Bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) is an annual, vigorous, climbing vine with large leaves and white flowers. It had been cultivated in Asia, Europe and the Americas for thousands of years. It is also known as Opo squash, bottle squash, long Opo,
long upo, calabash, Po gua, Pul Qua, and long melon (Chinese melon), yugao, and in India as lauki, dudhi, doodhi, aal or ghiya, Bhim. In Southern Italy, a similar plant is cucuzza, which grows fruits up to 3 feet long!
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| Types of Bottle Gourd |
There are several shapes or types of lagenaria siceraria bottle gourd, namely,
- round (called calabash) bottle gourd
- high round bottle gourd
- cylindrical bottle gourd
- bottle shape bottle gourd
- long bottle gourd
Each year you have to grow a new plant as it is an annual plant. The bottle gourd plant grows quite quickly, very vigorously and spread to long distances. All the gourds such as bottle, snake, ridge, bitter, ash, pumpkin, etc, can be grown in similar manner.
In 75 days you will be having lots of bottle gourds growing on the vine.
Bottle Gourd Growing Instructions
The following step-by-step instructions will show you how to grow and take care of your bottle gourd plant.
Health benefits of bottle gourd
BOTTLE GOURD PLANTING
It is easy to grow bottle gourd if you follow the guide and tips given below: |
| Bottle Gourd Seeds |
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| Bottle Gourd Young Plant |
- Growing Bottle Gourd in Pot or Ground: Bottle gourd can be grown in
ground in your garden or in pot. If you plant lauki in a pot, select a wide and deep pot, at least
50 cm diameter, also you can plant a bottle gourd type that grows very slowly or remains short.
If you have only small place to grow bottle gourd, you can grow it in a pot, spread the vine on trellis or roof. If you are growing it on your terrace, then spread the plant on the fencing (the outer wall on the terrace).
Last year I put one seed in a pot and another in ground. While the bottle gourd in the pot produced good number of gourds, the one in ground was not very rewarding. how to germinate vegetable seeds
The problem with bottle gourd in ground was that it grew to very long distances climbing on to a nearby high tree, from where I could not hand pollinate the bottle gourd flowers. On the other hand, the bottle gourd in the container grew to a manageable distance. - Buy lagenaria siceraria gourd seeds from any garden shop or you can use the seeds prepared from last year's crop.
- When to Plant bottle gourd: Bottle gourd is a summer growing vegetable. Raise the seedlings in a 4 inch pot indoors (growing vegetables from seeds) or in a hot frosts free place (temperature at least 20 deg C) in ground by sowing 2 seeds, half inch deep. Keep the pot moist.
- Germination: The bottle gourd seeds are slow in germination,may take from 7 to 25 days to germinate depending on the soil temperature. You can soak the seeds in water overnight to speed up germination. Use only the seeds that go to the bottom of the soaking bowl. When the seeds germinate and the plants grow to 2-3 leaves, transplant them to the final place. Discard the weaker plants. (In cold regions of USA, plant the seeds in small pots and keep them inside in the hottest area of the house. Move the baby plants outside when the danger of frost is over, may be in mid May.)
- In late spring, transfer the bottle goyrd seedling plant to the prepared bed containing compost (how to make compost at home) and manure. Water regularly. They need plenty of water in the growing season but hate wet feet.
- When each main vine grows to about 6-8 feet long, cut off the growing tip. This will force the plant to produce side branches that will produce fruit much sooner, more flowers and more fruits.
- Spray seaweed solution or liquid fertilizer or comfrey tea fertilizer regularly every 3rd week.
- The plant can grow to over 15 ft, so they need a solid support to climb by the tendrils or trellis along the stem.
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| Bottle Gourd Male & Female Flowers |
The leaves of the bottle gourd are up to 15 inches wide and have a velvety texture because of the fine hairs.
Bottle Gourd Male and Female Flowers
After about 45 days of planting, both male and female flowers will start to emerge. The plant produces white flowers, up to 4 inches in diameter.The bottle gourd male and female flowers look similar, the males on long peduncles and the females on short ones. You can identify the female flower which has an ovary of the shape of the fruit.
Bottle Gourd Pollination
Sometimes your bottle gourd plant may have flowers but no fruits. This happened to my bottle gourd vine.I was very sad to see that none of the female flowers were producing fruits, they were dropping without growing into a bottle gourd. This was due to the failure of pollination as there was no bee activity in the garden area. As there were no bees in my garden, I pollinated bottle gourd by hand.
Hand Pollination of Bottle Gourd Flowers
If you see that the female flowers of your bottle gourd do not grow and drop down, then you should pollinate them by hand.
How to hand pollinate them?
When the flowers open, rub a soft brush first in the male flower and then in the female flower.
I also got success by just rubbing softly the inside of both the flowers together.
You could spray the vine with sugar water to attract bees.
Why Bottle Gourd Vine Fails to produce Flowers
Sometimes the bottle gourd vine produces less or no female flowers and no fruits. To increase the flowers, you may cut off the growing ends of the branches when they are about a 3 feet (1 m) long. The new growth will produce more flowers. A fertilizer high in nitrogen produces leaf growth with very less number of flowers. Feed the vine with a fertilizer high in phosphorus and potassium to produce more flowers.Fertilizer For Bottle Gourd
- Bottle gourd needs a fertilizer high in phosphorous and potassium than nitrogen. Bottle gourds need nitrogen to grow vigorously, but excess nitrogen will encourage more leaves instead of fruit. A NPK fertilizer with ratio of 6:10:10 or 4:8:5 can be used. Add about 20 g in the soil for each plant before planting.
- Feed every 2 weeks with a liquid fertilizer or comfrey tea fertilizer.
Pests and Diseases
Bottle Gourd plants are quite carefree but they are attacked with same pests that plague cucumbers and pumpkins.- Powdery mildew can be a problem in humid hot weather. If mildew develops, remove the affected leaves and water the roots regularly.
- Cold wet weather can develop grey patches on the leaves. If that happens, remove the infected leaves, and move the shoots far apart for air circulation.
