How To Grow Moringa Seeds in Seedbeds

Locate a spot in your yard or garden with well-draining soil and daily exposure to six hours of direct sunlight. Install decorative edging around the bed to separate it from the surrounding area and prevent weed infestations. Depending on personal preference, spread rocks or stones on the ground or install plastic or metal edging.

Dig a 12-inch-by-12-inch hole in the soil with a shovel. Add half the soil you removed from the hole in a wheelbarrow and mix equal amounts of organic compost or rotted manure to it. Back-fill the hole with the enhanced soil and tamp the surface with the back of a shovel to level it.

Place four to five moringa seeds on the surface of the prepared seedbed, 2 to 3 inches apart. Gently push each seed a half-inch into the soil. Cover the seeds lightly with loose soil mixture.

Irrigate the seeds lightly with a slow trickle so you do not wash them away. Use a drip irrigation system or a garden hose at its lowest setting. Keep the soil lightly moist, not overly wet or dripping.

Inspect the seeds after five days for signs of germination, which typically occurs in five to 12 days. Pull out any weeds that pop up around the seed bed, to keep these undesirable plants from robbing soil nutrients and moisture. Although edging reduces the chances of weed infestations, regular inspection is required to eliminate their occurrence.

Thin the seedlings when they grow 4 to 6 inches tall. Leave the healthiest upright and growing seedling in the soil and pull the others out, along with their roots.

Provide your growing moringa tree 1 inch of water every week. Although the moringa is adapted to dry, semi-arid climates, twice-weekly watering may be required to maintain adequate soil moisture in hot and dry areas. Do not allow the soil to become waterlogged, which causes root rot, but provide a steady stream of water until the soil becomes evenly moist.

Apply 2 to 3 inches of manure around the base of the moringa tree every year to enrich the soil. Feed the tree a light fertilizer every three months during the growing season to provide it the essential nutrients it needs to grow. Spreading 4 to 5 pounds of manure mixed with a half-pound of ammonium sulfate over the soil around the tree increases seed pod production threefold.