Moringa oleifera - Pokok Kelo/Murungukai/Drumstick Tree

Moringa oleifera - Miracle Tree



The Moringa tree is also known as the Horseradish tree or the Drumstick tree (Nparks 2009). It is hailed as the Miracle tree or the Tree of life for its nutritional properties and major contributions to both human and animal health (RAS 2009: Umbber Plus 2009). Unlike conventional medicine with side effects and risk of over-dosage, there have been no negative effects of daily consumption ever been reported (RAS 2009: Umbber Plus 2009).

The Miracle of Moringa
The Moringa tree nutritional values are in the leaves and roots. It is an amazing source of calcium. One gram of its leaves contains 4 times the calcium in milk and 7 times the vitamin C in oranges (RAS 20009)! It is also said to contain 4 times the vitamins in carrots, 3 times the potassium in bananas and twice the protein in milk (RAS 2009). Therefore in the Philippines and Malaysia, it is a good practice to consume the leaves as soup for pregnant women and the elderly (Ivy. S 2009: Mahaya. M 2009).



Consumption of its leaves are also said to stabilise the human body blood pressure, lower and control glucose and sugar levels which ultimately will help people with diabetes (Ramachandarn 1980: RAS 2009: Umbber Plus 2009). In both modern and traditional medicine world, the Moringa tree has been used to treat ailments such as anxiety, skin infections, internal parasites and many other conditions (Ramachandarn 1980: RAS 2009).

Increase your calcium intake and try our Scrumptious and Mouth-Watering
Bollyveg Moringa Tempura today at only $5 per plate !!!

The Moringa oleifera is also known to many local Singaporean as "pokok kelo" to the Malay, "malongai" to the philliphinos and "murungukai" to the Indian community. The many common names is evidence itself of its acceptance throughout the Asia communities.

You can purchase a Moringa oleifera plant at Bollywood Veggies located at 100 Neo Tiew Road.

You can contact me Muhd Haidir Aman| Farmchief at bollyveg_farmchief@hotmail.com or bollyveg@ singnet.com.sg for any potted plant arrangements or any further information abhout the farm. See you soon

References
• National Park Boards, 2009 4th Edition; “1001 Garden Plants in Singapore”, p.659
• Ramachandran,C., Peter,K.V. and Gopalakrishnan,P.K., 1980, Drumstick (Moringa oleifera): A multipurpose Indian Vegetable. Economic Botany, 34 (3) pp276-283
• Royal Agricultural Society of The Commonwealth, November 2009, “ Moringa- The Tree of life- well Almost!”: RASC News, p.3
• Umbber Plus Herbal Products,”2009, “Introducinng Moringa oleifera”; http://www.moringaoleifera.org/:, viewed, ; 22nd December 2009

Earth-Friendly Raised Garden Beds by Lauren Heimburg

Eco-friendly Raised Garden Beds are the hot ticket item for this year's spring planting season. Raised garden beds and planters are multi-functional and can be used for planting flower beds, vegetable gardens or shrubbery, landscape edging, playground borders and splinter-free sandboxes for kids.

These modular raised garden beds can be stacked on top of each other, to adjust the height as your garden blooms. Typically, raised beds are sold in 6" high increments, and can be purchased in heights of 6", 12", and 24". The width of raised beds should be limited to 2' or 4' widths, so they will be easy to maintain, without having to climb into beds.

The best elevated garden beds look like real wood grain but are made from earth-friendly recycled, composite plastic timbers. They are durable and long lasting, non-toxic (like arsenic-containing, pressure treated lumber), termite-free, and do not rot, warp, splinter or lose their wood grain finish like traditional timber.

There are a multitude of benefits to raised planters or raised garden beds including:

· Provides a beautiful frame for your garden

· Longer lengths may be used as landscape edging or playground borders

· Can be used as a, or sandboxes

· Improves drainage

· Improves poor soil conditions by providing a deeper topsoil layer

· Adjusts in height, size & shape to accommodate plant growth

· Lawn mower and edger proof plant and flower beds

· Easy to install

When purchasing elevated or raised beds and planters, make sure they are made from eco-friendly recycled materials and include anchor joints for connecting plastic timbers. You may also need finishing sleeves for landscape edging kits.

After constructing your raised garden bed, and securing it into place, place a liner made from gardening plastic or weed mat in the bottom of bed; this greatly reduces the growth of weeds.

Next fill the liner 1/3 full with nutrient-rich compost (from your compost bin, we'll talk about this later) then fill the rest with potting soil (store-bought or from another area of your landscape) and some dry organic fertilizer. Finally, you are ready to create your garden by sowing seeds or planting flowers, vegetable and plants starts.

Lastly, water your raised bed and don't forget to water these beds frequently since there are above ground, and do not retain water as well.

If you are using the raised garden bed for a sandbox, it is best to place a gardening plastic liner in the bottom before filling with sand. Some raised garden beds are sold as sandboxes and come with covers for protection from the elements and from animals who think it's a giant kitty litter box.

After you've created your very own eco-friendly, raised garden oasis, you can begin work on the composting and vermiculture.