- Fruit fly: Cover the fruit with polythene or paper bags. Use fruit fly traps as in tomatoes plants. Destroy the affected fruits.
- You can see white or grey bugs underneath the leaves with several tiny gold eggs and dark brown adult pest on the stems.
- You can see beetles inside the blossoms in the morning that you can pick by hand.
When to Harvest bottle Gourd
It is very important to harvest bottle gourd at the correct time. When the bottle gourd begins to change color or becoming yellowish, it is time to harvest it. You should be able to pierce your nail in it easily. Harvest the gourd with at least one inch of stem attached. If the fruit becomes very hard and you cannot pierce your nails in it, it is over-ripe and not good for cooking but good for decoration purpose. Over-ripe bottle gourds are good for making seeds, which can be used to grow gourds next year.For ornamental gourds or decorative gourds, harvest them when the stem attached to the gourd begins to turn brown and the leaves on the vine are all dead.
Very Long Fruit (Giant Bottle Gourd)
I wanted to grow a very long fruit, so when the gourd started to grow, I just plucked away all new female flowers. This allowed all the food and energy of the plant available to the only one fruit.I also tied a soft poly-tape at the bottom of the fruit and hanged a small weight. This way my bottle gourd reached to a length of 1.23 m and weighing 10 kg. It could have grown even bigger had I not plucked it, if I would have decided to grow it for making seeds.
Many of my friends and neighbors had come to see this huge bottle gourd (long melon).
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| Very Long Bottle Gourd Grown, 1.23 m long weighing 10 kg |
It was very difficult for us to consume so much so I distributed it to four of my friends.
There are some varieties like New Guinea Beans and Bhim bottle gourd which grow about 3-5 feet long.
Bottle gourd makes very healthy and tasty curries like lauki channa dal and lauki kofta curries. A popular north Indian dish is lauki channa dal curry, (channa dal and diced gourd in a semi dry spicy gravy). It can also be used to make bottle gourd halwa.
Choko is a vegetable similar to bottle gourd (how to grow choko from fruit).
Video on How to grow bottle gourd from seed
How to germinate Bottle gourd seeds video
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Get all the Questions and Answers on Gourds . If you have any question on bottle gourd, please go to this questions and answers page.
Video of Growing Bottle Gourd from seeds
Video on How to grow bottle gourd from seed
How to germinate Bottle gourd seeds video
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Get all the Questions and Answers on Gourds . If you have any question on bottle gourd, please go to this questions and answers page.
My bottle gourd vine produced a large number of small gourds, but none of them grew to an adult fruit and all fell down. What may be the reason of not producing any bottle gourds?
ReplyDeleteThe small bottle gourds on your plant were actually the female flowers. They did not grow because they were not pollinated. In the absence of bee activity in your area, you have to hand pollinate the flowers. For this, rub a small soft brush inside a male flower and then in the female flower.
ReplyDeleteMy female flowers are burning and dropping to the ground, even the newest small flowers are burning on the ground. I hand pollinate the flowers and the bottle gourd does grow, but now baby female flowers are burning and falling on the ground. Please help
ReplyDeleteIt appears that you have given too much fertilizer or your bottle gourd plant is water stressed.
ReplyDeleteIf the pollination has not taken place, then also the flowers will fall although the female flowers initially grow and you think that the pollination occurred.
Hi. Thanks a lot for sharing your experience!!Last year all of the female flowers dropped off and I thought I wasnt fertilizing or watering sufficiently. I will try hand pollination. Can I use tooth brush for it? How often do I need to hand pollinate? How soon will the fruit develop after hand pollination?
ReplyDeleteCan you post a video of hand pollination?
You should use a soft colouring brush for hand pollinate. First move the brush in the middle of the male flower and then to the middle of the female flower. You should repeat the procedure for 2-3 days. After pollination, the fruit will start growing in 3-4 days.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, I just open a male flower and bring it closer to a female flower and lightly rub it on its middle part. One male flower can be used for a couple of female flowers. This method also pollinates.
Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHow often do you water the plant?
ReplyDeleteIt depends on the temperature. I water my bottle gourd plant (in ground and pot) daily. Generally, all vegetables need much water.
DeleteMy plant was growing perfectly. A couple days ago I noticed that many plant leaves were turning yellow. I water them and fertilize them regularly. I also started to see that the plant had stopped growing. It grew to about 20 feet and started to die. Then the bottle gourds grew only to a hand's length and started burning at the bottom and rotting. The leaves also look like as if someone put medicine on them and changed their color. I am really worried because my plant only gave about 35 fruit, and normally it says that one plant give from 100-200 fruit. While my two plants together only gave 35. Please help! Thank You
ReplyDelete1. 35 fruits in 2 plants may be on the lower side, but not bad. The bottle gourd plant can produce 100 fruits, but it depends on several factors including the seed variety, soil and weather conditions, bee activity, etc.
Delete2. If you have added fertilizer near the main stem of the plant, or if you have fertilized your bottle gourd plant heavily, then the plant will burn and die.
3. Your plant may have finished its life.
Thanks a lot for the hand pollination tip. The fruits are now growing!!
ReplyDeleteI noticed that some of the fruits have brown coloration towards the tip of the fruit. Is this something I need to worry and take care of?
I think, the brown colour should not be a concern. The colour will change to green as the fruit matures.
DeleteI have a vine that is growing 5 ft long bottle gourds. What is causing this to happen? Looks very weird. I did not do anything metioned in this article about plucking away female flowers etc. I have currently 10 dudhi hanging each 4-5 ft long
ReplyDeleteThere is some varieties of bottle gourd which produce very large fruits if they get proper growing conditions. I have also grown bottle gourds of length 4-5 ft.
DeleteI have a Question. I would like to know that when my Bottle gourd plant finishes, should I pull the roots out and plant again next year, or should I just leave the plant, to regrow next year? Thank You
ReplyDeleteThe bottle gourd plant will not regrow. When the plant finishes, you should pull out the roots.
DeleteHow do I tell when it is ripe
DeleteThe fruit is firm and you can slightly push your finger nails. The fruit will start turning yellowish when it begins to ripen.
