Real Live Kava Plant

[Alia]

So water helps protect from wind damage in some way...and they can withstand excess water so long as the soil is very well drained. I'm thinking that if I can get the cuttings to grow, I'll put 'em in a very large, well-draining pot with a volcanic rock / soil mix. How big of a container would be recommended to grow a 3-5 year old plant in, or would eventual planting in the ground be necessary? I've read stories about kava being grown in hollowed out logs to a create a more pristine root system for gift-giving.

Yes, absolutely . A grow-bag (30 gallon) works fine as a modified "basket method" described in detail on page 67, (see picture in right column) of Hawaiian 'Awa, Views of an Ethnobotanical Treasure . There you will find details of media suggestion.

 

[Jerome]

When I was a kid, my parents had these enormous, fiberglass, hydroponics system that had a built in greenhouse, and screens for bugs. Would kava be something you could grow hydroponically?

 

[kasa_balavu]

When I was a kid, my parents had these enormous, fiberglass, hydroponics system that had a built in greenhouse, and screens for bugs. Would kava be something you could grow hydroponically?

It would be very difficult. @Gourmet Hawaiian Kava attempted it a long time ago and had a hard time with it. His experiments revealed that only the tips of the roots can stand to be in water so he had to keep raising the plants to keep the woody roots out of the water and prevent rot.

Then there's the problem of keeping your system going for 3+ years without fail.

 

[Alia]

Just to offer a second observation on this, a Hawaiian school project tried this in their greenhouse with the same results as you report.

 

[Jerome]

It would be very difficult. @Gourmet Hawaiian Kava attempted it a long time ago and had a hard time with it. His experiments revealed that only the tips of the roots can stand to be in water so he had to keep raising the plants to keep the woody roots out of the water and prevent rot.

Then there's the problem of keeping your system going for 3+ years without fail.

I kind of figured. Also, hydroponic plants don't develop much root mass since the nutrients and water is always available. That would obviously be a negative with kava!

I like the idea of the large basket or plastic bag, above ground system. Have control over the soil initially, and the nutrition added.

Where I live, its nothing but sand. It's really hard to grow anything besides the native plants, and citrus of course.

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

Yes, absolutely . A grow-bag (30 gallon) works fine as a modified "basket method" described in detail on page 67, (see picture in right column) of Hawaiian 'Awa, Views of an Ethnobotanical Treasure . There you will find details of media suggestion.

@Alia Do those 30 gallon grow bags need holes cut in the bottom for extra drainage or do they drain well enough as-is? Also, can you point me to link that shows what the sphagnum filled rooting trays look like when they're empty, I want to make sure I buy the right thing. thanks.

 

[Alia]

@Alia Do those 30 gallon grow bags need holes cut in the bottom for extra drainage or do they drain well enough as-is? Also, can you point me to link that shows what the sphagnum filled rooting trays look like when they're empty, I want to make sure I buy the right thing. thanks.
View attachment 7767

I'll try and describe the empty trays and later today (if I cannot find on the web) I'll take a picture and post-- the bottom of the trays are a series of drain holes like hundreds of tiny (1/8 inch) holes. You could compare to a plastic strainer for pasta but flattened out. The 30 gallon grow-bags will have enough drainage if you use the media mix described in the Hawaiian 'awa book, page- 70. I like the perlite #4 mixed with Sunshine #4 media.

 

[Alia]

here is one, although I like the square kind but you get the picture

 

[Gourmet Hawaiian Kava]

For making cuttings in moss this is the way that I do it. There is moss that grows all over my yard so I have tons of moss to use. I first get a bunch of moss in 5 gallon buckets and of course a tray . Here are some pictures of the process.
This is a picture of the moss growing in my yard, I like to use live moss because it helps to keep the fungus and mold from attacking the baby kava plants that will be growing.

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This is the tray that I use, just like Alia showed you.

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This is where I put a layer of moss in the entire try, the layer is about 1/2-1 inch thick. I just filled part of the tray with moss for demonstration purposes.

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The next picture shows how I place the cutting on the moss. Each cutting will have an eye or 2 and this is where the baby kava plant will be growing from, you want to make sure this eye points up as much as possible, pointing to the side a bit is okay.

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This is a picture of me pointing to the eye on the kava cutting.

