growing kava

[Robert]

Can anyone tell me where to find good info about growing kava? I know there's not much to know, but I have about 30-40 starts that I was super lucky to get, I live in the jungle of hawaii, so no better place, soil type, nutrients, Sun or shade, little tips and tricks, possible diseases and how to prevent. It seems to me that something about the kava world is strangely "coveted", for instance finding someone to let me take some cuttings or sell me starts was almost impossible, the only reason I got them was because I got scammed by someone who knew a kava patch and sold me some of the strangers kava, very unfortunate for the guy, didn't find out until I went for round two of digging them up, felt terrible when I realized it happened, lost out on some money, but I ended up with all those starts from the beginning, which is amazing, I've asked growers and all kinds of people, they will sell chopped up roots, but they make sure you can't plant them, they're hard to get even in hawaii, I could be wrong about my theory though.
But now that I have so many I'm looking for info on cultivating it correctly, only finding some real mild basics out there, any ideas where to look. Hoping ghk checks this out, maybe this subject could be his next informative post!

 

[Gourmet Hawaiian Kava]

Send me a private message with your address and I will send you a Kava growing Guide. I still have a bunch of them, I am the President of the Hawaii 'Awa Council and it is full of great information on growing kava. Aloha.

Chris

 

[Poivrier]

You didn't looked well enough there are some nice hawaiian resources:
Here is a pdf on kava pest management:
http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/PD-28.pdf

...and another pdf, the "kava producer growing guide":
http://www.hawaii.edu/hivandaids/Pacific/Pacific_Kava__A_producer_s_guide.pdf

 

[Gourmet Hawaiian Kava]

You didn't looked well enough there are some nice hawaiian resources:
Here is a pdf on kava pest management:
http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/PD-28.pdf

...and another pdf, the "kava producer growing guide":
http://www.hawaii.edu/hivandaids/Pacific/Pacific_Kava__A_producer_s_guide.pdf

That is what I have and I would send the actual books to anyone who wants them. Aloha.

Chris

 

[verticity]

It seems to me that something about the kava world is strangely "coveted", for instance finding someone to let me take some cuttings or sell me starts was almost impossible, ... I've asked growers and all kinds of people, they will sell chopped up roots, but they make sure you can't plant them, they're hard to get even in hawaii,

That's a very unfortunate situation. At the moment it seems (from an outsider's perspective) that Hawaii is overrun with Isa. I think encouraging and enabling more people to grow the traditional Hawaiian varieties would be a good thing. I guess growers don't want the competition?

 

[Gourmet Hawaiian Kava]

That's a very unfortunate situation. At the moment it seems (from an outsider's perspective) that Hawaii is overrun with Isa. I think encouraging and enabling more people to grow the traditional Hawaiian varieties would be a good thing. I guess growers don't want the competition?

If you are in Hawaii it is not hard to find and grow Hawaiian kava, Isa is not that abundant but there is a lack of large growers in Hawaii that want to plant kava, they would rather plant papaya or other things, this is because of the liver scare years ago, this will change though soon. I do not ship out any Hawaiian cuttings because it takes me so long to get them inspected so they can go out, there might be others that will, I know there is one in Hilo that sells Hawaiian kava plants on ebay. Isa is going out of business and there is not anyone planting it anymore, there is the existing plantings that are still there but they are over grown and neglected, they will soon be gone. Any farmers that grow Hawaiian kava are few and far in between and they use it for themselves or for there kava bar. Aloha.

Chris

 

[Robert]

Sorry for late reply, thanks Chris for the response, no need to send the little book over the link will suffice, I've always wondered how many plants you have to have in the ground to have enough to be selling it commercially, I have a ten acre area that was terraced for taro bye the ancients, 99% of it is covered in jungle, I have alot of room, and time, the kava garden I saw must've been 100 plants, and apparently that's just for personal use, you must have tons of kava growing to always have stuff for sale and be the most popular vendor AND grow all of it yourself, what's ballpark for you as far as plants growing at once?