Deletei have hand pollinated bottle gourd but this month its not working ,after pollination also fruit is not growing ,earlier we have seen bud result by it ,,and also i have seen some small pest in flower is this the reason
ReplyDelete1. Sometimes it appears that pollination had taken place, but actually it didn't. Repeat hand pollination on each flower 2-3 days.
Delete2. Small pests may not be the problem.
How to save lauki seeds from fruit, I grew lauki from seed I got from a friend, the last lauki I picked had hard seeds but edible flesh
ReplyDeleteYou separate the seeds from the flesh. Eat the flesh. Wash the seeds and put in sun to dry. Store the seeds in a closed container. They will germinate in the next season. I am doing this for the last several years.
DeleteFurther to my above comment, if you really want to take seeds and preserve for the next season, you should wait for the bottle gourd to over ripe on the vine. The seeds of such a gourd will be matured ones. Wash and dry them and preserve.
DeleteHowever, you can preserve any hard seeds that you can find while using a bottle gourd.
Thanks for your quick and helpful reply , appreciate that !
ReplyDeleteI have planted one in a pot. Initially it was not growing, the nearby store have something. Then it grew up to our terrace. But even after 2 months, no signs of flowering. Should i use some fertilizer specifically containing phosphorus?? Please help
ReplyDelete1. Cut the growing tip of branches more than 1 m to encourage flowers.
Delete2. Add cow manure or some other organic manure in the soil.
3. You may use bone-meal in the soil, but the above 2 steps should yield fruits.
Thanks.. Will try
DeleteHi, How often cow manure should be put it in to the soil? What's the best practice? Can I use Bio-farm manure?
DeleteI see a bunch of 5-6 small buds each, everywhere on the plant. And i see many flowers all around the plant. The flowers are blooming for one day and then wilting and falling. Please advise. Which one is male flower and which one is female? And what can i do?
ReplyDelete1. On the female flowers, you will see a tiny bottle gourd shape beneath the flower. See the pictures of male and female flowers above.
Delete2. Initially the male flowers will be formed which may fall off.
3. Just cut off any side branches reaching about 1 m long to encourage female flowers to form.
Which flower actually produce fruit ?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information but i want to know do i need to pluck the male flowers to pollinate female flowers
ReplyDeletePlease read my comments of August 4, 2014
ReplyDeleteFemale flowers produce the fruits.
ReplyDeleteMy one day plant has seed intact on leaves, please let me know what to do
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, the seed will fall down and new leaf will emerge. This is the birth of a new plant.
DeleteYou mentioned that pot needs 50cm dia. I have 30cm dia and 40cm height grow bags. Is it enough for bottle gourd ?
ReplyDeleteYes, this will work well.
Deleteactually my plant leaves were turning yellow and white spots were occuring on the leaf .so, i chopped all the leaves and some of them which were not infected i did not chopped . is it correct?
ReplyDeleteIt is advisable to chopp off the infected leaves. You may spary milk solution on both sides of teh leaves. Mix 10 ml full fat milk in 1 liter water and spray.
Deletewe planted a bottle gourd yesterday one plant one student will take care and our adviser said to all of the student that who will be first bottle gourd to bear fruit the student will receive 95 points i want in my bottle gourd to bear fruit faster than other
ReplyDeleteWhen the plant grows to 1 m long, cut the growing end. This way the plant will bear more female and male flowers. Then you may hand pollinate them.
DeleteHand pollination helped. Thank you! Please tell me how to take care of gourd plants during summer
ReplyDeleteMy plant is producing lots of male flowers and very few female flowers, I have karela plant. Please advise.
ReplyDeleteCut all the branches which have grown to about 2-3 ft long. The new growth will have both male and female flowers.
DeleteLot of good information. Thank you !! My major problem is I am planting seeds since past 3 years not a single saplings sprout. I water them regularly and also soil is good as my other vegetables are growing in the same soil. But have hard luck with Dudhi plant, not sure if I am doing something wrong.
ReplyDeleteThis year I had 1 seed that sprouted but next day that small plant was eaten by some bug.
Please advice.
1.One reason for seeds not sprouting may be that the seeds are not good.
Delete2. Soak the seeds overnight in water and then plant in the next morning. if raising seedlings in a small pot, then place the pot in a warm or morning sun postion.
I think it will help.
Dear sir in my bottle gourd plant there are so many male flowers but not a single female till date what should i do?
ReplyDeleteSaurabh
Cut all the branches more than 2 feet long. The new growth should have both the male and female flowers.
DeleteI have planted Tindora in pot but when it was about 1 foot , I have tranffered it to big box but after that it just not look good . The leaves look littele down and not shiny as it was before . What shoul I do to help them ?
ReplyDeleteMy bottle gourd is not producing any female flowers. Is there any remedy for it
ReplyDeleteSir, I bought 2 type of thin lemon tree 2 years back. I gave a big pot and fertlise every 15 days. Yet there is no fruit/ lemon. Plrase help.
ReplyDeletePlease post your question on lemon related page like
Deletehttp://www.mykitchengarden.info/2015/04/citrus-leaf-curling.html
I have tried growing bottle gourd in my backyard .. But the flowers just fall off without any fruit ... Is it possible that my plan is not growing any female flowers... Please help .. Thank you
ReplyDeleteIf there are no female flowers, trim all the branches more than 2 feet long. The new growth should have both the male and female flowers for pollination and fruit formation.
DeleteHi I seem to have many female flowers - shouldI take your advice and cut the plant at 1 metre to encourage more male flowers? Many thanks
ReplyDeleteYou may try cutting a few branches without flowers and leaving a few with female flowers. Anyway the existing female flowers will fall off without germination as there are no male flower at present.
DeleteHi my cucuzza plant has 1 cucuzza so far and 3 feet long but only 1 inch width. How do i get the cucuzza to increase in width? Thanks
ReplyDeleteI think, it is a very long variety. It will grow in width also after some time.
