What's new

Kava in New hebrides and New Caledonia?

Michael Nielsen

Kava Enthusiast
The
New hebrides does have a big kava industry.

While New Caledonia do import their kava.

Has New Caledonia been growing kava before?
 

Jean

Kava Curious
To my knowledge it hasn't and kava is imported. However I know that a Caledonian company was selling extract at the beginning of the 2000s (I ordered from them), what doesn't mean that the feedstock originated from the island.
 

nabanga

Kava Enthusiast
New Cal started importing kava in significant quantities in the early 90s and had kava bars in Noumea even back then - but it has never been a cultural thing with the NC Kanaks.
I think I remember reading in the last year or two that some people were starting to plant, I may be wrong - but for certain the majority of kava consumed is imported from Vanuatu
 

Palmetto

Thank God!
New Caledonia has a lot of nickel in the soil which is toxic to many nonnative plants. Kava probably can't grow there because of the soil. If somebody used the right soil, it should be able to grow there.
 

fait

Position 5 Hard Support
New Caledonia has a lot of nickel in the soil which is toxic to many nonnative plants. Kava probably can't grow there because of the soil. If somebody used the right soil, it should be able to grow there.
Quite a few of the endemic plants on New Caledonia have adapted to the rich nickel content in the soil. Nickel mining in the country actually compromises many of these plants as these plants won't thrive without the high nickel content they've long adapted to living with. Conversely, introduced plants from outside the island group would grow better in less nickel-dense soil.

One of my favorite conifer trees, the Cook Pine (araucaria columnaris), is from New Caledonia. Below is an image of a Cook Pine grove in a gorgeous tropical vista.
 

Orz[EST]

Kava Enthusiast
Thanks for elaborating the relationship between nickel and plants.

" The ultramafic massifs of the New Caledonian archipelago contain about 10% of the world's nickel reserves, which also contain significant but lower amounts of cobalt, chromium, and manganese."

I just prompted me to query about nickel and health.

13% of kids had more than reference levels of nickel and 90% had chromium levels above reference.
 

kastom_lif

Kava Lover
The
New hebrides does have a big kava industry.

While New Caledonia do import their kava.

Has New Caledonia been growing kava before?
Nouvelle Caledonie / Kanaky does not have the right kind of soil to grow kava. Kava would probably grow on L'îles Loyauté, but the mainland is a no go.
 

Orz[EST]

Kava Enthusiast
I just read that the soil of New Caledonia is very basic, rich in metals that are generally toxic to the plants and that the levels of main macronutrient / fertilizing elements is low.
 
Top