How to: Plant Malungay

The Malunggay or Moringa plant in the Philippines has traditionally been used by lactating mothers as a
supplement to induce increased milk production when taken as a soup. Aside from that it was more popularly used as plain old fencing posts. Recently though the new found uses of the plant have spurred interest in propagating the plant for commercial use.

The medicinal value of the plant has been proven via a range of uses that have been discovered for its parts. From it are derived antibiotic’s, medicines to treat arthritis, rheumatism, gout, cramp, boils, and sexually transmitted disease. It can also help lower cholesterol in people. The roots could even be used to treat snake bites. It has been discovered recently that intake of malunggay can increase sperm count in infertile men.

Because of its anti-oxidant properties it has been used in the manufacturing of perfumes, personal care and therapeutic products, as well as cosmetics.

Since the leaves have been traditionally used to increase milk production in lactating mothers, it has been tried, with successful results, to feed them to milking cows in order to increase their milk production.

Oil extracted from the seeds can be used to make biofuels. Malungai oil is edible and looks like olive oil in its fatty acids composition. It is rich in monosaturated fatty acids, it is believed to be more stable to oxidative rancidity. Also, it is stable as deep frying oils and is usually healthier as it lowers risk of coronary heart disease. The oil content of seeds ranges between 30 to 40% by weight.

The left over press cake from the pressed seed during the extraction of the oil can be used in water filtration as it acts as a coagulant to absorb particulate matter and bacteria in the water. Other uses for the presscake is as an animal feed as it contains high amounts of protein.

According to a study, a gram of leaf of a moringa plant contains 7 times more vitamin c than an orange, 4 times more calcium than milk, 4 times more vitamin A than a carrot, 3 times more potassium than a banana and 3/4 more iron than a Chinese cabbage (pechay/bok choy).

Where can you plant Malunggay?
Basically anywhere since it is a hardy plant, it doesn’t require much water and good soil. The notes from this article however were taken from a study done in tropical conditions. It is unknown how the plant will perform in northern climates.

How do you plant Malunggay?
1. If you are planting from the seeds, select the dark or bright brown seeds.
2. Soak the seeds in water for 24 hours so that the seed can absorb all the water it needs for germination.
3. Afterwards, clean it with water and make sure its dry so that the formed roots won’t rot.
4. Put it in a plastic bag and place in a dark and dry place (like a drawer) for 3-10 days.
5. Once the seeds have loosened from their shells and sprouts have reached 3cm in height, you can then proceed to plant it directly to the ground.
6. Plant the seeds 3/4 of an inch beneath the soil surface with the ruffled extremity exposed to the sun.

Although the moringa is a hardy plant, in its infant stage it might not be as resistant to the direct rays of the sun. It would be wise to put a little shade via leaves or branches so that the seeds aren’t exposed all the time. Yellowing of leaves, defoliation, thin and lanky stems are signs of poor water, nutrition and too much sunlight

What if I want to pot the Malunggay instead of planting it directly to the ground?
If you are planning to pot the malunggay seeds before planting to the ground to improve survival rate or for selling, it is recommended to use sandy loam soil for potting. Let the seeds stay in the pot for at least 8 weeks before allowing it to be planted in the soil so as to develop their root system.

If you want to improve on this further, you could use as your soil material 1 part compost, 1 part sand and 2 parts of soil.

What if I don’t want to plant seeds?
You can plant moringa from getting an existing bark on the tree. Choose an old branch, cut both ends then stick it in the ground.

What is the correct spacing when planting Malunggay/Moringa
Plant the malunggay between 1-3 meters distance of each other if you are planning to harvest its seeds only. If you are planning to harvest the leaves it would be best to plant it between 10 - 30 centimeters from each other.

How do you water the Malunggay/Moringa Plant?
After planting on the soil be sure to water the plant. Even after transferring of the plant be sure that you water it. Whenever the soil is dry be sure to water the malunggay plant.

How do you fertilize the Malunggay/Moringa Plant?
Place a nitrous based fertilizer if you are planning to increase the plants leaves and foliage. When you are letting the plant bear fruit, add some complete fertilizer.

What is the correct way to harvest the malunggay plant?
When harvesting the leaves, get only the leaves of correct age, not too young neither old. When harvesting the seeds, if you are planning to use the seeds for eating, don’t get the seeds that are too old. If you are planning to extract oil from the seeds, get the seeds that are already old.