DeleteThanks for your reply. 3 of my plants already turned yellow what can i do? Also is it ok to plant pumpkin plant and cucuzza plant side by side?
Deleteall little bottle gourds having red dot and dying
ReplyDeleteyour picture shows that female flower with tiny fruit. Does it mean that since tiny fruit has developed and it doesn't require any hand pollination?
ReplyDeleteThe female flower with tiny fruit does not mean that the fruit has developed, it is actually the ovary. The female flower needs to be pollinated by bees or by hand pollination. When it is pollinated, the flower will close in a day or two.
DeleteHey there. This is my second year growing cucuzza. Last year i was pretty successful, however this year i noticed brown dry rot looking stems. In the last 2 or 3 three weeks it has moved up the stem. The brown dead looking stem now starts at the dirt and is about 2 to 3 feet upward. The plants have some yellowing leaves and is not yet producing large fruit. There are lots of bees around and other plants are pollinating fine. One plant has about 4 fruits on it, 2 are growing very slowly and the other 2 dont seem to be growing at all. About 4 weeks ago I gave the plants some phosphate in a granular form. There's a good chance I might have gotten some on the plant Stem. Not sure if this is the problem or what to do about it.
ReplyDeletePlease see my reply to the next question.
DeleteMy 8 plants have grown well and yielded some fruit. The last 3 weeks, the leaves towards the bottom of the plant turned yellow, then brown and died off There are NO green leaves at the bottom 6 feet of my 15-20 plants. Plenty or yellow ones. Fruit appears to grow OK. We have received plenty of rain this year, and I water often. The ground around the ground around the plant appears moist. Am I overwatering, under watering, what could be wrong?
ReplyDeleteYellowing leaves may be due to following reasons:
Delete1. Older leaves can become yellow due to the aging. It is normal.
2. Deficiency of nitrogen. Feed fertilizer.
3. Bacterial Wilt (Pseudomonas solanacearum) causes leaf surface wilting and yellowing of the leaves.
4. Powdery white spots on the undersides of leaves and yellowing leaves are due to fungal disease Powdery mildew.
Management
1. Remove the infected leaves and destry them.
2. Mulch the plant.
3. Too much water and poor drainage can encourage fungus diseases. So improve drainage.
4. Plant rotation.
5. Spray plant with neem oil spray.
Can you please let me know where i can find or prepare Neem Oil Spray.
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteBoth my bottle gourd and ridge gourd plants have growth well. They both are more than 6 feet long but I am yet to see a flower.
You may feed some liquid fertilizer high in potassium like seaweed solution or comfrey tea.
Deletesir how do i know when my bottle gourd is ready to eat?
ReplyDeleteWhen your lauki grows to a sufficient size, press your one finger nail in it. if the nail easily goes into the lauki, it means it is soft and tender. At this stage you can pluck the fruit. When the lauki becomes hard for your nail to penetrate, it means it is getting over-ripe.
DeleteMy bottle gourd is infected with squash bugs, any home remedy to get rid of those? Also I left one bottle gourd to over ripen for seeds,is it going to slowdown more fruits production.
ReplyDelete1. Most of the bugs and pests can be controlled by spraying Neem oil spray.
Delete2. For making seeds, the gourd should not be plucked until it is very ripe and drying. remove the gourd and hang it is shade. Take out the seeds and store in an air-tight bottle.
3. Yes, it may slow down the production of fruits, however, it depends on the health and size of the plant.
Sir, Thank you very much for a very informative journal. My first experiment at growing bottle gourd is now bearing fruit however one of my plants is infested with bugs under the leaves and beetles and these have stunted the growth of that plant. I have sprayed the plant with neem baan pest repellent but it is having no effect on these bugs. I am concerned that these will start to spread to my second plant which is now fruiting. Please guide me.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all remove all the infected leaves and destroyed them.
DeleteTry spraying milk solution on both sides of the leaves of your both the plants.
Mulch the plants.
Sir.. i have grown a bottle gourd plant... the flowers are pollinated but d problem is that the fruits wont grow to more than 1 inch.. some gets spoilt and rotten and the good ones dont grow even after having sufficient soil n water supply... what should i do?
ReplyDeleteIf the fruit does not grow more than an inch, that means that the flowers are not getting pollinated. Please try hand pollination as explained above.
Deletesir i have grown bottle gourd plant 2 months ago. it produces only leaves n no sign of fruit plz suggest me wat to do?
DeleteCut off the growing tips of all the branches that have grown about a meter long. This will encourage flowering.
DeleteThanks for all this information. I have an enormous gourd plant( planted it on the ground ) all of the branches are more than 1 meter long, which branch do you recommend to cut so I'll have more female flowers.
ReplyDeleteCut off the growing tips of the branches which are about 1 meter long and have no female flowers.
DeleteMy gourd fruit will split /Crack when they are 2 inches long, what causes that?
ReplyDeletehi..i read all ur posts...i have grown bottle gourd in my kitchen garden( pot is as u suggested height n width).plant has grown very good but thing is buds are getting dry n falling down..buds r not blooming in to flowers ..please suggest me why and what i have to do...
ReplyDelete1. Probably there is too much nitrogen fertilizer in the soil. Add some cow manure in the soil and keep the soil damp.
DeleteThis article is very helpful. My mother has been able to successfully grow lauki after I had pointed her to this post. I am publishing a post on lauki halwa for my blog Andcakestoo and I am linking your article, in case some of my readers would like to grow their veggies. Great work. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dr Shreyashi Ganguly. I am glad that your mother has successfully grown lauki. I am very much interested in knowing the recipe of Lauki Halwa and Cake. I also have a cooking and health related web site and would refer your recipe there.
Deletehttp://www.FatFreeKitchen.com
I have linked your site for my recipe here http://andcakestoo.com/lauki-halwa/ Thank you again for the information provided.
DeleteSir I have three healthy saplings of bottle gourd in one ft. pot. Six to eight leaves each.
ReplyDeleteWill they grow in it or should I transplant them. How deep their roots go so that I can know how big pot I need. Can I use 1 ft deep and 2 feet wide crates and sow al three saplings in one .
