Ash gourds (winter melon, wax gourd)
Ash Gourd is quite popular in India, many people use it as a vegetable and nuggets. If you live in a tropical or sub-tropical region, you can cultivate Ash Guard (wax gourd) very comfortably. It is a huge source of energy and gives you power. You can incorporate it into your diet like salads, snacks, soups and Asian stir-fries. It is surprisingly beneficial in working as a weight gain, peptic ulcer, diabetes, improvement in constipation, acidity and nerve systems. How to cultivate Ash guards in your garden know Ash gourd Cultivation, Propagation Ash gourd, Pests and Disease Ash gourd, How to Harvest ash gourd.
Popular names
Ash gourd, Benincasa hispida is found everywhere very well in India and China. Ash Gord is known by many other Hindi region names as White Gord, Wax Gord, Winter Melon, Petha, Petha kaddu, arkaru (Sanskrit), Kohla (Marathi), Kumbalanga (Malayalam), Kumra, Chalkumra (Bengali), and Komora (Assamese).
Classification
Scientific name Benincasa hispida
Common name Ash Gourd, Winter Melon, Wax Gourd
Plant type Vegetable
Sun required Full Sun
Soil Loamy, well-drained soil
Soil PH 5-7.5
Zone 2-11
Ash gourd Cultivation
Hardiness Zone
US Department of Agriculture firmly grows well between Hardiness Zone 2 to 11.
Soil
The loamy well-drained soil is best suited for Ash Guards. Although it tolerates so many ranges of soil. Which is most suitable for the tropical or sub-tropical region. This is the appropriate result in the soil pH 5 -7.5.
Time of sowing
Usually, Ash Gourd is grown throughout the year, though the ideal time to sow is from January to March and from September to December. North India, it is recommended to sow from October to November. You sow its seeds in October, then you can avoid the mosaic virus infection.
Seeds must be soaked in water before use, which can speed up germination. Before sowing, you should treat the seeds by bavistin solution for 2 -3 hours. Sow 4-5 seeds in a pit, after about 2 weeks remove weak plants and allow healthy plants to grow.
Transplanting
Its plants are grown directly in the ground by seeds, in the decomposed coco peat, you can develop seeds in the house and for transplant. you should give water regularly to the seeds and before it develops in the main areas let them grow in shades for about 2-3 weeks.
Spacing
Dig the field 3 to 4 times, construct a pit of 30 x 30 x 30 centimeters, spacing 2 x 1.5 m and form basins.
Temperature
Ash guards should be planted between July and January, it is a summer season crop and grows very well in 24 – 31-degree centigrade temperature.
Propagation Ash gourd
Ash guards are propagated by seeds, which are applied directly to the pits or furrow. After developing seeding, the veins are allowed to train on the ground surface.
Watering
In the beginning, the plant needs water on every third day. After flower and fruit development, you should give water every alternate day.
Pests and Disease Ash gourd
Red Beetle, Pumpkin Caterpillar, Fruit flies, Epilachna Beetle, American Serpentine Leaf Miner, etc. mainly damage it. To get rid of these problems, see Pests and Management.
Powdery Mildew, Downy Mildew, and Mosaic Virus are the main diseases. Sprinkle Dinocap 1 ml per liter of water, get rid of Powdery Mildew, prepare the mixture with Dithane M 45 4 grams per liter of water, if the yellow spots appear at the top of the leaves. Use Mosaic Resistant varieties to avoid the Mosaic Virus.
How to Harvest ash gourd
After 45 to 100 days of seeding, the fruit of Ash Guard is harvested, the fruit is harvested in an immature state and you can harvest the ripe fruits according to your need. About 1 week after the flowers appeared the fruit starts for the picking. Matured fruits are stored for about 6 months in a cool and dry place. The ripe fruit is used for seed. Wash the fruit thoroughly before storing it.
Gourd Fruit Plant seeds.
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