There’re a lot of people out there who want to live a self-sustained, ecologically friendly lifestyle. In doing so, you provide yourself with home-grown fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Naturally if you’re a kratom enthusiast, you might want to consider adding the botanical to your garden roster. Here’s what you need to know before sowing your kratom seeds!
How Do I Get the Seeds?
Mitragyna speciosa, known as the kratom tree and cousin to the coffee plant, is native to Southeast Asia and grows well in Thailand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and surrounding countries in the Pacific Rim.
Before going into anything else, I feel the need to talk about obtaining kratom seeds and how to do so. In order to grow your own kratom, you need fresh seeds which are nearly impossible to get your hands on in the U.S., Canada, and other countries far from Southeast Asia. Some vendors do sell kratom seeds, but the odds of them being viable for planting is pretty low, regardless of how well-intended the merchant is.
Seeds lose their ability to produce a tree just days after harvest. If you’re lucky enough to travel to Southeast Asia and acquire fresh seeds, you’d have to do so right before leaving on a plane back to your country, and even that bears some risks to the survivability of the seeds. And remember, as with any plant, not all seeds will germinate, so it’s best to plant several at a time and pull up extras if you do happen to get a few sprouts.
What’s the Best Environment to Grow My Seeds?
Kratom trees grow incredibly well in their home regions where it’s hot and humid and the soil perfectly matches the conditions in which the tree thrives. In order to meet these strict growing requirements, the soil needs to have high humus levels, be exceptionally fertile, and have a pH range between 5.5 to 6.5. And that’s not all, folks.
The consistency of the soil needs to be able to drain well but retain some moisture. Keeping your soil/plant wet all the time is not recommended because some have reported finding insects and fungi taking over their trees.
Planting kratom outdoors is most likely the worst way to attempt to grow this botanical. You need a light, humidity, and temperature-controlled environment. It’s advised not to flood your crop with light. I read that fluorescent light works well, though I have not tried that method myself. Your best bet would be High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lights, which are used a lot for indoor growing and mimic outdoor conditions but at your control.
The average humidity in Medan, the capital city found on the western island of Sumatra in Indonesia, is between 72 and 74 percent. This is where a popular kratom strain is from, so we know it grows well in that level of humidity. In contrast, another kratom-rich country is Myanmar, where the city of Mandalay has a vast change in humidity levels over the year.
Humidity is one of the factors that changes the alkaloid content of the kratom leaves. That’s why where the strain originated from is important for the consumer because it affects the plant’s chemical makeup.
This Sounds Kinda Hard…
If you’re dissatisfied with the info you’ve read thus far and are steadfast in your endeavor to grow your own kratom, here is a summary of tips:
– Try to buy/find the freshest seeds possible.
– Don’t subject the seeds or plant matter to a dry atmosphere; keep moist.
– Plant in fertile, humus-rich soil; fertilize when nutrients need to be supplemented.
– Don’t over water; keep moist but not flooded.
– Try to keep artificial light or sunlight during the germination period low.
– Keep humidity levels as close as possible to the seed’s country of origin.
– Cross your fingers.
Closing
Growing your own kratom is an extremely difficult process. That is why most people end up buying their kratom online. I know there was an effort in Florida recently, but I haven’t received an update in long enough to assume it was unsuccessful.
Like I said, though, if you’re adamant about becoming your own kratom master and prosper in growing your own kratom, I would love to see the results! Keep me updated @KrakenKratom on Twitter.
