What are the management techniques for the growing period of loofah?
Loofah is a very popular gourd vegetable with a tender, sweet flavor. It is distributed throughout our country and is grown over a very wide area. However, when growing loofah there are various growth stages, and each growth stage of loofah has different management methods. Still, the management methods are fairly similar, mainly unified management during the growing period, so how should loofah be managed during the growing period? Let's take a look together below!
1. Temperature management
The main growing period of loofah is in summer, so it likes to grow in a high-temperature environment, and its most suitable growing temperature is around 22°C. The optimum temperature for fruit growth should be kept at around 25°C. If the temperature is below 16°C, the growth rate will clearly decline; when it is below 10°C, growth stops and frost damage is very likely to occur. Before the loofah has produced vines, it can be appropriately covered with rice straw to control light and promote the growth of the stems and leaves of the loofah plant and flower bud differentiation. Then during the fruiting stage, the rice straw should be appropriately uncovered to increase light duration and temperature and promote flowering and fruit setting.
2. Reasonable watering
Loofah has different water requirements at different growth stages; for example, during the seedling stage, its water demand is relatively low. Mainly according to the weather and soil moisture, water lightly about twice; when the vines grow to about 6 cm, cultivate soil appropriately, then apply additional potassium dihydrogen phosphate and other nutrients needed for growth, and then water heavily once. Under normal sowing and cultivation management, loofah generally begins to flower and bear fruit around June each year. At this time the temperature is relatively high, so the watering frequency should be controlled, about once a week.
3. Trellising and vine tying
The vines of loofah are very long, so when planting, the trellising work must be done well. Observe the growth of the vines, and when they grow to about 24 cm, trellis them promptly to avoid the trellis poles taking up too much space, and provide appropriate shading. The trellis form is generally mainly a single-row vertical trellis, and then the vines are guided vertically according to planting density. After successfully climbing the trellis, tie the vines in a curved shape at about 5 leaves, and pay attention to doing the vine lowering work well. Moreover, the disease resistance of loofah is relatively weak, so it is not suitable to remove the leaves used for vine lowering. Finally, spray agents such as New High Lipid Film to protect flowers and fruits and increase the rate of flowering and fruit setting.
4. Pest and disease control
As just mentioned, the disease resistance of loofah is relatively weak, so we also need to do a good job in pest and disease control. Common pests and diseases of loofah include anthracnose, viral disease, aphids, and so on. During control, it should be carried out in a planned way, strengthen field management, control the application of water and fertilizer well, and prevent fertilizer damage, waterlogging damage, and other problems that trigger pests and diseases. Targeted control should be carried out according to commonly occurring pests and diseases, control the incidence rate of pests and diseases, and reduce the harm of pests and diseases to a minimum. After onset, use corresponding agents for control according to the specific disease.
The above is a brief introduction to the management methods for loofah growth. The management of loofah is very important for its flowering and fruit setting. Be sure to do the management work well to avoid unnecessary losses and harm to your planting benefits. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only. Thank you all for reading and supporting.