How to Grow Luffa for High Yield? A Detailed Guide to Practical Growing Techniques
Growing luffa requires choosing a suitable planting time; cultivation is not recommended in winter, while in the other seasons it can be harvested in 2-3 months. Get the timing of fertilizer application right, and water according to the growth conditions, which can promote the swelling of the luffa. Reasonable field management can effectively promote the growth and photosynthesis of luffa and increase the yield.
How to Grow Luffa for High Yield
1. Planting time
First, the planting time should not fall in a period when the seasons are changing, as the seedlings grown this way will not grow well; second, when planting, do not choose days with large temperature differences or excessively low temperatures, as the seedlings grown this way are prone to dying. Generally, planting can be done around February in spring, from late May in summer, and in early September in autumn; planting in winter is not really recommended. Usually, 2-3 months are enough for harvest.
2. Application of fertilizer and water
Luffa has relatively high water requirements, so during the growing period the soil should be kept relatively moist. Before flowering, water 2-3 times; after flowering, water once a week to once every half a month depending on the situation. When growing luffa, it is not recommended to apply too much chemical fertilizer, as this is not good for growth, but urea can be appropriately increased. Control the amount of fertilizer applied to 2-3 times per cycle; urea will promote the swelling of luffa to a certain extent.
3. Plant handling
If there are too many flowers in the early stage, some should be appropriately removed to avoid all the luffa suffering from malnutrition later. Second, if after fruiting you find that all the luffa are growing poorly, then some of the smaller luffa should also be removed. Do not worry about the loss; if they are not removed, none of the fruits on the whole luffa plant will grow large. After fruiting for a period, the luffa should be trained onto a trellis to prevent the later, overly large luffa from breaking the vines, which can also promote the growth of the luffa.
4. Field management
During the growing period, the fruiting luffa can be appropriately fixed in a place with light, which will promote the growth and photosynthesis of the luffa. The support that the luffa vines climb on should have a large supporting area, so that the vines will be vigorous and can absorb more nutrients, increasing the fruit yield. Some branches and leaves that grow vigorously but do not bear fruit should be removed to avoid wasting nutrients from the luffa plant.