Growing moringa O/drumstick tree in Melbourne

Linton says...
Hi Juanita

tried growing a moringa tree here in the s.e. suburbs last summer. But it died in the pot fairly quickly after I received it. I'm fairly sure they can't be grown in Melbourne.

abear says...
I'm in Melbourne and about to try growing one from seed. I plan to keep indoors/ greenhouse in winter and will maintain it as a small bush size -if I have a choice in this climate- I will give deep, compost rich but not over fertilised, well drained soil and keep humid, bright light or direct sun, and well ventilated. I will keep you posted. We can grow a lot of things here in Melbourne's diverse climate but tropicals are a big stretch most of the time. Still, we always want what we can't have!

Mike says...
I was thinking about crossing a chicken with a centipede so I would have lots of drumsticks.Seriously my little drumstick is booming in my climate andf the top half is destined for mulch patrol.

Naveena says...
Hi Juanita and Bincy,
I live in melbourne and am trying to grow Moringa tree from seed too. Can you please let me know your success rate?

Naveena says...
Thank you Bincy, we south Indian love moringa leaves in our cooking. Even if it is a potted plant and survives winters I would be happy:)

Julie says...
I bought mine on eBay. Don't remember the seller, but I think a few people have them.

hmahboob1 says...
My Moringa tree in Sydney is very healthy, lot of flowers and leaves. I have cut branches to harvest leaves. But no pods in sight! Any idea why I am not getting any pods from all these flowers. My plant is about 4 years old. Thank you.

Kuotakid says...
Hi all, I was wondering where abouts in Melbourne I could buy a Moringa seedling or young tree? I will be in Melbourne next week.

JulianC says...
Do light peeling to remove the harder ridges and cut into segments. Then cook in stews or dhalls or curries. When you eat it, you basically just eat the seeds which is soft and slurpy inside and spit out the pods.

I see that you're in Noble Park and I'm considering germinating one. Could you share on how to grow the Moringa throughout winter?

Winston perreira says...
Hello I have successfully grown two drumstick trees from seed and they are around five years old. I have them in a large drum. I have a frame over them and they are covered in winter to spring with a shade cloth. Lastyear I got around 30 drumsticks. I water it every 14 days with thrive. all the leaves fall off on winter and now they have started sprouting new shoots. By December it should be covered with flowers. The picture is drumsticks from my tree. That’s what it looks like after winter.

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1	Picture: 2

Jadelink says...
Most of the places that sell them are shut, due to melbourne being in stage 4 covid lockdown.

You're better off ordering through the mail. Fairdinkum seeds often has them in. Buleen Art and Garden can also get them for you, and you might be able to click and collect, but everything is taking weeks because of lockdown.

They are pretty marginal in Melbourne, (hope mine comes back in spring) so only a few places stock them. Better by far to order online and get them shipped in.

Julie says...
I'm going to have another go at growing Moringa come spring. I'm in WA, in the hills, which gets colder at night in winter.

But unlike other posters, I'm not so interested in the pods as the leaves. My intention is to dry them and add to drinks, smoothies etc, as they are high in nutrients. Scroll down to 3 for a chart.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213453016300362