Hi everyone. I wanted to talk a bit about how the kava grows and how we harvest it so here are a few pictures with some explanations. I hope you all enjoy.
When we plant a kava plant it will grow fast and consistent for about 6 years and then it slows down and the growth habit changes. During the first 4-6 years of age, the kava will grow in a very consistent manor that you can see, meaning the new growth is seen and is very consistent. It will send out new roots that will grow outward for up to 12 feet (or more) and new stalks are coming out all the time making the stump of the kava larger. It gets bigger by growing outward more so than upward and it also grows downward with the lateral roots.
After about 6 years or so the growth habit changes. It starts to grow much slower and does not send out very many new stalks from the stump area. The roots that grow outward tend to stop just about 2-4 inches from the stump and they do not grow anymore. Also this is when you start to see more of the mature stalks dying off and sometimes that can create rot in the stump of the plant and that is not good.
If there is any new growth from the stump it is slow and a lot of the time it will not mature, it will die off. At this stage of the life of the kava plant it sill start to grow upward and it will do it very slowly, any new stalks start growing out of the mature stalks and not the stump.
I think that this is one reason that the kava plants that are 2-5 or even 6 years old are going to be higher in kavalactone content than the older plants that are say 10-20 years or older. If I harvest the kava when it is still in the active growth cycle then it will have a higher kavalactone content and if I harvest the kava in the slow, less active part of the kava's growth cycle then the kavalactone content will be less. Tests have consistently shown this to be true.
It could have something to do with the fact that the plant is growing slower and has to deal with the rot that comes from the dead stalks and the lateral roots not being able to grow out anymore (I think one reason they can't grow is because there is nowhere for it to grow. This is why I mound my kava with compost, like the Hawaiians did) Not to mention, the pest and disease that the kava has to deal with. If you take care of the kava then the pest and disease is lessened greatly. Also if you use intercroping and beneficial bugs to help fight the bad bugs this will help a lot with the bad pests and disease from the bugs that bit the kava. This is like the aphids transmitting the Cucumber Mosaic Virus, it will kill the kava plant.
Now when it comes to growing a nice and potent kava there are a few things that if you keep in mind then you will have high levels of kavalactones and again this has been proven by tests and studies. Kava likes the shade especially when it is young but after a year then it can take more sun if it is irrigated and the more sun it gets, the more kavalactones you will get. The Hawaiians used to build shade houses of a sort to shade the kava till it was old enough to go in full sun. Also by mounding compost around the kava plant this will keep the active growth cycle for longer and it will increase the fine lateral roots and more lateral roots especially the small ones the higher the kavalactones. I know you might think that the real big lateral roots would be higher in kavalactones than the small hairlike roots but the tests have shown that the small roots are stronger. The reason is that there is more of the inner bark and that is where the higher % of kavalactones are in the root because there is more surface area in the bunch of small roots than a few large roots.
The variety of the Kava also has an effect on the kavalactone content, I think one reason is that some kava grows more of the fine roots and some grow more large roots, there are other factors I am sure but I have noticed that for a fact. Kava is a plant that loves to be well cared for and spoiled, that is what I do to my kava and it says thank you very much with some of the highest kavalactone contents on any noble kava. Kava can grow for many years without care but it does much better with care. In Hawaii the kava in the wild would get so big it was amazing. I personally have seen single kava plants bigger than a full size pick up truck, they are just huge. They grew this big because Hawaii never had pest or disease that would hurt the kava and that all changed in the late 1990's when we started to get the CMV virus, all the other pacific island were already dealing with this virus and that is one reason that they were amazed by the stories of the size of our Hawaiian kava, but now those big plants are rare and in very isolated places.
I just added some pictures of the kava leaves. It is interesting to note that in the roots and stump that are all the major kavalactones but in the leaves there are only 2 kavalactones, the DHK and the DHM. We do not use the leaves for consumption, the leaves have been used traditionally as a medicine but never as a tea or in the kava drink.
Kava is a wonderful plant and I will grow it and use it for the rest of my life. Enjoy the pictures.
In this picture you can see I marked in red all the young stalks, the rest are the original stalks when I planted the kava, there are so many new stalks, this is a sample of the active growth cycle.
In this next picture you will see an example of the slow growth cycle. You can see where the new stalks want to come out but are having a hard time, this is highlighted in red, the yellow shows where the roots want to come out but stop because there is nowhere for them to go.