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Then I will cover the cuttings with moss, this layer will be like the bottom layer but I will make sure I cover the ends of the cuttings with moss and most of the rest of the cutting too, I will leave the moss thin or even a small hole where the eye is so that it will be able to pop through the moss without too much trouble, this picture shows me pointing at the area where the eye is, you can see there is little to no moss there.

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You want to make sure you keep them in the shade and keep them moist. It is okay to let them dry out for a day but not too long, they need the moisture for the roots to grow. In about 2-3 months you can carefully pull some of the moss away to see if you have roots on the cuttings, you will also see some of the leaves and shoots popping out at about this time, it will look like this.

This is what the cutting will look like with the roots.

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After it has roots like this last picture you can transplant it into small pots with a good soil/compost mix and cinder if you have some. Please let me know if you have any questions and I hope this helps you all to understand how to make kava plants from cuttings.
Aloha.

Chris

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

Perfect!
One last question(I think), when you water them at this stage, would you use a heavy mist and soak until you notice water begins to drip out of the bottom? Is it easy to tell when it's dried out enough that it needs more water? Do you just stick your finger in and feel for moisture, or do you see it visually ?

Thanks

 

[Gourmet Hawaiian Kava]

Perfect!
One last question(I think), when you water them at this stage, would you use a heavy mist and soak until you notice water begins to drip out of the bottom? Is it easy to tell when it's dried out enough that it needs more water? Do you just stick your finger in and feel for moisture, or do you see it visually ?

Thanks

I just use a watering can so it simulates rain, the main thing is that the moss should be wet when you start, the moss holds water very well and it is easy to tell when it is wet and saturated. Keep the moss moist and let it dry out a bit every 2 weeks or so, not totally dry but not as wet as when you started and as wet as when you water it. After watering it should be wet to the touch at the bottom, middle and top of the moss, you can tell by sticking your finger in the moss.
Aloha.

Chris

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

I just use a watering can so it simulates rain, the main thing is that the moss should be wet when you start, the moss holds water very well and it is easy to tell when it is wet and saturated. Keep the moss moist and let it dry out a bit every 2 weeks or so, not totally dry but not as wet as when you started and as wet as when you water it. After watering it should be wet to the touch at the bottom, middle and top of the moss, you can tell by sticking your finger in the moss.
Aloha.

Chris

I found a propagation tray, but it's only 1.75" deep, is that too shallow or is that deep enough?
Yours look like they might be closer to 3"

 

[Alia]

I found a propagation tray, but it's only 1.75" deep, is that too shallow or is that deep enough?
Yours look like they might be closer to 3"

2 and 1/4 inches. 1.75 may be fine if you over fill and let the moss pile up. I like to nestle cuttings a little under moss with apical bud exposed. Chris may do a little different. Either way moss rules!

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

I found one that's 2.25" deep, but it has some slightly bigger holes in the center...should this one still be fine:

 

[Alia]

I found one that's 2.25" deep, but it has some slightly bigger holes in the center...should this one still be fine:
View attachment 7769

Yes that looks great.

 

[Ed!]

Of my two plants one died pretty quickly. The other is hanging in there, but the leaves keep getting dry and crisped on the edges and fall off, leaving the new growing leaves to keep it going. I mist the guy every day, so I may need to find a new method for keeping them moisturized.

 

[Gourmet Hawaiian Kava]

Of my two plants one died pretty quickly. The other is hanging in there, but the leaves keep getting dry and crisped on the edges and fall off, leaving the new growing leaves to keep it going. I mist the guy every day, so I may need to find a new method for keeping them moisturized.

If the kava is in the sun then you should not get the leaves wet as much as possible. You should try keeping the soil moist and let it dry out a bit every 3-5 days. Also a terrarium effect might help and keep the plant in the shade, no direct sunlight.
Let me know if you still have this problem or if you have any questions. Aloha.

Chris

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

Here are my best growers so far, Mo'i left, Mahakea right. All three Mahakea are sprouting, but only one Mo'i is.

 

[Dr.Krunk]

Here are my best growers so far, Mo'i left, Mahakea right. All three Mahakea are sprouting, but only one Mo'i is.
View attachment 7822

I'm definitely going to have to give this a try when my living situation deems this feasible. Not sure if it would help or not but Amazon sells some cheap greenhouses that if nothing else may be good for experimentation.

 

[Jerome]

Here are my best growers so far, Mo'i left, Mahakea right. All three Mahakea are sprouting, but only one Mo'i is.
View attachment 7822

Where'd you get the cuttings?