This time we share with you our Miracle Tree, Moringa. This one is less than a year old and has already grown to over 10 feet tall. It puts out edible leaves, flowers and bean pods and has a myriad of beneficial health properties.
Hey guys I really enjoy your videos, especially the outtakes and when you can get Lori to be on camera it's just fun feeling. I live in Phoenix and am just starting my food Forrest and have been binge watching your videos for tips. I have several friends who live out your way and we go rock crawling with our Jeeps around there a lot. I just wanted to thank you for the fun videos and I hope you keep making them.
Hey glad you like them and thanks for the encouragement! If you're here in town just let us know if you want to stop by and check the place out. We're on FB, so you can message us there.
Awesome videos and great info you guys put out. THANK YOU for giving me hope in a small farm lifestyle. I just retired from Army and will be heading back to Black Mesa, Az ( near Kayenta, Az ) and will be looking to come see you guys here in wittman to get some tips.
Hey Indio. Glad you found us and are enjoying the content! Had to look up to see where Kayenta is and WOW you're going to be way up there! If you're going to be out our way be sure to hit us up on FB and message us so we can figure out a good time for you to stop by. Oh and congrats on your retirement and thank you for your service.
AHHH Thanks for the inspiration. We watched this vid and bought our seed on Amazon during covid. Thanks for the inspiration. Can't wait mine to bloom and harvest some pods. Mine is bit over a year old and just chopped top for the tree to grow like bush.
These trees are really strong growers. The only thing you need to watch is colder temps. This tree died when we went below 30 degrees a few years back, so if you get that cold you'll need to protect them on those cold nights.
Hi Guys, I also had good luck with Moringa seeds . I started them in mid summer in green house and now 5' tall. I will be putting them out this spring. My climate is similar to yours -Kingman AZ so thanks for letting us know they need winter protection.
Im going to order some of these seeds......Happy New Year Folks and may your New Year be prosperous and rewarding......from our farm to yours!....Dan and Wendy!
Hey guys! Key with these for you will be protecting them once you get below 30 in the winter. We plan on keeping them no more than waist high after heavy fall pruning and wrapping them in burlap. Happy New Year to you guys as well!
Hey Terri! Yes, the moringa trees do really well for us here. Just watch the Winter temps. This tree was killed a few years back when we hit 20 degrees solid for a few nights in a row. You'll want to be sure to prune it nice and low in the Winter and cover if you're below 30 degrees. Otherwise, teas and greens are in your future!
Great video! Here in the Phoenix area, Costco has it and so does Sprouts. Both for about $14 per pound for the green powdered Moringa leaves. Keep up the great work!
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm, i'm with you there. I have about 50 Moringa Oleifera PKM1 trees in my Phoenix yard. In my recent Surfview Gardens video I show the Annual August Haircut and Harvesting. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-LrMoaktlEpg.html I put the dried leaves in bags after dehydrating them and I grab handfuls and put them in omelets and frittatas and such. But, I could grind them like you suggest. Growing so many pods though, the leaves get bare in both winter and summer - with all that energy going to pod creation (PKM1 cultivar grows TONS of pods). So, I still buy the green powder from Costco and Sprouts. But, I like your economical suggestion, grind what you have. Thanks, man!
In India, Moringa are highly valued. The leaves are good for deworming both for humans and livestocks & pets. The fruit pods(drumsticks) are cut to 2-3 inches length, boiled and used in curries. The flesh & seeds inside the drumsticks become soft and juicy. It is again considered very healthy. Many traditional homesteads in South India grow moringa & plantain trees in their backyard and use only graywater.
Wow, that's an amazing number of uses for this tree. We're hopeful we can incorporate these into the new farm property. Our very cold winter is tough on these trees, but we have some ideas on how we can keep them alive through our harsh winters.
Started mine from seeds from a friend. Put it in the ground in march 2020 at 5 inches tall. By january 2021 it was 13 feet tall before i cut it back half way. Little shooters started in march. These trees love irrigation.
