How to Grow Bottle Gourd? The Latest Planting Techniques and Methods Tutorial
Bottle gourd, also known as calabash or hu gua, is an annual herbaceous plant of the Cucurbitaceae family, the same family and genus as zucchini, but it is not zucchini. It contains protein and various trace elements, which help enhance the body's immune function. So how should bottle gourd be grown? Let's take a look together with the editor.
1. Land preparation and fertilization
Choose a plot with loose, fertile soil, rich in humus, strong water and fertilizer retention, and good drainage and irrigation. Before planting, deeply plow the soil, and at the same time combine land preparation with building beds, applying sufficient base fertilizer in one go to provide ample nutrients for the growth and development of bottle gourd. Generally, apply 1500 kg of decomposed farmyard manure, 25 kg of superphosphate, and 100 kg of compound fertilizer per mu.
2. Sowing and seedling raising
In the south, you can use greenhouses from December to January, or cultivate in the open field in early spring from February to March, raising seedlings in greenhouses or small arched sheds; or cultivate in autumn from August to September for late autumn cultivation, using shade nets for shading during seedling raising. During the seedling period, control temperature and moisture to prevent the seedlings from growing leggy, and cultivate strong seedlings. When the seedlings grow to 2-3 true leaves, they can be transplanted. In early spring, when temperatures are low, transplanting should be done on a sunny afternoon. Generally, plant 2500-2700 plants per mu under protected cultivation, while open-field cultivation plants about 1600-1900 plants per mu.
3. Field management
When the bottle gourd vines grow to 30-40 cm, set up trellises in time to guide the vines. For early spring protected cultivation, because there is no insect activity, supplementary pollination should be carried out. Pollination should preferably be done from 5 to 8 PM. Pick freshly opened male flowers of the day, remove the petals, and evenly smear their pollen onto the stigma of the female flowers. After pinching off the growing tip, more side vines will develop, so keep 2-3 robust side vines on the trellis, and prune excess side vines to avoid ineffective nutrient consumption by the plant.
4. Fertilizer and water management
Topdressing should be determined according to the plant's growth. If the plant is growing vigorously and the base fertilizer is sufficient, then the number of topdressings can be reduced accordingly or no topdressing is needed; but if the plant is growing weakly, topdressing should be done in time. After transplanting and establishment, apply a seedling-promoting fertilizer once; after pinching off the growing tip, apply a side-vine-promoting fertilizer once; at the beginning of fruit expansion, apply a fruit fertilizer once; and apply fertilizer once every 2-3 harvests. For topdressing, use 50 kg of diluted human manure and urine per mu plus 100 g of urea, or low-concentration compound fertilizer liquid, used alternately. You can also apply foliar fertilizer according to the plant's condition to supplement nutrients and improve resistance. When watering, note that bottle gourd is neither drought-tolerant nor tolerant of waterlogging, so never use flood irrigation, and drain accumulated water in time.
The above is an introduction to bottle gourd cultivation techniques. We hope it can help you. To learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.