How to grow loofah to achieve high yield?

Luffa is a vegetable widely grown in rural areas. Not only is its fruit edible, but the ripe luffa can also be used to clean kitchen utensils and furniture. Luffa is rarely affected by pests during its growth, so it is relatively simple to manage. Nevertheless, loofah has certain requirements for planting techniques. Let’s learn together how to grow loofah to achieve high yields.

1. Choice of planting time

Although loofah can be grown in all seasons, it should be avoided during these periods to avoid unstable climate during the transition between seasons. The best time to sow in spring is around February, in summer it is late May, and in autumn it is early September. It is not recommended to grow loofah in winter due to the low temperature. The growth period of loofah is generally 2-3 months, and it can be harvested.

2. Fertilizer and water management

Reasonable fertilizer and water management is crucial to increasing loofah production. Loofah requires more water, especially during its growth period. Before flowering, it is recommended to water 2-3 times. After flowering, water once a week to half a month depending on the soil moisture. In terms of fertilization, excessive use of chemical fertilizers should be avoided so as not to affect growth. Urea can be increased in appropriate amounts, and fertilizer can be applied 2-3 times during the entire growth cycle to promote the expansion of the loofah.

3. Plant management

The management of loofah plants requires careful observation. If there are too many flowers in the early stage, some should be picked off appropriately to ensure concentrated supply of nutrients. After fruiting, if you find that the growth is not good, you should pick some small loofahs in time. In addition, after a period of fruiting, the vines should be hung to support the growth of the loofah and prevent the plant from being damaged by excessive weight.

4. Field management

Field management involves fixing the loofah in a location with sufficient light to promote growth and photosynthesis. The support for the loofah should have sufficient support area to promote vigorous growth of the plant. Branches and leaves that grow vigorously but do not bear fruit should be pruned off in time to avoid wasting nutrients. At the same time, aging or diseased leaves should be removed in time.

5. Pruning

As the planting density increases, side vines should be removed in time to ensure ventilation and light in the shed.

6. Assisted pollination

Luffa is a cross-pollinated plant and requires pollination to produce fruit. Artificial pollination can increase the fruit setting rate. The best time for pollination is between 6 and 9 in the morning to ensure that the male flowers have enough pollen.

7. Apply fertilizer in time

After loofah enters the flowering and fruiting period, it needs sufficient nutrients to promote fruit enlargement. At this time, triple compound fertilizer should be applied in time, and the amount of fertilizer should be adjusted according to the soil fertility.

8. Reasonable retention of fruits

Control the number of loofah fruits left. The recommended number of loofahs left per mu for the first batch is 700-1000. Select 1-2 young fruits with good shape for each plant, and try to keep the number of nodes above 18-20.

9. Pest and disease control

Luffa is easily attacked by pests and diseases such as downy mildew, aphids, anthracnose, and powdery mildew. Drug treatment should be carried out according to the characteristics of the pests and used strictly in accordance with the pesticide instructions to avoid increasing the dosage at will. Crop rotation and avoiding insect stubble are also effective ways to reduce the occurrence of insect pests.

In summary, doing a good job in daily planting and management of loofah can improve the yield and quality of loofah while reducing the occurrence of diseases and pests.