Kratom plants have been popular in Asian countries for many years. The leaves of these plants are often used in religious ceremonies, and kratom is very common in some communities, especially in some rural areas of Thailand.
Many Westerners have found themselves intrigued and entranced by the idea of growing a kratom plant in their homes or backyards. Fortunately, learning how to grow kratom isn’t nearly as challenging as it may first seem.
What Is the Kratom Plant?
Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa), a type of supplement that is growing in popularity, is derived from a plant that originates from Asia. The leaves of this plant are often harvested and eaten, turned into powder, or distilled into oils or capsules.
Growing kratom is relatively easy and can be done either indoors or outdoors, depending on your preferences. But it does help to have a base set of tools and information to help you get started.
How to Grow Kratom: Step-by-Step
The very first thing that you’ll need to do when you decide to grow kratom is to figure out whether you’d like to grow kratom indoors or outdoors. This one decision will determine quite a lot about your necessary supplies and equipment.
For example, if you live in a warm or subtropical region, you may be able to grow kratom outdoors. This will save you plenty of money on utility bills that would have otherwise gone to powering grow lights.
However, outdoor pests may become a problem. If you decide to grow kratom indoors, you’ll need to purchase hundreds of dollars worth of equipment and supplies before enjoying your plants. However, you may enjoy higher-quality kratom leaves.
Overall, you’ll need to:
- Set Up Your Grow Station
- Acquire Seeds
- Germinate Your Seeds
- Plant Your Seeds
- Transfer Seedlings
- Continue Care and Harvest
By following these steps in succession, you can grow the best kratom and suffer the fewest potential setbacks. Naturally, your grow station is bound to vary depending on the number of desired plants you intend to grow and your preferred environment.
Set Up Your Grow Station
The very first thing you’ll need to do is set up your growing station or area. If you’re planting kratom outside into the soil, you’ll want to figure out what kind of soil you have.
Some types of soil work well with kratom plants, while other types may require amendment. Sandy, loose, well-draining soils tend to work best for kratom plants. Thicker, heavier soils may be excellent in terms of nutrients.
But they can cause root rot. You may want to choose a specialized soil mixture when planting outdoors. No matter how you prefer to grow your kratom plants, you’ll want each part of your growing area prepared before purchasing your seeds.
That way, you’ll be ready to get growing as soon as your seeds arrive.
Acquire Seeds
When you’re out of kratom powder and you’re ready to grow your plants, you’ll need to purchase seeds. Be sure to purchase seeds from a reputable dealer. It may be helpful to read reviews before committing to a seed dealer.
Otherwise, you may end up with seeds that don’t belong to the kratom family. This can be disappointing and potentially harmful, so always triple-check that your seed seller is legitimate and reliable.
Germinate Your Seeds
Germinating your seeds is one of the easiest steps of growing kratom. To do this, you’ll want to take your seeds and place them on a clean paper towel. Using your kitchen sink faucet, allow warm (but not hot) water to gently drip over these seeds.
Cover this moist square of a seed-filled paper towel with another piece of paper towel and place it on a plate. Put this plate in a warm area of your home. Within a week, you should seek small white tendrils creeping around your paper towel.
Kratom seeds are quite small. If you’d rather apply them directly to the soil, you can do so. However, by sure to moisten your soil with warm water before scattering your seeds. Additionally, you’ll want to cover the seeds with a small amount of soil.
Plant Your Seeds
Once you’ve germinated your seeds, you can plant them. This is often as simple as tossing them into your prepared soil and adding a bit of water. Though they may seem mixed up and tangled together at first, they will grow into individual seedlings.
When you have dozens of seedlings growing together in a pot or single container, they will eventually begin to kill one another off. That’s why you’ll also need to transfer your seedlings to a new area once they’re a few inches tall.
Transfer Seedlings
Once your seedlings have reached about eight inches in height, you’ll want to transfer them to their secondary growing habitat. If you’re planting them outdoors into pre-prepared soil, you’ll want to keep them protected using a net or cage.
If you’re transplanting the seedlings into outdoor pots, you may still want to use wooden dowels or supportive beams to help them stabilize. The roots of the seedlings will be weak for several days or weeks after transplantation.
Continue Care and Harvest
Your seedlings should grow and strengthen over the coming months. If you live in a warm climate that sees little snow or frost, you may experience consistent growth that allows you to enjoy a relatively mature tree within a year.
Individuals growing their kratom indoors may find that continued care and maintenance is far easier in their controlled environment. However, depending on the lighting conditions and soil nutrient content, plants may grow more slowly indoors.
The ideal time to harvest the leaves of kratom plants tends to vary from grower to grower. Some prefer to harvest leaves while they are still bright and green, while others prefer to harvest leaves that have developed dark, colorful veins.
Is It Legal to Grow Kratom?
It is not federally illegal to grow kratom in the United States. That said, some states and some counties have specific laws regarding the cultivation and distribution of kratom within their boundaries.
To be on the safe side, it’s best to look-up your specific area’s regulations regarding kratom. In the eyes of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), kratom is a substance that falls under the broad category, “Drugs of Concern”.
Grow Kratom With Confidence
You can grow kratom with ease and confidence when you prepare your growing area, purchase quality kratom seeds, and take the time to germinate. And by allowing your germinated seeds to grow into strong seedlings, you can eliminate many issues.
Of course, it’s also crucial to plant your seedlings into fertile pots or areas, being sure to give each one plenty of room to grow and flourish. Kratom is a unique plant in that it can be consistently harvested throughout the year.
If you enjoyed this article and would like to learn more about kratom, then be sure to contact us today!