After planting, in which month does the bottle gourd usually bloom?

The bottle gourd is also known as Gabei Zhebu (Tibetan name), bottle gourd shell, chou hulu, hu lu, pu lu. It can be eaten, used as medicine, and made into handicrafts. But do you know in which month the bottle gourd blooms? And what are the planting methods?

In which month does the bottle gourd bloom?

The bottle gourd generally blooms in summer, in June-July. It is monoecious, with female and male flowers both borne singly. The female flower pedicel is slightly shorter than the petiole or nearly equal in length; the male flower pedicel is slender and slightly longer than the petiole.

What are the planting methods for bottle gourd?

1. Site selection and land preparation

Choose flat land and shallow depression land with good drainage and fertile soil. In early spring, form ridges on the thawing soil and press them in time to preserve soil moisture. The planting ridges are long-mouth ridges, with a ridge width of 90-130cm. The 7—8 empty ridges in between should also be ridged to help control weeds.

2. Seed selection and sprouting

Select robust varieties with no pests or diseases that are suitable for the local area. Soak the seeds in 55 degree water for 15 minutes, then in 30 degree water for 24 hours. Keep them above warm water for seven days (without contact), and plant once the tip splits open.

3. Sowing and raising seedlings

Place 8-10cm of horse manure or chopped grass at the bottom of the seedbed, spread a layer of soil on top, and tread it firm and level. At the same time, disinfect with 70% dexon wettable powder at 0.3-0.6g per sq m, and also put up a shed. After sowing the seeds, put up a small shed over the seedbed as well. The sowing time is April 5-10.

4. Field management

After the seeds sprout, we need to transplant appropriately according to the growth of the seedlings. When topdressing the bottle gourd, it should be done together with intertillage and weeding, and when the main vine of the bottle gourd grows to 50 cm, it should also be done together with watering. Urea can be used as the fertilizer, and when topdressing, attention should also be paid to the placement of the topdressing. The growth of the plants also needs to be controlled, keeping 1 to 2 main vines per vine, and then carrying out hilling once. Finally, observe the growth of the plants and do a good job of pinching tips, removing growing points, and artificial pollination.

The bottle gourd generally can gradually be harvested in early August. Of course, the harvest time is determined differently according to different uses.