How to Grow Luffa? Mastering Scientific Cultivation Techniques Is Key
Luffa has been cultivated in China for a very long time and is currently grown across a very wide range. Luffa has high edible value, so it is very popular with consumers, and many people want to grow it themselves. The first step is to understand how to grow it.
Scientific Cultivation Techniques for Luffa
1. Select good seed. Choose varieties suitable for summer cultivation, that is, varieties not sensitive to short-day conditions: such as Xiayou luffa, Xinxiatang luffa, Fengkang luffa, Yalu No. 1, Xiuyu luffa, etc.
2. Raise seedlings and transplant. Summer luffa is not suitable for direct sowing; instead, choose a well-drained field for seedling raising and transplanting. Soak the luffa seeds in clean water for 8-10 hours, then scoop them out and drain them before sowing. Common sowing methods include raising seedlings in plastic nutrient cups and seedling trays. The nutrient soil should use new soil or garden soil that has not grown cucurbit crops. When sowing, sow 1 seed per hole. Before transplanting the seedlings, appropriately control water and fertilizer to cultivate strong seedlings.
3. Field selection. Luffa likes fertilizer, so choose a field of loam or clay loam that faces the sun, has fertile and moist soil, high organic matter content, and strong water- and fertilizer-retention capacity.
4. Land preparation: Plant on raised beds, with a bed surface width of 1.2-1.5 m, a ditch width of 30-40 cm, and a bed height of 35 cm. Apply sufficient base fertilizer while preparing the land: apply 2000 kg of farmyard manure plus 50 kg of Norwegian compound fertilizer or 50 kg of Western compound fertilizer per mu.
5. Planting: Summer luffa cultivation uses double-row planting, with row and plant spacing of 70-80 cm × 50 cm, and about 1700 plants per mu is appropriate. The seedlings can be transplanted to the field when they have 2-3 true leaves.
How to Grow Luffa
1. Horizontal trellis cultivation: The trellis surface is about 1.5 m above the ground, the bed width is 5-6 m, and high beds are made. Two rows are planted per bed, with luffa planted on both sides of the bed ditch, and a plant spacing of 0.4-0.5 m. This method can also use grape trellises for cultivation. When luffa is first planted, other short-term crops can still be intercropped on the bed. If horizontal trellis cultivation is hit by a hurricane, because the wind-facing area is larger, it is easily blown down by the wind, so autumn-winter cropping should be the principle. If spring-summer cropping is used, dense planting is not suitable; slightly sparse planting is appropriate, and some stems and leaves should be appropriately thinned to reduce wind resistance.
2. Tunnel-type semicircular trellis cultivation: The bed width is 4-5 m, and the bed direction should preferably run north-south. On each bed, a semicircular trellis is set up on the bed surface, with the highest point of the trellis about 1.8 m above the ground. Luffa can grow vertically, and within a unit area the trellis area is larger than that of a horizontal trellis, with good ventilation and light transmission, which is beneficial to luffa development. Two rows are planted per bed, planted on both sides of the bed ditch, with a plant spacing of 0.4-0.5 m. The semicircular trellis is relatively wind-resistant and is suitable not only for autumn-winter cropping but also for spring-summer cropping.
Fertilizer Management for Luffa
Apply sufficient organic fertilizer and appropriate chemical fertilizer. With enough organic fertilizer, luffa grows straight and long; otherwise, deformed fruits are easily produced. After transplanting, apply 1500 kg of 1:10 diluted manure and urine water per mu 5-7 days later to promote stem and leaf growth. After that, before flowering and fruiting, fertilize according to seedling condition: if the seedlings grow vigorously and are dark green, less or no fertilizer can be applied; if growth is weak, apply 1500 kg of compound fertilizer extract at 4-6 kg per mu or 1500 kg of 1:10 diluted manure and urine water every 15 days or so. After fruiting, topdress once every 5-7 days, applying 10-15 kg of compound fertilizer per mu each time; during the peak harvest period, the fertilizer amount should be increased by 1-2 times, and 50-100 kg of plant ash per mu should be applied 1-2 times.
Water Management for Luffa
Luffa needs a lot of water throughout its entire growth period. In the early growth stage, the soil should be kept moist. During the flowering and fruiting period, the plants need the most water, and the root system is also stronger, so irrigation should be strengthened. Luffa needs water, but it also dislikes waterlogging. When irrigating, it should be irrigated and drained promptly, not flood-irrigated, especially on rainy days, when more attention should be paid to drainage to prevent water accumulation on the bed surface.
The scientific cultivation method for luffa is mainly carried out from several aspects such as seed selection, seedling raising, land preparation, and planting. Only by choosing excellent varieties can the later survival rate be guaranteed. After planting, field management also needs to be strengthened, especially timely topdressing and timely watering. Only after doing these tasks well will luffa grow better.