How to Plant Bottle Gourd Seeds? I'll Teach You the Correct Sowing Method

The bottle gourd is the fruit of the calabash plant (Lagenaria siceraria), and its fruit is larger than that of the common gourd, so how do you plant bottle gourd seeds?

1. Growth Habits of the Bottle Gourd

The bottle gourd is an annual herbaceous plant of the Cucurbitaceae family and the genus Lagenaria, also known as hulu, hu gua, pao gua, piao gua, and so on. After the fruit matures, the shell is split in half and the pulp is scooped out to make a ladle.

The colorful gourd has a well-developed root system that penetrates deep into the soil, with the main root mass distributed in the 20 cm-40 cm soil layer, so when planting, you should choose loam soil that is deep, fertile, strong in water and fertilizer retention, and easy to drain.

Before sowing, base fertilizer also needs to be applied, generally 4000 kg-5000 kg of fully decomposed high-quality barnyard manure per mu is sufficient.

2. How Do You Plant Bottle Gourd Seeds?

Select plump, healthy bottle gourd seeds and stir them in hot water at about 60°C. When the water temperature drops to 30°C, soak them for about 12 hours. After soaking, they can be sprouted. After sprouting, choose a sunny, windless day for sowing. Before sowing, water the seedbed thoroughly first, then water once more after sowing is complete, and after some time they can be transplanted.

After transplanting, apply topdressing when the seedlings reach 25 cm. Generally do not water during the flowering period, to promote successful fruit setting. After fruit setting, apply topdressing and water promptly. After that, during the fruiting growth period, water appropriately. When water is insufficient, the gourd grows poorly, and when the soil is too wet, growth is also poor. Drain promptly after heavy rain to prevent waterlogging.

Throughout the entire growth period, cultivate and weed at least three times: when the seedlings are young, before fruit setting, and after fruit setting. Deep, fine, and thorough cultivation is required to promote vigorous root growth. Before the plant starts to sprawl, promptly set up a well-shaped or A-shaped trellis and guide the vines onto it. When the main vine grows to about 2 m, pinch off the growing tip to encourage side vines to emerge. After the side vines set fruit, leave 2 leaves and pinch off the growing tip. As the plant grows up the trellis, tie the vines promptly. When tying the vines, you can cut off ineffective side branches and withered yellow old leaves to improve the ventilation and light conditions inside the plant.