kasa_balavu
Yaqona Dina
Oh that's disappointing. Would you mind sharing which one it was so I can stop recommending them? Feel free to PM if you'd prefer not to post publicly.
Our attempt with growing kava (As a hobby)
- Thread starter Kava Time
- Start date
Oh no I don't mind sharing it publicly. It will save Steve lots of emailing I'm sure.
It was Hawaiian Tropical Plant Nursery. He says he's only growing Isa because it's more disease resistant.
kasa_balavu
Yaqona Dina
Thank you, that's good to know.
It's a pity he only grows Isa. Tudei cultivars like Isa became popular among farmers in the late 90's for the same reason... disease resistance and quicker growth.
Have you read these threads?:
http://kavaforums.com/forum/threads/growing-kava-in-florida.10178/
http://kavaforums.com/forum/threads/real-live-kava-plant.10119/
It's a pity he only grows Isa. Tudei cultivars like Isa became popular among farmers in the late 90's for the same reason... disease resistance and quicker growth.
Have you read these threads?:
http://kavaforums.com/forum/threads/growing-kava-in-florida.10178/
http://kavaforums.com/forum/threads/real-live-kava-plant.10119/
Yeah I think he's selling it as an ornamental I guess not expecting people will drink it.
Ay I didn't even see your links for some reason the first time I read your post. I think I'm going blind or something! lol Thanks so much. I will check them out.
I was looking at the Logees site and the reviews said it was Mahakea! But when I tried to order it said it was out of stock and had to be back ordered so I emailed the company to be sure that the cultivar that came back in stock was a noble variety and this was the reply I got from them in the email.
"Good afternoon,
Unfortunately, our horticulturalist says that he doesn’t know the cultivar. He said it came from Hawaii. We apologize for the inconvenience. Have a great day!
Logee’s Customer Service"
So now I am wary. I mean, if I could know for certain it was Mahakea or some other noble variety I would get it in a heartbeat, but it doesn't look like they can guarantee what it is.
Alia
'Awa Grower/Collector
Did you try the pokifruits.com link ? That is one of the 3 @kasa_balavu mentioned...if it is who I think it is he knows his cultivars. Got many from me.Ay I didn't even see your links for some reason the first time I read your post. I think I'm going blind or something! lol Thanks so much. I will check them out.
I was looking at the Logees site and the reviews said it was Mahakea! But when I tried to order it said it was out of stock and had to be back ordered so I emailed the company to be sure that the cultivar that came back in stock was a noble variety and this was the reply I got from them in the email.
"Good afternoon,
Unfortunately, our horticulturalist says that he doesn’t know the cultivar. He said it came from Hawaii. We apologize for the inconvenience. Have a great day!
Logee’s Customer Service"
So now I am wary. I mean, if I could know for certain it was Mahakea or some other noble variety I would get it in a heartbeat, but it doesn't look like they can guarantee what it is.
I'm going to contact them next.
With any luck the third time will be the charm. Thanks so much. 
Update
The one i was hoping for that would survive actually wilted. Guess transferring needs to be done extremely carefully. Its been replaced with another plant below
The next one has gotten quite big..at least 30 cm now. Not exactly sure why its been growing faster and better than the others..I haven't added any fertilizer to any of them yet.
The one i was hoping for that would survive actually wilted. Guess transferring needs to be done extremely carefully. Its been replaced with another plant below
The next one has gotten quite big..at least 30 cm now. Not exactly sure why its been growing faster and better than the others..I haven't added any fertilizer to any of them yet.
kasa_balavu
Yaqona Dina
Looking good, Neil!
Just got some new kava cuttings to plant of 4 different cultivars. Lets play a game
Who can identify whats what cultivar? 1st to 5th..2 of them are the same. Whoever identifies correctly and posts here gets a one time 15% discount coupon You only get 1 valid try so all the best!
Who can identify whats what cultivar? 1st to 5th..2 of them are the same. Whoever identifies correctly and posts here gets a one time 15% discount coupon
You only get 1 valid try so all the best!
kasa_balavu
Yaqona Dina
It's hard to tell with just one stem. A vula kasa leka (white short internode) plant might have some stems that have long internodes (and so look like vula kasa balavu). We see this a lot with Vula kasa leka, where the older stems have short internodes, but the younger stems, having grown in the shade of the older stems, had to reach for the light and so sometimes have longer internodes. The leaves are an additional data point that help us identify plants.
