Zain Halle purchased the 21 ha farm, Leopard Tree Retreat in December 2016 and the first Seeds were planted in May 2017. “I had the seeds imported from Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi, and here and there bought some from growers in South African.”
He makes small row benches between which water can flow naturally on the slight slope on which he farms. The trees are planted 30 cm apart for leaf production. When you plant for seed production, the tree spacing must 1-2 m be for optimal production.
However, before he started planting, he had the soil analyzed. Moringa does not like acidic soil. Halle was happy. The acidity of Leopard Tree’s loamy soil was within the acceptable range of 5 to 8. There is a 50 000 litre dam on the farm from which he pours the rain with overhead blow sprayers. “Moringa must be protected from pests, such as aphids, whiteflies and spider mites.
Because it is macadamia world, all the macadamia pests attacks our plants. We are passionate about the health of our soil and to combat diseases and pests. We have seen how healthier the soil are, the fewer pests there are. Because we harvest so often, pests usually do not get time to invade the plants.”
When they do however, Halle removes infected trees because he cannot spray poison on leaves that are for human consumption. “Although there are organic insecticides, we avoid spraying our trees. ” He does use as many natural products possible to feed the soil and its plants.
For that, an earthworm farm in large worm cabinets are his secret weapon. Below the worm case there is a sieve through which the worm’s waste can fall. It comes in wooden frame cabinets or caught on sails and then worked into the soil at the trees.