How to grow gourd seeds in a small pot? Detailed planting method
The gourd belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family and is a climbing vine plant. It blooms white flowers in summer and autumn and is monoecious, and it can be harvested before it matures to be eaten as a vegetable. Today I will explain how to grow gourd seeds in a small pot.
1. How to grow gourd seeds in a small pot
1. Seed selection and soil mixing
It is recommended to choose a relatively small variety, as the gourds produced will be more attractive. At the same time, prepare a medium-sized flower pot and a prepared soil mix.
2. Sowing
After mixing the soil evenly, place it in the flower pot, sprinkle some water on the surface, not too much, just keep it moist, then place about three to four gourd seeds on top of the soil, and finally cover with a layer of soil.
3. Thinning seedlings
After the seeds sprout and grow to about ten centimeters, remove the weak seedlings and keep only two gourd seedlings with the best growth. Also, it is recommended to grow two gourds in one flower pot, as this helps meet the nutrient needs for the growth of the gourd's stems and leaves.
4. Management
The gourd is a plant that likes water very much, so during the seedling stage and growth stage it should be given sufficient water, while also applying an appropriate amount of fertilizer, and it also needs an appropriate amount of light, so that it can grow better later.
2. Main varieties of gourd
Bottle gourd
The difference from the gourd (original variety) is that the ovary is cylindrical; the fruit is uniform in thickness and cylindrical, straight or slightly curved, up to 60-80 cm long, greenish-white, with white flesh. It is cultivated all over the country, and widely cultivated in the Yangtze River basin. When the fruit is young it is soft and juicy and can be used as a vegetable.
Small gourd
The difference from the gourd (original variety) is that the plant bears more fruit, and although the fruit shape resembles the gourd, it is smaller, only about 10 cm long. It is mostly cultivated in China.The fruit of this variety is used medicinally, and after maturity its outer shell becomes lignified and can be used as a children's toy. The seed oil can be used to make soap.
Bottle gourd
The main difference between this variety and the gourd (original variety) is that the gourd fruit is oblate, about 30 cm in diameter. It is cultivated in various places.The fruit of this variety can be made into water ladles and containers; in ancient and modern times many ethnic minorities also used it as a musical instrument, one of the “eight tones”, and ethnic minorities in the southwest used it to make the hulusheng or hulusi, with beautiful tones.
The vine length, leaf and flower size, and fruit size and shape of each cultivated type of gourd vary. The fruits are rod-shaped, ladle-shaped, dolphin-shaped, bottle-shaped, etc., and the names of the types are also determined by the fruit shape. In addition, in ancient times people dried gourds in the sun, hollowed them out, and made them into objects for holding things.