For past few days no new leaves have come . Which fertilizer should I use to increase its length. Urea or NPK
1. You can use 1 ft deep and 2 feet wide crate for planting your gourds, only one plant in one pot in 1 ft round pot.
Delete2. Urea is rich in nitrogen, so not good. You can use a NPK fertilizer initially, but later a fertilizer rich in potassium will be better.
Dear Sir,
ReplyDeleteIs it okay to sow bottle gourd in the month of october, I live in Bangalore and planning to sow in my balcony garden in a pot.
Surendra
It is not the correct time to sow the seeds in Bangalore in October as the winter is approaching. The best time in India is spring/early summer.
ReplyDeletei planing to planting bootle, gourd but i really curious my area not full sun because so many trees here. to shade its about 2 metters to get full sun i ready make trellis. and i plant luffa gourd and others. thankx for advice
ReplyDeleteIf you do not get enough direct sun light, then plant in a place which receives direct sun light for maximum time. You will be able to grow gourds but with reduced harvest.
DeleteThank you for the Good information. very helpful. I dried my seeds in the sun. How do I store them until I plant them next spring? in an air-tight plastic bag...in paper bag....in jar with lid.. in refrigerator or in the dark? please advise
ReplyDeletePlace the seeds in a zip lock bag and store in a shade area.
DeleteMY both bottle gourd and ridged gourd are having plenty flowers, but gourds after a little growth having dark patches and are not growing further. the recent leaves are also not growing in size where as initial leaves have grown large enough. I have planted them in vermicomposte and have good water drainage and are under good sunlight please advice
ReplyDeleteThere is no pollination of the flowers due to insufficient bee activity. Try to pollinate by hand.
DeleteSir my bottle gourds are getting burn from bottom part what should I do? No flowers and fruits stay for a long time and it get damage.
ReplyDeletePria
1. Apply a thick layer of mulch
Delete( http://www.mykitchengarden.info/2014/03/mulch-guide.html ) at the base of the plant.
2. The flowers are not getting pollinated. Try hand pollination.
i want to grow bottle gourd on my terrace in pots. you have give plenty of information but still i have some questions.
ReplyDelete1do transplnt is necessary?
2 i stay in mumbai, can i grow in this month. it is quite hot.
3 my terrace get sunlight for 1/2 day in the morning. does morning sun is must?
4.i dont want to use chemical fertilisers. i want to use only organic fertiliser. ir it OK.
thanks. M.M.Gupta
1. Transplanting is not necessary. You can sow the seeds directly in a big pot.
Delete2. You can try to grow this month.
3. Whatever sunlight you get, you place the pot there, it will be OK.
4. Chemical fertilisers are not necessary at all. You can use compost, cow manure, wood ash and seaweed solution.
My neighbor had long bottle gourds growing up in her tree many years. This past year, everyone she gave the squash to became sick from the squash, though the seeds and plant look the same as usual. Do you think it was in the soil?
ReplyDeleteMy bottle gaurd plant is having only two branches. Leaves are also scanty. Plant started bearing both male and female flowers. I hand pollinated three female flowers but at a time only one showed good growth. Only after plucking this fruit when it was about 35 cm long did the second fruit show the signs of growth and the third fruit is waiting for its turn to grow big. Why is it so?
ReplyDeleteIt appears that your palnt is weak and not growing properly. Give some fertilizer. Suggest remove all the flowers and let the plant grow before it can bear fruits.
DeleteHi, my bottle gaurd plant female flower not developing they turning to brown, male flower seems good but female flower not good not developing into fruit
ReplyDeleteIt is a common problem due to the absence of bee activity in the area. The female flowers are not being pollinated. Please try pollination by hand as explained in the article and other replies.
DeleteThanks for the information , could you please look at my profile pic .. My plant female flowers turning brown from bottom ...I can't to pollination as the flowers didn't bloom ( not opened) they turned brown before opening ..
ReplyDeleteI looked the brown female flower. You cannot pollinate such flowers. The reason for not blooming of flowers may be either the plant needs to grow more or excessive water. Try cutting the tip of the growing branch to encourage new growth which will bear more flowers.
DeleteHi. I hvae put some ant killer powder in the garden bed where my bottle gourd plant is. Can I ask if the fruit would be poisonous to eat? The fruit was not grown at the time of putting ant killer. Thanks
ReplyDeleteI think, the fruit will be safe to eat.
DeleteThanks a lot. Your site is very informative and useful. Alam
ReplyDeleteHello sir my bottle guard has lots of fruits in it but they are turning black and dying( rotten). Please advice me what to do. Thanks
ReplyDeleteIf your gourds are small and becoming black and not growing and getting rotten, that means that the flowers are not being pollinated in the absence of bee activity in your garden. Try hand pollination as explained in the article.
DeleteThanks very much for sharing the manual pollination tips, i had very healthy bottle gourd creeper with many female and male flowers. The female flowers (100s of them) use to die after few days due to lack of pollination. I tried this manual method and it seems it s working i can see more than 20 gourds growing well. One question how many female flowers can a single male flower can pollinate ? I used manual method to rub male flower on female flower, Also how can we make the gourd long ?
ReplyDeleteThanks in advance
Manohar
It is good to know that you have been successful in hand pollinating your gourds. Yes, you can use one male flower to pollinate many female flowers, if you use a small paint brush to pollinate. You could also remove the petals of the male flower and just tap it (zatko) in the female flower. This way you can pollinate many female flowers by a single male flower.
DeleteHello Metha, I have sowed bottle gourd, cucumber and ladyfinger in compost bed, its been 8 days now and none of them have germinated, so today i dig up where i put the bottle gourd seeds and they were in the same condition. I thought that they will be rot by now but they are not. So I put gourd seeds in a small pot having sand. I wanted to know that whether they will germinate or not? should I wait ( if yes then how long) or should i sow new seeds? and what should I do this time if I have to sow new seeds? I have been sowing ridge gourd for almost 10 years and they do absolutely wonderful but not even once I am able to germinate cucumber or bottle gourd. Please help
ReplyDeleteThe number of days in which the seeds germinate depends on the temperature and dampness in the soil. If the temperature is 25+ deg C, the seeds may take 10 or more days to germinate. Soaking the gourd seeds in water for overnight speeds up germination.
