When Is the Best Time to Plant Loofah? Grow It This Way to Double Your Returns

Loofah is a common vegetable, cultivated in all parts of our country, but if you want to grow loofah well and make money from it, you must master the basic planting techniques. So when is the best time to plant loofah? How do you grow it to double your returns?

1. When is the best time to plant loofah?

Loofah can be planted all year round; the specific planting times are as follows:

1. Spring: generally best planted around Qingming Festival, but if planting in the south, it can be planted around the Start of Spring.

2. Summer: generally best planted from May to June.

3. Autumn: generally best planted from July to October (after the summer loofah harvest is finished).

4. Winter: generally best planted in November.

2. What are the loofah planting techniques?

1. Seed selection: which variety is best to plant?

Loofah has many varieties and can be planted all year round, so when selecting seeds, try to choose varieties suitable for planting in each season. For example, in summer, choose varieties that are not sensitive to sunlight, such as Xianhua loofah, Fengkang loofah, Xinxiatang loofah and Xiuyu loofah, which are quite suitable; in autumn, it is best to choose ridged loofah and green-skinned loofah.

2. Sowing and raising seedlings: how do you raise seedlings?

(1) Seed treatment: loofah seed coats are thick, so before sowing, sun-dry them for 2 to 3 days, then disinfect them with trisodium phosphate, and finally put the seeds into 70-degree warm water and stir until the temperature drops to 25 degrees, then soak for about 5 hours.

(2) Germination: after the seeds are treated, they still need to be placed in an environment of about 30 degrees to germinate, until the seed coat splits and the white sprouts emerge. During germination, the seeds should be rinsed with water every day to ensure sufficient moisture and promote germination.

(3) Sowing: before sowing, dig the seedling holes well and put 3 seeds in each hole, then slowly cover the seeds with soil, water an appropriate amount and cover with dry grass, and they will grow.

(4) Seedling stage management: 5 days after sowing, seedlings will emerge; at this point, simply lower the temperature appropriately and ensure sufficient moisture for vigorous growth.

3. Land selection and preparation: what kind of soil is best?

After the seedlings have grown, they should be transplanted to a spacious place, and loofah likes to grow in sunny, fertile, water-retentive organic-matter soil, so when selecting land, it is best to choose clay loam or loam with strong water retention capacity for planting. Also dig a furrow about 35cm wide and a bed about 35cm high, to make it convenient to plant the seedlings.

4. Field planting: how many seedlings to plant per mu?

When the seedlings have grown 2 to 3 true leaves, they can be transplanted into the field. When field planting, it is best to use double-row planting, with 1700 seedlings planted per mu, to make later care easier.

5. Trellis building: how do you build it?

After the loofah seedlings have grown for a while, they will climb all over the place; at this point, use bamboo, wood or cement poles to build a 2-meter-high trellis, and use rope to slightly secure the vines, to make it convenient for them to flower and fruit.

6. Fertilizer requirements: how much fertilizer to apply per mu?

Loofah has low fertilizer requirements; generally, apply one heavy fertilizer during the vine-running stage, one heavy fertilizer during the peak fruiting stage, and 3 to 4 applications during the late fruiting stage. The usual amount is 10 kg of compound fertilizer or 20 kg of cake fertilizer per mu.

7. Timely harvest: when is the best time to harvest?

Loofah grows quickly; generally it can be harvested during the peak fruiting period, and with proper management, it is usually harvested once every 2 to 3 days. Harvesting is generally done in the morning, which ensures the freshness of the fruit.

3. In which months does loofah bloom?

Loofah generally blooms from summer to autumn, and the flowers open in the morning and wither in the evening, because at the base of the loofah there is one female pistil and a cluster of male stamens. The male flower petals are small, and flowering generally begins to emerge from the leaf axils in summer. The female flower petals are large, and after fertilization they develop into loofah; if fertilization is unsuccessful, they simply shrivel.

In summary, loofah can be planted all year round, but to grow it well you need to do a good job with basic management such as germination, sowing and water and fertilizer, and only then can your returns double.