Vigorous trimming of the long branches will thicken the tree up insanely fast, when I was an arborist in Hawaii my client had one that got over a foot thick in under 4 years
I live in Cottonwood and am growing Moringa trees. I planted just a few this year to see how they do, and will do more next year. I realize I'm going to have to bring them inside for winter, so that's why they're in pots right now. Maybe in the spring I will plant them in the ground (or a couple anyway), then when it's getting toward cold time, cut them back and insulate and cover them well to see how they fair the winter that way. it sometimes gets pretty cold here, but you never know what year will be very cold, and which will be very mild. Weather doesn't know what it's doing anymore.
Hey miwin1000. I think you may be on the right track. While you're definitely colder in the winter than we are down here, it may be possible to wrap the trunk with mulch to keep it from freezing to the ground. This tree had a trunk less than 1/2" diameter and we wrapped it with mulch for it's first winter and it survived just fine. It was only in the ground for about 2 months before we hit winter weather, so it might be worth trying one of your starts now and wrapping it before winter sets in to see if it will work. Let us know how it goes!
Starting from a stick is very easy, put it in the soil, avoid overwatering. An amazing food for animals, my chickens are growing amazingly well on Moringa, I use powered form for animals. So many uses! Enjoy!
Hey Vera! Thanks for the comment. We haven't tried growing them from cuttings, but I've heard of people doing it. We need to give that a try. And yes, it's amazing how well the animals like moringa. Truly amazing. Thank you for the suggestion!!
Hi Duane and Lori, I live in Tucson and appreciate any Arizona videos on fruit trees I can get my eyes on! I purchase 3 Mangos, an Avocado, and Ice cream banana tree fro Shamus O'Leary's in Phx a month ago. I also just purchased a Cara Cara orange a couple days ago. I've not really been able to find a Moringa in Tucson as the trees have all sold out so I'm glad to hear growing them from seed is easy here. My question is how many seeds do you plant at once, what kind of soil and how deep do you plant them? I'm going to look into a fig tree, just don't know which variety tastes the best? I guess it's a matter of opinion. I'm curious which is your favorite? Glad to have found you on RU-vid and look forward to watching more of your videos 😊
Hey Teffiny. For Moringa put 3-5 seeds a few inches apart and no more than about 1/2" deep (just so the soil is covering the seed when watering it) in a small nursery pot with organic potting soil (we use Kelloggs). We started ours in August and then put it in the ground, but you can start them in January indoors and try to transplant in March. For figs we just had our panache fig for the first time and it's a nice change from the Brown Turkey which produces amazing for us. Our Peter's Honey and Kadota haven't produced much yet, but I hear the Peter's Honey is the one to beat for sweetness. We're adding a Violette De Bordeaux and White Genoa in spring to round out our figs, so we'll update everyone once they're all producing. Glad you like the videos!
Thanks for your video sharing and I would like to growing some in Globe Arizona. That’s an amazing tree! My husband is Vietnam Veterans and I retired many years! I always grow many flowers and vegetables at our backyard. Would you please send me some seeds to Globe Arizona? Thanks again!
Hey there Mimi! I'm glad you enjoyed this episode and are wanting to grow this in Globe. The key to this tree is making sure you prune it back nice and heavy with protection in the winter when temps are below 30 degrees F. As for seeds, your best bet is to purchase them from Amazon. They're very inexpensive and it would probably cost us more to ship these to you than it would to have them delivered! I'll link to a good option on Amazon for you here; amzn.to/3uamWl3
Did you guys wait a year after the seedlings came up to put it in the ground? I just wondered because at least some people say to so the roots and tree will be tough like a normal tree not so delicate and tender like the moringa is when it emerges from the potting soil. Thanks
Hey LJ, this one was sprouted in the early spring and planted in the fall. We have a potted tree right now that was sprouted a year ago that we plan on putting in the ground this year, so we'll see if that makes a difference!
Hey there Sol! We actually lost this tree a few years ago to an unexpected hard freeze. We hit 20 degree solid for several nights and did not cover the tree as we should. It ended up killing the tree back to the ground and it never recovered. Needless to say, we learned a hard lesson with that experience.
Hi can u help me? I planned some moringa they were looking great until I re potted them (they were about 9 days old). Now they are still green and standing straight, but the leaves are curling. What could be wrong? Btw I live in az near benson
Hey Ceka. It sounds like they have transplant shock. This time of year is really tough on transplants because it's so hot and dry. Try to keep some shade on it and the soil moist. We lost a couple of transplants in June 2 years ago and try to avoid this time of year if we can. The good news about moringa is they start easy from seed, so you can always try again IF you lose these little guys. The challenge is always going to be getting them to survive the first winter and summer. We had success with this one when we started the seeds in the summer on the patio, transplanted it early fall and then wrapped the tree in mulch for it's first winter. Hope this helps!