DeleteGerminating bottle gourd and cucumber seeds should not be a problem. I generally germinate them in a small pot filled with fine soil mixed with river sand. You mix sand and garden mix in equal ratio, sow the seeds, put in sun and keep damp and wait for at least 2 weeks.
Dear sir,
ReplyDeleteI farming botle gaurd in block soil, but plants are not spead growth? Please inform me about best results and growthing tips and pertilizer details.....Raubabu, E.Gdt
Hello Mehta,
ReplyDeleteI live in a region where the night temperatures is around 36-45F and day time is in 60sF. Can I start seeds outdoors for Bottle Gaurd and Cucumbers or do I need to wait till the nigh temperatures raise to 50s?
It is a bit early to grow the seeds outdoors. You can try indoors by placing the pot in a warmer place like near fridge.
DeleteHi! this is my first time so i have no idea in this field at all. I had a bottle gourd plant which gave me one fruit and it increased to 3 inches also. suddenly, the fruit started drying and changed to brown colour. I could see one more fruit which also dried and changed to mud brown colour. I could not understand anything. Can you please help?
ReplyDeleteThe reason is the flowers are not getting pollinated. You can try hand pollination as explained in the article and other above replies.
DeleteDear Sir,
ReplyDeleteMy gourd fruits (the female flowers before blossom) are turning reddish- brown and rotting. I made a vertical section to examine, I found reddish brown flesh inside as well. Kindly tell possible reason. If it is due to over-watering, how to determine optimum amount of water as it is very hot summer these days.
If 2 inch below the top soil is dry, it means the plant needs watering.
DeleteHi I planted my lauki seeds ,it's been 24 days only 2 seedlings out of 8 emerged. The first one germinated about 5 days ago the tiny leaf were not healthy they looked like they are burnt , that seedling is totally dead now. the other one germinated that also a part of leaf looking like burnt . I used miracle grow organic choice potting soil ,it's very light smells like manure when I opened the bag and gets dried up fast. I started indoors soaked seeds overnight and keping it next to sliding door facing east , can you please tell me what am I doing wrong or any suggestions about sowing directly outdoors .i got seeds from Amazon from myseed.co I live in Maryland , thanks !
ReplyDeleteLooks like the potting soil comtains manure which is burning the the plant. Or you are not watering properly. Leep the soil damp.
DeleteHi, i planted turai seeds in pots and two plats grew very nicely, thanks to your blog.But the issue is:
ReplyDelete1. Now a days after growing 7-8 feets around the leaves near to root starting turning yellow then brown crushed and falling off, its going one by one up starting from near root. Please suggest if i am over watering or watering less. I water once a day in morning.
2. Other two seeds i planted in small pot and once they grew slightly(1-2 week old) i shifted to bigger pot but they died in few hours. What precautions we should take while transferring?
Hi, i planted turai seeds in pots and two plats grew very nicely, thanks to your blog.But the issue is:
ReplyDelete1. Now a days after growing 7-8 feets around the leaves near to root starting turning yellow then brown crushed and falling off, its going one by one up starting from near root. Please suggest if i am over watering or watering less. I water once a day in morning.
2. Other two seeds i planted in small pot and once they grew slightly(1-2 week old) i shifted to bigger pot but they died in few hours. What precautions we should take while transferring?
Hi i planted two turai seeds in pots and they grew nicely initially. Thanks to your blog. The issue is below:
ReplyDelete1. After growing for 6-7 feet the leaves started turning yellow and then brown crushed and falling starting from roots and then going upwards. Am i watering less or over watering plants.I water about 2/3 mug every morning. Please advice.
2. Another two seeds i potted in small pots and once they grew 5-6 inches they dried down and fell. What could be the reason because i shifted to a more sunlight area once they grew. I live in Pune which is not very hot but till 37-38 in summers now a days.
May be your lauki plants are water stressed. Put a thick layer of mulch on the soil and water regularly. During intense sun, creat shade. Do not put young plants in intense sun.
DeleteHello Mr. Mehta,
ReplyDeleteI am planning to grow lauki in New Bunswick, Canada.
Our growing season is quite short generally 1st week of June to 1st week of September. One of my friend gave me four lauki plants.
Wondering whether I should plant two plants together in one hill or 1 plant in one hill. Also planning to put lots of sheep manure at the panting time with slow release 12-4-8 fertilizer. After two weeks I am planning to use slow release 6-12-12 fertilizer every two weeks. Not sure what type and how much fertilizer I should use. Will really appreciate if you please comment on the planting and fertilizers mentioned above.
Thanks
Bijoy
1. Plant them separately
Delete2. The second fertiliser should be given when the vines have grown to a few meters and they start to flower.Do not fertize near the main stem coming out from ground. Liquid fertilizer is best. You can use fertilisers for tomatoes.
Hi
ReplyDeleteI have been growing bottle gourd in my kitchen garden for the past 8 years, however for the last three years, the plant does bear fruit. But suddenly the entire plant dies in a matter of couple of days. The leaves wilt and the plant dies. This takes from about two to three days.
I have tried spraying with bavastin, mallethon, Rogor, but to no avail.
please advise.
How many bottle gourd plants can be planted in a 26litre grow bag
ReplyDeleteMaximum 2 seeds.
DeleteMy vegetables become hard at an early age and are not tender. Pls help.
ReplyDeleteIt appears, the plant is water stressed. Water regularly.
