06/12/2025
ZONE 9A FIRST HARVESTS and A NEW STUDENT LETTER POST!!
To all my growers out there, it is quickly becoming time to make your FIRST HARVEST of the season!! wooohoooo! We harvest our growing leaf at least 3 times each grow season here in 9a! That means taking EVERYTHING, the entire plant, and leaving a 30cm or 10" center stalk for regrowth. It does NOT matter how tall or wide the plant is, this is a researched and proven standard to maximize leaf production, so WHACK EM'!!
Once you see the red buds popping out for new growth, go ahead and give a healthy plant food feeding weekly for the next few weeks and watch the explosions. You will do this 2 more times this grow season, with 'Final Harvest' coming sometime near Nov 1st (9a) or when ave temps drop below 65F (dormancy) and leaf starts to yellow near base branches...:) Have fun and get that leaf stored for off season use for everyone.
The following is a recent email sent to a new grower in Texas who reached out to Moringa John, and I wanted to share it with this community, so you can feel encouraged about your progress, and so you can now support other new growers wanting self-sufficiency and increased wellness in their lives!
"Hello MARY!"
Thank you for reaching out for suggestions on your new Moringa's. Let me start by saying what I do to nearly all of my new workshop growers, the worst way to plant Moringa is not at all! lol Moringa is one of the most 'tolerant' of tropical/sub-tropical plants to enjoy and here in the US is being heavily explored in grow zones 7-11. Each variety and grow zone needs more data, but we already know that it's possible to be successful nearly anywhere with reasonable expectations. We are leaf farmers, not tree growers, unless it's being added for aesthetics.
That being said, I hear you about the clay soil, and I have done extensive growing in zone 9a myself (mostly sand), northeast Fla. As for the clay soil, there is nothing we can do to change that condition except to slowly treat it, much like we would treat dry flaky skin, by moisturizing. On top or during site prep, organics sand vermiculite perlite coir shredded leafy materials shredded cardboards; we need organics and drainage and nutrition etc etc.
Whether you're planting a seedling, sappling, or seed, due to its desire to send the taproot deep into the Earth, a deep soil preparation is most ideal, 2.5-3 ft deep, and 2-3' wide depending on the grow design. Higher draining highly nutritious prepared soils, OR, we have to continuously feed and amend from above...Do the best you can today with what you have or can easily acquire.
Potted is great as long as they have lots of room and depth as well as plant foods added to keep growth bushy and maximize leaf production, which in 9a you should be able to harvest completely, 3 times a grow season. I often will use 13 gal Goodwill trashcans, storage totes, and approx 1 plant per 5 gal in standard nursery pots, which imho are not deep enough for best growth, but again we do what we can with what we have.
Harvesting Moringa means a total harvest of the entire stalk and branches leaving a 10" center stalk for a new feeding and growth phase. When temps ave below 65F, we do 'final harvest' taking the precious leaf, and let her rest for the cooler months.
90% of Moringa failures are due to lowland planting (flooding) or overwatering. Keep your potted or inground soils covered always, and with inground plantings I recommend hedgerows 12" apart for tighter bushier styled production. This spacing can be applied to smaller home designs or multiple acre commercial production models.
There are posts and videos on Moringa John on FB and more to come that cover most topics.
Good Luck"
This year is a GREAT year to GROW TRIPLE! Share with everyone and anyone seeking abundant successful proven health and nutritional support!
Moringa John
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