MORINGA: A Food Supplement for Healthy Living PART FOUR

HOW TO GROW MORINGA TREE

ABOUT THE TREE

Moringa oliefera is native to sub-Himalayan tracts of northern India but is now found worldwide in the tropics and sub-tropics. It grows best in direct sunlight under 500 meters altitude. It tolerates poor soil conditions, but prefers a neutral to slightly acidic (PH. 6.3-7.0), well-drained sandy or loamy soil. Minimum annual rainfall requirements are estimated at 250mm with maximum at over 3,000mm. But in water logged soil the roots have a tendency to rot. In areas with heavy rainfall, trees can be planted on ant hills to encourage water run-off. The presence of a long taproot makes it resistant to periods of drought. Trees can be easily grown from seed or from cuttings. Temperature ranges are 25-35degrees Celsius (0-95 degrees Fahrenheit), but the tree can survive light frost.

HOW TO PLANT THE MORINGATREE

There are three ways in which the Moringa tree can be planted and grown. These are :

Plant seeds directly into the ground.

Nursery through the use of plastic bags

Planting the cuttings (.vegetative production).

GROUND TO PLANT IN

Choose an area with light and sandy soil, not heavy with clay or water logged.

Dig holes 50 cm square by60 cm deep. Back fill the holes with loose soil, compost or manure will help the tree grow better, even though Moringa trees can grow in poor soils.

Plant 1 to 3 seeds in each hole, 5cm apart. Plant seeds 1.5 cm deep.

Keep the soil moist enough so that the top soil will not dry and choke the emerging saplings, but it should not be too wet or else the seeds can drown and rot.

When the saplings are 10 to15mm tall, keep the healthiest sapling in the ground and remove the rest.

LAND PREPARATION

Clear the area by cutting down trees. Remove all stumps and roots. The Moringa planting is direct.

SEMI INTENSIVE MONOCULTURE FOR LEAF PRODUCTION

Small – scale farmers who want to obtain good result with less labour should adopt this type of production system where the plant spacing should be 50 cm and 1 meter

Mono culture for seed production and plant spacing should be 3 meter x 3 meters or 2.5 m x 2.5 m

Land preparation

Clear the area by cut down trees removes all stumps and roots. The Moringa planting is direct but dig holes 50 cm by 50cm and 60cm deep for seedling or stem seedling requirement.

SEED MANAGEMENT.

To encourage rapid germination of seeds use any of the three pre – seedling treatment methods.

1          Soaking seeds in water before planting          

Soak the seeds for 24 hours or 48 hours; remove the seeds and pat dry with a paper towel

Place the seeds in a plastic bag and store in a warm, dark place to encourage germination, which will take about three to 14 days

Check the seeds every couple of days to see if they have broken loose from the winged shell; when they do, you will notice two shoots protruding from the seed. Once they appear, do not let the shoots grow too long because they can be fragile and may break when handled (rendering the seed useless)

The shoot boasting the ruffled growth at its extremity contains your Moringa plant's first leaves and the other shoot contains the young plants roots

Whenplanting, place the root end of the germinated seed into the soil and point theleaf end toward the sun

2          Crackshells before planting

3          Removeshells and plant kernels only

Moringaseeds do not have dormancy period, they can be planted as soon as they havematured. It is best to plant the seeds directly where the tree is to grow andnot transplanting seedlings. The young seedlings are fragile and often cannotsurvive transplanting.

PLANTING AND MANAGEMENT

·        Plant 1 to 3 seeds in each hole 5cmapart 1 cm deep.

·        Keep the soil moist enough so thatthe top soil will not dry and choke the emerging samplings, but it should notbe too wet or else the seed can drown and rot.

·        When the samplings are 15 cm to 30cmtall, keep the healthiest ones in the ground and remove the rest.

PLANTING SEEDS IN PLASTIC BAGS (NURSERY)

When it is not possible to plant directly in theground, use the following method

·        Fill seedlings bags with light soilmixed, 3 parts of soil to 1 part sand.