DeleteI have 3 dudhi plants that produce a lot of only male flowers. So far I have got only 2 female flowers and only one of them pollinated and is producing a dudhi. How do I get female flowers? Thanks, Niranjan
ReplyDeleteTry cuttong the growing ends of all the branches of one plant who are about 1 meter. The new branches emerging from these ends may contain more female and male flowers
DeleteDear Mehta , I regularly read your insightful articles and are very helpful . I am first time gardener and live in Michigan . With your inspiration I planted the bottle gourd with seeds from MAHICO . I planted 3 seeds inside and took them outside to garden and they have fabulous growth . I have on the average 1:10 Female to Male flowers . Initially I got the first 3 fruits good large in size and afterwards - I started now seeing my female fruits after growing to finger to Feet size- becoming charcoal dark/brown starting from stem side or opposite side and ending with no growth . I have so far 12 fruit buds become like this . I have sprayed the Need Sprey last week. I used to water regularly by sprinklers every day in morning (8 min) and now I cut it off to once in 3 days . I am clueless . I wanted to attach photos but the site is not allowing . Please advise
ReplyDeleteIt appears that the plant is infected by fungus. Cut the fruit and vine at about 6 inches below the fruit and discard the fruits. Spray with a fungicide like copper fungicide. Repeat after 2 weeks. Avoid spraying water on the leaves and stems of the plant to stop developing fungus.
DeleteThanks Mehta. How to water the plant and frequency pl.
DeleteWater on the ground near the main stem, try no to wet leaves. Wet leaves can be attacked by fungus and other diseases. In hot summer days, you need to water daily in the morning.
DeleteDear Mehta, I found your site very informative and unique.
ReplyDeleteEvery year, I get little fruit as most female flowers die, as I hadn't known due to not pollinating and also gets very long. Now I see all the female flowers have nearly burn out, and one male flower still 'alive'. Is it too late?
You can still try to pollinate. If no male or female flower left, then cut the growing ends of the branches. You may still get some flowers on the new growth. Good luck!
Deletedear sir i have bottle gourd plants the bottle gourds are developing black dark spots on the fruits and ultimately they get rotted the entire fruit is rotted what causes this
ReplyDeleteThe plant is diseased. remove the fruits along with 10 inches of stems and discard. Spray with some copper fungicide. Apply fungicide again after two weeks.
DeleteHello Sir,I read the above replies and they are extremly good.
ReplyDeleteI am trying to grow lauki in my window grill.I had so far 5 female flowers with tiny fruits which grew upto one inch,then stareted becoming brown from top end and gradually died without growing.What is the problem?Is it disease or lack of hand pollination?
It is no disease. The lauki flowers are dying because of lack of pollination.
DeleteWhich fertilizers should be used plz name it i am growing it on my home and there is some problems when ever fruit comes it get burned and fall down also now days there are lots of white patches on leaves..!
ReplyDeletePlz help and name the fertilizer to be used and how to use it..!!
You apply cow manure around the plant. For the treatment of white patches, make a solution of 10% milk (add 10 ml milk in 1 liter water) and spray on both the sides of leaves. Fruits are falling, may be because they are not being pollinated.
DeleteMy bottle guard is infeted with white and brown color small insects. Also There are numerous ants on the vine. Will neem oil spray work on it. If yes how to prepare it. If No, What else can save the vine.
ReplyDeleteNeem oil spray should work. Mix about 1 ml neem oil in 1 liter water and spray. If you cannot find neem oil, get some neem tree leaves and boil them in water. Dilute the solution and spray.
ReplyDeleteI tried neem leaves soltion that you mentioned and spayed it three time on gap of two days, it controlled somewhat but problem still persist, now the vine main body start to grey out in some potion due to pests.
DeleteDo not spray the neem oil for 10 days and watch the plant. It may recover, I hope so.
DeleteDear Sir my problem is on my bottle gourd there is some kind of brown sticky thing and green insect on leaves.
ReplyDeleteKindly suggest me what to do
You can do 2 things. First spray both the sides of the leaves with neem spray. After 3 days spray a milk solution on both sides of the leaves. To make these sprays, read on the above. answers. Repeat after every 2 weeks.
Deletethanks a lot sir already did neem spray now after 3 days will do a milk spray .. thanks a lot sir :)
ReplyDeleteHow to determine that the problem of rotting of fruits of bottle gourd are due to bad pollination, calcium deficiency or due some disease like phytophthora or by insect
ReplyDeleteSir, I see many green Worms eating the new leaves and flower buds. Also the small fruits that are coming up have getting brown or red patches. Can you please suggest any solution.
ReplyDeleteSpray with neem oil spray (read above comments for making neem oil spray). You could also flush out the bugs with a very dilute solution of detergent soap.
Deletesir, i have planted some okra plants (ladyfingers) and i wanted to know why the plants which are only 5 to 7 inches are already bearing its fruits? What should I do so that the plants grow taller? Thanks in advance.
ReplyDeleteSat
Remove all the flowers and fruits. Let the plants grow. i can't say the reason for early flowering, however, if you have planted very late in the season, then the plants can produce fruits quickly.
DeleteMy bottle gourds did start to grow, but just when they grew to a size of a finger and fat enough, these started wilting and drying up. Only one Gourd has grown to a length of a palm till now. I assume if two or more gourds are growing on the same branch then only one will get the nutrients, usually the one hanging below. How long does it take for the bottle gourd to grow a ripe fruit.
ReplyDeletePlease do not post as Anonymous in future. As mentioned, you can write your name in the Name/URL option in the drop down box and can leave URL blank.
Delete3-4 gourds can grow on a single branch. All the flowers are not getting pollinated. Try hand pollination of bottle gourd flowers. The fruit will be ready in 3-4 weeks. If your finger nail goes easily in the fruit, it is still soft and good. You should pluck the fruit when it starts to change color.
How to save seeds from a bottle gourd? Do they have to ripen on the vine? I let one gourd grow for 3 weeks but I thought it was getting too heavy for the trellis and harvested it. Is it possible to get seeds from this gourd? How will I know when to harvest for good seeds for next season? Thanks you for the wonderful information.
ReplyDeleteTo make seeds, you have to ripen the bottle gourd fully on the vine, at this stage its color will slightly change and the skin will become hard. You can also wait till the gourd start to dry. A gourd growing for 3 weeks probably will not become ripe, however, if you collect its larger seeds and dry them, many will germinate next year.
DeleteHello, can the seeds be used after many years (I have seeds from 3 or 4 yrs old).
