The Latest Moringa Tree Planting Techniques and Methods Tutorial

The moringa tree is also known as the drumstick tree, horseradish tree, and so on. It is a perennial evergreen small to large tree of the Moringa genus in the Moringaceae family. Currently, 14 species are known, and the two varieties cultivated for food are the Indian moringa tree and the African moringa tree. It can be called a versatile and miraculous natural health plant with high planting prospects. Now let us take a look at moringa tree planting techniques together!

Moringa Tree Planting Conditions

Moringa likes sunlight and has a very long taproot, so it can withstand long-term drought. The suitable growth temperature is 25-35°C. In shaded conditions, it can endure high temperatures of 48°C, and it can also tolerate slight frost. Severe cold may kill the aboveground parts of the moringa, but after severe cold, new buds can still sprout again and grow into plants. It can adapt to various soils such as sandy soil and clay soil, and can also grow in slightly alkaline soil.

Moringa Tree Seed Propagation

1. Seedbed preparation: For the moringa seedbed, choose land close to the planting site, sheltered from wind, and with convenient water sources. Remove weeds, stones, and other debris, level the land, and use red bricks to build a germination bed about 600×80×40 cm in length, width, and height, then add river sand to a thickness of 20-25 cm. Above the seedbed, set up about 40% shade netting for shade. The shade shed is 1.7 m high, and its length and width depend on the actual terrain of the seedbed scale.

2. Sowing method: Before sowing moringa seeds, first remove defective seeds, immature seeds, and moldy seeds. Pour the selected seeds into prepared medicinal solution and soak for 15-17 hours before sowing. For the agent, fungicides such as 800-1200 times liquid carbendazim, Luheng No. 2, and baijunqing can be selected. When sowing, use a straight wooden stick to level the sand bed, manually press the seeds into the sand at a spacing of about 2 cm, and the sowing depth should preferably be 1.5-2 cm. Too deep or too shallow will reduce the seedling emergence rate. After sowing, water thoroughly, then cover with agricultural film. Seeds of the current year generally sprout in 5-7 days, while seeds from the second and third years sprout 3-5 days later.

3. Seedling management: After moringa is transplanted and survives, water it every 15 days with 800 times fungicide such as Luheng No. 2, and always pay attention to observing insect pests and spray pesticide in a timely manner. Water frequently to keep the soil in the bag moist, but do not use too much water to prevent root rot. When the seedlings grow to 5-6 leaves, the shade netting can be removed for hardening. After about 4 weeks, the plant height can reach more than 40 cm, and they can be planted in the field in a timely manner. If planting is too late, the main root of the seedling will penetrate the bag and affect the survival rate.

Moringa Tree Planting Techniques

1. Land preparation and field planting: When planting moringa, two methods can be used: direct seed sowing and seedling transplanting. Direct seed sowing means sowing the seeds directly into the planting holes, 2-3 seeds per hole, covering with 1.5-2.0 cm of soil, and after emergence, keeping 1 robust seedling. Seedling transplanting means using nutrient cup seedling cultivation. When transplanting, pay attention to protecting the young roots. Planting density should be determined according to the planting purpose. For example, if picking tender leaves for consumption, the planting density can be larger; if picking pods or seeds, it can be appropriately smaller.

2. Fertilizer and water management: Moringa does not require much water. During the seedling stage, it is enough to maintain appropriate humidity. In dry seasons, proper irrigation is needed to facilitate growth. Moringa is tolerant of poor soil, so generally no fertilizer is needed, but in order to promote growth and increase yield, fertilization helps restore tree vigor after production and helps the tree overwinter. Before picking pods, a 0.3-0.5% compound fertilizer water solution can be applied every 15-30 days, or organic fertilizer or stove ash can be applied in trenches dug around the plant. For young trees, shallow application and rotational application are appropriate. For mature trees, deeper application is appropriate, and methods such as spot application, strip trench application, and radial trench application can be used.

3. Tree management: Moringa grows rapidly. Generally, in the first year it can grow to 3-4 m tall. Therefore, in order to increase branching and facilitate harvesting, pruning is generally carried out when the plant is about 0.5 m tall. After that, every winter the plant is cut back to below 1 m in height. Tender leaves can be harvested once every 15-20 days.

4. Pest and disease control: Moringa has strong resistance to various pests and diseases. From domestic cultivation, the main pests and diseases include slight damage from butterfly larvae, red spiders, leaf miners, and inchworms, which can be controlled by handpicking, removing diseased leaves, or applying pesticide.

Moringa Tree Planting Value

1. The entire moringa plant can be used. The roots and bark are traditional medicinal raw materials. The tender leaves and tender pods are delicious and nutritious vegetables. The seeds are rich in plant oil, and the cake left after oil extraction is a flocculant recommended by international environmental organizations for purifying drinking water for humans and livestock.

2. In traditional Indian medicine, moringa is believed to effectively prevent and treat many diseases, with multiple effects such as strengthening the heart, promoting blood circulation, diuresis, aiding digestion, aiding sleep, strengthening the spleen and stomach, and removing waste from the body.

3. Moringa is rich in various trace elements necessary for the human body. It can supplement various amino acids and minerals essential to the human body, regulate nutritional balance, enhance human immunity, improve the quality of life and diet, promote physical and mental health, and more effectively prevent and fight various “diseases of affluence”.

4. Moringa seeds contain all the nutritional elements needed by the human body and can replace multivitamins, calcium tablets, cod liver oil, and so on. They are very helpful for preventing disease, improving sleep, enhancing memory, and delaying aging. They are used to treat diseases of special parts such as the liver, spleen, and meridians, and also have good effects on hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and gout. In addition, they also have effects such as improving sexual function, treating bad breath, and sobering up.

5. Moringa not only has relatively high medicinal and edible value, but also has broad development prospects and relatively high value potential in the fields of health products, cosmetics, medicine, and industry.