How to grow organic Bottle gourd

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Bottle Gourd (Lagenaria siceraria)

Bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) is a popular and healthy annual vegetable. It is a long vine with white flowers and the leaves come in bigger. This popular vegetable has been cultivated in Asia, Europe, and America for thousands of years. Learn How to grow an organic Bottle gourd plant, grow a Bottle gourd (Lauki) in containers, and more about this plant.

Its fruit is very nutritious and medicinal. It is an annual vegetable plant; plant leaves are large and lush. The gourd comes in many shapes and sizes; its cultivation is abundant in India. Being shaped like a bottle, it is called a bottle gourd. It is known by many other names, gourd, lauki, ghiya, and milk in India. Nature Brings is giving tips here in a very easy way.

Overview Bottle gourd

Scientific name Lagenaria siceraria

Common name Bottle gourd, Lauki, ghiya

Plant type Vegetable

Sun Full sun

Soil Sandy Loam soil.

Soil pH 6.5 to 7.5

Zone 10-12

Growing Bottle gourd in containers

Choosing a place is important for Growing Bottle Gourd, where sunlight comes directly. Its plant needs sunlight for 8 hours a day. In which it thrives well. The bottle gourd plant does not tolerate shade.
You can grow easily the Gourd plant in your garden or container. If you grow bottle gourd in the container, then use the deep and wide container. A container of at least 20 inches in diameter will be appropriate.
Bottle gourd plant is a vine, it needs a place to spread it if you have a lack of space then apply it on the roof so that it can be easily trellis. On the field, you can spread it on the fence.
To grow the Lauki plant, you can bring its seeds from any garden shop or nursery.
This is a summer-growing vegetable, its seeds can sprout indoors in a 4-inch wide pot. For this, the ideal temperature (at least 20 degrees Celsius) should be free from heat and frost. Keep moisture in the soil. If you need quick germination then soak the seed in the water overnight.
Its seeds sprout in about 10 days. Let it grow for a few days when the plant becomes slightly mature, shift these plants out into the garden, or put them in a large container.

Soil and location

Rich and good drainage soil is required for this vegetable. For growing bottle gourd, to improve garden soil structure, you should add organic compost or leaf mold to garden soil. Before planting, select such places where the plant can get full sun.

Growing time

The appropriate time to plant seeds for gourd growth is from June to July. This is a monsoon or rainy season crop. for the summer crop, February is most suitable for summer crops.

Indoor Seedling

Indoor seedlings start in those areas that affect late spring frost. For such parts, choose a place where the sunlight comes, the southern window can be a good choice. For this, sow 2 seeds per 4-inch Peat Pot. Then the seedling and applied to a seed per pot, when seed germination starts. When the plants grow, transfer the seedlings outside.

Pollination

Flowers come in about 40 days in the bottle-gourd plant. Where the bee is lacking, you can pollinate its flowers with your hands. Both male and female plants of gourd make flowers. Take a paintbrush and collect male yellowish sticky pollen inside male flowers, then transfer it inside the female flowers.

Bottle gourd plant Care

Mind it when the frost is over. Transfer these plants to the prepared soil by manure in late spring.
This plant requires a lot of water, especially during the growing season, but hate the wet feet.
When the main vine becomes 6 to 8 feet long, its growing tip is cut off, it strengthens the plant and helps encourage other branches. This helps in more stimulus of fruits and flowers.
This plant grows well in sandy loam soil. By adding organic manure you can make the soil rich. To cultivate gourd, use well-prepared soil by mixing the organic manure. This will give you high-quality vegetables. For this soil pH Levels, of 6.5 to 7.5 are ideal.
The gourd plant uniformly needs water, its soil does not dry up. The abundant water in the growing season encourages plant flowers and fruit. Due to the state of drought, the tree will produce weak and less.
Keep in mind that wherever this plant is available, there should be a good system of drainage.
Use it to spray seaweed solution or liquid fertilizer every 3 weeks.
Lauki plants are vines and can be up to 15 feet long. To climb it, you can use a lattice.

Harvesting

After getting the desired shape, you can cut Lauki fruit. It comes to the work of vegetables and juice. Some farmers leave them to harden the gourd on the vine during the fall and winter, which are later used for crafts or other projects. The young gourd matures in about 60 days.

Pests and diseases

Lauki is relatively free of problems, although slugs like their young plants. The leaves of the young plant have a special scent, which calls back the insecticide. Powdery Mildew is responsible for the damp heat conditions. This plant requires air circulation. Water drainage should also be well, otherwise, the roots should fear rotting.

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