How to Grow Snake Gourd? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Planting Methods
The snake gourd is actually a type of loofah, but because its appearance is especially similar to that of a snake, it was named snake gourd. We may all have heard of snake fruit, but we may rarely have heard of snake gourd, so quite a few people do not know how delicious snake gourd is. Snake gourd now often appears on the market too, so today the editor will give everyone a brief introduction to the planting methods for snake gourd.
1. Choosing and Preparing the Land
Snake gourd does not have high demands for land and has very strong adaptability. It is a vegetable that is very easy to grow, so it can be planted on a small scale or a large scale, and some people can even grow it on their own balcony. But if you want high yields, then of course a place with fertile soil and sufficient water is best. When preparing the land, apply base fertilizer well, and at the same time level and refine the land as much as possible.
2. Sowing and Raising Seedlings
The seed coat of snake gourd is rather thick, so the seeds must be treated before sowing. Generally, first sun-dry the seeds for two to three days, then put them into hot water for seed scalding. The water temperature should not be too high, about 45 to 55 degrees, and the scalding time should not be too long, generally 2 to 3 minutes is suitable. Then put the scalded seeds into cold water and soak them for two to three days. After taking them out, place them in a relatively warm place to promote sprouting. Once the sprouts have all come out, you can sow them.
3. Transplanting and Fertilizing
When the snake gourd seedlings have grown three to five leaves, they should be transplanted, generally planting one seedling every 60 to 80 cm. Adjust the spacing between plants according to the fertility of the soil: plant more densely in relatively poor soil and more sparsely in fertile land. After planting, apply fertilizer once to help promote the growth of the seedlings. A second fertilization should be carried out during flowering and fruiting to ensure the nutrients needed for fruiting.
4. Weeding and Trellising
Weeding is a very necessary task to do before building the trellis, so as to avoid discovering weeds after the trellis is built and then weeding in a way that exposes the gourd roots above the soil surface and affects growth. The purpose of trellising is to increase yield. The snake gourd seedlings grow in a trailing pattern, so for convenient harvesting and higher yields, a trellis should be set up when the seedlings grow to 50 cm, letting them grow along the trellis.
5. Prevention and Harvesting
Snake gourd generally rarely develops diseases, but sometimes pests such as borers appear, so timely treatment is also necessary. In particular, one kind of borer will bite through the vines and cause the whole plant to die, seriously affecting yield. When harvesting, be sure not to harvest too large or too late, otherwise it will not be fresh. Generally, you can pick it when the surface color of the snake gourd turns milky white.
Growing snake gourd is actually very simple. It has strong adaptability to the environment and relatively strong disease resistance, so growing snake gourd actually does not require too much worry, and it is rich in nutrients and greatly beneficial to people's health. The above is the snake gourd planting method that the editor has brought to everyone today. For more agricultural knowledge, visit Qinnong Network.