moringa oleifera

[Yvonne G]

A while back we had a thread that talked about this miracle tree that was good for what ailed ya, even good for livestock grazing, so I ordered online what I thought were young trees...turns out it was seeds. I planted them and the instructions said they would germinate in 3 to 4 months. NOT!!! More like 3 to 4 days!!! I have 6 little Moringa seedlings growing in my green house. I planted the seeds in Super Soil potting soil, which was inside a "clamshell". That's the plastic tubs that yuppie lettuces come in. I closed the lid, made sure to water when dry, and lo and behold: seedlings!

If anyone is interested in planting these trees in their tortoise habitats, here is some info on the tree:

http://www.tree-nation.com/trees/tree-specie-details/5

 

[dokomadake]

Thats awesome! i will definitely look into this!

Sent from my SGH-M919 using TortForum mobile app

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-78628.html

Just for fun, this is that few months ago thread, with detailed sources of nutrient content, etc.

Good Job on the seedlings Yvonne, that is exciting, I guess you have "green thumbs" and "something somethings" for tortoises too.

Will

 

[Yvonne G]

My "something somethings" for tortoises is the fact that I feed and water them, then leave them alone to be tortoises. Anyone can do that!!

 

[ascott]

Awesome tree....and amazing at how a species of life knows its life span and in this case throws it into overdrive...12 years is relatively low for a trees lifespan....Yvonne, very cool and very antiquated looking tree, beautiful.

 

[StarSapphire22]

I wonder if you could make them bonsai, and grow them in indoor enclosures...

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

I wonder if you could make them bonsai, and grow them in indoor enclosures...

I, for one, eagerly await your report on this question. Will

 

[sunshine_hugs]

Haha...too funny! I JUST returned home from a nursery in the mountains here, and came back with 3 new Moringa seedlings. I was thinking about the last thread while I was driving. Pretty neat that you grew them from seeds.

They grow very fast. I'm not sure that you could bonsai them, but you should prune the tops off to keep them a manageable height, and encourage more shoots.

Good luck with your seedlings!

 

[StarSapphire22]

Re: RE: moringa oleifera

I wonder if you could make them bonsai, and grow them in indoor enclosures...

I, for one, eagerly await your report on this question. Will

Well some quick research shows it's possible, but I don't think it would work for a beginner bonsai keeper (like me). It grows too fast. But if someone has done them before and was willing to start from seeds, it's doable. I couldn't find any moringa bonsai for sale online that were already started.

 

[Holycow]

Just noticed this thread today. I too have been growing a small moringa tree. I saw it mentioned some months ago and looked into it, evidently there are several species of moringa that grow in different places around Africa/ Madagascar, I figured I'd grow it and see if my tortoises like it. It seems like it might be available to sulcata or aldabra in the wild- so why not. Have yet to offer it to any of them yet though.

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm not having too much luck with my seedlings. The leaves are burning. I think I've got them planted in soil that's too heavy. It isn't drying out quickly enough - staying too wet:

 

[Jacqui]

Well that isn't good. I was looking forward to seeing how they do for you and if your tortoises like them.

 

[sunshine_hugs]

Oh man....sorry you're not having much luck. From the picture, it looks like one of them is doing pretty good, but it's hard to tell.

I bought mine when they were bigger than yours, but the nursery I got them from, kept them in full shade when they were little seedlings. I keep them in partial sun, and they've doubled in size.

Good luck!

 

[Holycow]

Mine came as a little sprouted plant. I placed it in a pot that already has soil in it (from a previous plant which never got watered) and dragged it out to a location where it could get full sun. So far mine has grown quite well. Too dark for pics now but I'll post one tomorrow. Mine seems to be growing quite well with just a weekly watering. I am pretty bad with plants so these might be one of those species where less attention is better.

 

[Jacqui]

I am pretty bad with plants so these might be one of those species where less attention is better.

Sounds like my kind of plant.

 

[Yvonne G]

I thought all of my little plantlets had died from the cold, so I went on Amazon and bought some more seeds. Holy cow! The first time I bought them (the ones in this thread) I thought I was buying little plants and it turned out to be seeds. I don't remember what I paid, but it was a fairly ok price for little plants and I was quite disappointed it turned out to be seeds. This time I knew I was buying seeds. I bought them off Amazon and got 100 seeds for $4.95. I repeat, "Holy Cow!!!" The package says they are premium and organic and Mother Nature's multi-vitamin, and can be roasted or eaten like nuts. So I guess this time I bought FOOD! I hope they're not roasted or anything. Five buck for 100 seeds!!! I'll wait to plant them until the weather warms up a bit more.

 

[Alyssa]

I thought all of my little plantlets had died from the cold, so I went on Amazon and bought some more seeds. Holy cow! The first time I bought them (the ones in this thread) I thought I was buying little plants and it turned out to be seeds. I don't remember what I paid, but it was a fairly ok price for little plants and I was quite disappointed it turned out to be seeds. This time I knew I was buying seeds. I bought them off Amazon and got 100 seeds for $4.95. I repeat, "Holy Cow!!!" The package says they are premium and organic and Mother Nature's multi-vitamin, and can be roasted or eaten like nuts. So I guess this time I bought FOOD! I hope they're not roasted or anything. Five buck for 100 seeds!!! I'll wait to plant them until the weather warms up a bit more.

I know this is an older thread, but I just ordered seeds on amazon, and then searched on here and found this! Yvonne, have you had any luck with your seeds this year?

 

[Yvonne G]

No. It takes 6 months or more for them to germinate. I've still got pots of moist dirt.

If you do get yours to sprout, let me warn you...don't let the plants dry out. I had two very nice plants that I bought, 6" pots, plants about 12-15" tall. I didn't see that they needed watered and they totally died. I've been watering hoping the roots aren't dead, but its been a week and nothing.

 

[Alyssa]

Yikes. Lol. Ok, good to know!

 

[Alyssa]

@yvonne, so I got my seeds about a week or so after I posted last, planted 12, and had germination 7-10 days later. I planted in different locations as an experiment to see what works best, so I thought I'd share the results since we live roughly in the same area and weather is the same.

I chose a spot with full sun, one with partial shade, and planted some in a pot as well, that is mostly in the shade. I planted 4 in each spot. None in the pot sprouted though, but that's likely due to the neighbors cat that was sleeping in my pot. All the ones in partial shade germinated. Only two in the full sun germinated. The ones I planted directly in the ground I dug large holes and back filled with a mixture of original dirt (loosened), manure and compost.

So here are the results a month later.
This is the one that I kept in full sun. It is already 14 in. And keeps growing fast! I transplanted the other seedling that germinated there to the pot, but it is dying. I might try cactus soil in the pot and try transplanting one from the partial shade.



These are the ones in partial shade. I haven't picked on to keep yet. The tallest here is only 7 in. The leaves on the bottom are starting to yellow, so I'm cutting back on water over here:


So for now I guess the best way to plant these is right in some sandy soil in the ground in full sun and heat. These germinated in that hot streak of triple digits.

I'm hoping that my tree in full sun will survive the winter. It is right by my enclosure and would be perfect for some shade.

Well, I don't know if this helps or not. I bought like 200 seeds so i'd be more than happy to bring you more if you want. I'm coming your way this weekend.