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Kava Plant from Logee's?

fait

Position 5 Hard Support
Has anyone bought live kava plants from Logee's?

https://www.logees.com/kava-kava-piper-methysticum.html

Amazon Link

I've asked where the plant came from and what cultivar it is. So far they said they got their original plant from Hawaii 15 years ago but they didn't have a variety name to work with. Anybody know if any non-noble varieties (tudei, isa, etc) were grown 15 years ago in Hawaii? No clue how tight/strict Hawaii is on its kava.
 

sɥɐʞɐs

Avg. Dosage: 8 Tbsp. (58g)
Review Maestro
That kind of stem coloring appears to be Mahakea, mostly smooth green but with purple internodes. Mahakea is noble.
Isa might have a better chance of survival outside of the islands though, but these aren't Isa.
 

Zaphod

Kava Lover
I find it interesting that the picture they show is not the best looking plant. If you ask for an actual picture of the plant they intend to sell you there are several folks on the forum that could tell you exactly what cultivar it is and verify that it is not false kava.
 

sɥɐʞɐs

Avg. Dosage: 8 Tbsp. (58g)
Review Maestro
Two kava plants or two plants in general? And did they die because of their mishandling or was it more your fault?
As someone who has tried to grow at least 10 kava plants in Southern CA over the last few years, I can tell you this with some certainty, if you buy a kava plant it will die.
 

Ricardo Piquant

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
As someone who has tried to grow at least 10 kava plants in Southern CA over the last few years, I can tell you this with some certainty, if you buy a kava plant it will die.
I got two kava plants from them. I think they were damaged from cold in transit. I'm in South Florida so I figured there was a decent chance I could keep them going. I may try again
 

Kavashua

Mmmm Kava
As someone who has tried to grow at least 10 kava plants in Southern CA over the last few years, I can tell you this with some certainty, if you buy a kava plant it will die.
What do you attribute that to? Temperature, humidity or lack of volcanic soil?
 

kastom_lif

Kava Lover
According to *Kava the Pacific Elixir*, isa's morphotype is 7231212 by Lebot and Léveques ACILEPS code.

A: general appearence of the plant from prostrate (1) to erect (7).
C: stem color, pale green, dark green, green with purple shading, purple, or black.
I: Internode configuration, uniform, mottled, speckled, or striated and mottled
L: Leaf coloring, pale green, dark green or purple
E: Lamina edges, undulate, raised, drooping or regular
P: Leaf pubescence present (1) or absent (0)
S: Internode shape, short and thick, long and thin, long and thick

So, isa would be very tall, with dark green stems, speckled internodes, pale green leaves, raised leaf edges, no hairs on the undersides of the leaves, and short thick internodes.

The photograph is not of an isa. The stems are too dark and leaf edges are not raised. Isa is tall, green and smooth. It also has a very disctinct smell compared to regular drinking kava varieties.
 
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kastom_lif

Kava Lover
What do you attribute that to? Temperature, humidity or lack of volcanic soil?
California has plenty of volcanic soil, but it is DRY. Kava loves steady 80% humidity. It will not tolerate waterlogged roots. By temperate standards it is a "full sun" plant though in the tropics it needs partial shade.

You'd need a foggy greenhouse that can remain humid year round, dump excees heat on the hottest summer days without getting too dry, and also stay warm during winter. And it couldn't hurt to add supplemental light during winter if you are more than about 25 degrees from the equator. Long summer daytimes might be weird for kava, too.
 

fait

Position 5 Hard Support
Rest assured, I know better that I'd need a god-tier greenhouse to make growing a kava plant viable in MN, so I had no plans to buy this. But I couldn't help but probe and see if Logee's sold noble kava plants or if they were getting any tudei or isa plants. When he replied "Hawaii" but no cultivar, I was still skeptical and I figured someone here may be of assistance. Thanks @sɥɐʞɐs !
 

sɥɐʞɐs

Avg. Dosage: 8 Tbsp. (58g)
Review Maestro
What do you attribute that to? Temperature, humidity or lack of volcanic soil?
What I can say with certainty is that pests are a problem. Slugs suddenly appear and eat the new growth, aphids and things infest under the leaves, fungus gnats in the soil and I lost a few to some larvae in the soil that ate the new rootlets.

On top of that, I have a problem with the edges of new leaves becoming brown, eventually withering the whole leaf. Leaves dropping off. (When a plant is young, it doesnt have many leaves to spare) Lately I've noticed cupping of the leaf and yellow-ish/light green discolored streaks. It's hard to say how much temperature and humidity play a role in those things or if it's a reaction to the pests or a lack of specific nutrients. As for the soil, these are planted in a mix of potting soil and perlite. The earth in SoCal in dead, dry, rocky dirt...so If I ever were to get a plant large enough to try planting in the ground, I'd have to create some healthy soil for it 1st.

I have my one remaining plant in a small green house, with a small heater that kicks on when it drops below 55 degrees F and turns off when it gets up to 68 F. Then I also have a fan that turns on when it gets over 86 F. On sunny days, I have to open the door, when the door is open it's hard to keep humidity up, I have a humidifier that turns on too, but it can’t keep the same level of humidity I get with the door closed. Having the door closed really creates a good tropical environment but it also encourages mold, fungus and fungus gnats. Honestly, there's a problem with everything and around every corner another one.

I may have learned enough to have better luck with my next batch, but even after every attempt to solve the problems that my still living plant has had, they either persist or return eventually. This is even with the input of a known and knowledgeable 'awa farmer/nursery owner, who thankfully takes the time to help me diagnose and treat symptoms that arise...he appreciates my tenacity.

As discouraging as this all may sound, I actually do want to encourage people to try to grow kava where you live, the more data we get for solving it's problems and keeping this plant alive in different environments, the better. Consider each one to be part of a larger experiment more so than a plant that you expect to see grow to maturity.
 
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