Hi Im new to gardening here in San Tan, I grew some moringa seed, they are about 3 to 4 feet tall, when should I transplant them in to the ground? if I do it now will they survive the winter ? I would appreciate your reply. Any advise also on how to improve the dirt here would be great!
Hey there! Moringa trees have some unique challenges here in AZ, but being in the city will definitely help as the slightly warmer temps are what this tree thrives on! Given we're heading into winter it would be best to put them in larger pots (to allow root growth) and wait until spring (March) to get them in the ground. They have a very hard time with temps below freezing and they will die if you get down into the 20's (we learned that the hard way), so keeping them in a sunny spot and/or bringing them inside would be best for you this winter. As for soil, heavy wood chip mulch is our go to here. You can also compost in place under those chips to help encourage worm activity. Just make sure to keep them watered in really well to keep moisture levels high.
Hey Tricilla. You can make this work. Once they're germinated you can put them outside during the day when it's warm and bring them in if it gets below 40 degrees. The South facing side of your home will be the warmest, so put them there in pots during the day. When March rolls around find a comfy place for them out in the yard!
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Ohh Thank you I got my mom and brother looking forward to this. I was hoping I wouldn't let them down. I'm so looking forward to watching your videos. We live in Phoenix and Glendale so nice to meet you on video here. God Bless
Hi Duane and Lori! When this dies back in the winter, do you do anything to it? Or does it just grow back in the spring. I started some from seeds in July and am thinking I should wait until next spring to plant outdoors? Thank you!
Hey there Chris. We actually just planted 16 moringa trees over the last month, but it's up to you when you want to get them in the ground. They do need protection during the Winter when temps are below freezing, so pruning back heavy and covering the trunk is key!
Where I live we get long hot summers up to 38C and shorter mild winter average temperature about 14 C. Think moringa can grow quite well in this kind of climate?
Hey Charles. Absolutely! These trees love the heat and really only struggle when it gets below 10 C. You may be able to grow it year round if you're not seeing freezing temps.
Hello! How is your moringa tree doing after 4 years? Did it get out of control!? I’m planning to plant some, but I am not sure if I will be able to handle it, I have heard that tends to get out of control 😁
Hey there Sol. This tree actually died on us about a year after filming this. We hit 20 degrees for several evenings in a row and it completely killed the tree! We have not planted any on the new property, so we don't have a current reference point. That being said, they do grow EXTREMELY fast (15 - 20 feet in a year!), so you'll need to prune aggressively to keep them in check. Oh and if you see temps below 30 degrees you'll need to cover the tree. We were fine until we dipped into the low 20's.
Hey there! We don't use any specific soil amendments for moringa. They have MASSIVE taproots, so any amendments to the soil are useless after only a month or so in the ground. If you want to slightly amend the soil with compost or something similar it will help with the initial transplant shock, but otherwise there's no need. The only issue you'll face with this tree is during the Winter when we dip below 30 degrees. We hit 20 degrees a few years back and it killed this tree completely.
Hey there! Check out our Amazon shop and you'll find the seeds we used for this tree under our seeds section. I'll link it here; www.amazon.com/shop/edgeofnowherefarm For potting soil, it doesn't really matter too much. We use the Kellogg's brand potting soil from Home Depot, but any will do.
Hey Rome! Your climate is very similar to ours, so if you're going to start one of these from seed I would try to get it started now. We put ours in the ground late summer and then mulched the trunk for the winter to keep it from freezing to the ground. Once we were back up into the 90's in the spring it really took off as you can see from this video taken about a year after putting it into the ground. Once it's gone through a winter and summer it needs no protection at all in zone 9b. Hope this helps!
Hey Mg! These trees are designed to do really well in desert type areas. Once the temperatures are below about 50 degrees they usually stop growing and eventually lose their leaves in the winter. HOWEVER, you may be able to keep them coming back each year if you plant them in an area that is protected from really harsh winter weather and wrap the trunk in mulch to keep it alive until spring. It will do really well during the summer in Nashville. Hope this helps.
