How to grow drumstick plants (moringa tree) for fruits, flowers & leaves

Drumstick plant or moringa plant is a miracle plant. Its fresh green leaves, flowers and fruits are used as vegetables. All those parts of moringa plant also have medicinal values. Experts say that moringa leaves are a great source of vitamin A, calcium, fiber, potassium and iron. But how to grow drumstick plant (moringa tree) at your garden/backyard? Is it difficult to grow? or is it very easy to grow?

Well, you can grow this drumstick plant in two ways. One is from cutting and another one is from seeds. I grew two moringa tree and both of those were grown from cutting.

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Grow drumstick plant from cutting

Growing drumstick plant (moringa tree) from cutting is the simplest way. If you cut a drumstick stem and leaves it on the ground then also it will take many weeks to be dried up or dead. I mean I have witnessed a used a drumstick 1.5-inch diameter size branch/stem what I used to provide support for pumpkin plant. Two months after using that stem as a support I have noticed a few green leaves coming out from that stem. That stem not on the ground and still, it was not dead even after two months.

So the point of understanding is, this plant is very easy to grow from cutting. If you use very well-drained soil and keep the soil moist. Then roots will grow very soon.

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Though the rainy season is the best season for growing any plant from cutting but as it is a winter vegetable and you have cut its branches/ stems after harvesting its fruits. So you have to grow drumstick from cutting in the month of February & March. So you need to water it regularly once you planted its branch in the soil.

Grow drumstick plant from seeds

I have never tried to grow drumstick plant from seeds. But many nursery guys said it is also easy to grow from seeds. But you will get fruits after 4-5 years. If you grow this plant from cutting then you may need to wait for only 2-3 years.

But some people also said that you can not keep drumstick dormant for months. But whatever difficulty level it would be, I would never prefer to grow drumstick plant from seeds.

Drumstick plant care

• You should grow this plant where sunlight reaches atleast for 3-4 hours during winter days.
• Sandy soil or light soil is preferred as it helps in the growth of its roots 
• During the initial 2 years, it may need compost fertilizer to boost its growth but still, you can grow this plant without any fertilizer for years. It will find its nutrients from soil itself.

Harvest drumstick leaves/flowers/fruits/vegetables

You can harvest leaves throughout the year. Harvesting its flowers is very difficult because you have to be careful about its female flower what it produces fruits in the near future. Secondly, its stems & branches are very weak so you may face difficulty to climb on a moringa tree. So most people in villages, keep its surrounding area clean so that every morning they can pick fresh flowers from the ground.

Harvesting its fruits is much easier because you do not need to pluck its fruits one by one. The best way to harvest drumsticks fruits is just directly cut its branches or even the stem just 5-6 feet above the ground and then pluck all fruits. Every year you should cut its branches or stem is essential to boost fresh growth and better production of drumstick fruits/vegetable.

 

Plucking drumstick fruits/vegetable is really a joyful activity. So grow your own drumstick plants (moringa tree) and harvest plenty of leaves, flowers and fruits/vegetable every year.