How To Grow Moringa Tree In Containers: Growing Moringa in Pots

Details on how to grow moringa tree in containers at home, indoors or outdoor including moringa tree problems, diseases, how to repot and transplant, and how to grow and save moringa in winter, as I am growing moringa in Sydney, Australia. You can keep your moringa tree (Moringa oleifera), also known as horseradish tree or drumstick tree dwarf or small in a pot and bushy by proper pruning at correct time. Moringa tea, seeds, leaves benefits

Prune moringa tree to keep it small and bushy in the pot. Growing moringa plant at home in containers is quite easy.

Growing Moringa In Containers: Care For Potted Moringa Tree

Moringa Tree growing in a Pot

People often ask, can I grow moringa in a pot and how to take care for a potted moringa? Yes, growing moringa in a container is possible and it is advantageous if you live in extreme cold regions. You can move your potted moringa outdoors in spring or summer once all the dangers of frost are passed.

When to Plant Moringa

You can grow moringa in a pot by sowing seeds at any time of the year except in winter (how to grow moringa from seeds). You can also grow moringa from a cutting easily (grow moringa tree from cuttings)

Pot Size

1. Use a tall pot as the moringa tree has a deep tap root. A pot size of 22 inch height is adequate, but but you can start moringa in a smaller pot and carefully transplant it to a bigger one, later on. 
2. The pot should have several holes at its bottom to drain excess water, otherwise the standing water will rot the roots and kill the  plant.
3. You can use any type of pot, but soil in plastic pot becomes very hot in summers as high as 80ºC, so you may use a terracotta pot.

Soil for Moringa Tree

1. Moringa can grow in any type of soil, but it is best to plant it in a well-drained nutrition rich soil.
2. Mix Compost or Cow Manure to make the soil nutrition rich.
3. Mix some River Sand or perlite to make the soil free-draining. The best soil mixture for growing moringa in a container is a mixture of 70% Potting mix,15% river sand and 15% Compost.

Position: Where to Place Moringa Pot

Place the pot in which you are growing moringa where it can receive 5 to 8 hours of direct sunlight. Moringa grows best at 25 to 35ºC. You can grow moringa indoors in winter, place the pot in a spot which gets some sunlight or  in a bright place.

Watering Moringa Plant in a Pot

1. Keep the soil damp when you sow the seed and moringa seedling emerges.
2. Moringa requires lot of water when small or growing in Containers. Increase watering as the plant 
3. grows.
4. Water about half a cup of water for the first month daily. Then water one full cup for the next month after that give one cup on alternate days.
5. Water daily in hot Summers as the soil temperature inside pot becomes quite high.
6. If your moringa leaves are turning yellow, it means you are over-watering the plant. 
7. Water only when the top 1 inch soil becomes dry. Insert your finger in the soil and water if it is dry at the second knuckle.

Fertilizer For Potted Moringa

Moringa does not need regular fertilization if you have added compost or cow manure in the soil at the time of planting the moringa in the pot. In Spring, you can side dress with  cow manure.

You can add some bone meal in the soil, that will add phosphorus to the soil to encourage root development.

You can feed a liquid fish emulsion every 2 weeks from Spring to Summer to encourage leaf canopy growth.

Pests and Diseases

1. Caterpillars can be problems on the moringa which can eat its leaves. Spray neem oil on the leaves to avoid insect and pest attacks, particularly caterpillars (moringa tree leaves turn yellow).
2. Make a neem oil spray by mixing 1ml neem oil, 1ml liquid soap in 1 litre water and spray on both sides of the leaves.

Moringa Flowers and Fruits

1. Moringa can flower and bear fruits after 8 months of planting. 
2. Moringa flowers are pollinated by bees and birds. If there are no bees in your area, then the flowers will not be pollinated. You can plant lavender flowers or nasturtium flowers near your moringa plant, these flowers attract bees which will help pollinate moringa flowers.
3. Remove the blooms on your moringa plant of the first year to encourage the fruits in subsequent years.
4. The moringa tree flowers can attracts ants so use the natural ways to get rid of ants on fruit trees and other trees.
5. A healthy Moringa tree can grow you up to 400 fruits a year.
6. Your moringa will not produce flowers if the soils lacks adequate nutrients. Aged compost should provide the needed micronutrients to the soil, otherwise buy some micronutrient mix from garden shop.

How To Keep your Moringa tree Small, Pruning Moringa Tree

Repotting or Transplanting the Moringa Tree

You may need to transplant or repot your moringa tree after a few years in a larger pot as it grows.