Sponge gourd planting technology and management points

As a widely grown rural vegetable , loofah is favored by farmers for its versatility. Not only are its fruits edible, but the ripe loofah can also be used to clean kitchen utensils and furniture. Although loofah has fewer pests during the planting process and is relatively easy to manage, certain planting techniques are still required to obtain high quality and high yields. Let’s learn about loofah planting techniques and management points.

1. Sowing and seedling management

Soak the seeds in warm water for 3 hours, disinfect them with potassium permanganate solution for 30 minutes, rinse them with clean water and allow them to germinate naturally. Use a nutrient cup, mix the cooked soil with chicken manure, water it sufficiently, sow the germinated seeds, cover with fine soil, and cover the seedbed to protect it from the sun and rain. Keep the soil moist, avoid excessive watering, and spray potassium dihydrogen phosphate before transplanting to promote root development.

2. Planting and trellising

Apply decomposed poultry manure, cake fertilizer and compound fertilizer as base fertilizer. The loofah seedlings are transplanted when they have 4-4.5 leaves, and are cultivated in a dense planting system with 2-meter beds, 2 rows in each bed, and a plant spacing of 25-30cm. Before pulling out the vines, build an inclined frame and use plastic webbing or iron wire to pull the net on the top. Tie the vines to the rack in time, remove the side vines that are not on the rack, pinch off the buds after they grow on the side vines, remove excess male flowers, leave two side vines on the top of the main vine, remove the stamens in time, and clean up the old leaves.

3. Fertilizer and water management

After planting, apply diluted manure water to promote the growth of new roots. After the fruit sets, dig holes and apply urea, cake fertilizer and compound fertilizer to promote fruit enlargement. After harvesting, apply urea as topdressing, and spray nutrient solution when spraying pesticides to prevent diseases and insect pests. During the high-yield period, harvest 1-2 times and then irrigate the soil with urea and manure water to keep the soil moist.

4. Pest and disease control

Diseases: Viral diseases, downy mildew and powdery mildew can be controlled by spraying metalaxyl or triadimefon.

Pests: Aphids, melon borers, etc., can be controlled by using dimethoate or kasidic liquid.

5. Harvest

Harvest when the fruit stalks are smooth, the hairs are reduced, the fruit changes color, and the skin becomes shiny. Cut the fruit stems with scissors in the morning.

Overall. Planting loofah requires attention to key links such as sowing, seedling raising, land preparation, planting, trellising, pruning, fertilizer and water management, pest and disease control, and harvesting. Through careful management, the yield of loofah can be increased.