How to prune and remove side shoots from bitter gourd? A detailed guide to the latest method
Bitter gourd is a vine-type plant. It has an extremely strong ability to sprout branches and vines, and during growth it needs to be trained and managed to improve yield and quality. Overall, this can be summed up as pruning and removing side shoots, which ensures good ventilation and light penetration between plants and reduces unnecessary nutrient consumption. So how should bitter gourd be pruned and have its side shoots removed? Let's take a look.
1. Vine training
When the bitter gourd vine has grown to about 40-50 cm, it is time to set up a trellis or tie strings to hang the vines, so as to guide the stems and vines onto the trellis to set fruit. Nylon rope or similar material can be used to tie and wrap the middle and lower parts of the stems and vines, with the hanging strings tied to a wire or shed frame about 2 m above the planting bed. What needs to be noted here is that when hanging and training the vines, make sure the main vines in each row run in the same direction, so that the leaves are evenly distributed, space can be used to the greatest extent, and more light can be obtained. At the same time, appropriately remove some side vines below 30 cm to reduce nutrient loss.
⟦NL>2. Topping and pinching out
After the main vine of the bitter gourd has been trained onto the trellis, it is time to top and pinch out the growing tips. Select 2-3 strong-growing side vines as fruit-setting vines. After a side vine sets fruit, keep 2 leaves in front of the fruit and pinch it back. After the fruit on a side vine is harvested, the side vine should be cut off promptly to encourage the growth of new fruit-setting vines. In addition, excess vines on the stems and vines, diseased and pest-damaged vines, thin and weak vines, vines without fruit, and tendrils that appear in rainy conditions should be removed promptly. This can reduce unnecessary nutrient consumption by the plant and also increase air and light penetration, so that more nutrients can be synthesized to promote plant growth. It should also be noted that whenever two female flowers grow on a side vine, one plump and robust one should be retained, while the other with poorer development should be removed promptly.
3. Leaf removal
When bitter gourd enters the period of heavy fruit setting, in order to avoid excessive growth of ineffective stems, vines, and leaves that affects fruit setting and fruit enlargement, the old, yellow, diseased, and damaged leaves in the middle and lower parts of the plant, branches and vines that do not set fruit, branches and vines at the top with no flowers or fruit, as well as diseased and pest-damaged fruit and deformed fruit, should be cut off promptly. This can save nutrients to the greatest extent and promote fruit setting and fruit enlargement.
The above is an introduction to how to prune and remove side shoots from bitter gourd. I hope it can help you. To learn more related knowledge, please keep following us.