How to grow loofah

Luffa is a common vegetable. It is a plant belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family and its origin is India. Luffa, also known as cucumber, is now widely grown in East Asia. The roots of loofah are very powerful, and loofah has many benefits. It can not only be used in cooking, but also as medicine. Loofah also has beauty benefits. It is very suitable to eat loofah in summer.

Luffa has a wide range of uses. Mature luffa contains a kind of mesh fiber, which is called luffa. We can use luffa to wash dishes instead of sponges. The taste of loofah is not sweet, but a little bitter. Let’s take a look at how to grow loofah.

Luffa likes warm climate, is resistant to high temperature and high humidity, and avoids low temperature. It has a wide adaptability to soil and it is suitable to choose sandy loam with deep soil layer, moist soil and rich in organic matter, but not barren soil.

Cultivation techniques

Propagate by seeds, direct sowing or seedling transplanting. Direct seeding method: In March and April, prepare the land and make ridges with a width of about 3m. The seeds are soaked to germinate and sown in 2 rows on both sides of the bed. The plant spacing is 35cm, dig holes, and sow 3 seeds in each hole. About 300-450g of seeds are needed for 1hm2. Seedling raising and transplanting method: From February to March, use nutrient pots to raise seedlings on a warm seedbed. When the seedlings grow 2-3 true leaves, they can be transplanted. Planting density is the same as direct seeding. Variety selection

Select high-quality, high-yield, commercially viable varieties that are suitable for the market. For winter and spring cultivation, long-stick varieties should be selected, which are targeted at the Hong Kong, Macao and South China markets, such as Bilu, Shuangqing, Luwang, etc.; for summer and autumn cultivation, short-stick varieties should be selected for the local market, such as Thai loofah, etc. The land for loofah production should be sandy loam with deep soil, fertile soil, convenient drainage and irrigation, and neutral or slightly acidic pH.

During the period of growing loofah, fertilizer should be applied once a week. When the loofah is mature, fertilizer should be applied every 1 to 2 times it is picked. Because loofah is mainly used for food and medicine, it is generally better to apply organic natural fertilizers, such as human and animal feces and urine. In addition, when planting loofah, weeding and ridge building should be carried out frequently.