miss-meander88 Posted November 23, 2015 Hey mountaingoat How mature is your parent plant ? and how did you go about taking cuttings? Oh and have you ever struggled with shot hole fungus (i think thats an american term)? And sally what do you mean by overwinter? (Sorry for all the questions, first time kava grower , tell me to bugger off if ive asked too many) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miss-meander88 Posted November 23, 2015 Wait nevermind sally, cold climate derr sorry :/ lol sorry its still a bit early for me today Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2XB Posted November 26, 2015 MOUNTAINGOAT can grow!! What a beautiful healthy plant :-) Massive thanks man,. I am super pleased with this one!! :-) :-) :-) :-) 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MountainGoat Posted November 26, 2015 Cheers Doublebenno. Miss M, my mothers (3) aren't real happy right now after wild pigs and turkeys having their own parties with them recently. But they were a bit over an inch thick on the stems, and in clumps of several verticals. Going to try in 100L pots also now. This is my first spring at this property, so my gardens are all building up now, next year everything will be looking great. Yes, taking cuttings is a challenge. At least when doing it organically. Has to be done early morning. I've tried taking single nodes as cuttings, but tbis only works when the node is more then an inch thick. Had more success with taking at least 2 nodes and trimming all but half a leaf off. Though my strike rate is less then 20%. Know someone using hormones for their cuttings and they get a much higher success rate. You need to use at least 25% sand in the mix, and keep it humid but not wet or you get rot, and it can take months to strike roots. Late spring is the best time to propagate. I have found kava quite difficult to grow without hiccups in its growth pattern due to environmental stresses where it'll drop its leaves within a day... Piper auritum is way more forgiving... 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MountainGoat Posted November 26, 2015 Just read about shot hole fungus/ disease. No, I have never come across it... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miss-meander88 Posted November 28, 2015 Oh dear mountaingoat, i didnt think bush turkeys would be that interested? I have had one come investigate my place recently, funny thing is my big fiercelt protective bulldog x is completely shit scared of them... will approach with confidence any other intruder but bush turkeys? Nah shes out haha like a puppy with her tail between her legs...im thinking they may have had a run in Wow they sound big! I knew mine was just a baby but still i have heard they are not the easiest to propagate - main reason I am trying to learn now is so I can hopefully continue on cultivating from the plant i have Heres my story, maybe you can offer some advice, its ok if not, i dont mean to be a hassle I purchased this plant online about 2 months ago, as standard for sending plants it came barerooted with leaves trimmed, there were about 3 leaves and 3 stems when i received it... It wasnt a problem at all but i did notice the stems had brown spots on them and all the leaves had brown spots and holes in them... Did a little research, learnt of "shothole fungus" being common in piper methysticum (i think in aus we call it black spot fungus and its seen in roses, tomatoes etc...i may be completely wrong sorry!)... Anyway, worried about it, i sprayed it with a diluted alcohol and dish liquid solution (im so sorry if thats akin to blasphemy!).. Nearly two months on, most leaves are problem free, it has grown two new stems, many new leaves that appear to be fine... But now you mention piper auritum, i am also wondering, did i receive a true kava at all? I am aware many online sellers attempt to sell auritum marked as methysticum... So theres another question! Anyway heres some pics, i am pretty sure its methysticum due to the leaf vein structure thingy, it very well may not be .. ^am i methysticum? ^the last leaf with a little of what i think may be "shothole fungus" (or whatever the aus equivalent is), the original leaves with it grew many centred holes in each leaf before they turned yellow and died ^ new growth in 2 months - yay (or not so exciting if its easy to grow auritum ) ^shady stem that is not starting new growth properly with suspect black spots typical of methysticum "shot hole fungus" ^ happy kava now (or not kava, who knows!) Anyway, sorry for the long pain in the ass post , it might not even be true piper methysticum! One reason i joined here was for advice on my beloved kava plant (amongst others) Any help would be awesome but in no way expected Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MountainGoat Posted November 28, 2015 Not a problem Miss. Yes, that's methysticum, auritum veins come from a central line and not from the centre point like kava. Auritum is way bigger also. Kava is very sensitive, when I post I cut off all the leaves and trim back the stems, they would never make a postage intact. Heavy water droplets ,and direct sun in youth, can do leaf damage also. It does look like an infection, not something I have had experience with though. The turkeys, pademelons, wallabies, rats, pigs etc are vicious at my place, but I live deep in the forest in FNQ, not many houses or people out here to keep them away. I'm thinking I need a dog to keep it a bit more reasonable.... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miss-meander88 Posted December 2, 2015 Ah fantastic so it was i hoped it was Yes I've left her out in the sun a few times and she wilts very quickly! I am unsure what the holes are, hopefully it doesnt happen to any of the new leaves... Wow sounds beautiful but somewhat a frustration - dont get an american bulldog x bull arb - mines bloody uselessly terrified of turkeys i now know Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spicatum90 Posted April 29, 2016 Gday all. Does anyone know where I can get some piper methysticum seeds (or cuttings in WA) or perhaps betel nut seeds - Areca Catechu (for propagation) can trade / buy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
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