We are proud of our genetics and love seeing high quality kratom thrive in non-tropical climates. Our clients at the Quebec Kratom Association have just enjoyed their first yearling flowers, proving this remarkable species can thrive indoors in Canada with the proper care.
Not only are the trees flowering at 10 months of age, they have also been harvested three times already. Read on to meet Jean Francois and see healthy, flowering kratom growing in Canada!
Want to grow these same genetics and live within the U.S.? New seedlings will be available from Magick Powers Potions between summer and fall 2020. These plants are grown from seeds that have repeatedly produced early flowers. Not all plants with these genetics produce early flowers, but this particular batch of genetic material has repeatedly yielded early flowering trees for clients in various locations. To learn more about early flowering kratom, check out this link.
The story of the Quebec Kratom Nursery's plants
Seeds were sown on April 11th 2019, making the plants 10 months old at the time of flowering.
They were grown indoors in a 3'x3'x7'high tent with 24/7 full spectrum majority blue LED grow light -- but brought outside on a few occasions when they were smaller and the weather was beautiful.
They were fed with Schultz's concentrate and tap water pH adjusted with white vinegar.
''Growing kratom trees in North America, and in Quebec more precisely, is doable with a little room and investment, some time and a lot of love," says Jean-Francois.
The plants were first harvested in December at eight months of age, yielding 90 grams. Flowers were just beginning to form, but were not yet visible to the eye
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This is what the flowers look like in the early stages. From beneath the mitre sheath, a sphere forms and then out pops the green fruit that will develop into a flower and, if pollinated, create seed packets.
This is a kratom flower in full bloom. Each flower is made up of tiny individual florets. The number of florets completely depends on the size of the fruit. We have seen baby plants grown from these same genetics produce tiny little flowers with only a few florets covering the small surface area.
This is what a flower looks like toward the end of its life cycle as the florets fall off. If pollination occurs, hard little seed packets develop and protrude from every floret-hole. As these genetically diverse plants in the Quebec kratom nursery continue to grow, their chances of cross pollination increase. The introduction of pollinators into the environment could be beneficial.
This lush canopy of kratom leaves reveals red mitre sheaths and red leaf undersides. These genetics can also produce very dark red veins under different lighting conditions.
Love and attention pay off with these beautiful leaves. This is a happy, healthy young tree.
Here are some of the fresh kratom leaves from the plants' second harvest in January.
The third harvest in February weighed in at a total of 82 grams. Above are some of the leaves dried with the "green quick dry" method. For more info on curing, read our kratom curing tutorial.
Humble beginnings. Here are the plants as seedlings just six months ago. They can completely transform in that small window of time from a little baby into a harvestable young tree.
''Thanks to Magick Powers Potions my project started with the right genetics and very few mistakes were made because of their knowledge and support," says Jean-Francois.
Jean-Francois is a passionate ethnobotany enthusiast and kratom advocate. He runs the Quebec Kratom Nursery and has high hopes for the future of kratom in North America.
Want to grow these genetics in the U.S.? Contact us with questions or to reserve yours.