Monday, January 25, 2010

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:


2 comments:

Dave Mann said...

Hi Emily
I represent an UK-based NGO that partners with local Christian NGOs in Ethiopia who are working to address issues of poverty, exploitation, abuse and marginalisation. One of our aims is to create businesses in Ethiopia to reduce local NGO's dependence on external grant funding.
One of the possibilities I'm looking into is exploiting the huge nutritional, medicinal and commercial potential that Moringa offers.
I can find quite a lot about oleifera on the web but not so much about stenopetala, which is the most common variety in Ethiopia. Do you have any analysis comparing the nutritional/medicinal benefits of both varieties? I've read that Sen is better for water purification than Ole.
Any information/links/help you could give would be greatly appreciated.
God bless
Dave Mann
Communitas International

Unknown said...

Dear Emily,

This plant is amazing! More Americans should know about this. Judging from all the benefits, it could be a threat to companies like Monsanto, because of it's superiority not just in nutrients, but it's growth enhancing ability to increase yields with other crops, and increasing milk & livestock production. It sounds like it would be superior to all their growth hormones, and fertilizers. First Lady, Michelle Obama should know about this, and plant it in the garden at the White House! Big Pharma probably sees this plant as a threat to all the medicines for cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.... This could not only help end malnutrition and hunger on the planet, but can stop all the diseases from all the hormones and obesity harming people in the developed nations.

I had no idea how incredible this plant was. I had eaten it from time to time since childhood, being originally from the Philippines. Filipinos call it "malunggay." It is apparently what champion Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao eats often for what Floyd Mayweather has mistaken for steroids....

I've been looking for an ideal plant that can easily be grown for food for survival in times of emergency, I have found this to be the best! I live in Sacramento, California. Is it possible for this plant to survive throughout the year in the backyard? I don't have much room inside or have a greenhouse, so I'm thinking of raising a few indoors but I would need to prune them often to keep them short. How low can they go without killing them?

I've seen many sites on Moringa, and yours is by far the best! I have noticed Face Book Moringa pages too, but I did not find yours. If you have one, let me know. But if you don't, I suggest you start one because the world needs this information. This plant can help save the world in a major way! My sister is good friends with Marion Jones, who is starting her career again with womens' basketball. All athletes should know about this because Moringa is better than steroids without cheating!

I am so excited! I will be ordering some seeds from you soon.

Thanks!

Joel Mariano