If you're worried about kava shortages, enjoy this and feel a little happier.
- Thread starter kastom_lif
- Start date
Honolulusurfer88
Kava Curious
A beautiful sight. And Pardon my ignorance but would kava grow anywhere else in the USA beside Hawaii, like Florida keys or Puerto Rico? Or, would it thrive in an indoor hydroponic situation, or is that likely a failure? I am very curious if the future would bring kava growing to other tropical climates in the world...
kastom_lif
Kava Lover
The Florida Keys get too cold. Puerto Rico is good to go. And American Samoa, of course.
A kava climate should never drop below 60F. Humidity around 80%. No strong dry seasons. Annual rainfall 70+ inches if you don't irrigate.
A kava climate should never drop below 60F. Humidity around 80%. No strong dry seasons. Annual rainfall 70+ inches if you don't irrigate.
kastom_lif
Kava Lover
If I was gonna try to grow serious kava somewhere "else" . . . Puerto Limón, Costa Rica, baby. ¡Pura vida, mek i tell yu!
It has been grown in Florida but it never thrives, occasionally the temps can get too cold and I hear the soil sucks there. Growing in a bag could be possible. You could grow it anywhere if you had the money to create a controlled humidity/temperate environment for it. For example, there are live kava plants growing at professional botanical gardens in London and New York. I tried growing it in California, but worms ate the roots before I could find out if I could have saved it through winter. If you look at how far away Hawai'i actually is from the south pacific islands, that gives evidence that it can thrive in far away regions, so long as the conditions are relatively similar.
--------------------------
@kastom_lif Here's another piece of text that fits well in this thread, I've posted it before, makes me think Pentecost alone has all the kava we need:
For a while we walked single file along a narrow path on the side of a hill. The path eventually led to a clearing, and as we approached I spotted hundreds of large kava plants. Paea made a sweeping gesture with his hand. “This is all mature kava. Ready to go. It is the best, too. These people have been growing kava for thousands of years. Over time they select the best kava for drinking, and they plant only those varieties. So here you have Lalakh, Borogu, and Abogae. Most is Borogu.” We walked over to a particularly huge kava bush about nine feet high and seven feet across. Michelle fingered a couple of the broad green leaves while Paea continued. “This plant is about ten years old. The root is probably huge, maybe fifty kilograms. You can drink a lot of kava from a plant like this. In this area, there are miles and miles of plants like this one.” He pointed toward distant hills. “You see those hills. From here to there it is all kava. From there to the next set of hills it is all kava. From there clear to the other side of the island it is all kava. From there heading north, all the way up the middle of Pentecost Island, it is kava. Nowhere else in the world is there so much kava. I know this for a fact, because I have gone everywhere in the islands of the South Pacific. I have seen kava in Tonga, Fiji, Tahiti, Samoa, all over. There is much, much more kava here.”
Paea stroked his beard and pulled his long hair back. “Two years ago I went out to survey the kava here, because nobody had ever done that in any kind of a formal way. I am talking now just about kava that is ready to pick today. So a minimum of seven years old. I walked from village to village. It took many months. All over, there are paths leading from one village to the next, and you go on foot all over the island. Up and down hills, through streams, in the rain and the sun, you can go and go. I went all over. But after I counted about twenty-five thousand tons of mature kava, I stopped. I thought what is the point of going any further. Twenty-five thousand tons. Can you imagine how much that is? And I tell you, it is probably not even one quarter the amount of mature kava that is on this island.”
A lot went through my mind all at once. If Paea’s estimations were accurate by a quarter, there was more than enough kava to supply our needs for botanical extraction. The island offered the kava equivalent of the great Klondike gold rush. At the same time, the logistics of collecting and transporting the kava were mind-boggling, given that all transport on Pentecost happened on people’s backs, up and down miles and miles of mountainous terrain. I also wondered what would happen to life on Pentecost when the world’s appetite for kava became keen. Would traditional life there be preserved with a few needed improvements, or would the best and worst of popular culture permeate the island like a fast plague, changing the society irreparably in one short generation?
Paea went on. “Do you know why the Fijian kava is less potent? First, they have varieties that are not as strong as Vanuatu kava. Although there are some exceptions, like the white varieties that the chiefs use. Mostly for export the Fijians pick young plants, two or three years old, with small roots. The result is weaker kava. Here we have no need to do that. As much kava as you could possibly ever want to take, we can supply off of just this island alone. And because we keep planting the kava, there is always plenty of seven-year kava available. It is unimaginable how much kava is here. For these people, kava is the way to the future. I am convinced of that. Money from kava exports can give them medicine and clothing, and supplies for the mission schools. Do you know they don’t even have paper? Now you tell me how children can learn in school without paper. That is how poor they are. So this is my job, to help them build this business, so they can remain independent and have the things they need.”
