Tutorial on how to grow gourd

Today I will tell you how to cultivate gourd and what points need to be paid attention to?

Gourd cultivation environment

Gourd is a thermophilic plant. The optimum growth temperature is 20-25℃. When cultivating, seedlings are usually raised first and then planted in the open field. The seed coat is thick and the germination is slow. About 1,000 plants are planted per mu for creeping cultivation, and about 2,000 plants are planted per mu for support cultivation. In order to make the main vine grow side vines early and produce more female flowers, the top buds of the main vine can be removed after the main vine has 4-6 nodes. Plant hormones can also be used to promote the early female flowers of the main vine and early fruiting. Gourd has high requirements for fertilizer and water. It is necessary to apply sufficient basal fertilizer and apply quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer several times. It is not resistant to waterlogging and drought. In rainy areas, attention should be paid to drainage, and timely irrigation should be carried out during drought. In the cultivation season, gourd is generally sown in spring and harvested in summer. Cultivated in protected areas, it can be appropriately advanced or delayed.

Sowing and seedling raising

Gourd can be sown in the open field before the last frost, or can be planted in protected areas after seedlings are raised. Before sowing, the seeds need to be treated. Soak the seeds for 24-48 hours before sowing. The seed rate is 250 grams per mu. The management of gourd seedlings is the same as that of spring cucumbers. You can refer to the cucumber seedling raising technology.

Land preparation, fertilization and planting

The land preparation, fertilization and planting of gourd are basically the same as those of spring cucumber, and can refer to the cucumber cultivation technology. The difference is that the gourd planting ridge width is 1 meter, the plant spacing is 0.4 meters, and the seedlings per mu are about 1,600.

Plant adjustment

Gourd can be divided into trellis or non-trellis cultivation. The ground creeper needs to be pressed to prevent wind damage. When the seedling grows to 30 cm high, use 2-3 meter long bamboo poles to set up a herringbone frame, which crosses at about 1.3 meters. In order to facilitate the side vines to climb and the artificial layered vines to tie, 2-3 horizontal frames are required. As the seedlings grow, tie the vines to the bracket several times and distribute them evenly. Gourd mainly bears fruit from the sub-vines and grandchildren, so the plant should be adjusted, and 2-3 pinchings are often carried out to promote the occurrence of sub-vines and grandchildren. When the soil vine grows to about 6 leaves, the first pinching is carried out to promote the sub-vines to produce fruits. When the side vines bear fruit, the second pinching is carried out to promote the grandchildren to produce fruits and bear fruits. After that, it can be allowed to grow naturally or the third pinching is carried out. To increase the number of female flowers, when the seedlings have 4 to 6 true leaves, spray the leaves with 150 mg/kg of ethephon. Starting from the 8th and 9th nodes of the main vine, one female flower can appear at each node. If sprayed twice, more nodes will be continuously attached, and the occurrence of male flowers will be greatly reduced.

Fertilizer and water management

Gourds have weaker growth potential than other melons, have a short growth period, and bear fruit in a concentrated manner. In addition to basal fertilizer, topdressing and irrigation are also required. Topdressing should be applied thinly and frequently. Apply fertilizer once after transplanting and pinching, and during the fruit expansion period. Apply topdressing 1 to 2 times in stages after harvesting to promote the growth of ripe melons. Gourds require more water and should be watered in time. During the fruiting period, water can be applied once every 1 to 2 days in drought, but if there is a lot of rain, drainage should be carried out in time to prevent waterlogging.

Pest control

The pests of gourd include aphids. The prevention and control methods are similar to those of bitter melon.

Gourd diseases include viral diseases and powdery mildew. Powdery mildew can be controlled by spraying 8-13 grams of 25% triadimefon wettable powder with 50 kg of water, or 300-400 times of 50% polysulfide suspension or 120 times of agricultural antibacterial agent.