokai that infected plants be destroyed to keep the disease from spreading. Experts recommend that infected plants either be completely destroyed mechanically or chemically. Destroying plants mechanically means physical removal of the complete infected plant mat. Chemical removal requires injecting each plant in the infected mat with herbicide Round Up Ultra. The College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources website http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/bbtd/ provides detail information.
It is hard to imagine our Molokai neighbors, friends and farms without health banana plants and plumb yellow fruits. It is hard to imagine neighbors and friends not sharing banana desserts at potlucks. It is hard to imagine that we might need to look for something else for our kalua pig imu. It is hard to imagine that after more than 1400 years that we will need to find 25 lbs of some other fruits we can consume every year.
Steps we can take to manage the spread of Banana Bunchy Top Virus on Molokai.
1. Do not move banana plants from one part of Molokai to another.
2. Inspect your plants for aphids and treat infested plants with insecticidal soap or dish washing soap, like Dawn. Aphids usually hang around in the whorl of the young leaves or in the sheath of the leaves. It is recommended the even with plants that are heath and without BBTV visual symptoms should be treated if aphids are present. The sucking feeding habits of aphids can healthy weaken plants and make them more susceptible of diseases.
3. If your plants are infected with BBTV, treat plants for aphids first, then destroy the plants. If you have adjacent plants, you should consider destroying them too. Although plants may be infected, they can grow without showing any visual symptoms up to 125 days.
4. Look around neighboring plants around your area to see if any banana plants might be infected. Notify your neighbors if you see other infected plants.
5. Allow BBTV inspection or surveillance team to look at your banana plants.
6. Molokai Contacts, for reporting and information:
UH/CTAHR/Cooperative Extension Service, Alton Arakaki @ 567-6934; Glenn Teves @ 567-6932; Rogerene “Kali” Arce @ 567-6935
Nature Conservancy/Molokai Invasive Species Committee, Lori Buchanan @ 553-5235 ext. 204
Hawaii Department of Agriculture-Maui, Bob Yonehara, 873-3558
We, Peace Of Mind LLC and the Corpuz Ohana ( Randall Sr., Hoku, Oli, Randall Jr. and Sara), would like to extend a "Big Mahalo" to some Special People who helped us with the Kupuna Gala on Sunday December 9, 2007! Thank you so much to Barbara and the Molokai Chamber of Commerce Foundation for giving us this great opportunity to cater this wonderful event and allowing us a chance to give back to our beautiful community! Also, to our "CREW': Lynn and Russel DeCoite, Carrie, RJ, and Dillon, Rosie Davis, Gene, Erlinda and Luke Santiago, Suliana and Fred Aki, Mariah Rapanot-McGuire, Terza Pactol, Aunty Kanani and Uncle Richard Negrillo, Berta Delos Reyes and Ohana, Ipo and William Davis, "Thank You" for all of your endless help in making our night a big success!!!! To the Kupunas, it was a pleasure preparing your chinese dinner for you and mahalo for all your compliments! We look forward to many more oppurtunities to serve our community! Have a Merry, Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!!!!
Almost every person on Molokai has hiked the Halawa trail once. For those people who remember it when there were no signs of invasive pests, they can tell you how beautiful it was. Now there are many invasives threatening the environment along the trail and one in particular that can really hurt a person. It is called the Barbados Gooseberry and it has some really nasty thorns that can ruin any hikers day.
Gooseberry looks like a vine but is really a cactus that came from the West Indies. It starts as little woody lianas and grows into thorny vines that can climb up trees. Once reaching the top of the tree this plant can form a dense, spiny thicket smothering out other plants. The thorns are 1-2 inches long and form clusters along the vine.
Have you ever seen a wana (sea urchin) in the ocean? Well picture the older gooseberry covered in dozens of "wana" attached to the entire vine. Definitely not something that anyone wants to mess with. The younger plants have thorns but they aren’t as nasty as the older vines. Gooseberry has 2-4 inch long, eye-shaped leaves that are a dark glossy green.
On the mainland this plant is reported to have flowers that are white, yellowish or pinkish, but the plants in Halawa have never been seen with flowers or fruit. Gooseberry has ½ inch wide fruits that are round or oval and yellow, orange, or red in color. It can be spread through seeds or various plant parts (leaves, stems, etc.). A person can mistake the younger gooseberry for maile. The major difference between them is the thorns.
MoMISC has been controlling and trying to eradicate this thorny vine for many years. There are multiple populations that have been established near the river. All populations have been reduced and kept under control.
MoMISC first started controlling the big populations by cutting the bottom of the cactus and applying herbicide. This killed the roots but left some of the cactus growing in the tree tops above. The smaller younger cactus was sprayed with herbicide which was very effective in killing them.
To deal with the tree top cactus we tried to attach latex products filled with herbicide at the cut ends, hoping that the cactus would drink the herbicide thus killing the plants up above in the tree tops. This proved to be only somewhat effective in eliminating the cactus in the tree tops. In order to eradicate the gooseberry in the treetops we may have to take those trees down.
