Buy A Kava Plant

Nakamal Home is not offering kava plants for sale right now. We were getting them from Hawaii but they have stopped selling us cuttings. When we do have them, these kava plants are a species that originated in Papua New Guinea. The name of this kava is ISA. This is likely a Piper wichmannii variety as opposed to a Piper methysticum due to its incredible potency.

Live Kava Plant Care 

The kava plant comes from a tropical environment and require warmth and plenty of water. Kava plants should only be kept outside year round in the sub tropical climates of southern Texas or south Florida. In all other places kava kava plants should be kept in a greenhouse or indoors when the temperature outside drops below 55 degrees Fahrenheit for more than 3 consecutive days at a time. These plants can be kept outdoors in the summer in the northern climates and taken indoors during the winter.

Kava plants are sun loving plants but should be kept in partial shade. Putting them indoors near a window should be perfect. Be careful not to put this plant near the discharge of an air conditioning/heating vent as the cold/hot dry air will make the plant unhappy. If a kava plant is to be kept indoors in a non humid environment, it should be misted with water regularly through a spray bottle.

As kava plants grow they need to be transplanted to a bigger pot or directly into the ground. Kava Kava plants prefer loose soil that is compromised of 50% perlite and 50% rich potting soil. The soil should drain easily and quickly to prevent root rot in the event of over watering or heavy rain. Kava is an acid loving plant and the pH of the soil should be 5.5 to 6.5 for optimal growth. Many additives exist to balance the pH of the soil and water. Many fertilizers are acidic in nature and will help to lower the pH of soil just by adding them to the water and plant.

An all purpose fertilizer such as Miracle Grow or Peters can be used monthly to keep the plant fed. An NPK ratio of around 14-14-14 is optimal. When a kava plant is young be careful not to give it too much chemical fertilizer as its roots are young and susceptible to being burnt by strong fertilizers. Start out giving small kava plants a very dilute amount of fertilizer that is approximately of the manufacturers suggested usage to start and go up from there. Once the plant is firmly rooted more fertilizer can be added as the plant shows signs of needing it.

If you intend to grow a kava plant and harvest it one day for consumption and would like to only use organic fertilizers this is fine. Kava plants appear to prefer organic fertilizers such as manures. A great line of liquid organic fertilizers called Earth Juice exists that can be purchased at specialty plant stores or online if this is your preference. www.planetnatural.com is a great source for these types of fertilizers.

Normally, it will take 4-5 years for your kava plant to reach full maturity and potency for consumption. With that in mind, if a kava kava plant is to be consumed it should be potted in the largest container that can be used so that the maximum amount of root can be harvested. Kava plants are grown in pots or bags under ground in Hawaii all of the time so this method will work. To harvest it, pull the plant out of the soil, wash off the dirt, cut off all of the above ground pieces, and cut the remaining roots into small pieces. It should be either dried or frozen right away before use. Call us in 4 years if you need any help with this. We will surely still be in business and will be just as happy to help you harvest it as we are to sell it.

Kava plants should be pruned regularly to prevent them from getting too tall. This will not affect the root growth as long as enough leaves are left on the plant for it to continue to live. New growth will come out of bud sites as the plant is pruned.

If you have any questions, at any time about your new kava plant please do not hesitate to call or email us. We will happily answer them.

Enjoy your new, live, Isa kava plant from the jungles of Papua New Guinea.