·        Plant 2 to three in each bag 0.5 cmdeep

·        Keep moist but not too wet.Germination will occur within two weeks, but with pre seed treatment it shouldbe less.

·        Remove extra seedling, leaving onehealthiest one in each bag

·        Seedlings can be transplanted when the seeds are 30cm high.

TRANSPLANTING

Choosean area with light and sandy soil, not heavy with clay or water logged.

·        Dig holes 50 cm square by 60 cm deep.Back fill the holes with loose soil, compost or manure will help the tree growbetter, even though Moringa trees can grow in poor soils.

·        Water the planting holes one day before transplanting the seedlings

·        Plant seedlings in the late afternoon to avoid the hot sun the first day.

·        Make a hole in the pit to accept all soil in the bag. Carefully cut open the sac and place the seedling in the planting hole. Be careful to keep the soil around the seedling`s roots intact.

·        Back fill soil around the seedling base.

·        Water only lightly for the first days.

GROWING MORINGA TREE FROM CUTTINGS (VEGGETATIVEREPRODUCTION)

·        Make a cutting at least 2.5 cm in diameter and at least 1m long.

·        Dig a hole 1 m x 1 m and 1 m deep

·        Place cutting in the hole and fill with a mixture of soil, sand and composted manure. Back fill soil firmly around base of the cutting. Form a slight dome or sloping away from the cutting. It is necessary that water should not touch the stem of the new tree.

·        Water generously, but do not drown the cutting in water

PLANTING DENSITY AND CULTIVATOIN SYSTEMS

·        The planting density depends on the objective and the cultivation system

·        Intensive monoculture for leaf production is the best choice for leaf production. The space between plants must be 20cm x 20 cm, or 15 cm x 15 cm that is a density of 250,000 to 500,000 plants per hectare

·        Set out spaces at regular intervals of 4 meters to facilitate maintenance and harvesting. This is suitable for industrial production, as they require great care and more resources to manage.

MAINTENANCEOF MORINGA TREES

PRUNNING OF TREES

This is important for leaf production because if left to grow naturally the tree has a tendency to produce long vertical branches that only produce fruit at their extremities leading to poor yield. It is therefore essential to encourage lateral branches that give the tree shape of a bush.  This makes it easy to harvest either leaves or pods. When the tree reaches a meter high cut off top about 10cm from the tip of the plant. In a week it will start to grow new secondary branches which will start appearing on the main stem below the cut. Prune again when these branches reach 20 cm. The tertiary branches will appear and the tree will take the shape of a bush with leaves accessible for harvesting.

WEEDING

The weeding of Moringa field has to be done by using a hoe regularly to avoid weeds competing for nutrients in the soil with young plants.  This also allows sunlight to reach the ground. The weeds should be left in the field to be mulch. This also helps in soil preservation. Adult plants must be hoed a least four times in a year.

FERTILIZERS/MANURE

Moringatrees do not need fertilizer of any kind but if need be it is advisable to usecow dung, or other animal manure. If chicken manure has to be used let it beused on big tree and must not be fresh. Chicken manure from Layers ispreferred. This must be done just before the rains start.

PESTS ANDDESEASE

Moringa trees resist a lot of pests, but termites still might givetrouble. If this is the case, use mulch with castor oil plant leaves. Use neemtree leaves soak leave overnight and spray the following day. It is also advisableto grow such plants as chilly, tephrosia, or lemon grass around Moringa fieldsas natural repellents since Moringa have to be organically grown.

MORINGA IN AGROFORESTRY

(Killing two birds with one stone)

Moringa trees can be planted in rows together withother crops. The distance between rows of Moringa should be between 2-4 m. Theplanting lines must run from east to west to provide maximum sunlight for thecrops.

Use low growing shade- tolerant plants where thecrop residues can enrich the soil with minerals (for example nitrogen), such asground nuts, soya or cowpeas and beans.

Moringa can also be planted for fencing purposes,shade and wind breaker for plantation crops. It can be a hedge or border andplanted in a row one meter apart.

In this way the farmer is reaping the benefits ofthe leaves while at the same time allowing some other crops to offer other(services) to the farmer which would include production of food crops.

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