When we first dealt with the populations we enlisted the help of other organizations and volunteers. We would like to thank those organizations and volunteers for all their help, you know who you are. With a staff of only two field workers we can only do so much and having help from the Molokai community is greatly appreciated. Now the Gooseberry populations are being checked every six months for regrowth. We can say with confidence that all the known populations in Halawa will be eradicated in the future.
MoMISC is asking the Molokai community to report any sightings of Barbados Gooseberry by calling 553-5236 ext. 204. We will ask for your name, phone number, mailing address or e-mail, pest location, how many you saw, and if any action was taken. It would also be helpful if you could photograph and take samples of the plant. Please don’t grow gooseberry. Instead, try growing native plants. For more information about Barbados Gooseberry visit www.hear.org or the Ho`olehua Airport kiosk during the months of December and January.
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Molokai Economic Opportunity Business Development Corp. (MEO BDC) has named Denise Taueetia of Denise’s Gift Shop/Molokai Furniture, the winner of the 2007 Hand-Up Entrepreneurial Award.
In 2002 Denise heard about MEO BDC and its loan program. With a start-up micro loan she was able to begin the first part of her business dreams.
Denise’s business did really well from the beginning, but she wished to expand in order to offer more for the people of Molokai. In talking with her customers, she discovered that they wanted a furniture outlet.
After about a year of operating her gift store, she decided to bring in hardwood, unfinished furniture. She thought this would be easier to handle, but dealing with a wholesaler located in Canada proved very costly for her and her customers. Again, she listened to her customers and decided to venture into Hawaiian style rattan and wicker furniture.
Denise has participated twice with MEO BDC booth at the Maui County Fair. She says that attending the fair brought her more contacts for products and sales than she could have ever found on her own. She thanks MEO BDC for their continued support in helping with her business.
Last month Molokai Furniture celebrated its 4th anniversary. They have outgrown the store areas they now occupy at the Kualapuu Business Center & will soon move into a larger space in a new building located in the same center. The new location will have a larger area to better showcase her furniture and island gifts.
When asked if she had any words of encouragement for new entrepreneurs, Denise replied, “They should really know what’s going on with their business…knowing the bookkeeping portion as well as the sales side and always paying attention to their customer’s needs and wants. Both play a large part in their business’ success.”
Denise Taueetia was nominated by MEO BDC Molokai Loan Fund Manager Kuulei Arce.
Molokai Furniture can be seen at www.molokaifurniture.com.
By Marie Yamashita
We’ve met him before. Remember the one who wrote about Keli’i, the honorary mayor of Molokai? Well, Donald Sunshine is on our radar again. This time he has written another book, “Molokai Moments,” which is unlike his first one, solemn and serious. His new book is cheery and chatty.
Sunshine’s first book sought to educate about the need to preserve Hawaiian culture and traditions. “Molokai Moments” has no such intention. “Molokai Moments” seeks only to tell readers tales about his life on Molokai, which he does in an entertaining manner. It is a light-hearted book, and fast readers can probably finish it in less than an hour
Sunshine, a part time Molokai resident from the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, has put together anecdotes of his experiences on our insular, under-developed island of Molokai. In one instance he got a chuckle out of me when he cited his travails in getting his house built on Molokai, where promises of completion in four months stretched into far beyond and costs went up correspondingly. We locals sympathize and laugh because we’ve been there, too.
Then there was an account of his benevolent attempt to produce a CD of a local musician. Wow! Did that produce umpteen problems, the strictly Molokai kind that he would never encounter in Virginia? Auwe
Among Sunshine’s recollections and anecdotes are the good times at Aloha Fridays at Hotel Molokai, the celebrations at Sunday church services, and the ordeal and conquest of the trail to Kalaupapa by his wife and him.
In “Peoples,” one of the sections of the book, Sunshine makes short and insightful observations about Molokai residents.
Sunshine’s writing shows great affection for Molokai and its people. Here, he says, people are not afraid to smile and hug. He is right on the button there. Shopping, he describes, is a social experience. Pretty accurate there, too. As a host and tour guide to visiting friends, he faces the same problem the locals do when answering the question, “But what do you do here?”
I was very pleased when someone e-mailed me your article “A Saint for Molokai” (October 29) about the cause for sainthood for Father Damien de Veuster. Molokai will definitely be proud when the day of canonization comes for this remarkable priest.
The article mentioned the history of the great works of Father Damien in Molokai, as well as the two miracles attributed to him that have been approved in the sainthood process. However, I would like to inform your readers about another compelling attribute of Father Damien’s legacy.
Kualapu`u Cookhouse, fine food, laid back style.
What’s this? Extra tables and chairs in front of Kualapu`u Cookhouse? This can only mean one thing – it’s Thursday night and the prime rib is being made to order! But don’t worry, if your not a prime rib person there’s plenty more being offered on the menu.
For those meat lovers out there who are not in the mood for prime rib, there’s rack of lamb with Jim Dean demi-glaze, and bbq baby back ribs with guava BBQ sauce to be considered.
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