In the red you will see the roots that want to grow but can't because there are already too many roots and can't get through. The yellow shows the live roots that are making it hard for the new roots. This problem could be eliminated by mounding with compost, I did not do it to this plant because it is an ornamental plant I do not use it, this is a Isa plant, it looks nice but I will never drink it.
This is a picture of the new growth coming from the stalk to the right of the picture, instead of the stump. you can also see the dead stalk in the picture. Another sign the kava is in the slow cycle of growth.
This is a mature stalk of kava.
This is a young stalk of kava.
This is a picture of a kava plant in the slow cycle of growth, notice the amount of mature stalks, there are only a few young stalks and most of them are growing from the stalks.
This is a picture of a kava plant that has been mounded and is also a variety that is known to give off more of the small roots and not the larger roots, this makes for a strong kava.
This is a sample of a kava variety that grows big lateral roots and not the small ones.
This is a picture of a kava that has been harvested and is ready to be washed and processed. Notice the red marks I put on the picture. When I process the kava and this is how it is done traditionally where ever kava has been grown, it is the safe way to do it and avoid the bad stuff that is in the stalks. I use only what is below the red lines, I cut right after the first bulbous part of the corm or stump, before the first node on the stalk and I do not use the stalk under that first node. You can also see the difference between the stump and the roots. In Fiji the stump is the Lewena and the roots is the Waka, easy to tell them apart in the picture and this is why the waka has a stronger flavor and darker color.
This is the kava leaves with the flower, the kava does not make seeds and the flower will never mature, there have been some that have made some inmature unviable seeds but even that is rare. The flower in the picture is a long big one and it from the Isa plant.
This next picture is a close up of the Isa kava flower.
This picture is a close up of the Hawaiian kava flower, it is much smaller than the Isa.
Here is a picture of the top of the kava leaf.
This is the underside of the kava leaf.
Here is a group of kava leaves.
All this talk about kava makes me want to go and drink some fresh root, that is one of the benefits of writing this. I had to take some pictures so I had to harvest so I have to drink fresh root, it's a hard job but I am willing to do it for the sake of the kava forums.
Aloha nui loa.
Chris
When we plant a kava plant it will grow fast and consistent for about 6 years and then it slows down and the growth habit changes. During the first 4-6 years of age, the kava will grow in a very consistent manor that you can see, meaning the new growth is seen and is very consistent. It will send out new roots that will grow outward for up to 12 feet (or more) and new stalks are coming out all the time making the stump of the kava larger. It gets bigger by growing outward more so than upward and it also grows downward with the lateral roots.
After about 6 years or so the growth habit changes. It starts to grow much slower and does not send out very many new stalks from the stump area. The roots that grow outward tend to stop just about 2-4 inches from the stump and they do not grow anymore. Also this is when you start to see more of the mature stalks dying off and sometimes that can create rot in the stump of the plant and that is not good.
If there is any new growth from the stump it is slow and a lot of the time it will not mature, it will die off. At this stage of the life of the kava plant it sill start to grow upward and it will do it very slowly, any new stalks start growing out of the mature stalks and not the stump.
I think that this is one reason that the kava plants that are 2-5 or even 6 years old are going to be higher in kavalactone content than the older plants that are say 10-20 years or older. If I harvest the kava when it is still in the active growth cycle then it will have a higher kavalactone content and if I harvest the kava in the slow, less active part of the kava's growth cycle then the kavalactone content will be less. Tests have consistently shown this to be true.
It could have something to do with the fact that the plant is growing slower and has to deal with the rot that comes from the dead stalks and the lateral roots not being able to grow out anymore (I think one reason they can't grow is because there is nowhere for it to grow. This is why I mound my kava with compost, like the Hawaiians did) Not to mention, the pest and disease that the kava has to deal with. If you take care of the kava then the pest and disease is lessened greatly. Also if you use intercroping and beneficial bugs to help fight the bad bugs this will help a lot with the bad pests and disease from the bugs that bit the kava. This is like the aphids transmitting the Cucumber Mosaic Virus, it will kill the kava plant.
