How to Grow Kava Kava in a Greenhouse

To successfully grow Kava Kava, place it in a greenhouse.

Kava Kava or Piper methysticum is a tropical plant that requires warm temperatures and high humidity. These requirements are best mimicked in a greenhouse environment. Kava Kava only grows in a greenhouse, unless you live in a tropical environment. Planting Kava Kava in the appropriate soil mixture and container size will help it thrive in a greenhouse. Setting up a misting system will increase the humidity level in the closed space. While in the greenhouse, the plant must be pruned to keep it a manageable size.

Things You'll Need

• 1 gallon humus
• 1 gallon horse manure
• 2 gallons sand
• 10-inch pot with pot shards
• Watering hose
• Greenhouse mister
• Pruning shears

Instructions

Growing Kava Kava

1. Mix 1 gallon of humus and 1 gallon of horse manure. Add 2 gallons of grit or sand to this mixture and stir to create a drainage mixture. This makes 4 gallons of soil mixture. What is not used should be stored in a cool dry place. If smaller amounts are needed, use a 1 part to 1 part to 2 parts method.

2. Remove the Kava Kava plant from its smaller, commercial container (typically 8-inch diameter) and tease the roots. Loosening up plant roots helps the plant grow into the container.

3. 

   When replanting Kava Kava, only increase the diameter of the pot by 2 inches.

   Place drainage mixture in a 10-inch-diameter clay pot and fill halfway with potting soil mixture.

4. Place Kava Kava plant in a container pot and fill in with soil. Leave 1 inch of space from the top of the container to the soil mixture to create space for watering.

5. Water soil completely and place the pot in the greenhouse at 80 to 85 F degrees.

6. Place greenhouse misters around Kava Kava but not on top of the plant. Turn misters on to raise the humidity level in the greenhouse.

7. Maintain Kava Kava by only watering the plant when it begins to wilt and pruning when it starts to outgrow its surroundings. Pruning consists of cutting above the leaf node on each stem.

Tips & Warnings

• Pruning shears should be cleaned after pruning Kava Kava.

• Hand-spraying water on your Kava Kava plant helps to raise the humidity in the greenhouse.

References

• Plot55.com: Growing Piper Methysticum