First Maiʻa Planted

I planted one of the maiʻa (banana) this morning; that's as much as I want to push my back after 2 previous days doing a bunch of bending & squatting. One maiʻa a day means that they will all be planted out by Monday morning. It will also give me time in between to remove the weeds between the planting holes, cover the ground around the plant with cardboard, & then cover the cardboard with mulch without overdoing it.

Partially covered with cardboard; waiting for mulch.

The original photo I took of the mai'a planting had a problem so I went out in the early evening to take another photo. While I was outside I noticed a different truck on the Surety property. It was Stacyson & friends; some logs had dropped off of their trailer & they were reloading them. I gave him the pot of Bun Long kalo; he was very happy to get another variety for their lo'i.

Most of the fence has been installed along the back. The remaining parts are the 2 short sections to reconnect the side fence to the back fence & block the gap by the rock wall & chain link fence so that Moʻo can't squeeze through there.

Stretching the fencing material at about 10 this morning.

An hour later they were attaching the wire mesh to the fence posts.

They notched fallen panax log so bottom of fence would lay closer to the ground.

At end of the day, looking southerly at Jessie's back fence.

Looking northerly.

I have bundled up all the laʻi leaves; all 1050 of them! They are now hanging in the garage drying. And looking somewhat like bundles of tobacco leaves in a drying shed. There are 925 leaves from the large green Kamehameha variety laʻi & 125 from the narrow-leaved red laʻi.  This should last me for a couple years of school tours at Lapakahi!

The 1050 laʻi leaves.

These few will go in to compost pile when it is re-established.

This morning Owen had to trim back one of the laʻi in order to get the fencing material over the fence posts to stretch it. I just had him cut it in to 3 to 4 foot long lengths & stuck them in a bucket. I did not want to bundle more leaves to dry! After a couple of weeks they should have started to send out roots; I can just stick them in the ground since the fence should be completely done by then. Hopefully the wet season will also have started by then so I won't have to water them daily to keep them from dying.

Owen cutting the large Kamehameha la'i stalks up for me.

Dane called this morning. He needed someone to lock the gate at Lapakahi this evening; he was off & the private security company is no longer doing it while they renegotiate the contract. So I went and locked it about 6 pm.

I went that late because I went to sit in on Uncle Jeff's Kukakuka with Kalani program on KNKR 96.1 lpfm. Tonight his guest were Toni & Cheryl, talking about Mālama Māhukona.

(L to R) Jeff, Toni, & Cheryl.

That disorganized low that was moving southerly of us has totally disbanded & no longer shows up on the Central Pacific Hurricane Center map. But Hurricane Helene in the Atlantic is headed for Florida with sustained winds up to 130 mph which would make it a Category 4. And if it turns to the west & avoids Florida, it could still easily get Alabama, Georgia, & Louisiana. The nice things about hurricanes headed towards Hawaiʻi is that if it misses, it usually has nothing else to hit in its path. 

Hauʻoli lā Hānau e Mimi, Bill, & Yvonne!