When to start bottle gourd seedlings? Mid-March in the south, April in the north

AbstractThe timing for raising bottle gourd seedlings varies by region. The most suitable temperature for raising seedlings is 20-25°C, so in the south sowing and seedling raising generally begin in mid-March. In the north, because temperatures are lower, seedlings are generally raised in greenhouses in April, and after sowing the seedbed needs to be covered with plastic film. Then, when temperatures rise in May, the seedlings are transplanted and established.

When to raise bottle gourd seedlings

1. In southern regions, the seedling raising time is March

Because the climate in southern regions is warm, and the most suitable growth temperature for bottle gourd during the seedling stage is between 20-25°C, seedlings can be raised in the south in March. A day with good weather should be chosen for raising seedlings.

2. In northern regions, the seedling raising time is April

Temperatures in northern regions are lower, so when planting bottle gourd in the north, it can be planted in April. It is best to raise seedlings in a greenhouse. After sowing, the seedbed also needs to be covered with plastic film. When temperatures warm up in May, transplant and establish the seedlings outdoors.

Choosing the planting site

The planting site should be chosen as level ground with good drainage and fertile soil. It can also be in low-lying land and areas with irrigation conditions. It is suitable to plant where corn, wheat, or soybeans were grown. It must not be planted where melons such as white gourd or watermelon were grown, nor where closed herbicides have been used. The planting ridges are long-opening ridges, with a ridge width between 90-130cm.

Indoor sprouting

The Japanese green-skin bottle gourd variety can be selected. Soak it in 35°C warm water for 12-24 hours, then remove it, wrap it in gauze, and let it dry. Cover it with a cotton quilt to sprout. Use a brush broom to sprinkle water 2 times each day. Do not sprinkle too much water, to avoid standing water inside the seed coat. The suitable sprouting temperature is around 25°C. Afterward, place it in a cool, dry place and wait for it to sprout before sowing.

Preparing the seedbed

For the seedbed, horse manure or chopped straw can be used as a base layer 8-10cm thick. Spread some soil on top and tread it flat, then disinfect it with 70% dexon wettable powder, 0.3-0.6g per square meter. The selected soil must not have used herbicides such as Pursuit and chlorimuron-ethyl. Then mix sieved decomposed farmyard manure at a 7:3 ratio.

Put the nutrient soil into plastic bags, then place about 30 grains of diammonium as base fertilizer at 1/3 of the bottom of the plastic bag, and cut open the bottom corners of the nutrient bags to facilitate water drainage. Place the nutrient bags on the seedbed, keeping a 1cm gap, then water thoroughly. Once the surface soil is dry, sowing can begin.

Sowing at the right time

Bottle gourd sowing is carried out from March to May. A wooden stick can be used to poke a hole 3-4cm deep in the middle of the nutrient bag, and the sprouted seed should be placed into the soil with the sprout eye facing down, then watered once.

Later management

During the growing period, manual weeding should be carried out, and pests and diseases should be controlled in time. Watering can be done when the main vine grows to about 50cm. Later, apply 100-250 grams of urea per plant as topdressing. When topdressing, do not place it too close to the root and stem, to avoid burning the roots. Do not sprinkle urea onto the leaves, to avoid burning the leaves. Also level the empty ridges to avoid weed overgrowth, then spread grass on the empty ridges, using about 1kg of wheat straw or rice straw per square meter.

Vine training: keep 2 main vines per plant, lay the 2 main vines across the empty compressed area, and during this period cultivate directional soil once, so that the melon vines grow along the intended direction. 

Pinching tips and branching: when 3 leaves have grown, begin pinching off the second and third level branches. The main vine is generally pinched after August.

Hand pollination: bottle gourd does not bloom in the morning or on rainy days, so each morning branches can be removed and tips pinched, while pollination starts at 4 p.m. After End of Heat (August 23), pollination should be paused. Usually two main vines will set about 7 gourds.  

Harvesting and processing

Gradual harvesting begins in early August. When the first crop of gourds grows to 15-18 jin, it can generally be harvested when a fingernail pinch makes a sound. After harvesting on the first day, the gourd strips should be peeled on the second day. Never peel gourd strips on rainy days.

The wooden racks for drying need to be built with a height of 2.2m, a width of 3m, and a length of 18m. Build two rows of rack wooden poles wrapped with plastic film to avoid sticking to the gourd strips. The drying site can be chosen in the field, where there is less dust. In a courtyard or on the road in front of the gate there is a lot of dust, so it needs to be covered well with plastic sheeting to prevent dust from falling in. When drying, it is best if it does not feel sticky when touched by hand.

Usually the gourd strips are peeled in the morning and put into the drying room in the afternoon. The next day they are taken out and dried again, then the wooden poles are turned to avoid sticking to the gourds. After 80% drying, the strips are sorted, tied into bundles by length, and then put into the room for fumigation. Usually the fumigation time is 2 evenings, about 24 hours. About 200kg of sulfur is used per hectare. The sulfur used per room depends on the gourd strips. Usually for 3000 jin of gourd strips, about 3 jin is used each time. The amount of sulfur used is related to the climate; less is suitable on sunny days and more on cloudy days.

After being taken out of the room, put them into plastic bags and tie them into small bundles with a diameter of 3cm, to prevent the sulfur smell from escaping. The gourd strips should preferably be 1.8-2.2m long, 2.5cm wide, and 3mm thick. During this period there should be no aged strips, skin strips, dirty strips, snake-skin strips, oily strips, or sinew strips, and gourds should not exceed 20%. Moisture is generally around 20%.