Growing Khat TEK

This is how we grow catha edulis (khat) from seed.

It works well for us, so we thought we'd share it!

Catha edulis is an African flowering plant. It has been used by the indiginous peoples for many thousands of years as a stimulant.

The plant is legal in the UK and in some parts of Africa. It seems to be illegal just about everywhere else though.

(note, seeds are legal everywhere as far as i can tell)

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The TEK.

Khat seeds are very small (about1-2mm) with a small wing on them.

Sometimes the wing falls of in transit but the seed is still good.

They are reasonably easy to germinate, as long as you get good, fresh seed. They seem to be viable for upto 6 months but after that their viability drops off sharply.

Its quite possible to germinate them in damp tissue in a baggie, but I prefer the following method.

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Fill a pot or plant-pod (below) with vermiculite. No compost needed at this point.

Make sure that the vermiculite is moist, but NOT soggy.

Sow about 5 seeds per pot, anymore than this and they get overcrowded and some of the weaker ones will suffer.

They need to be surface sowed. That is, placed on the surface of the medium and not covered.

Give them a little misting with water and put the lid on (if its in a pot, cover with cling-film)

Place in a light warm place (not in direct sunlight as this can overheat them).

Germination will take between 10 and 20 days depending on the conditions they are in.

About 2 weeks after germination, seperate them into their own little pots, using compost, perlite and vermiculite mix (1:1:1)
Keep them warm and light, however now they can go into full sun. Make sure the roots dont dry out totally, but dont allow them to become soggy either. After a while you will find a suitable balance between wet and dry.

Keep re-potting up until they are fully mature. The one below is about 2 years old now. They are slow growers! New rooted shoots are produced at the base of an older plant, these can be snipped off and planted!