10 Moringa Tree Seeds, Drumstick Tree Horseradish Tree Seeds, Permaculture, Florida seeds, Moringa olifera seeds, Seed The Stars Food Forest

Moringa is a fast growing tree with a multitude of culinary and agricultural uses. Leaves, flowers & pods are a highly nutritious food source for humans & fodder for animals. Seeds provide a rich cooking oil. Trees are susceptible to root rot and cannot tolerate excessive soil moisture in poorly drained conditions. Pruning & topping the tree encourages lower foliage for easy accessibility

We love harvesting fresh leaves that have a taste reminiscent of arugula for salads and stir fries as well as drying leaves to blend up into a powder to shake on top of meals, blend in our morning smoothies, or brew earthy tea.

One of the fastest growing trees, averaging 10 foot of growth a year and up to 20 in favorable conditions, you’re likely to be able to quickly harvest from your Moringa even in cooler climates.

Moringa is cold sensitive and will lose leaves when temperatures begin to routinely drop below 60 degrees, going dormant in our Florida winters. If growing in a cooler climate, you can grow Moringa as an annual or grow in pots to overwinter them in a greenhouse or warm location. Moringa averages around 40 feet in height when mature, so we practice topping our Moringa during warm months to maintain a manageable height to harvest the leaves and cutting back the whole tree to about 2 feet in the fall before their dormancy period. Moringa’s rapid growth has some gardeners attention, debating its potential for invasive characteristics. To classify as an invasive species, plants must meet a criteria of 6 characteristics that include: having a high seed dispersal ability, ability to alter growth to suit conditions, and tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions. Since Moringa is frost sensitive and will die in prolonged cold weather, seed dispersal is easily maintained by pruning for leaves, and through observation of it’s growth in the landscape we and many other tropical Moringa growers feel that Moringa is a well adapted non invasive crop. We recommend doing research in your area before planting.

Seed the Stars is an urban gardening company focused on raising naturally grown and adapted seeds. Plants are raised using natural methods and organic practices. Our seeds are non GMO and open pollinated.

Botanical Name: Moringa oleifera
Zone: 9- 11
Weight/Amount:10 seeds
Germination temperature:77-95 F
Germination days: 14- 21 days
Days to Maturity:90- 120
Sun Preference: Full Sun
Sow Depth:½ inch to 1 inch
Spacing: 8 feet

HOW TO GROW MORINGA:

Store seeds in a cool dark space and use within 6 months of purchase to maintain viability and high germination rates.

*****In order to ensure germination success follow the recommend germination process and use the suggested method and materials we have shared. Because we run all germination test using the shared methods, we will not take responsibility for germination issues using other methods and materials.****

SEEDING/ GERMINATION:
Germinate Moringa in a light and sterile 'soilless' seed starting media which retains moisture and is a great consistency for root development. To prepare for seeding, soak your Moringa seeds overnight and up to 24 hours to hydrate. The following day, fill pots ( I tend to use 4 ‘’ or 6’’ size pots) with moist soilless seed starting media and create a small hole about ½ - ¾ inch ‘’ deep, then place one or two seeds in each hole. Lightly cover the seeds and water them in, making a note or seed tag for the date of seeding. Keep the media consistently moist and warm. Moringa requires heat for germination( 77-95 F ).if you live in a cool climate you can purchase a heating mat or try placing the pots in the warmest part of your house. Once seedlings emerge, thin seedlings to one plant per pot, place in the light and keep consistently moist while giving the plants a chance to develop a substantial root system before planting out and to minimize transplant shock.

TRANSPLANT/ POTTING UP:
Once the risk of frost has passed, and your Moringa plants have developed a root ball that stays intact when gently removing it from the container, they are ready to be potted up to a larger size. Make sure to be gentle when transplanting and keep the root ball intact.

*If you started your Moringa indoors make sure to spend about a week slowly hardening off your seedlings. Harden off by placing your Moringa outside in a partial shady location for a few hours daily, gradually working up to more hours every day. Place seedlings in a partial shade location, otherwise the sun could scald their sensitive leaves. Choose a sheltered spot where a light breeze can strengthen their stems but protect them from any strong winds which could damage them. Once they have acclimated, it’s time to plant them out to the garden or new container.*

When potting up use a mix of potting soil and compost, planting the seedling at soil level in the new container or in the garden bed and water deeply everyday for 1 week. Then gradually provide less water as time goes on. Young Moringa seedlings will need to be watered daily, while an established Moringa plant has a high tolerance for drought and prefers well drained soil.

We always mix compost with native soil into the planting hole when transplanting into prepared garden beds. We top mulch around each of our plants with a 1 to 2″ thick layer of compost and reapply throughout the growing season.

SPACING:
Intensive spacing for hedge formation, with heavy pruning can be done as close as 1 foot. For full mature tree growth, 10 feet in between trees is recommended.

FERTILIZER:
Moringa leaves will yellow occasionally which is normally a signal that it’s time to fertilize, it's receiving too much water, or cooler temperatures have arrived.. We routinely foliar spray our Moringa with organic fish fertilizer, as well as top dressing with organic compost/ composted manure throughout the season to keep on top of a soil feeding schedule. Moringa in cooler climates should be grown as an annual since they are cold sensitive. Here in Central Florida (9b) we cut our Moringa down to about 4feet during the late fall so the plant can focus energy on its roots and start the growth low in the spring. You may leave Moringa's uncut, but dieback may occur in cold weather. Moringa will begin to send out new shoots in the spring when the weather warms again.

HARVEST:
You can pick young tender moringa leaves by stripping the leaves off the leaflet , or harvesting entire branches at a time. Use in stir fries, salads, to dry and make into a powder, or brew tea with fresh or dried leaves. The young green pods are edible as well.

SEED SAVING:
Seeds are ready to harvest when Moringa pods are mature, brown, brittle, and lightweight.

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