Here are my guesses:
1. Loa Kasa Leka or Dokobana leka
2. Matakaro Leka
3. Dokobana Vula
4-5. Vula Kasa Leka or Vula Kasa Balavu
Good luck with growing this lot, Neil. Try with 50% shade cloth.
Here are my guesses:
1. Loa Kasa Leka or Dokobana leka
2. Matakaro Leka
3. Dokobana Vula
4-5. Vula Kasa Leka or Vula Kasa Balavu
Good luck with growing this lot, Neil. Try with 50% shade cloth.
theGrogfather
Sipping on Waka juice. Laid back
I'm in. Going off information from your website, here are my guesses.Just got some new kava cuttings to plant of 4 different cultivars. Lets play a game
Who can identify whats what cultivar? 1st to 5th..2 of them are the same. Whoever identifies correctly and posts here gets a one time 15% discount coupon
View attachment 8400
1. Loa Kasa Leka
2. Matakaro Leka
3. Dokobana Vula
4. & 5. Tricky but I'll go Vula Kasa Leka.
Keep us updated on your plants! I have no chance of growing kava here but it's neat to see everyone give it a shot.
Nice try @theGrogfather almost had it
I'm not going to even attempt to try to figure out the varieties by the looks of their stems, but this contest makes me wonder if it is possible to tell by looking at the stems if a kava is noble or isa? I still am holding out hope that I can get my hands on a seedling or fresh stem that I can try to sprout, but being able to identify a cultivar by sight would be pretty helpful. Alright back to the contest. Good luck everyone.
Alright back to the contest. Good luck everyone.
theGrogfather
Sipping on Waka juice. Laid back
Rats.
I still need to try your product, I love fijian waka, its weird I havent ordered some yet
So the initial plantings were somewhat successful. 3 plants died out on me. Below are the 3 standing from the initial plantings with 1 still in nursery.
I had to get this plant some serious shading as i had noticed it started dying out. You can tell that the shading has helped quite a bit. All the leaves had turned yellow and were rotting away from the scorching hot sun in Nadi. The yellow leaf attached to it is what the whole plant looked like before the shading.
The one below has been faring well under the shade of the coconut trees beside it. The roots are plenty as you can see from the 2nd pic. I seem to have unearthed some of the surfacing roots while watering the plant with a bucket of water.
The last one has had phenomenal growth for the past 2 weeks. The rain in Nadi has some real magical properties it seems. I have been consistently watering all the plants during the dry season but have not seen this spike in growth unlike the last two weeks of periodic rain. The rain water seems to do wonders for all plants here. You can see that another shoot has come out in the 2nd pic and its grown quite thick.
I had to get this plant some serious shading as i had noticed it started dying out. You can tell that the shading has helped quite a bit. All the leaves had turned yellow and were rotting away from the scorching hot sun in Nadi. The yellow leaf attached to it is what the whole plant looked like before the shading.
The last one has had phenomenal growth for the past 2 weeks. The rain in Nadi has some real magical properties it seems. I have been consistently watering all the plants during the dry season but have not seen this spike in growth unlike the last two weeks of periodic rain. The rain water seems to do wonders for all plants here. You can see that another shoot has come out in the 2nd pic and its grown quite thick.
kasa_balavu
Yaqona Dina
They look fantastic, Neil!! Lush, vibrant growth. I just got back from Taveuni and these look as good as any I saw of similar age.
I reckon the humidity plays a very significant role. You were giving it sufficient water all along, but the air was dry and hot until we hit the wet season recently.
They're great bro, and doing much better than I expected they would
I reckon the humidity plays a very significant role. You were giving it sufficient water all along, but the air was dry and hot until we hit the wet season recently.
They're great bro, and doing much better than I expected they would
Last edited:
verticity
I'm interested in things
verticity
I'm interested in things
So Nadi is a city on the main island of Fiji, Viti Levu. Is it the climate in that city that you seem to suggest is not favorable for growing kava, or does kava grow elsewhere on that island? Or does it only grow on the other islands: Kadavu, Vanua Levu, etc? I have heard the city on the other side of the Viti Levu, Suva, mentioned with respect to kava, but that might just be because of the kava market there...