Jerome
Kava Lover
Not a bad thought!I've been there several times. Did you get further down the coast? It gets more and more gorgeous the closer you get to Panama. But i haven't been in 9 years so.... May have changed!
Alia
'Awa Grower/Collector
Yes, Hawai'i is very far from the "true" South Pacific and it is ironic how often our State is referred to as "in the South Pacific". We are, however, within the tropics.
As we all know Hawai'i is a region where 'awa/kava has been traditionally grown and a home of unique cultivars. However it is currently a sleeping giant for more plantings, more farms. Alas, a tiny percentage today of what had been as early as 18 years ago. There are only one or 2 arguably significant commercial 'awa farms right here now. Let's look quickly at 2 influential folks of Hawaiian ancestry* 1. Dan Ahuna- Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee- "Cannabis is a perfect fit for our economy". That is his conclusion in his OHA Editorial February 2018 entitled "Does Recreational Cannabis Make Sense for Hawai'i ?". Then, 2- Richard Ha who has one of 2 medicinal Cannabis farms/outlets on Hawai'i Island. All this because there is more money in marijuana? Likely. But it is interesting and at least, in my opinion, precisely the wrong direction. A good cup of well made fresh 'awa beverage beats anything for safe, relaxation, good attitude, excellent sleep, cancer prevention, enhanced memory, Alzhiemer's prevention, and so much more with well backed research. *of course you do not have to be of Hawaiian decent to own land or grow 'awa in Hawai'i. I am just trying to make a point regarding endemic cluelessness.
I checked the distances once and was surprised to find out Hawai'i is closer to Alaska than it is to Vanuatu. Totally goes against most people's assumptions.
- 3,072 mi - Distance from Hawai'i to Alaska
- 3,521 mi - Distance from Hawai'i to Vanuatu
Not that there isn't room for both, there certainly is, it just makes more sense to for Hawai'i to push for 'awa more.
Last edited:
avahZ
YAHWEH Shalom
I asked about Puerto Rico a bit back. Someone replied that it has been tried, but something about the soil was an issue. Don’t remember what... maybe it wasn’t volcanic enough?
kastom_lif
Kava Lover
I've never been there myself. Had a roommate in college who grew up in Limón, though, and my step sister has a house on the other side of Costa Rica.
It's got a lot going for it: right climate, volcanic soil, low risk of hurricanes, excellent infrastructure, strong economy with a stable government, close to North American markets...
Jerome
Kava Lover
I've thought this quite a bit abou costa rica. I lived there three years and it seemed very much like hawaii...
Jerome
Kava Lover
Where is your step sister's place?
fait
Position 5 Hard Support
There need to be more men like Paea (is his name pronounced like "pie-uh?"). He's looking after his fellows and trying to make life easier for the younger generations by seeing that Pentecost has a healthy, growing kava industry. I'd have a bula with him! It'd be the least I could do to keep him going.
It's interesting that he talks about other islands growing their kava for not as long before harvest, notably Fiji was the example he gave. Obviously there are different cultivars of kava in play here since Vanuatu has little reason to grow Fijian varieties and vice-versa, not to mention other varieties of kava from other islands. Would any conformity between island nations in regards to kava growing practices benefit each other in any way? Would WE as consumers benefit from more universal practices?
It's interesting that he talks about other islands growing their kava for not as long before harvest, notably Fiji was the example he gave. Obviously there are different cultivars of kava in play here since Vanuatu has little reason to grow Fijian varieties and vice-versa, not to mention other varieties of kava from other islands. Would any conformity between island nations in regards to kava growing practices benefit each other in any way? Would WE as consumers benefit from more universal practices?
Alia
'Awa Grower/Collector
There is a Draft document circulating which would set international standards for (partly) exactly what you are suggesting. The Codex alimentarius Kava Standards are being reviewed and hopefully be approved by all kava growing regions before too long. Anyone interested can search these Forums for more details.
kastom_lif
Kava Lover
Not 100% sure. Somewhere on the west side. Playa... something
Last edited:
nabanga
Kava Enthusiast
25 thousand tonnes? Only a quarter of what might be there? Gold rush?
Sshhhhh!
I'll be there in 2 weeks. Taking a load of empty bags..
Sent from my BLL-L22 using Tapatalk
Krunkie McKrunkface
Kava Connoisseur
25 thousand tonnes? That's like a slow weekend for some vendors.
Honolulusurfer88
Kava Curious
25 thousand tons? Might need a really big aluball and the hands of Atlas but sure, I'll try it one night.