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live plant request from Europe

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Hi. Where can I purchase one or multiple Kava cuttings? (seeds or seedlings would be acceptable as well - if such thing exists)
I'm interested in noble Kava varieties, Tudei varieties as well as feral Piper Witchmanii varieties.
I'm from central Europe.
Please contact me if you offer live plants for sale (or seeds).
I only grow organic.
I need the Kava for personal medicinal purposes.
Thank you.
 

kastom_lif

Kava Lover
Only wichmanii ever produces seeds. P. methysticum is sterile. Kava is propagated by cuttings.

If you have a greenhouse with a controllable climate, you should be able to grow some specimens even in Europe. Kava does not like the cold. Never let it drop below 20 degrees (and that's 20 degrees C, not F!) Kava will need a lot of sunlight by European standards, though it's considered a partial-shade plant in the tropics. Kava wants lots of humidity (average 80%) and plenty of rain (2 meters annually is common in the South Pacific). Keep it well drained and never let the roots get waterlogged.

This may sound daunting, though if you've got a hothouse that can grow tomatoes, citrus or bananas year-round, you might be able to accomodate kava just by adding some artificial lighting during the dark winter months.
 
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Hi. Thanks for the helpful advice.

Yes I've got a little heated greenhouse. That should help with the cold winter months.

Right now the weather is perfect for growing some Kava here in Europe. This season it's been very hot with lots of rain. The drainage is good too. The plants would love it here right now I'm sure.

Can you please tell me where I can order these Kava plants online?
Most places don't seem to ship internationally.

I'm almost sure that given the right packaging and humidity the plant would survive an overnight express shipping to Europe.

Thank you.
 
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kastom_lif

Kava Lover
Check with your national biosecurity regulations. The hard part will be getting live plants past customs and inspections.

Kava stem cuttings are usually how it's transported. 3000 years of canoe voyagers carried kava across the Pacific this way.... and it weighs less and takes less space than rooted plants.

Be aware that kava takes 3-5 years to mature, and that's under ideal tropical conditions. A single mature kava plant will be several meters tall and several meters wide. That's a very big container to be hauling in and out of a hothouse every year.

If you have growing space, you can take cuttings from an immature plant to grow more kava faster.
 
I appreciate the advice.

I doubt that it will be a big problem to import the plants to my country. As far as I know the Kava plant or stem cutting itself is not illegal in the EU.

If it takes 3-5 years for a Kava plant to fully mature then I better get started ASAP ;)

I could simply keep the Kava plant in the greenhouse permanently.

Can you please also tell me where to acquire the Kava plants and/or the Kava stem cuttings here in Europe?

Thank you.
Have a nice day.
 
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