Moringa is a powerful plant that has been used for centuries in Africa and Asia for its medicinal properties.
But did you know that Moringa can also be used as a fertilizer? Some farmers around the globe have been taking advantage of this powerful plant’s nutrient profile – not for themselves – but for their gardens.
In this blog post, we will discuss the benefits of using Moringa as a fertilizer and provide an ultimate guide on how to use it!
Is Moringa A Good Fertilizer?
Moringa is an excellent fertilizer. It is a great source of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus – three of the most important macronutrients for healthy plant growth and common metrics for assessing fertilizers.
In terms of NPK values, Moringa leaves have a ratio of 15-15-15. This means it is a good source of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium (NPK) for plants. (Source)
Nitrogen is essential for plant growth and plays a crucial role in photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert sunlight into energy.
Moringa also contains high potassium levels important for regulating water uptake and transport within plants.
Potassium helps plants resist drought stress and increases their overall resilience of plants.
Phosphorus also helps transfer energy within plants and is essential for plant metabolism.
Finally, phosphorus is essential for root development and flowering in plants.
Moringa also contains other essential nutrients like calcium, magnesium, and iron.
Calcium is vital for cell wall strength and overall plant health.
Magnesium helps with photosynthesis and chlorophyll production, while iron plays a role in photosynthesis and helps plants resist disease.
Does Moringa Block Weeds From Growing In The Garden?
Moringa leaves contain a substance called “Moringin.” It’s a stable Isothiocyanate (chemical compound) that is found in Moringa Oleifera (Source)
This compound has been shown to have allelopathic effects, which can inhibit the growth of other plants in its area.
This makes Moringa an excellent natural weed blocker!
When used as a mulch or fertilizer, Moringa leaves can help to prevent weeds from germinating and taking over your garden.
According to this study, to control garden weeds, you must ensure the leaves are in the mulch or fertilizer.
The study found that the weed-blocking chemical compounds found in the leaves were 2x more potent than the ones found in the seeds and other parts of the Moringa tree.
While there was still some success with “Moringa seed water” in tests, the test results were very promising for controlling weed growth from the leaves of Moringa.
How to make Moringa Fertilizer
You can use Moringa as a fertilizer in a few different ways.
One option is to chop the leaves and add them to your compost pile. The leaves will break down and release their nutrients, which will be available for your plants.
Another option is to lay the leaves on top of your new plants, allowing the soil to absorb the nutrients from the leaves reasonably quickly.
How-To Video:
You can also make a concentrated fertilizer by boiling moringa leaves in water and then straining the liquid.
Once it has cooled, add this liquid to your watering can or sprayer and apply it to your plants’ leaves.
How-To Video:
The foliar application of Moringa fertilizer will give your plants a quick boost of nutrition.
This method is much faster and could be used in an emergency when your plant leaves need immediate attention.
Instead of spraying on the leaves, you can also pour it into the soil. Again, this is great in an emergency situation.
When is the best time to use Moringa fertilizer?
If you’ve decided to create a Moringa concentration fertilizer (instead of just laying the leaves on top of your new plants), you’ll want to use this fertilizer in the morning or the afternoon.
You’ll want to apply the fertilizer before the sun is out.
Your fertilizer will quickly evaporate once the sun is out, reducing the amount your new plants absorb.
How Long Does It Take To Make Moringa Fertilizer?
Depending on the path you take to make Moringa fertilizer, it can take anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of days to make Moringa fertilizer.
If you decide to chop Moringa leaves off of nearby plants and lay them around the roots of your new plant, you’ll need to wait until the Moringa starts to break down into the soil.
If your Moringa is very healthy, breaking down could take a couple of weeks.
This is because Moringa naturally has a lot of lignin, a structural polymer found in plants that takes a while to break down. (Source)
Once it starts to break down, the soil can grab the nutrients – creating healthy soil for your new plants to grow.
If you boil the leaves and make a concentrated solution, it will be ready to use in about 10 minutes.
You then need to walk out to your garden and spray your leaves or soil.
If you spray the soil, it will take a bit longer to see the effects because the plant will need to uptake the nutrients through its roots.
Spraying the leaves will be the fastest way to see the effects, though we believe it’s the most short-sighted, as uptake in the roots is usually much more resourceful than spraying the leaves.
How Often Should I Use Moringa Fertilizer?
You can use Moringa fertilizer as often as you like.
Some gardeners like to fertilize their plants every time they water them.
Others choose to fertilize their plants once a week or once a month, depending on how often your plants need nutrients and how fast they grow.
If you are using Moringa leaves as mulch or fertilizer, you’ll need to replenish them every few weeks or so – depending on how quickly they break down in your soil.
We like to let our plants tell us how much they need, monitor the coloring of our new plants, and add/subtract accordingly.
How long until Moringa fertilizer starts working?
In our experience, our garden started to show improvements after around a month of using Moringa fertilizer.
This, of course, depends on the health of your soil to begin with.
Moringa fertilizer is a great way to give your plants a quick boost of nutrition. If you use Moringa leaves as mulch or fertilizer, you’ll need to replenish them every few weeks, depending on how quickly they break down in your soil.
If you spray the soil, it will take a bit longer to see the effects because the plant will need to uptake the nutrients through its roots.
Spraying the leaves will be the fastest way to see the effects, though we believe it’s the most short-sighted, as uptake in the roots is usually much more resourceful than spraying the leaves.
Moringa Fertilizer Benefits
Moringa leaves have an NPK ratio of 15-15-15. This means it is a good source of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium (NPK) for plants. Moringa fertilizer is also a weed blocker. Moringa leaves contain a substance called “Moringin.” It’s a stable Isothiocyanate (chemical compound) that has been shown to have allelopathic effects, which can inhibit the growth of other plants (pesky weeds) in its area. (Source1)(Source2)
Final Thoughts: Is Moringa A Good Fertilizer?
Moringa is an excellent natural fertilizer.
It can be used in a few different ways and is very effective in preventing weeds from germinating. Moringa fertilizer is very fast-acting and can be used as often as needed.
While this is just a tiny Moringa guide, we have a much more in-depth guide to help you get started with Moringa.
We hope you add this simple trick to your garden; if you do – leave us a comment!
For years now, Moringa has been a daily consumption in my life, incorporated in various forms such as capsules, food recipes, and soothing teas. Initially, my daughter and I embarked on this journey as an experiment, but as time went on, I delved deeper into its remarkable potential and unearthed the unlimited benefits it offers for our well-being and health. I got motivated by how much it positively impacted me and decided to share my insights about Moringa’s profound impact on health and overall living through my blog posts.