Just received cuttings...how do I grow them?

[Palmetto]

I just received a number of Hawaiian kava cuttings in the mail this week. They were shipped in wet sphagnum moss, but the ends still were dried a bit. I cut off a few mm of the dried end on the fatter side of the cuttings, dipped in rooting solution, and placed in fairly wet rooting mix (70% sphagnum finely ground). Is it risky to use pretty wet medium? What else do I need to do? Are there any online resources on how to root kava cuttings?

I am quite happy to have scored multiple cuttings of : Honokane Iki, Papa Kea, Papa Ele Ele, Papa Ele Ele Puu Puu, Nene, Hiwa, and Pana Ewa. Of course human nature being what it is, I think of the other cultivars I'd love to score: Mo'i, Mahakea, Hanakapi Ai, Borongoru, Pouni Ono, and Rahmedel. I've looked up the kava reviews, and there is limited info on Honokane Iki, Pana Ewa, Papa Ele Ele, and Papa Ele Ele Puu Puu. DOes anyone have experience with these cultivars? I've had a lb of Papa Kea before. It was as described by others, strong, but not spectacular in complexity.

 

[kavadude]

I've tried all of them except pana ewa (which I grew but never got to try before it died, RIP). None of them particularly stood out to me other than papa ele'ele as a nice body-effecting Hawaiian kava. All were good though.

 

[theGrogfather]

Chris from @Gourmet Hawaiian Kava knows all

 

[Palmetto]

Some say Papa Ele Ele is heady, some say balanced. Body effecting could fall under balanced. @kavadude could you feel the kavain from Papa Ele Ele? My thing about some "balanced" kavas, is that the kavain gets drowned out.

I've had some experience growing tropical plants in Virginia, so I hope that experience will help me grow kava in an unfriendly environment.

 

[kavadude]

Honestly, it's been so long since I tried those kavas, I could be wrong about all of em. The one thing I know for sure is they didn't end up on my favorite hawaiians list (Moi, Hiwa).

Keep the plants out of the frost. A couple nights of <40 will do them in for sure.

 

[Palmetto]

Well, I did get 2 Hiwa cuttings. And a kava farmer in Hawaii told me he loved Nene (after Mo'i). If I can keep these alive, one way or another, I'll look to acquire a few others. But I have been able to keep alive a wide assortment of citrus and palm trees in my yard for over a decade, so maybe a few tricks learned from growing them will help. Before a couple bad winters, I would harvest several hundred oranges from my yard each year.

 

[Jerome]

I just received a number of Hawaiian kava cuttings in the mail this week. They were shipped in wet sphagnum moss, but the ends still were dried a bit. I cut off a few mm of the dried end on the fatter side of the cuttings, dipped in rooting solution, and placed in fairly wet rooting mix (70% sphagnum finely ground). Is it risky to use pretty wet medium? What else do I need to do? Are there any online resources on how to root kava cuttings?

I am quite happy to have scored multiple cuttings of : Honokane Iki, Papa Kea, Papa Ele Ele, Papa Ele Ele Puu Puu, Nene, Hiwa, and Pana Ewa. Of course human nature being what it is, I think of the other cultivars I'd love to score: Mo'i, Mahakea, Hanakapi Ai, Borongoru, Pouni Ono, and Rahmedel. I've looked up the kava reviews, and there is limited info on Honokane Iki, Pana Ewa, Papa Ele Ele, and Papa Ele Ele Puu Puu. DOes anyone have experience with these cultivars? I've had a lb of Papa Kea before. It was as described by others, strong, but not spectacular in complexity.

How did you get them? I was sent a number of moi nodes in the late nineties but I wasn't as patient a gardener. I would love the opportunity to grow Hawaiian kava again! My main advice would be to NOT over water. It's easy to do. Just enough is more than adequate.

 

[violet]

@Palmetto Best of luck to you on growing your plants. I've had a Pana Ewa for a couple of years (central MD). I can't imagine kava surviving year round outside in a temperate climate, but with multiple cuttings it sounds like you'll be able to experiment with what you have.

Last winter I cut mine completely down and rooted the cuttings in wet sphagnum moss. Chris from GHK has a thread or two on how he does cuttings.

On the cuttings my biggest advice would be to make sure they are well rooted before planting. This plant is probably the most finicky plant I have ever cared for. But while it is quite particular about its conditions, I have usually found it easy to revive and regrow when the situation has begun to go too far in the wrong direction.

 

[Kalm with Kava]

Some say Papa Ele Ele is heady, some say balanced. Body effecting could fall under balanced. @kavadude could you feel the kavain from Papa Ele Ele? My thing about some "balanced" kavas, is that the kavain gets drowned out.

I've had some experience growing tropical plants in Virginia, so I hope that experience will help me grow kava in an unfriendly environment.

I've received green Papa Ele Ele before from Hawaii and it was a wonderful strain. Pretty balanced, close to Mahakea but stronger and definitely euphoric levels of Kavain.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

 

[Alia]

I just received a number of Hawaiian kava cuttings in the mail this week. They were shipped in wet sphagnum moss, but the ends still were dried a bit. I cut off a few mm of the dried end on the fatter side of the cuttings, dipped in rooting solution, and placed in fairly wet rooting mix (70% sphagnum finely ground). Is it risky to use pretty wet medium? What else do I need to do? Are there any online resources on how to root kava cuttings?

I am quite happy to have scored multiple cuttings of : Honokane Iki, Papa Kea, Papa Ele Ele, Papa Ele Ele Puu Puu, Nene, Hiwa, and Pana Ewa. Of course human nature being what it is, I think of the other cultivars I'd love to score: Mo'i, Mahakea, Hanakapi Ai, Borongoru, Pouni Ono, and Rahmedel. I've looked up the kava reviews, and there is limited info on Honokane Iki, Pana Ewa, Papa Ele Ele, and Papa Ele Ele Puu Puu. DOes anyone have experience with these cultivars? I've had a lb of Papa Kea before. It was as described by others, strong, but not spectacular in complexity.

