How to plant gourd seeds for a high survival rate? Detailed sowing tips

Gourds are not only edible but also have high ornamental value, and you can grow your own gourds simply by sowing gourd seeds directly, which makes many people eager to try. So how should gourd seeds be planted for a high survival rate?

1. Open-field planting of gourd seeds

1. Seed selection and seedling raising

Choose gourd seeds imported from Japan; the seeds are plump and of high purity, with a germination rate above 95%.

2. Field transplanting and field management

It is best to choose a plot with flat terrain, fertile soil and close to a water source. Try not to choose a plot whose previous crop was watermelon, muskmelon or vegetables, as this can reduce the occurrence of diseases. Dig a large pit 60 cm in diameter and 30 cm deep for each plant, and apply decomposed farmyard manure and chemical fertilizer in each pit. Begin transplanting at the end of May. Field management: promptly remove side shoots, prune branches and hand-pollinate.

3. Harvest and finished product processing

The gourds can be picked once they grow to 10—20 cm, so as not to affect the growth of the other gourds. Never let the gourds get old before picking them. Each vine can grow 3—6 gourds, with a yield of 0.5—0.75 wan kg per mu.

2. Potted planting of gourd seeds

1. Flower pot selection

The size of the flower pot (No. 10) should be moderate. Before potting, select good fertile soil, use loose acidic soil mixed with farmyard manure; alkaline soil and compacted soil must not be used. The soil should have good aeration and drainage. Mix it together with the humus soil or green manure of the culture soil used in the plastic flower pots sold on the market at a ratio of 1/3.

2. Management after sowing gourd seeds

(1) Watering

Potted gourds dry out very easily. When the vines first begin to spread, water once a day. In the high-temperature period of midsummer, water twice a day.

(2) Building a trellis

Support four posts on the flower pot to fix it, extending 50 cm above the surface of the pot, and make a 90-degree grid-shaped trellis. When the main vine grows to 4—5 leaves, pinch off the vine, leaving 2 secondary vines to spread upward. When the secondary vines climb to the top of the trellis, pinch them off and let their 2 tertiary vines extend upward. When the tertiary vines grow to 5 branches and leaves, begin pinching off the tips, so that the fruit grows from the quaternary vines produced on the tertiary vines.

(3) Pest and disease control

For pest and disease control, the main disease of gourds is powdery mildew, and the main pest is aphids. The plum rain season is the peak period for powdery mildew; potted gourds are most susceptible to the disease if placed in a place with poor air circulation.

Warm tip: At present, many gourd varieties have been bred at home and abroad, such as apple gourd, Xinjiang gourd, wart gourd, fingered citron gourd, hand-rubbed gourd and other varieties in China. When planting gourds, everyone should choose varieties according to their own needs.