ReplyDeleteSeeds of most vegetables will not germinate after 3 years. However, you can try old seeds, if they germinate then the fruits will be of the same quality as if they were grown from fresh seeds.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI stay in Seattle and the current temp is 48 F (9 C) and plus it rains.Our summer is quite short.Last year I transplanted in July but by the time it could produce,winter started.
Will the plant die if I transplant in current condition.Please advise me.
Thanks.
48 F is too low temperature for the plant. May try to plant in a pot and put the pot indoors in a warm room that also receives some sun. As the summer is yet to start in your area, you can wait for sometime to bring the plant outdoors.
DeleteSir please suggest name of fertiliser my plants are not showing good growth I am not sure what bothering them. Also want to know what type of soil bottle like I water than daily between 7 to 9 at night.
ReplyDeleteBottle gourd needs well draining rich soil. Add some compost or cow manure to the soil. Any fertilizer low in nitrogen and high in potassium will be good. The vine should be in sun. water in the morning so that any wet leaves dry up in the sun to protect the plant from any diseases.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDo the seeds need to be scared or just scratched a little to make it easier to sprout? 1 video on YouTube shows that it grows easier from seed
ReplyDeleteJust soak the seeds overnight in water and sow, scratching is not needed. If you sow the seed without soaking, it will take 2-3 days more to sprout.
ReplyDeleteI am sincerely thankful and appreciate your valuable suggestions on home/roof based gardens.
ReplyDeleteMy concern is towards making a potassium rich compost using house hold items or least amount of artificial/chemical usage to promote organic farming.
Many regards..
Potassium rich compost can be made by adding potassium rich materials into the compost bin. You could add wood ash (ash from burnt hardwood), banana peels, beets, tomatoes, spinach, lemon and orange rinds, etc. to raise the potassium content of the compost. You could also add seaweed leaves or liquid seaweed solution, comfrey leaves (Comfrey tea) and broad beans leaves into the pile which are rich in potassium. Add layers of poultry manures which is a good source of all the necessary nutrients, including potassium.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteHi There- my bottle guard plant leaves are burning(turns yellowing edging and gradually dries out, flowers and female buds turns brown and falls off ) assuming due to adding excess of fertilizer. Is there a way to reverse and restore the plant.
ReplyDeleteI am concerned as my plant just started fruiting
If it is due to excess fertilization, then the plant will probably not survive. Try keeping the soil damp, spray water on the leaves and make shade over the plant. The female buds turn brown and die if they have not been pollinated. Watch the plant for next 2-3 days, if it is still alive, then probably it will survive
ReplyDeleteI don't see any more female buds after my first fruit yield..is that normal?
ReplyDeleteCut off the growing tips of some of the branches to encourage new growth and flower bufs.
ReplyDeleteDear Mehta
ReplyDeleteThis summer , I have planted 3 bottle guard plants. They are doing very well with lot of male and female flowers . I have close to first crop of 5 bottle guards to full shape . I am seeing on couple of fruits where fruits getting blackened out . I do hand pollination . I use the Seewed solution as advised in your post . Attached is the image. Request your guidance please
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByN8WctMiojhUnlMZ1ZjYm1aVnc
Thanks
Partha
My closely planted 2 sponge gourd vines have grown about 10 feet long & 1 meter wide with very large leaves but no flowering has appeared so far, please suggest
ReplyDeleteYou ay feed your bottle hourd vines a fertiliser hugh in potassium.Also cut the growing ends of branches longer than about a meter to encouurage new branches。
ReplyDeleteBlackening of the bottle gourd fruit may be due to some fungus development. Please read the prevention discussed in above comments.
ReplyDeleteMy bottle groud vegetable is turning yellow after hand pollination. Is it normal??? I am concerned
ReplyDeleteProbably it has not been pollinated. Please wait for a few days and see if it is growong.
ReplyDeleteMy bottle gourd plant has droopy leaves? Why is it so?
ReplyDeleteThe leaves of bottle gourd hang down if the sun is too intense, but become alright in night and morning. Keep the soil damp.
ReplyDeleteMy bottle gourd plant some of the leaves are turning yellow, why is it so? Thank you
ReplyDeleteHi Mr Mehta , First of all thanks for sharing deep knowledge regards the Gourd. This is my first time i am planting long Gourd in my back yard at NYC. Summer is not that hot as we all expected but i have three plants growing and one of them blooming flowers ( both male and female )and this one also three gourds ( around 4 inches ). Till last week things look ok but from this week i saw female buds are growing as they should and flowers are not open fully open that i could use hand pollination. Some couple of them turn brown. Most of the female flowers are close. what's your suggestion on that ??
ReplyDeleteAnd other two growing on one branch but not may flowers as they should be.
week ago i used miracle grow on my plants. We got little rain last week.
Please suggest me what should i do for first one and other two. As i know we can at least 50+ gourd from each plant.
Last week, I was in Ohio and I felt the day temperature has started to go down. Congratulations for growing bottle gourds in New York. You can cut the brown buds as they have not been pollinated. I do not know the reason for not opening of the female flowers, may be due to lowering of the temperature the opening time of flowers has changed (they can open in evening or early morning). For other plants, you may cut the growing ends of the branches to promote new growth and flower buds.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your reply. I will follow your suggestion. You think I can use yield phrosphate (0-45-0 ) ? Also cutting leaves will hurt blooming ??
ReplyDeleteLet me know
Thanks
Cutting the growing ends of the branches longer than 3 ft will encourage new growth and flowers. Using a fertilizer high in potassium and phosphorus will help.
ReplyDeleteHi Mr Mehta
ReplyDeleteI havw issue with my female bud. They are coming but they are getting yellow without getting big and few of them getting red dots on it. So big gourd and some of them are dying. What causing it and what's the remedy.
Please help.
Also may it's not the place for the hycinthia bean. But my bean plant got big with leaves but flower yet.
Help please
sir my bottle gourd was growing well but suddenly its leaves started to shrink rapidly what should i do sir
ReplyDelete