How To Grow Drumstick/Moringa

How To Grow Drumstick/Moringa - Moringa Growing Tips

What could be easier than walking into your yard, and gathering healthy leaves from your own grown Moringa plants to put on the table?

Moringa/Drumstick is an ideal plant to grow in your own backyard.

The Moringa tree is very easy to grow. Simply plant seeds or cuttings in the ground in a sunny spot.

Moringa is a fast-growing, drought resistant tree

The moringa tree is a plant that grows mainly in semiarid, subtropical areas. While Moringa grows best in dry, sandy soil, it tolerates poor soil.

The Moringa tree can grow to about 10 meters tall, with drooping branches. It thrives in subtropical and tropical climates, giving fruit and flowers continually.

The Moringa tree is native to northern India, but today it is common throughout the tropical and sub-tropical regions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Moringa trees grow easily from seeds or cuttings. They grow quickly even in poor soil and bloom 8 months after planting.

Moringa grows best in direct sunlight under 500 meters altitude. It tolerates a wide range of soil conditions, but prefers a neutral to slightly acidic (pH. 6.3-7.0), well-drained sandy or loamy soil.

Minimum annual rainfall requirements are estimated at 250 mm with a maximum at over 3,000 mm, but in waterlogged soil, the roots have a tendency to rot. In areas with heavy rainfall, trees can be planted on small hills to encourage water run-off.

The presence of a long taproot makes it resistant to periods of drought. Trees can be easily grown from seed or from cuttings. Temperature ranges are 25-35 degrees Celsius (0-95 degrees Fahrenheit), but the tree will tolerate up to 48 degrees in the shade and it also can survive a light frost.

How to Propagate Moringa Trees

Moringa trees can easily be propagated from seeds as well as mature plant cutting.

If water is available for irrigation, moringa trees can be seeded directly and grown anytime during the year. Prepare a planting pit first, water, and then fill in the pit with topsoil mixed with compost or manure before planting seeds. In a large field, trees can be seeded directly at the beginning of the wet season.

Moringa seeds should be soaked for at least 24 hours before planting. Once the seeds are ready, prepare a planting pit.

Moringa seeds have no dormancy period, so they can be planted as soon as they are mature and they will retain the ability to germinate for up to one year. Older seeds will only have spotty germination. Moringa trees will flower and fruit annually and in some regions twice annually.

Moringa trees can be propagated easily from mature plant cutting.

Be sure to choose stems/limbs for cutting with bark, not green wood, for cuttings. Cuttings should be 45cm to 1.5m long and 10cm in diameter.

Cuttings can be planted directly or planted in sacks in the nursery. When planting directly, plant the cuttings in light, sandy soil. Plant one-third of the length in the ground if the cutting is 1.5m long, plant it 50cm deep.

Do not over water; if the soil is too heavy or wet, the roots may rot. When the cuttings are planted in the nursery, the root system is slow to develop. Add phosphorus to the soil if possible to encourage root development. Cuttings planted in a nursery can be out-planted after 2 or 3 months.

Choosing a Planting Position

Moringa trees grows best in direct sunlight under 500 meters altitude. It tolerates a wide range of soil conditions, but prefers a neutral to slightly acidic (pH. 6.3-7.0), well-drained sandy or loamy soil. Minimum annual rainfall requirements are estimated at 250 mm with maximum at over 3,000 mm, but in waterlogged soil the roots have a tendency to rot.

In areas with heavy rainfall, trees can be planted on small hills to encourage water run-off. Presence of a long taproot makes it resistant to periods of drought. Trees can be easily grown from seed or from cuttings. Temperature ranges are 25-35 degrees Celsius , but the tree will tolerate up to 48 degrees in the shade and it can survive a light frost.

During its first year, a Moringa tree will grow up to five meters in height and produce flowers and fruit. Left alone, the tree can eventually reach 12 meters in height with a trunk 30cm wide; however, the tree can be annually cut back to one meter from the ground. The tree will quickly recover and produce leaves and pods within easy reach. Within three years a tree will yield 400-600 pods annually and a mature tree can produce up to 1,600 pods.

Fertilizing Moringa Plant

Compost or manure at the rate of 5kg per pit can be mixed with the fresh topsoil around the pit and used to fill the pit.

Avoid using the soil taken out of the pit for this purpose: fresh topsoil contains beneficial microbes that can promote more effective root growth.

The day before out planting, water the filled pits or wait until a good rain before out-planting seedlings.

Fill in the hole before transplanting the seedling. In areas of heavy rainfall, the soil can be shaped in the form of a mound to encourage drainage. Do not water heavily for the first few days. If the seedlings fall over, tie them to stick 40cm high for support.

Diseases and Pests

Moringa is resistant to most pests. In very water-logged conditions, Diplodia root rot can occur.

In very wet conditions, seedlings can be planted in mounds so that excess water is drained off.

Cattle, sheep, pigs and goats will eat Moringa seedlings, pods and leaves. Protect Moringa seedlings from livestock by installing a fence or by planting a living fence around the plantation. Termites can be a problem, especially when cuttings are planted.

Among approaches recommended to protect seedlings from termite attack:

Apply mulches of castor oil plant leaves, mahogany chips, tephrosia leaves or Persian lilac leaves around the base of the plants.

Heap ashes around the base of seedlings.

Dry and crush stems and leaves of lion’s ear or Mexican poppy and spread the dust around the base of plants.

Once your Moringa tree is just a few months old you can start harvesting the leaves and add them to your salads, make a delicious tea, or turn them into a super food powder that can be added to smoothies, soups and many other dishes.

* Disclaimer -

This is a personal blog. Any views or opinions represented in this blog are personal and belong solely to the blog owner and do not represent those of people, institutions or organizations that the owner may or may not be associated with in professional or personal capacity, unless explicitly stated.Any views or opinions are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, or individual.All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site.The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.

Downloadable Files and Images-

Any downloadable file, including but not limited to pdfs, docs, jpegs, pngs, is provided at the user’s own risk. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages resulting from a corrupted or damaged file.Images and Logos used in this blog are copyrighted by their respective owners, Images used here are only for representation purposes.

Comments-

Comments are welcome. However, the blog owner reserves the right to edit or delete any comments submitted to this blog without notice due to :

- Comments deemed to be spam or questionable spam.

- Comments including profanity.

- Comments containing language or concepts that could be deemed offensive.

- Comments containing hate speech, credible threats, or direct attacks on an individual or group.

The blog owner is not responsible for the content in comments.This blog disclaimer is subject to change at anytime.

How To Grow Drumstick/Moringa - Moringa Growing Tips