How to Grow a Moringa Tree

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

For edible landscaping, a Moringa tree is hard to beat. This versatile tree can be ground year-round in any tropical climate, and as an annual in temperate zones. Fast-growing, nutritious, and lovely to behold, Moringa is gaining in popularity daily. What could be easier than walking into your yard, and gathering healthy greens to put on the table?

Steps

1. Obtain some Moringa seeds from one of the many fine sources that sell them. There are several varieties, but the seeds of Moringa Oleifera and Moringa Stenopetala are the easiest to obtain. For a fast-growing tree that will bear leaves, blossoms and seed pods - called drumsticks, the first year - choose Moringa Oleifera. If you want a fast-growing tree with much larger leaves, making the task of gathering them for a meal easier, opt for Moringa Stenopetala. The flowers and seed pods take longer to develop on the African variety of Moringa - Moringa Stenopetala. Moringa Oleifera seeds are round, brown, and winged. Moringa Stenopetala seeds, out of their husk, are almond-shaped and light tan in color. The seeds are very different, but they both grow Moringa trees. In actuality, the seeds are basically the same size; but, you can see they are not alike, in appearance.
   


2. Decide where you would like to grow your Moringa tree. Keep in mind that Moringa trees can grow over 20 feet tall, their first year. The average growth is about 15 feet, however, in optimum conditions, they can grow much taller. Because the branches will grow, on the average, to about three to four feet wide the first year, you will need to consider whether you want to plant your Moringa tree close to any existing structures. Moringas need a lot of sunlight, warmth, and water, in order to thrive - so think about where your tree will obtain the best exposure to the sun.
   


3. Get the best organic potting soil that you can find. Moringas do not like heavy, clay-like soil or vermiculite. They will grow in poor soil, sandy soil, and depleted soil, but they do not like their roots getting wet. Bear this in mind, and if necessary, purchase sand to add to the potting soil mixture, or use whatever soil is available in your area, and add coconut coir, peat moss, perlite, or sand to loosen it. This gives the roots of the Moringa tree room to spread out, go deep, and drain well.
   


4. Make a hole in the soil, and plant the Moringa seeds about ¾" to 1" deep, cover with soil, and tamp it into place. Make a note of when you planted the seed or seeds, so you can monitor their growth. Once you have covered the seeds, thoroughly water the soil. Whether you plant the seeds in pots, or right into the ground, they will need a thorough soaking every day, until you see the seedling emerge from the soil. Once they have sprouted, they can be watered once every other day, until they are about 18 inches tall. Then, once a week will be sufficient. Some people soak the seeds in water until they sprout, and then plant them. This method also works, but Moringa seeds are very hardy, and do not really need this additional step.
   


5. Moringa can be grow as a solitary tree, in rows, or as a hedge. If you would like to grow it as a hedge, plant the seeds into the ground, about 1 foot apart. Pinch back every other new leaf growth, to force the tree to grow like a bush, and once they are about 2 feet tall, cut the branches in half lengthwise, and pinch back the new leaf growth that will sprout out at the top of the Moringa tree. If you are going to grow your Moringas in rows, then plant the seeds about 3 feet apart, in rows that are at least 6 feet apart, for easy weed removal and walking through the rows. If you are going to grow your Moringa as a solitary tree, just remember to give it plenty of room, so its branches can spread out. Periodically, cut back the top of the tree, to encourage new growth, and cut the branches' length back, by half. This will insure that your Moringas thrive, and give you lots of beautiful flowers, edible leaves, and drumsticks - for years to come.
   

Tips

• 
  
  
  
  • The leaves are edible, and there are many places, online, that will tell you how to incorporate them into your diet.
    
  
  


• The flowers buds and blossoms can be cooked slightly and eaten, as a nourishing vegetable.
  


• Keep those pruning shears handy, as the more you prune them, the faster they will grow.
  


• Maintain your Moringa tree at a height of about 6 feet maximum, if you wish to be able to reach its harvest.
  

Warnings

• 
  
  
  
  • Worldwide, some people eat the root. Do not eat the root. It tastes like horseradish, but the root's bark contains a powerful neurotoxin. In large enough quantities, it can be fatal. Leave the roots alone.
    
  
  


• Constantly trim your Moringas. If you do not, you will eventually have a very tall, very thin tree, with branches at the very top; inaccessible, and unattractive.
  


• The leaves, pods, flowers buds, blossoms, and seeds can all be eaten. The flower buds and blossoms must be cooked, the seeds should be cooked, but the leaves can be eaten raw or cooked.
  

Things You'll Need

• Moringa seeds.
  


• Loose potting soil.
  


• A sunny location for the Moringas.
  


