My bokashi bin got a mold bloom and I panicked

So last month I noticed this fuzzy white mold growing on top of my bokashi bran layer in my little bucket under the sink. I thought I screwed up the whole thing because I was out of town for 4 days and forgot to drain the liquid. I scooped out the moldy part, sprayed it with some diluted vinegar, and added a fresh layer of bran on top. It seems okay now but I'm paranoid about the smell or fruit flies coming back. Has anyone else dealt with mold in their bokashi and just left it alone?

2 comments

2 Comments

walker.alex19d ago

You had a white mold bloom? Yeah that's totally normal, don't even stress. I've had that happen a bunch of times, especially if I leave the lid off for too long or don't drain it enough. That fuzzy white stuff is just harmless mold eating the scraps, not the bad kind that ruins everything. I usually just stir it in with a spoon and add a little more bran on top, no vinegar needed. Fruit flies are more about having an open crack or not burying food scraps deep enough, not the mold itself. As long as your bucket smells like pickles or sour beer and not rotten garbage, you're good to keep going.

morgan.nancy19d ago

Oh man I just read something about that on a gardening podcast, they said white mold in bokashi is actually a good sign that the lactobacillus is working. You probably don't need the vinegar, just bury the mold in and add fresh bran.