Hi there, i am from the same place. I put the seeds in a paper towel and i am waiting for them to sprout in order for me to transplant (right now). I am not sure if its the right season to do it. Please let me know how did you prepare your potting mix for moringa? Thanks much!!!
Hey there Tej. We usually plant Moringa in early Spring or Fall as young trees have a hard time with our Summer months. Keeping it potted will help. We use the Kellogg's potting soil that you can find at Home Depot and it works just fine for things like this. Good luck with your tree!!
He Frances. We usually prune our trees back in the Winter once they stop growing, but you can probably get away with it now if you feel the need. Either way, pollarding these trees is really a good way to go. It ensures lateral branching and new growth that is easy to reach for harvesting.
Hey Jean! During the hot summer months we water this tree 2-3 times per week. We use drip irrigation and they get about 36 gallons (3, 4gph emitters run for 3 hours) each day they receive water. During the winter it's dormant and we water about 1-2 times per month, but only about 12 gallons at a time. Hope this helps!
Great question. We use the Kellogg's organic potting soil that you can find at Home Depot or Lowes. It's a good price and they seem to have it in stock pretty regularly.
We do naturally control the height each season as they have to be cut back prior to any hard frost. For this we prune them back far enough so they are easily covered to protect them during the colder months. I'll link to a more recent video we did showing you how we protect these during the Winter months on the new farm; ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-U3ospHPfTY8.html
How often did you water when it was younger. I have one I planted about a month ago and it is about 3 feet tall. I was watering once a week and then twice a week to get it established and then I went back to once a week but now it is getting hot and I thought I might do more but don't want to over water.
Great question there Margie and I think you'll find they need water at least twice a week when they're young and going through the next few months of hot, dry weather. The tree will definitely tell you if it's needing more moisture as the new growth will start to wilt slightly (or look limp) in the afternoon. Otherwise, your tree should be growing very strong as we get into the summer months. These trees LOVE the heat!
@@jmjdickey you definitely want to water long and slow, especially for Moringa. They have very deep tap roots that will eventually find water, but when they're young you need to encourage both outward and downward growth on those root systems. Especially going into this hot time of year.
@@jmjdickey you may want to give that one a little shade. Our first attempt at planting Moringa did not go well, because we hit 120+ degrees on a newly planted tree.
Our Canadian owners of the rv park saw invasive (in Florida) and wouldn't allow me to plant my Moringa trees in Quartszite, Arizona. They are root bound and need a home, starting to flower as well!
Now that doesn't sound fair, there's just no way for this to become invasive in the desert. Way too much water required up front for it to survive long enough to establish on it's own!
Hey there neighbor! It's so cool how we end up finding so many folks in Wittmann this way. We don't use a lot of amendments, especially when it comes to fruit trees. When we do we try to keep it organic and because it's only used sparingly we stick with the easy to find stuff. Kellogg's bagged mixes are usually our go-to for this as they can be found year round at Home Depot. Otherwise we use compost/manure that we generate here on the farm. Both chicken and pig manure in that case. Our bagged fertilizer go-to is BioFlora crumbles that you can usually find in small bags at Summer Winds nursery or larger bags from Greg Peterson's Urban Farm (when he is open for business).
My neighbor informed me that the small trees popping up around my property are moringa trees. Then she showed me where the moringa seeds are coming from two houses down the road and I was shocked, the tree is HUGE! I don't have the room in my yard for all these moringa trees and their growing in bad spots like right up against my chain link fence inside and out and branches extending through the chain links! The leaves are VERY LARGE, not like the one you have.
I don't think you would have a moringa tree surviving wild up where you are (they should die once you hit temps below 30 degrees). Can you send me a pic of the tree and the bean pods? There should be mature, large bean pods on it right now. I'd like to see the seeds inside the pod also.
Could you please tell me the ideal time to start these from seed in a pot to nurse before planting in the ground? I 'live in Chandler and my brother s live in Phoenix. Also, when is the best time to put them in the ground from a pot?