• Water
  


• Pruning shears or scissors
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Grow a Moringa Tree. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Our Moringa trees and the Florida winter

Well... the COLD weather December 2009 and January 2010 certainly didn't do our Moringa trees any good! They have survived, but they need the sunlight and the warm weather, to thrive. Supposedly, the Moringas will drop their leaves if the temperatures average 50°F or below. Ours didn't, but they lost a lot of leaves when the temperatures got into the 30's!

~~~~~~~~

Our poor trees, took such a hit! Going to put some photos up, so you can see how badly they took a beating, because not only did we get COLD, here in Florida - we had lots of ---WIND, which just "beat them to pieces", but left them alive! When I checked on the trees in one of our locations, they just looked "dead", but look at the photos, and you'll see - they are very much alive! We were SO glad! The trees at our other location, have water near them, on both sides, so they fared much better than these did, but they are ALL --- alive!

~~~~~~~~
We grow and sell Moringa trees, so you can buy Moringa Oleifera seeds, Moringa Stenopetala seeds, Moringa Oleifera seedlings, Moringa Stenopetala seedlings, and Moringa Leaf Powder from us online, right here in sunny Florida. All of our Moringas are organically grown, using no chemicals or fertilizers, other than a really good organic one.
~~~~~~~~

We eat the leaves, buds, flower blossoms, pods and seeds from our own trees, and we don't want those synthetic chemicals put into our bodies, anymore than we want them in yours! The closer to nature that you eat, you know, the better off you'll be.

~~~~~~~~
Many people ask us how to grow Moringa. Well, if you live where the weather is tropical, you grow them in the ground, year-round. If you live where winter brings freezing temperatures, you can grow Moringa as an annual - plant it in the spring, when the ground is warm, eat the harvest from it all summer long, and when the temperatures get into the 50's, dig it up and bring it inside for the winter. Alternatively, you can just let it go in the winter, and plant fresh seeds the next year.
~~~~~~~~

If you intend to bring your Moringas inside, make sure they are in a large container, as they develop BIG roots. If you give them LOTS of indoor light, in the form of plant lights, and an organic fertilizer, they will almost grow like "bonsai".

~~~~~~~~

One thing to remember, about Moringa trees, is that they will grow faster, and bush out beautifully, if you prune them - a lot, and often. If you DON'T, they will grow into a tall tree very rapidly, and put their leaves, buds, blossoms and pods...out of your reach.
~~~~~~~~

What more can I say, except that I love Moringa! It truly was "love at first bite", and our appreciation for the humble Moringa tree just grows and grows; just like our Moringas!
Posted by Excalibur at 9:19 AM 0 comments
Labels: Our Moringa trees in Florida winter

Morey the Moringa Oleifera Seed

Hi! I am Morey, the Moringa Oleifera seed. I grow into a beautiful tree, that can sustain life! My little bright, green leaves are just jam-packed with nutritional benefits, and they can help you stay healthy - a lot! Everyone says they taste really good, too!

At Moringa Manor, and I Love Moringa, and Moringa Matters, you can read all about the tree that I become, and I hope you fall in love with me, because I have helped to overcome malnutrition in many countries, all over the world!

My owners grow me in Florida, and sometimes it gets really cold, especially in the last few years. I look funny then, but as soon as it warms up, I spring right back to life. I am one of the most rapidly growing trees in the world, given the right conditions, but you can cut me WAY back, and prune my branches severely, and I will just "get back up" and grow, again! You know what they say - "you can't keep a good man down." I try really hard to live up to that, and my brother and sister Moringa Oleifera seeds, and all of our relatives just "take a beating" and come back!

Why don't you do your health a favor, and check out Moringa for yourself? My owners love to eat the leaves from my trees, because they just burst with flavor and health benefits. You can cook the leaves, too - just a little bit - like when you sauté something, or bake me on pizza, right under the cheese, or put me in quiche, or dip, or --- whatever! My buds and flowers are scrumptious, too - but you HAVE to cook them, before you eat them. Many people like to eat my pods, but get 'em when they are about the size of a green bean, or they get a little "woody". Once in a while, my owners will fry my seeds, that grow in my LONG pods, and put a little garlic salt on them, and eat them. They are really GOOD, but they are also very purifying to your body, so take it easy if you decide to do that!

In some places, people eat my ROOTS, too - BUT DON'T DO THAT! They taste just like horseradish - that's why one of my nicknames is "the horseradish tree". I don't want you to eat my roots, because the BARK contains a neurotoxin, that can be potentially VERY dangerous. If you want horseradish, grow horseradish.

Well, that's about enough for now. Come see us at our websites, you'll find me easily. You'll also meet "Stan", the Moringa Stenopetala seed. He hails from African, where his tree is called "Mother's helper". Stan is one of my relatives, but I am the first copyrighted character of the owners. They admittedly like "Stan's" leaves better, JUST because you don't have to pick as many of them to get a meal, but I am their first love, and they are "kinda" partial to me.