Snake Gourd Planting Methods and Key Technical Points

The snake gourd is actually a type of loofah, but because its appearance closely resembles a snake in length, 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, so today the editor will give everyone a brief introduction to snake gourd planting methods.

1. Site Selection and Land Preparation

The snake gourd does not have high demands on the soil and has very strong adaptability; it is a vegetable that is easy to grow, so it can be planted in small areas or large areas, and some people can even plant it on their own balcony. But if you want high yield, of course a place with fertile soil and sufficient water is still best. When preparing the land, apply basal fertilizer well, and at the same time level and finely break up the soil as much as possible.

2. Sowing and Raising Seedlings

The seed coat of the snake gourd is relatively thick, so before sowing the seeds must be treated. Generally, the seeds are first sun-dried for two to three days, then put 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 two to three 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 emerged, sowing can begin.

3. Transplanting and Fertilizing

When the snake gourd seedlings grow three to five leaves, transplanting should be carried out, generally planting one seedling every 60 to 80 cm. Adjust the spacing between plants according to the fertility of the soil: plant relatively densely in poorer soil and relatively sparsely in fertile land. After planting, fertilize once to help promote the growth of the seedlings. When flowering and fruiting, fertilize a second time 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, which causes the gourd roots to be exposed on the soil surface and affects growth. The purpose of trellising is to increase yield. The snake gourd seedlings grow in a creeping mode, so for convenient harvesting and higher yield, trellising should be carried out when the seedlings grow to 50 cm, letting them grow along the trellis.

5. Prevention and Harvesting

The snake gourd generally rarely develops diseases, but sometimes borers and the like also appear, so timely treatment should also be carried out, especially one kind of borer that bites through the vines and causes the whole seedling to die, seriously affecting yield. When harvesting, be sure not to harvest when it is too large or too late, otherwise it will not be fresh. Generally, harvesting can be done when the surface color of the snake gourd turns milky white.

Planting snake gourd is actually very simple. It has strong adaptability to the environment and relatively strong disease resistance, so planting snake gourd actually does not require too much worry, and it is rich in nutrients and greatly helpful to people's health. The above is the snake gourd planting method the editor has brought to everyone today. For more agricultural knowledge, visit Qinnong Network.