Growing Moringa from seed
These first methods work very well for the winged type of Moringa seeds (M oleifera, ovalifolia, stenoclada and the like)
1. Plant the seeds singly, about ¾ inch beneath the soil surface. Sandy loamy soils will work well also. Use apot that is at least 18 inches deep if this is the final home for the tree. Moringa loves the sun so make surethey get plenty. Although the tree is drought tolerant, they may be watered daily, just don’t allow the roots to get soaked for extended periods of time. If you live in a particularly hot zone, don’t expose the young plants to all day sun. Keep and eye on them, they will tell you if they are getting distressed from too much sun, water or lack of food.
2. It is a good idea to use pots to get the trees started since you have more control over the care of the tree. It is recommended that you let the potted plants grow at least 8 weeks or longer before transplanting if the pot that they are growing in is not the final one. When transplanting try not to disturb the root system at all. Like many plants the roots are very vulnerable until they are established.
3. These plants grow fast and any attempts to curb growth must be done early on by restricting root development (under potting), if you let it grow, it will just keep going. Growth rates of 3 metres in the first year are not uncommon – in fact it is a built in survival mechanism for the seedlings in the competition for light in the jungle.
4. Moringa oelifolia may well flower and fruit in its first year from seed, if sown early enough and grown well enough.
A second method we use to test the seeds when they arrive with us is as follows
1. Soak the seeds for 24 hours; the seed will imbibe the water it needs to germinate from this procedure. Remove the seeds from the solution.
2. Put the seeds in a plastic sandwich bag and store in a warm, dark place like a drawer or cabinet. Germination times range from 3-14 days. Do not add extra water to the bag.
3. Check them every two days. Once the seeds have broken loose from the winged shell, you will notice two shoots protruding from the seed.
4. Do not let the shoots get too long and thin as they may get fragile and break when handled. One of the shoots will have some ruffled growth at the extremity; this is the shoot that contains the first leaves (cotyledons) and should be the shoot exposed to the sun. Plant the seeds about ¾ inch beneath the soil surface with the ruffled extremity to the sun. Plant the sprouted seed(s) in a commercial band or a peat pot using a high quality potting soil. Sandy loamy soils will work well also. Use a pot that is at least 18 inches deep if this is the final home for the tree. Moringa loves the sun so make sure they get plenty. Although the tree is drought tolerant, they may be watered daily, just don’t allow the roots to get soaked for extended periods of time. If you live in a particularly hot zone, don’t expose the baby plants to all day sun. Keep and eye on them, they will tell you if they are getting distressed from too much sun, water or lack of food.
For the other types, you may use method one or you can modify this by either fully or partially removing the hard shell that the seeds are in before planting. Germination temperatures need to be in the 90's F (30's C) with high humidity for these fully tropical species. With so much moisture around the seed, the issue can be fungal infections, so the use of a good fungicide recomended for seed raising is indicated. We used to recommend Chinosol (since withdrawn), Cheshunt Compound (since withdrawn), so now we just ask that you shop around - Murphys Copper Based fungicide is still available and is what we use, but there may be others.
These first methods work very well for the winged type of Moringa seeds (M oleifera, ovalifolia, stenoclada and the like)
1. Plant the seeds singly, about ¾ inch beneath the soil surface. Sandy loamy soils will work well also. Use apot that is at least 18 inches deep if this is the final home for the tree. Moringa loves the sun so make surethey get plenty. Although the tree is drought tolerant, they may be watered daily, just don’t allow the roots to get soaked for extended periods of time. If you live in a particularly hot zone, don’t expose the young plants to all day sun. Keep and eye on them, they will tell you if they are getting distressed from too much sun, water or lack of food.
2. It is a good idea to use pots to get the trees started since you have more control over the care of the tree. It is recommended that you let the potted plants grow at least 8 weeks or longer before transplanting if the pot that they are growing in is not the final one. When transplanting try not to disturb the root system at all. Like many plants the roots are very vulnerable until they are established.
3. These plants grow fast and any attempts to curb growth must be done early on by restricting root development (under potting), if you let it grow, it will just keep going. Growth rates of 3 metres in the first year are not uncommon – in fact it is a built in survival mechanism for the seedlings in the competition for light in the jungle.
4. Moringa oelifolia may well flower and fruit in its first year from seed, if sown early enough and grown well enough.
A second method we use to test the seeds when they arrive with us is as follows
1. Soak the seeds for 24 hours; the seed will imbibe the water it needs to germinate from this procedure. Remove the seeds from the solution.
2. Put the seeds in a plastic sandwich bag and store in a warm, dark place like a drawer or cabinet. Germination times range from 3-14 days. Do not add extra water to the bag.
3. Check them every two days. Once the seeds have broken loose from the winged shell, you will notice two shoots protruding from the seed.
4. Do not let the shoots get too long and thin as they may get fragile and break when handled. One of the shoots will have some ruffled growth at the extremity; this is the shoot that contains the first leaves (cotyledons) and should be the shoot exposed to the sun. Plant the seeds about ¾ inch beneath the soil surface with the ruffled extremity to the sun. Plant the sprouted seed(s) in a commercial band or a peat pot using a high quality potting soil. Sandy loamy soils will work well also. Use a pot that is at least 18 inches deep if this is the final home for the tree. Moringa loves the sun so make sure they get plenty. Although the tree is drought tolerant, they may be watered daily, just don’t allow the roots to get soaked for extended periods of time. If you live in a particularly hot zone, don’t expose the baby plants to all day sun. Keep and eye on them, they will tell you if they are getting distressed from too much sun, water or lack of food.
For the other types, you may use method one or you can modify this by either fully or partially removing the hard shell that the seeds are in before planting. Germination temperatures need to be in the 90's F (30's C) with high humidity for these fully tropical species. With so much moisture around the seed, the issue can be fungal infections, so the use of a good fungicide recomended for seed raising is indicated. We used to recommend Chinosol (since withdrawn), Cheshunt Compound (since withdrawn), so now we just ask that you shop around - Murphys Copper Based fungicide is still available and is what we use, but there may be others.
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