Kratom along with all the benefits that it provides has been the subject of attention worldwide. The purest and the freshest forms of these leaves have been noticed to provide better results. Due to this reason, Kratom lovers are now thinking of planting these trees at their own homes.
Kratom is a Southeast Asian tree and is meant to thrive in a specific environment only. That is why; growing Kratom in other parts of the world might sound like a challenging task. However, users can always follow some necessary tips to grow Kratom plants at home with great ease.
So, to enjoy the highly potent effects of Kratom leaves harvested from your own backyard, Keep reading to know about these useful tips to grow Kratom plants at home.
Can You Grow Kratom Plants at Home?
A research published in BioMed Research International has confirmed that Kratom, a tree belonging to the Rubiaceae family is indigenous to the tropical climates of Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and the Philippines. Consequently, Kratom plants naturally require temperate latitude and drench-like conditions. This is the reason which makes Kratom plants to grow in the open air in other parts of the world.
However, this does not deny the fact that Kratom plants are actually a lot easier to grow as compared to other plants.
Some simple tips have made the process more convenient and easy in the pocket as well. Following these tips to grow Kratom plants at home will correct all the misconceptions and take away all the unnecessary worrying.
Best Tips To Grow Kratom Plants at Home
Growing Kratom plants at home require special attention in different steps. Following are some of the important things to take care of and tips regarding how to grow best Kratom plants at home.
1. Seed Selection
Most of the time, using seeds seems like a preferable choice while growing Kratom. However, using seeds might seem to be a difficult choice. This first difficulty in growing Kratom from seeds is to deal with the freshness. Kratom seeds have a short life expectancy and expire within a few days.
This is the reason why most of the Kratom seeds ordered online dry out and do not sprout. Even if they successfully reach the plant stage, their leaves have a lesser content of alkaloids. However, this problem can be overcome by following some tips.
Always try to get freshest seeds of Kratom. Get a large number of these seeds to increase their chances of growing. Another way of overcoming this problem is to use fresh clippings from an already grown plant.
Look out for a sample, which as two nodes underneath a new growth of Kratom leaves. These new leaves represent the end of a branch and are lighter in color and quite smaller in size. Choosing the new growth is important because of it rich in hormones.
2. Soil Requirements
The soil requirements for growing Kratom are peculiar. These plants require the most fertile soil with rich levels of humus. Select the soil that drains adequately but not too much.
The pH level of soil has to be adequate in order to observe optimal growth. It has been identified that the accurate pH of soil to grow Kratom plants lies between 5.5 to 6.5. Maintenance of optimal pH allows the Kratom plant to absorb sufficient amount of nutrients from the soil.
An additional tip for speeding up the normal growth of Kratom is to provide it with a lot of water. The soil needs regular hydration. However, do not flood it as it too much water can avoid the germination of seeds. Allow the water to drain and look out for any fungal growth.
3. Optimal Sunlight
Just like other plants, the climate requirements for growing Kratom are specific. The Kratom seeds do not require an exposure to an excess of sunlight, even when they are in the germination stage. Some studies have even mentioned that too much direct sunlight is bad for the germination of seeds.
When first few buds sprout from Kratom seeds, it is important to protect them from cold. A temperature falls below 15 ranges Celsius or tiers Fahrenheit is potentially harmful and may even kill the vegetation.
In case you are planning on growing Kratom plants indoors, the use of High-Pressure Sodium System is recommendable. Kratom plants thoroughly enjoy this kind of light and will show great growth. LED or HPS lights can also be used to pamper the Kratom plants.
Kratom plants will also grow exceptionally well in the exposure of fluorescent lighting. Moreover, fluorescent lighting is economical and does not require many efforts.
Keep an eye on the Kratom plants, particularly if they are placed outside. Once the plants cross the seedling stage, they become quite difficult to handle and a little mistake can do a lot of damage.
4. Humidity Levels
It is also important to control the humidity conditions around the Kratom plant. The average humidity levels in the native areas of Kratom such as Thailand tends to fall between 90 to 94 percent in the morning. However, it reduces gradually in the evening and comes down to 53 to 70 percent.
This information suggests that the normal Kratom growth in these areas occur when the plants are continuously exposed to moderate levels of humidity in the surrounding area. So, if you find the environment to be too dry for the Kratom plants to grow, use alternative measures to increase the humidity levels.
A high humidity level will ensure that the Kratom leaves are shinier, glossier and with a rich color.
5. Feeding
All strains of Kratom plants are known to be heavy feeders in different ways. The plant has to eventually grow into a 100 feet tall tree, so it naturally requires a high level of water and nutrients.
Therefore, use different fertilizers to provide a boost to the growth of the Kratom plants and provide it with sufficient water.
6. Strength Enhancement
In order to ensure that your Kratom plants grow up and bear leaves rich in alkaloids, it is important to follow some extra tips. One of these tips includes exposing the plants to sufficient level of wind.
A fan can be useful in creating artificial wind currents. These wind currents have reported being useful in triggering the levels of Mitragynine in the Kratom trees.
As per a research published in the Drug Design, Development and Therapy, mitragynine is a suitable painkiller, a better alternative to opioid and the main alkaloid of Kratom.
Another tip to increase the natural strength of the Kratom plants is to closely imitate the natural surroundings of the plant as much as possible. Test the sun hours and determine how much exposure your plants require.
Place the plants close to a light in order to increase the level of light and to maintain the temperature. Also, keep a check on the humidity level and try matching it up to that of the native origins of Kratom.
7. Harvesting
If you are fortunate enough to watch your Kratom seeds grow into tall trees, you might need a few tips to harvest them in the best possible way.
Kratom trees are in their most active stage just before the leaves begin falling off on their own. In general, these plants, growing in the Southeast Asian origin, produce the strongest alkaloids in the late summer or initial days of autumn. Sometimes, this period can extend to early winters as well.
You need to harvest the Kratom leaves within the first year of its growth. This is because the tree will eventually start shedding off its leaves on its own, leading a lot of wastage.
8. Plant Pot
It is usually wise to use a large-sized pot to grow Kratom plants in the first place. However, because Kratom does not immediately develop rounds and become bound to the pot where it is being grown, this step is not necessary.
Using bigger plant pots do have some benefits of their own. They allow the Kratom plants to spread out extensively below the soil and absorb more amount of moisture. This facilitates their growth and increases their strength.
Using larger pot for growing Kratom will also save you the trouble of watering the plants more often. This is because the pots will be able to hold water for the longer duration of time.
Additional Tips for Growing Kratom
- Since commercial soil is not fit for Kratom plants to grow, always use a fertilizer
- Keep a check on the pH of the soil on a regular basis
- Use a humidifier to increase the moisture level in the environment surrounding the Kratom plants
- Kratom plants tend to shed leaves when they are unhappy. Keep an eye on any unusual happenings like this and make suitable adjustments to speed up the growth.
Heading towards the conclusion, it can be said that Kratom plants can be easily grown at home. These plants do require attention and suitable adjustments; however, following some simple tips in this regard can make the experience a lot easier.