How to Grow the Crane-neck Gourd? A Detailed Guide to Planting Methods
SummaryPlanting time: mid to late January in spring, and mid to late July in autumn. Sowing and seedling raising: before sowing, the seeds should be soaked to promote germination; for spring sowing, a small arched shed can be built to keep warm and raise seedlings, and for autumn sowing, a shade net can be set up to cool down and raise seedlings. Land preparation and fertilization: after preparing the land, apply sufficient base fertilizer, make beds, and adopt bag culture or trough culture for planting. Reasonable planting: plant two rows per bed, with a plant spacing of 40-50cm. Field management: pinch the growing tips at the right time, carry out artificial pollination during the flowering period, and prevent and treat pests and diseases in time.
1. Planting Time
The crane-neck gourd can be sown in mid to late January in spring and mid to late July in autumn. Generally, it needs trellising or wall-style cultivation, because it bears fruit on side vines, and the fruits are relatively large and heavy. It is generally recommended to grow it in a greenhouse or conservatory, which helps improve the color and shape of the fruit, promote earlier ripening, and increase yield.
2. Sowing and Seedling Raising
1. The seed coat of the crane-neck gourd is relatively thick and not easy to absorb water, so before sowing, the seeds should be soaked in warm water at 30°C for about 7-8 hours to let the seeds absorb enough water and promote germination.
2. When sowing in spring, the temperature is relatively low, so heat preservation should be carried out in time. A small arched shed can be built on the seedbed, and heating wires can be used to raise the temperature at the same time. In autumn, work to cool the seedlings should be done well, and a shade net can be set up to raise seedlings. After sowing, seedlings will emerge in about one month, and when 2 leaves have grown, the seedlings can be fixed. To prevent the seedlings from growing leggy, moisture and temperature should be well controlled during the seedling stage.
3. Land Preparation and Fertilization
1. First, deeply plow and finely harrow the planting site, then apply sufficient base fertilizer. Apply mainly organic fertilizer per mu, about 2000 kg, together with about 20 kg of calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer and about 20 kg of compound fertilizer, then mix evenly with the soil and make beds. The bed ditch is about 1.5m long, about 30 cm high, and about 40-50cm wide.
2. If conditions permit, bag culture or trough culture can be used. You can buy special foam troughs or build a simple planting trough with red bricks. The trough is about 20cm thick and about 75cm wide. To separate the soil in the trough from the substrate, cover the bottom of the trough with a layer of film.
3. Making the substrate: choose raw materials such as perlite, peat, coal cinders, bagasse, sawdust, and foreign soil, and mix them into a substrate according to a certain ratio, for example, mixing 8 parts foreign soil, 2 parts decomposed pig manure, 6 parts bagasse, 4 parts coal cinders, etc.
4. Reasonable Planting
When the seedlings have grown 4-6 true leaves, they can be planted. Two rows can be planted per bed, with a plant spacing of about 40-50cm. After planting, lay the drip irrigation tape properly, then water appropriately.
5. Field Management
1. When the main vine of the plant grows to about 50cm, pinching can begin, keeping only the first or second side branch, which helps promote the growth of secondary vines. When the secondary vines grow to 25cm, pinch again, which helps promote the growth of tertiary vines and fruiting. After the tertiary vines are pinched, no further management is needed.
2. The crane-neck gourd grows relatively quickly, so growth should be properly controlled in the early stage. During the flowering period, artificial pollination can be carried out, which helps increase the fruit-setting rate. During the fruiting period, fertilizer should be topdressed in time.
3. The crane-neck gourd has relatively few pests and diseases, mainly powdery mildew and mites. To control mites, 72% propargite EC can be used. To control powdery mildew, 50% sulfur suspension concentrate at 150 times dilution can be used, sprayed once every 10 days, for 3 consecutive applications.