Hey there! It may be a bit late to start them now and get them in the ground before fall, but the seeds are inexpensive and it's worth the time to learn how they grow. If you can get it a couple of feet tall I would try to get it in the ground by October. If you do, you'll want to protect the trunk from any frosts. Otherwise, wait until January to start the seeds indoors and transplant either in the spring, or keep them potted until fall and put them in the ground in September. Same thing there, make sure to protect them that first year during the winter. Good luck!
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm One more quick question for you and yours, how invasive are the roots? Our backyard is small so I need to know how close I can plant these to the block wall fence...
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Oh, yes, and one more pasty question, for a neighbor of mine: How much shedding trouble are these if they are say,50 feet from a swimming pool? I hate to be such a bother, but you are so helpful and generous with your knowledge and experience!!!
The seeds we bought several years ago are no longer available, but there are a lot of options out there that all work great. I'll link one for you here on Amazon and if you use our link we get a small commission whether you buy this particular one or something else ;) amzn.to/3jg8Jx2
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Once my trees are established, S should I expect Moringa trees to start popping up all over the my yard bc the seeds having wings? Do I need to be careful planting it near grass? I’m in AZ too. Thx!!
@@danau4934 I don't know whether or not you'll see volunteers, because they need to be buried and well watered in order to sprout. I suppose it's possible you might see them in your grass, but they would be easy to spot!
Hey there! The trees will all bloom and set pods as long as the flowers are pollinated. We've found that it usually takes a year for the tree to establish enough to produce pods. At least for us out here!
We have a video we did after this tree died, so you can see what we cut it back to. Unfortunately we didn't realize 20 degree temps would completely kill the tree, but you'll still get an idea of how much they need to be cut back. Pruning; ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lXYQok2VmrU.html Losing the Tree to 20 degree temps ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0D2oxZxgk24.html
We did an episode showing how we pruned this one and it's pretty simple. They grow so quickly that it's best to either coppice or pollard these trees. We chose to pollard it, so you'll see that in this episode; ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lXYQok2VmrU.html
Hey Philip. These trees grow very quickly and get quite large, so I'm not sure how they would do in a community garden. Unless there is space around the beds to place some trees for shade, etc.
Moringa trees do best with the same irrigation you would give fruit trees for the first few years (for us that's a least 40-50 gallons per week or more). Once they are well established you can water them similar to more desert adapted trees. Either way, they will need some water each week.
@@spadeone22 if it's a moringa tree you'll want to water it once or twice a week, but nice and heavy each time. If you water too often the tree will not put down roots deep enough to survive the heat. It will also help if you have wood chip-type mulch around the tree to help maintain the moisture levels between watering.
Yes, it sure did. We made the mistake of not protecting it a couple of years back when we hit 20 degrees for several nights in a row. It was fine above 30, but 20 degrees killed it completely.
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm seed u can take from some trees or farmer, don't buy costly certified seeds, get the plants ready and plant it, it's very sturdy plant.
Hey there Jo. We've found that growing them out so they have strong stems before transplanting is the key. They are best planted directly in the ground from seed where the tree is going to live, but time under a good grow light indoors or on a patio with good sunlight should help them to grow stronger trunks. That's always worked for us with the few trees we've planted.
think about it...nature does not place pine needles around oak trees, oak leaves around elms..ect....the leaves of plants are best incorporated into the soil around that plant..nutrients from the plant are this reintroduced into the soil and taken up readily by the plant...time of the season (spring growth..leaves harvested in the spring work best, plant flowering..leaves harvested then are best when used directly...you get my point but maybe you could look into Natural Korean Farming with Master Cho to get a better idea of what I am talking about..
All excellent points John. The challenge for us here is a complete and total lack of biology in and around the soil. Hence the importing of wood chips and the like to jumpstart that biology. That being said, we do keep all of the material from the newly planted trees, vines, bushes, etc on site to become a part of the life on the farm. I'm passingly familiar with Natural Korean Farming, but an expert by no means. We're still learning as we go, so I really appreciate the resources!
No, we don't share or sell seeds, because they're very easy to find and inexpensive on Amazon. I'll link the one we recommend here for you; amzn.to/2YjiyAq
Ha! Kinda. We make a powder from the dried leaves and put it in our smoothies, because the leaves have a very strong "green" taste to them. We just learned how to eat the pods from one of our customers and they're pretty good. Taste is similar to an artichoke and you eat them the same way basically.
