Moringa (Sahjan): The Fast-Growing Drumstick Tree for Jaipur

When to plant

• Best: July–August (monsoon). The sapling gets 4–5 months to grow before the cold; a bigger plant survives frost better.
• Second-best: February–March, after the frost risk, with regular watering through April–June.
• October is possible but not recommended: the sapling gets only 6–8 warm weeks before winter. If you must, use a large sapling (at least 90 cm), mulch heavily and cover it on cold nights.
• Avoid November–January (cold) and May–June (extreme heat), unless irrigation is reliable.

Step by step

1. Choose a nursery seedling, 45–90 cm tall, with a straight taproot; seed-grown plants stand up to wind better. For a long-term tree, pick a local perennial type, not annual pod-crop varieties such as PKM-1, which are pruned low.
2. Pick a sunny, well-drained spot, never where water collects. Keep it 3–4 m from buildings and away from paths and power lines, because branches can snap.
3. Dig a pit 45 × 45 × 45 cm and refill with soil mixed with 10–15 kg of well-rotted compost or farmyard manure (add neem cake on termite-prone land).
4. Plant at the same depth as in the nursery bag, 5–6 m apart in a grove.
5. Protect it with a tree guard against goats and cattle, and stake it in windy spots; the young stem is fragile.

It can also be grown from seed (2 seeds per pit, 2.5–3 cm deep) or from thick limb cuttings 90–100 cm long.