Srinivasan
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Location: Chennai

Bamboo Charcoal Amendment for Moringa Trees

hi

can some one help with bamboo charcoal amendment for moringa trees.

like how to get some , how much is needed for a tree

Srinivas :D

doccat5
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WOW, I did some research on this tree and it is something! Can I ask why do you need bamboo charcoal? What nutrients are you looking to add? It appears bamboo charcoal is more of a purifier than a fertilizer etc.

TheLorax
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And, charcoal can definitely be a double edged sword. Great short term benefits... not so great after about a year or so based on my personal experiences.

Srinivasan
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The amendment ( Bamboo Charcoals ) I referred to , was from a note I read about terra petra ( the Amazonian back earth ). I thought if it could replicated in tropical semi arid region.

with regards .

srinivasan
:D

TheLorax
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I don't know what kind of charcoal I've been using. Looked up bamboo charcoal and the first entry was wikipedia's-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_charcoal
Appears bamboo charcoal functions much the same as what ever type I'm using. I guess I'll have to find out what kind of charcoal I've been using as you've piqued my curiosity and I'd like to know if there would be any tangible benefits to using a bamboo charcoal over say a mesquite, maple, beech, or oak charcoal. Little voice tells me they all function similarly when used in a medium for a plant.

We use the mesquite charcoal in a smoker and have used charcoal in the past when we had fish tanks. These days, I use charcoal in mediums for some orchids and carnivorous plants. For these types of plants, charcoal can be a really great additive if one keeps track of when the plant was re-potted and re-pots the plant in about a year or so into fresh medium or not.

I don't know if a Moringa oleifera (Moringa Tree) would be adversely affected when charcoal began to break down and colonize or not. The above plants are negatively impacted which is why I have to re-pot them regularly. I guess what it comes down to is- is Moringa oleifera a species that would be ok with decomposing organic materials or not? If it isn't going to be happy, and I've never worked with this species in my life so I can't tell you if you would end up having to re-pot a whole tree every year or so into fresh medium with fresh charcoal.

Here's what a person shared with me once about charcoal-
"If charcoal is included in the mix, be aware that it will absorb fertilizer salts and water impurities after a time and can inhibit root growth. I have observed healthy root tips encounter a piece of charcoal, stop growing, turn black and die. Not the entire root –just the tip. I don't think that flushing the pot takes care of this problem completely with aged charcoal. When roots that are in contact with charcoal die, it may be an indication that the mix needs replacing."

It's been my experience that flushing a pot didn't help. Doesn't seem to stop the bacterial colonization of the charcoal. It's those microbes that will start decomposing in the medium that are going to create a big problem over time for people using it in mediums for some plants... not all plants but some.

When charcoal is present in a mix, over time it will become overgrown with various microbes just like any other porous object in a mix. I'm told these microbes "will utilize the absorbed materials in the charcoal matrix. Depending on the micro-ecology you end up with the transfer back and forth between plant roots and charcoal chips may or may not be beneficial"

Here's the dilemma- nobody I know has ever run across a clear and scientific reason why charcoal is needed in any mix. People like me may use it in mixes for some plants because it's great at absorbing trace nutrients and phenomenal at neutralizing chlorine from tap water but we have to repeatedly re-pot our plants or they go into decline. There's that double edged sword I mentioned before. Leave some species of plants in a medium containing charcoal for a few years too long and you're going to end up with dead plants or plants that are in serious decline.

So do you want to add any form of charcoal to your medium for your tree? I don't know. It would appear that using it in a mix would never hurt a plant providing one gets into the habit of keeping track on when the plant was last provided with a fresh medium.

Aloecalico
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There might be a problem in the procedure you suggest with Moringa trees. Repotting them is not recommended as their roots are very sensitive, and it is suggested to plant Moringa trees in large pots to avoid disturbing the roots.

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soil
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5-10% is what is recommended for most. you need to soak the charcoal in some nutrient rich water first or you will get nitrogen drawback.

Aloecalico
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Get started with your Moringa seeds now in a reasonably large pot, in the heat of your house in a window that gets the most direct sun of the day.

When danger of frost is over, ease it out in the sunshine gradually. (it will drop some leaves.) Whether full sun all day or a little sun is a toss up. One of mine seemed to do better with a little shade, but hard to say.
Keep the tree trimmed down so the branches will stay full and not spindley .

I would bring the tree in next winter, either as a "house plant" or in the garage. I have a friend who has kept a moringa tree in an 18" pot for 4 years by bringing it into the garage for the winter.

The material says if you cut them back and keep them from freezing they will grow back in shoots. I don't have any experience with that, but maybe someone else does. There is a lot of info on line that's useful.

For seeds:
https://www.echonet.org/content/SeedBank

Keep posted on how things go.
Sincerely,
Annie

MObeek
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Location: Northwest Missouri

To Srinivasan,

Is your Moringa tree still alive? I've sprouted 2 seedlings under my grow light and I hope to keep it going for several years.

MObeek
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Location: Northwest Missouri

Sorry, this is a duplicate.

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

I know you are growing this tree in a pot. But here a branch is stuck in the ground, it get watered only until it is established then it lives on rain and I have not known anyone to fertilize or do anything special for it besides lop off the branches for the leaves and fruit.

The tree may not need that much special attention besides lots of growing room and winter protection since it is a tropical tree. It is a fast growing tree.



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