Kava Age Preference

[AndrewG]

I have heard that the average time to harvest is about 3 years. I have seen reports that some people wait 5 years, 10 years and so on. Does this depend on the variety? I have some nene kava's that are about 8 years old and they look like they could use some harvesting. I presume that with age the potency increases, yet is there a threshold point where the kavalactone contents no longer increase with age?

 

[kavadude]

I believe, and I'm just a chucklehead and hopefully Chris or someone will chime in, that the plant reaches ideal kavalactone concentration around 3 years, and around 5 years is the optimal point for harvesting (from a yield standpoint).

 

[AndrewG]

I believe, and I'm just a chucklehead and hopefully Chris or someone will chime in, that the plant reaches ideal kavalactone concentration around 3 years, and around 5 years is the optimal point for harvesting (from a yield standpoint).

I suppose it will get sorted out here (or maybe not ) That is what I was referring to initially with 3 years although beyond that, and beyond 5 years I do see some companies wait 5 years), would it just be stronger or is that simply preference? I suppose the first part is addressing yield for commercial consumption then the second part I was interested in just traditionally and personal consumption. Or if it exists beyond the suggested time for any growers for production why do they go beyond 5 years?

 

[TheKavaSociety]

I believe it does reach its maximum kl concentration in around 3 years, BUT it makes sense to keep it in the ground for longer as it increases its root mass. So a 6 year old plant won't be stronger, but you will get more kava than if you harvested a 3-year old plant, planted another one and waited for another 3 years. Or perhaps it will offer a similar yield but you will only need to harvest it once instead of doing two harvests, not to mention making sure the plant survives its first months etc.

 

[AndrewG]

I believe it does reach its maximum kl concentration in around 3 years, BUT it makes sense to keep it in the ground for longer as it increases its root mass. So a 6 year old plant won't be stronger, but you will get more kava than if you harvested a 3-year old plant, planted another one and waited for another 3 years. Or perhaps it will offer a similar yield but you will only need to harvest it once instead of doing two harvests, not to mention making sure the plant survives its first months etc.

That makes sense - More mass. From a commercial standpoint I guess leaving it in the ground longer would not be as beneficial would it? I would think in the same amount of time you could be growing other plants in succession to obtain the same if not more yield.

 

[TheKavaSociety]

That makes sense - More mass. From a commercial standpoint I guess leaving it in the ground longer would not be as beneficial would it? I would think in the same amount of time you could be growing other plants in succession to obtain the same if not more yield.

Perhaps, especially if you don't have much land. BUT on the other hand farmers don't have to harvest it all at once and be at the mercy of the buyers. If the demand is too weak/prices too low, they can just keep in the ground. Besides, most islanders do not just grow kava. They grow heaps of other things around kava.

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

3 years is just the standard for any root harvest

 

[verticity]

This is what @Gourmet Hawaiian Kava had to say on the topic a couple years ago:

... The kavalactone content does reach its max in about 2 years. There are so many tests that have proven this that you can write a book with all of them. By waiting longer you will get more kava because the bulk will increase, but the tests confirms that the potency will not get very much stronger than it was when it was only 2 years old.

There are some tests that have shown that the total kavalactone content actually dropped in the older plant. I had a kava plant that was tested at 24 months and it came to 18% kavalactone content.

I had one of my mother plants that I harvested and tested and this kava was about 13 years old, it tested at 8.85% total kavalactones and since this was a mother plant I had several other clones from the mother plant in various ages. I tested one at 15 months and it was 9.71% total kavalactones, then I tested one at 24 months and it was 13.2% total kavalactones, then I tested one at 4 years of age and it tested at 15.65% total kavalactones, I tested another one at 6 years and it tested at 12% so it would seem that somewhere after a certain age the kavalactones actually will decrease. In fact all of the kava plants we tested here in Hawaii that were over 20 years old consistently tested at 5-10% total kavalactones.

I let this plant grow longer, and at 45 months it was tested at 14% kavalactone content. This is not uncommon and a lot of the tests show this same thing. As a kava farmer I find no reason to wait if you want to harvest your kava in 2 years. All my kava I harvest in about 4-5 years and that is so I get a bigger kava plant, and the best kavalactone content and stronger potency. I do have some kava plants that are 10 years and older but these are my mother plants and I take cuttings from them. I hope this truth about kava helps people to understand a bit more about the kavalactones and what might make more of them in the kava plant. Aloha.

Chris

 

[kasa_balavu]

5 years is a good time to leave kava in the ground. That said, if I had kava in the ground right now here in Fiji, I'd harvest at 4 years because the risk of getting hit by a tropical cyclone seems to be higher than it's ever been.

I've heard people speculate that the taste of kava improves with age, but I've never tested that so can't speak to the truth of the matter.

 

[nabanga]

3-5 years is the harvest time most people in Vanuatu use. Even a midnight kava theif will wait till a plant is 3 years old till stealing it.
Two of my friend with land there both had a few dozen boronguru roots on the go, and sure enough woke up one morning 3 years after planting to see a big empty patch where they used to be.

 

[Gourmet Hawaiian Kava]

Yes, the kava will reach it's max kavalactone content in general in about 18-24 months, this has been confirmed by many tests. It is better to let them grow to 4-6 years old, I do find that the kavalactones do not increase very much, even if you harvest a 121 year old kava but there is a lot more mass and the mass is more mature than say an 2 year old kava because the 2 year old kava still has young stalks, and that means young stump and young lateral roots. When I say young I mean only a few months old, these have been tested and are very low in kavalactones. So letting them age more will help those young parts become old and full of kavalactones.
Another interesting point is that when we tested kava that was in the wild (over 100 years old) and kava from a farm (4 yeas old), the kava in the wild was lower in kavalactones, a lot lower than the farmed kava. We also found out that sun can increase kavalactones as well as good food for the kava plant will increase kavalactone content. Please let me know if you have any other questions about growing kava for high kavalactone content. Aloha.

Chris