How to grow loofah, loofah planting tips

Sponge gourd is not only a very good vegetable, but also has certain beauty effects. So how can we better grow sponge gourd?

March

Seeding and seedling raising in the first and middle ten days. You can choose local varieties such as Hangzhou iron loofah and Linhai white loofah, and the seed rate per mu is 200-300 grams.

April

(1) Planting: Luffa prefers fertile, humus-rich soil. Deeply plow and level the soil to make beds. The bed width (including furrows) is 2.6-3.3 meters, with one row per bed, a hole distance of 50 cm, 2 plants per hole, and 1,000 plants per mu. Apply 2,000-2,500 kg of decomposed manure per mu. (2) Management after planting: Water the roots when planting, and water the soil with diluted human manure every 1-2 days after planting. After the seedlings survive, water the soil with 10%-15% human manure every 5-7 days, 250-300 kg per mu; keep the soil moist at all times.

May

(1) Fertilizer and water management: Apply fertilizer and water frequently. When the vines are growing rapidly, apply fertilizer to accelerate vine growth once, 1500-2000 kg of 50% human manure water per mu. In the early stage of flowering and fruiting, irrigate once every 5-7 days with 20%-30% human manure water or apply 5 kg of quick-acting fertilizer per mu.

(2) Intertillage and soiling: Before setting up the trellis, carry out 2-3 times of intertillage and soiling to transform the flat bed into a ridged bed to promote the occurrence of adventitious roots and drainage. (3) Build the trellis, guide the vines, and tie the vines: After the second deep intertillage, set up the trellis in time. Generally, varieties with long vines, vigorous growth, and strong branching ability are better to use trellises; early-maturing varieties with short vines and weak growth are better to use "human" trellises or hedges. Before putting the loofah vines on the trellis, pay attention to remove the side buds at any time, guide the vines in a zigzag shape, and tie the vines at the same time to make the stems and leaves evenly distributed. (4) Pruning and pruning: Remove excessive or ineffective side vines, and remove excess male inflorescences to reduce nutrient consumption.

June

(1) Fertilizer and water management: Harvest begins in the first ten days of the month. Topdressing must be applied once every 1-2 harvests, more frequently than other melons. Generally, 15 kg of ammonium sulfate or 8 kg of urea is applied per mu each time. During the fruiting period, topdressing and watering are combined every 5-7 days. (2) Plant management: Prune the branches, remove ineffective side branches and old, yellow, and diseased leaves. Select fruits with large ovaries, and remove deformed and dead fruits with poor pollination, yellow ovaries, and slow growth.

July-August

(1) Harvesting: July to August is the peak harvesting period. Harvest once every 1-2 days. Harvesting should be timely, preferably early rather than late, so as not to affect the edible quality. (2) Field management: Loofah likes moisture, so it must be watered in time after entering the hot and dry period. Generally, it is necessary to water once after 1-2 harvests combined with topdressing. Continue to adjust the plants, remove the overcrowded old leaves, yellow leaves, and remove the excessive male flowers.