If the little growth buds are still intact you can place in the sphagnum moss and keep evenly, "wrung-out moist" till they start to grow and root. I have kept cuttings in the moss for weeks and months (in shade) and they grow great. Once, I placed Nene cuttings in a sealed box. The Nene was covered with the moss and they stayed in the box for 6 weeks. Came out fine and that plant produced 240 pounds of use-able root/stump after 6 years growth by my carport. All that said-- if you want detailed instructions go to the link in GHK website which takes you to the book- Hawaiian 'Awa, Views of an Ethnobotanical Treasure and find Chapter 8, page 66. Best of luck.

 

[Palmetto]

@violet, did you try the roots from the Pana Ewa plants you have? If so what were they like? I've read that it is heady without the high energy jitteryness.

As far as growing tropicals in Virginia, I once grew a pineapple outside for almost 2 years with no supplemental heat. I hardly even tried. If I had tried, there are ways to keep tropicals growing in cold climates, it just takes more effort. I have a whole bag of tricks I'm planning to try, but because of my late start, I'll wait until next year to test some of them through winter.

 

[Palmetto]

@Alia are you a kava farmer, or a hobbyist? Do you have a lot of varieties? If so which is your favorite? And is fresh kava way better than dried root, or do they both have their advantages?

From what I've seen on some "how to" sites is that I didn't need to cut off one end of the cuttings to get to fresh tissue. I'll probably replant the cuttings horizontally next weeked. They're all vertical right now.

 

[violet]

@Palmetto I'm not sure that I'd be able to grow my plant big enough to consume the roots without intensive effort and resources. It lives in a pot and spends at least half of the year indoors. As a houseplant kept in indoor ambient temps I think it might be easier to manage kava if it is kept small. When I brought the plant in last year it dropped every last leaf so I cut the stalks down to the base and let the plant stay dormant until temps came back up. As of right now she is still pretty small, but I'm hoping to see growth up to where we had it last year so I can have some decent cuttings to play with.

 

[nabanga]

Well drained soil is important. Most kava in Vanuatu is grown on a slope to aide drainage. Also at least partial shade from overhanging trees/ plants, 25 to 30 degrees C and a good wet season.

 

[Alia]

@Alia are you a kava farmer, or a hobbyist? Do you have a lot of varieties? If so which is your favorite? And is fresh kava way better than dried root, or do they both have their advantages?

From what I've seen on some "how to" sites is that I didn't need to cut off one end of the cuttings to get to fresh tissue. I'll probably replant the cuttings horizontally next weeked. They're all vertical right now.

Not a hobbyist but no longer sell kava professionally. Right now I have, growing on my 2 1/2 acres- all known Hawaiian cultivars, 2 from Tonga, 2 from Pohnpei, and 1 cultivar from Western Samoa. Isa also but I wouldn't count that. Generally my 'favorite' is whatever I am drinking at the time (!) but I have to admit being partial to Honokane Iki and Hanakapi'ai and 'Apu- aka- Papa Kea. I always drink fresh beverage and that has been every evening for a long time. Sometimes I try GHK products, from my long time friend Chris, which are always great. Nothing against dried 'awa though, just less convenient for me. Dry is great when traveling but I never travel anymore if it is possible not to. Again, I would suggest (to anyone first learning about growing 'awa plants) to check out that book I recommend. No cost there and lots of information.

 

[Palmetto]

@Alia, I've read a good chunk of the Awa book by Ed Johnston and others. Sometimes the personal experience that people like you have can be more valuable, especially while I gather more experience.

 

[Blinkyrocket]

I'm very curious about where you got these kava root cuttings. And also about where I might find some strategies for growing kava in a northern-ish region like Kansas.

EDIT: I'm checking the "Kava Production Guide" by Ed Johnston, or at least the one on the website "'Awa Development Council".

 

[Palmetto]

@Jerome and @Blinkyrocket,
Let me ask my source if he is willing to sell more to other people. Give me a few days to wait to hear back. He indicated he might not be interested in selling many kava cuttings, but perhaps he will be willing. I just want to respect his wishes. I am also looking for sources for other cultivars. If nothing else comes up, I'll source cuttings to people on the mainland in a couple years. Many farmers don't ship to the mainland anymore. My source checked with the Ag office on the Big Island to see what was okay to ship out. They told him unrooted cuttings in sphagnum were okay.

 

[Palmetto]

@Blinkyrocket,

I grow a lot of palms, citrus, and other subtropicals in USDA zone 8A near the coast. I can manage to keep alive things outdoors that most people consider houseplants because I've spent 15 years learning tricks from people with similar interests. If I had to do it in Kansas, very few tricks I know would work, because the extreme cold temps are too far below freezing for too long. You would have to grow it in a very large pot, such as a 50 gallon rubber trash can and keep it from anything near a frost. Then move it inside to a warm garage in the cold months. I have some rather large an tender palms growing this way. I also utilize a dryer vent for added heat to keep other palms warm on cold nights.

 

[Palmetto]

@Jerome and @Blinkyrocket,

Here is the reply I got from my source, "Thanks. I hope they do well for you. I would be willing to sell more to people. The problem is that I just don't have that much material available. Although I do have a fair amount of Isa. Anyway if you want to you can pass my contact info along. But most likely I will have to turn them down as I just don't have that much available. Perhaps in a years time I might have more if I start to maintain the plants."

PM me for his contact info, but tropical fruit is his bread and butter. Ironically, he said that kava seemed like too much work, so he doesn't drink it anymore.