Now when it comes to growing a nice and potent kava there are a few things that if you keep in mind then you will have high levels of kavalactones and again this has been proven by tests and studies. Kava likes the shade especially when it is young but after a year then it can take more sun if it is irrigated and the more sun it gets, the more kavalactones you will get. The Hawaiians used to build shade houses of a sort to shade the kava till it was old enough to go in full sun. Also by mounding compost around the kava plant this will keep the active growth cycle for longer and it will increase the fine lateral roots and more lateral roots especially the small ones the higher the kavalactones. I know you might think that the real big lateral roots would be higher in kavalactones than the small hairlike roots but the tests have shown that the small roots are stronger. The reason is that there is more of the inner bark and that is where the higher % of kavalactones are in the root because there is more surface area in the bunch of small roots than a few large roots.
The variety of the Kava also has an effect on the kavalactone content, I think one reason is that some kava grows more of the fine roots and some grow more large roots, there are other factors I am sure but I have noticed that for a fact. Kava is a plant that loves to be well cared for and spoiled, that is what I do to my kava and it says thank you very much with some of the highest kavalactone contents on any noble kava. Kava can grow for many years without care but it does much better with care. In Hawaii the kava in the wild would get so big it was amazing. I personally have seen single kava plants bigger than a full size pick up truck, they are just huge. They grew this big because Hawaii never had pest or disease that would hurt the kava and that all changed in the late 1990's when we started to get the CMV virus, all the other pacific island were already dealing with this virus and that is one reason that they were amazed by the stories of the size of our Hawaiian kava, but now those big plants are rare and in very isolated places.
I just added some pictures of the kava leaves. It is interesting to note that in the roots and stump that are all the major kavalactones but in the leaves there are only 2 kavalactones, the DHK and the DHM. We do not use the leaves for consumption, the leaves have been used traditionally as a medicine but never as a tea or in the kava drink.
Kava is a wonderful plant and I will grow it and use it for the rest of my life. Enjoy the pictures.
In this picture you can see I marked in red all the young stalks, the rest are the original stalks when I planted the kava, there are so many new stalks, this is a sample of the active growth cycle.
In this next picture you will see an example of the slow growth cycle. You can see where the new stalks want to come out but are having a hard time, this is highlighted in red, the yellow shows where the roots want to come out but stop because there is nowhere for them to go.
In the red you will see the roots that want to grow but can't because there are already too many roots and can't get through. The yellow shows the live roots that are making it hard for the new roots. This problem could be eliminated by mounding with compost, I did not do it to this plant because it is an ornamental plant I do not use it, this is a Isa plant, it looks nice but I will never drink it.
This is a picture of the new growth coming from the stalk to the right of the picture, instead of the stump. you can also see the dead stalk in the picture. Another sign the kava is in the slow cycle of growth.
This is a mature stalk of kava.
This is a young stalk of kava.
This is a picture of a kava plant in the slow cycle of growth, notice the amount of mature stalks, there are only a few young stalks and most of them are growing from the stalks.
This is a picture of a kava plant that has been mounded and is also a variety that is known to give off more of the small roots and not the larger roots, this makes for a strong kava.
This is a sample of a kava variety that grows big lateral roots and not the small ones.
This is a picture of a kava that has been harvested and is ready to be washed and processed. Notice the red marks I put on the picture. When I process the kava and this is how it is done traditionally where ever kava has been grown, it is the safe way to do it and avoid the bad stuff that is in the stalks. I use only what is below the red lines, I cut right after the first bulbous part of the corm or stump, before the first node on the stalk and I do not use the stalk under that first node. You can also see the difference between the stump and the roots. In Fiji the stump is the Lewena and the roots is the Waka, easy to tell them apart in the picture and this is why the waka has a stronger flavor and darker color.
This is the kava leaves with the flower, the kava does not make seeds and the flower will never mature, there have been some that have made some inmature unviable seeds but even that is rare. The flower in the picture is a long big one and it from the Isa plant.
This next picture is a close up of the Isa kava flower.
This picture is a close up of the Hawaiian kava flower, it is much smaller than the Isa.
Here is a picture of the top of the kava leaf.
This is the underside of the kava leaf.
Here is a group of kava leaves.
All this talk about kava makes me want to go and drink some fresh root, that is one of the benefits of writing this. I had to take some pictures so I had to harvest so I have to drink fresh root, it's a hard job but I am willing to do it for the sake of the kava forums.
Aloha nui loa.
Chris
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