All You Need to Know About Kratom Plant Seeds

When exploring the wide world of Mitragyna speciosa (better known as kratom), it’s worth taking a moment to understand its origins. Users will likely have questions about the kratom plant, seeds, cultivation, and more. Whether for indulging your curiosity or for growing your own kratom tree, seeds offer a glimpse into the fascinating world of our favorite plant.

In this article, we take a look at kratom plant seeds, their origins, characteristics, and uses. If you’ve ever been curious to learn more about where our world-class kratom powders come from, then this is the article for you!

What Do Kratom Seeds Look Like?

All plants come with their own distinctive plant seeds. Kratom tree seeds are no exception.

Fledgling kratom farmers may initially be confused by their kratom plant seeds. That’s understandable! Because… well, it’s not obvious at first what you’re looking at!

Kratom tree seeds are stored in a kratom seed pod (pictured here). When trying to plant your own kratom plant, seeds must first be carefully extracted from the pod, then allowed to germinate.

The kratom seeds are housed inside the kratom seed pod. But even when you’ve cracked open your seed pod, it can be tough to know exactly what you’re looking at.

The best bet is a visual reference. We recommend taking a look at this visual guide to kratom seeds and seed pods, courtesy of Reddit user ‘kratomsprout’.

Can Kratom Plant Seeds Grow in North American Climates?

Kratom trees are notoriously temperamental and may struggle to thrive in many areas of the United States.

However, the US features a startling variety of climates, and some areas may be reasonably well-suited to growing kratom plant seeds.

Areas that mimic kratom’s native Southeast Asia conditions will offer kratom plant seeds the highest chance of success.

Kratom plants thrive best in tropical climates, so areas along the Gulf Coast may be better suited to kratom farms. Even in these areas, however, kratom farmers may need to take special care to provide the conditions and TLC that these testy plants crave.

NOTE that, even if you have the perfect climate, cultivating kratom may not be legal in your state! For more information on where kratom cultivation is and is not permitted, see our Guide to Kratom Legality.

For more on the difficulties of growing your own crop of kratom trees, see our Guide to Farming Kratom.

Kratom Seeds May Not Be the Best Way to Grow Your Own Kratom Tree

In nature, kratom trees (like most plants) reproduce by spreading seeds. So you might think that, if you want to plant your own kratom tree, seeds are the best option for you. But as natural as that seems, buying kratom seeds is probably not the best option for DIY kratom farmers!

The main problem with planting kratom tree seeds? Freshness.

Even when kratom seeds are fresh as can be, not all of them will successfully sprout into a baby tree. According to many kratom experts, about 20% of fresh kratom seeds can successfully germinate. And what’s “fresh”, you ask? Seeds that have been separated from the kratom tree for no more than a few days!

If you’re working with dried kratom seeds like those you can find online, expect your germination rate to be even lower! Commercially available kratom seeds are notoriously difficult to germinate, with success rates of around 5%. So if you want to grow your own kratom plant, seeds are not be your best option.

Kratom Clones: A More Viable Alternative to Kratom Plant Seeds

So if kratom seeds are a poor option, what is the budding kratom farmer to do? Why not try your hand at a bit of cloning?

Though it may sound like something out of high science, cloning kratom plants is a well-established way of jumpstarting your kratom tree crop.

Kratom clones are made from trimmings of pre-grown, established kratom trees. As such, they do not need to germinate and therefore have a 100% success rate of turning into a kratom tree. That is, as long as you properly care for your kratom plant, which can be daunting in and of itself!

Kratom clones can be tricky to come by, but several online vendors offer them for sale. If you’re lucky enough to know a kratom farmer, however, your best bet is likely to ask them to consider producing a clone from their favorite kratom trees!