Why Do Bitter Gourds Split? Latest Analysis of the Causes
When growing bitter gourds, splitting is very common. Bitter gourd splitting may be caused by natural factors or by disease, and the environment can also lead to this situation. So what exactly causes it? Let's take a look at these causes below.
1. Large temperature difference between day and night
The growth of the bitter gourd's flesh is affected by temperature, causing a difference in growth rate compared with the skin. When the temperature difference between day and night is large, the flesh of the bitter gourd grows faster than the skin. Once this accumulates to a certain extent, the bitter gourd will split. Before this happens, careful observation of the bitter gourd will reveal that its skin is becoming tighter and tighter. When you get this feeling, it means the temperature control has not been done well, and growers should pay attention to regulating the temperature.
2. Gummy stem blight
The main disease that causes this situation is gummy stem blight, which affects the internal growth structure of the bitter gourd. This situation is prone to occur when humidity is too high. First, the vine area secretes some harmful substances, and then these substances infect the bitter gourd, making it rather crisp. At this point the bitter gourd continues to grow naturally, but because the flesh has become rather dry and crisp, lacking viscoelasticity, it will eventually crack after expanding to a certain extent. This disease is highly contagious, so it must be treated promptly.
3. Physiological fruit cracking
Physiological fruit cracking refers to cracking caused by an imbalance of fertilizer and water in the bitter gourd. The roots cannot absorb enough water to supply the consumption of the leaves, and this situation is most likely to occur together with relatively dry conditions. This mostly happens during the rapid growth period of the bitter gourd, a stage when the demand for both nutrients and water is at its highest. A lack of either will cause the bitter gourd to swell and crack, and it is very likely to occur on a large scale, so fertilizer and water balance must be well managed during this period.
4. Natural cracking
Lastly, there is natural cracking, which is caused by growers not harvesting in time. The growth of the bitter gourd is limited and will not continue indefinitely. After it grows to a certain extent, it will split open on its own, which is caused by the bitter gourd becoming rather old. If you find this situation in the later growth stage, do not worry, just pick it in time. It is said that in some places the seeds of bitter gourds that have grown old enough to crack are the best, and some people will deliberately leave a few of these as seeds.
The above are several causes of bitter gourd splitting. Do not worry when you run into this situation. First figure out why the bitter gourd is splitting, and then go solve the problem. We hope this can help everyone and ensure your growing returns.