How to grow snake gourd for high yield? A detailed explanation of the key cultivation techniques
Key techniques for high-yield snake gourd cultivation
(Agricultural Wealth Network) Snake gourd is also known as snake bean. It is cultivated in small amounts in various parts of China, and the young fruit is eaten. It can be stir-fried or made into soup, and it is delicious.
1. Characteristics and traits
Snake gourd is an annual climbing plant. Its root system is relatively well developed, with many lateral roots, and it is fairly tolerant of poor soil and drought. The stem is trailing, five-angled, green, and covered with fine hairs; the main stem nodes can produce many lateral vines, and the lateral vines can in turn produce secondary lateral vines, so the vines and leaves grow vigorously. The leaves are palmate, green on the upper surface and light green beneath, with fine hairs, and the veins are radiate; the petiole is 5-10 cm long and hairy. The flowers are monoecious. The male flowers are borne in racemes, each inflorescence having 12-16 buds, occasionally with solitary male flowers, and they are white when in bloom. The female flowers are solitary, with an inferior ovary, green, 5-6 cm long, 5 petals, white flowers, a club-shaped pistil, and a two-cleft stigma. The first female flower usually appears at the 14th-18th node. The fruit is long and strip-shaped, generally more than 1 m long and 3-5 cm in transverse diameter, tapering toward the base and tip, with the tip curved; from the fruit stalk onward there are several green stripes, and the skin is grayish white with intermittent fine green stripes. The fruit is smooth and hairless and has a waxy coating. Its shape resembles a snake, hence the name snake gourd.
2. Cultivation techniques
(1) Sowing Snake gourd is a warm-season crop with relatively strong heat tolerance but poor cold tolerance. North of the Yangtze River, sowing and seedling raising are generally done in March to April, and the growing period can be extended to October to November. It can be cultivated for the autumn off-season. If sowing and seedling raising are done earlier, insulation facilities must be added to protect the seedlings from cold. Trellis cultivation is most common. Among trellis types, flat trellis cultivation is the most widespread.
(2) Vine training and fertilization When snake gourd is planted on relatively poor soil, it bears few fruits and the yield is low. Therefore, during cultivation, some organic fertilizer or human manure and urine should also be applied appropriately as a top dressing to promote plant growth, vigorous stems and vines, more lateral vine sprouting, increased fruiting, and high yield. Snake gourd likes moisture but is also drought tolerant. Generally, when planting, if the groundwater level is not too low and the soil has a certain degree of moisture, there is no need to irrigate. However, to strive for a high yield, it is still necessary to irrigate 1-2 times during high temperature and drought to maintain a certain soil moisture and air humidity, so as to ensure abundant fruiting and plump fruit. Snake gourd stems and vines grow vigorously, so trellises must be set up in time to guide the vines, thereby expanding the root system. After that, guide the vines onto the trellis. Before going onto the trellis, vine training should be carried out , removing lateral vines, or selecting and keeping 1-2 robust lateral vines from the base to go onto the trellis. When guiding the vines onto the trellis, distribute the vines evenly so that every vine tip can receive light and dew.
(3) Harvesting Generally, harvesting for market can begin in May to June, supplying the market with young fruits; usually they can be harvested about 10 days after flowering. Mature fruits take more than about 30 days, at which point they can be harvested for seed saving. Mature fruits are light reddish brown in color, with loose flesh, and are not edible. The seeds are nearly rectangular, with two parallel small grooves, light brown, and each fruit contains 10-50 seeds.
1. Characteristics and traits
Snake gourd is an annual climbing plant. Its root system is relatively well developed, with many lateral roots, and it is fairly tolerant of poor soil and drought. The stem is trailing, five-angled, green, and covered with fine hairs; the main stem nodes can produce many lateral vines, and the lateral vines can in turn produce secondary lateral vines, so the vines and leaves grow vigorously. The leaves are palmate, green on the upper surface and light green beneath, with fine hairs, and the veins are radiate; the petiole is 5-10 cm long and hairy. The flowers are monoecious. The male flowers are borne in racemes, each inflorescence having 12-16 buds, occasionally with solitary male flowers, and they are white when in bloom. The female flowers are solitary, with an inferior ovary, green, 5-6 cm long, 5 petals, white flowers, a club-shaped pistil, and a two-cleft stigma. The first female flower usually appears at the 14th-18th node. The fruit is long and strip-shaped, generally more than 1 m long and 3-5 cm in transverse diameter, tapering toward the base and tip, with the tip curved; from the fruit stalk onward there are several green stripes, and the skin is grayish white with intermittent fine green stripes. The fruit is smooth and hairless and has a waxy coating. Its shape resembles a snake, hence the name snake gourd.
2. Cultivation techniques
(1) Sowing Snake gourd is a warm-season crop with relatively strong heat tolerance but poor cold tolerance. North of the Yangtze River, sowing and seedling raising are generally done in March to April, and the growing period can be extended to October to November. It can be cultivated for the autumn off-season. If sowing and seedling raising are done earlier, insulation facilities must be added to protect the seedlings from cold. Trellis cultivation is most common. Among trellis types, flat trellis cultivation is the most widespread.
(2) Vine training and fertilization When snake gourd is planted on relatively poor soil, it bears few fruits and the yield is low. Therefore, during cultivation, some organic fertilizer or human manure and urine should also be applied appropriately as a top dressing to promote plant growth, vigorous stems and vines, more lateral vine sprouting, increased fruiting, and high yield. Snake gourd likes moisture but is also drought tolerant. Generally, when planting, if the groundwater level is not too low and the soil has a certain degree of moisture, there is no need to irrigate. However, to strive for a high yield, it is still necessary to irrigate 1-2 times during high temperature and drought to maintain a certain soil moisture and air humidity, so as to ensure abundant fruiting and plump fruit. Snake gourd stems and vines grow vigorously, so trellises must be set up in time to guide the vines, thereby expanding the root system. After that, guide the vines onto the trellis. Before going onto the trellis, vine training should be carried out , removing lateral vines, or selecting and keeping 1-2 robust lateral vines from the base to go onto the trellis. When guiding the vines onto the trellis, distribute the vines evenly so that every vine tip can receive light and dew.
(3) Harvesting Generally, harvesting for market can begin in May to June, supplying the market with young fruits; usually they can be harvested about 10 days after flowering. Mature fruits take more than about 30 days, at which point they can be harvested for seed saving. Mature fruits are light reddish brown in color, with loose flesh, and are not edible. The seeds are nearly rectangular, with two parallel small grooves, light brown, and each fruit contains 10-50 seeds.