Kratom is a tree-like plant having large leaves. It required high temperature and humidity to flourish well.
It is a native species of Southeast Asian countries; therefore, such climate, soil, and environmental conditions favor the growth of the Kratom plant. It is a coffee-like plant specifically used for medicinal purposes.
Moreover, it is used as Kratom tea for pain relief by nature medication. If you are interested in growing the kratom plant, this article will help you.
The Place To Plant Kratom
Place or country where you want to plant Kratom is very crucial in two ways.
- Required Environment for Kratom
- Required Permission for Grower
Required Environment- Kratom
Kratom requires specific environmental conditions for its growth and development. A warm climate and humid conditions are good for Kratom.
Moreover, it required rich nitrogen soil for better growth. Hence, these conditions must be fulfilled for Kratom’s planation.
Things To Kept In Mind
Kratom is a very sensitive plant. Proper attention and care are required for its growth and development. So, if you are interested in growing Kratom, here are some things that you must keep in mind.
1) Variate Environment
Kratom needs to be grown indoor as well as outdoor because of its environment-sensitive nature. It requires light as well as shade.
So, you can grow it in the natural environment as well as in artificial light of bulb in the indoor environment.
2) Soil Conditions
Nitrogen-rich soil having appropriate moisture content is considered good for Kratom growth. Therefore, choosing such soil will be effective for growing Kratom.
All essential nutrients in the soil are good for better production. Soil testing before Kratom plantation will help you to identify the soil conditions and thereby you can add mineral or organic fertilizers accordingly.
3) Drainage
As the kratom plant required an efficient drainage application, hence fungus can grow to cause harmful effects on Kratom. Proper care is required to avoid fungus. It is highly recommended to keep great care.
Don’t exceed the moisture level too high that fungus grows or too low that Kratom doesn’t grow. Maintain appropriate humid conditions for the Kratom plant.
4) Germination
After germination of the seed, the Kratom plant requires warm conditions. Hence, never dare to keep it in a cold climate later. However, you can shift it to outdoor areas after germination.
5) Patience
Patience is required for the farmer or grower. Because growing Kratom is not an easy task. It required dedication and care. But the tough time last within a year. So being a kratom grower, keep patience.
Methods Of Growing Kratom
Here we have introduced three methods of growing Kratom. You can choose any of them according to your choice.
- By Seeds
- By Cuttings
- By Mini-Plant
1) By Seeds
Kratom plants can be grown using seeds. The plant has flowers and pods where each pod may contain up to 50 seeds.
Hence, the propagation using seeds is a good and natural method. But the quality of seeds also matters a lot. Because all seeds are not good enough to germinate.
Therefore, fresh seeds must be chosen for this purpose. What are fresh seeds? Seeds that are taken from the kratom tree within a few hours to few days are considered fresh and appropriate for propagation.
As the seeds become old it loses the freshness and moisture content thus it fails to spout. Therefore, while growing Kratom, fresh seeds must be preferred.
Plant many kratom trees because its germination rate is less. This means that only a few of them will sprout and grow.
2) By Cuttings/ Clippings
Fresh cuttings of a Kratom tree are also useful for growing new kratom plants. Some experts think that it is an easy process rather than growing Kratom by seeds.
As you just need to cut a fresh cutting and kept it in soil. It will develop its roots and start growing.
All the environmental conditions should be kept the same. The plastic bags coverings are also helpful for attaining moisture and heat conditions.
3) By Mini-Plant
The question arises in mind that what procedure is best or easy for growing kratom trees. The answer is to move with the shortcut.
Growing by seeds requires a lot of time and the major issue is the availability of fresh seeds. Many vendors don’t supply fresh kratom seeds that fail to germinate.
Hence, cutting can be a good choice. You can take a fresh cutting from a kratom tree and start. But it will also require much effort.
Fortunately, another shortcut is available. Some vendors also sell cutting after growing it to 12-18 inches. We recommend you to buy such mini-plants because the risk of growth failure is minimum.
Moreover, the struggle for growth is also reduced. You can ask the vendor for a detailed description of the requirements of the mini-plant. This will surely help out.
Growth Of Kratom
After a lot of care and patient, the kratom plants reach their maturity in two years. Hence here is some useful information about this stage.
- Kratom is a tree and we all know that trees must be kept in the garden. Make sure to shift your plant to the garden at an appropriate time. As it reaches a height, indoor space is not enough for it. Always find enough outdoor space for Kratom before plantation.
- Trees require pruning and hence the Kratom also. Prune the tree branches well in time. Try to give it a bushy shape so that you can keep it in your garden boundary.
- Bugs may attack your kratom tree. You may use pesticides for this purpose. By the way, some farmers recommend using neem oil as it keeps bugs away and its environmentally friendly.
- If you are using bulbs for providing light to Kratom, then turn it off at night. As the native species also faces dark at night.
- The growers can use fans for ventilation purposes. As it makes the trees stronger and well-developed.
Harvesting Kratom
Harvesting is the fruit of patience for the farmers and kratom growers. The season of kratom harvesting in autumn. It’s good to harvest when leaves reach maturity.
The sign of the harvesting stage is that the leaves may start falling naturally. You can pick the leaves reaching full maturity.
Moreover, never wait for the plant to flower. The flowering stage and leaves the maturity stage are different. You need to harvest the leaves before flowering.
Post Harvesting
Once you have harvested the kratom leaves. What to do next?
- After harvesting, rinse all the leaves with clean running water. Make the leaves free from dirt and dust.
- Next, you can sun dry or Air dry the leaves properly.
- Grind the leaves using grinders, and make it a fine-powdered material.
- Businesspersons prefer to make capsules and other materials for selling the product. However, if you grow Kratom for the personal purpose you can make kratom powder, paste, tea, or any substance of your choice.
Expenses For Growing Kratom
Growing Kratom is much expensive because fresh seeds are much expensive. Besides this, nutrient fertilizers, and light for indoor germination, fans for proper cooling effect may require a heavy budget.
Moreover, please keep in mind that the Kratom plant is not going to give any yield in the first year.
Growing Kratom At Home
If you are interested in growing Kratom at home then you need to follow and fulfill all the above-mentioned methods. As explained previously, Kratom is a sensitive plant and requires all the optimum conditions to grow.
Otherwise, the plants fail to develop at any stage. Many people who planted the Kratom living in countries other than the native of Kratom, usually fail to grow at home. Don’t take these lines as a discouragement.
But always keep in mind that growing Kratom in the home with alternative environmental conditions may be a tough task. So, consider all the aspects before moving towards your task.
Conclusion
Kratom plant is sensitive to grow and develop, but the people having keen interest and love for Kratom can following the techniques and fulfill the requirements of the plant for better yield.
In short, the fertilized soil and humid conditions are the basic need of kratom plants. The plants love water so drainage must be accurate.
Kratom requires attention and thus a person should attend it properly without any other job assigned to him.
After attaining all the requirements of Kratom, it will give you the alkaloids rich leaves. It is the result of high inputs and patience. You can use if for selling kratom powder or for personal use too.
Moreover, beware of fake vendors and follow the legal strategies before planting Kratom. It all about the plantation and harvesting of kratom trees. I hope it will help you to grow and attain your required kratom plant.