How is loofah grown? Loofah is a kind of vegetable that can be eaten by men, women and children. In some areas, it is also called water melon. The quality of loofah is soft and delicate. Let's take a look at the high-yield cultivation method of loofah.
First, the planting environment requirements
Loofah has strong adaptability to climate and soil, and does not require strict selection. However, it grows vigorously and rapidly under high temperature, develops vigorously, has large stems and large leaves, and its fruit grows fast. When the temperature is below 150C, the growth is slow, and when it is below 100C, the growth is inhibited.
The moisture resistance of loofah is the strongest in melons, especially the common loofah is stronger than the angular loofah, and the dryness is not strong. The morning and evening of the loofah male and female flowers. According to the variety, there is a significant difference. Generally speaking, loofah is a short-day vegetable. In the short-day period, the female flower occurs earlier, and the female flower occurs less in the long-day sunshine period, but the sensitivity of the length of the sunshine between the varieties is very high. Big difference.
Loofah is full of sunshine, in case of rainy days, it not only affects the formation of female flowers, but also causes falling buds and falling flowers, and young fruit is also easy to yellow. Loofah is not harsh on the soil selection conditions, but it is fertile, contains more organic matter, well-drained loam, clay loam and sandy loam with better water retention. Soil pH is suitable between pH 6.0 and 6.5.
The root of the loofah is resistant to vine disease, and it is resistant to the root nodule nematode. Even if it is planted, it is not necessary. It is not limited to the previous crop, but it is best to rotate it with rice, because it can reduce the damage of melon flies, aphids, red spiders, thrips, etc. There are also fewer grasses.
Second, cultivation techniques
(1) Sowing period
Loofah can be planted on an annual basis, but it is best to plant from December to August. When the seeds are planted later in September, the more the female flowers occur, the more early the growth, but the slower the growth period, the weaker the growth of the bacteria, and the more aging.
(2) Seeding and seedling cultivation
The seed shell of loofah seeds is hard, especially the edged loofah, so it is suitable to germination sowing, that is, the seeds are soaked for 2 hours, then the seeds are rolled out, and placed in the darkness of 25-300C to germination. When the shell is planted, the seed is placed in the tray with the medium, the seed is laid flat, the tip of the bud is downward, and the seeding is about 1.5 cm deep. When the leaf is 3 pieces, it is planted in the field.
During the nursery period, the high temperature period is about 11-14 days, and the low temperature period is about 15-18 days. Short-day cultivars When seedlings are grown during long-day sunshine, it is best to shave short-day treatment after cotyledons are deployed to promote the occurrence of female flowers.
(3) Cultivation methods
There are usually three economic cultivation methods for loofah:
1. Horizontal scaffolding cultivation
The shed is about 1.5 meters away from the surface, and the width is 5-6 meters. It is used as a sorghum, and a sorghum is planted in two rows. The loofah is planted on the side of the gully, and the plant spacing is 0.4-0.5 meters. This method can also be used to cultivate grape vines. When the loofah is first planted, it can be used as other short-term crops. If the horizontal scaffolding is invaded by the hurricane, it is easy to be blown down by the wind due to the large wind surface. Therefore, it is the principle of autumn and winter. If it is used in spring and summer, it should not be densely planted. It should be slightly planted and some leaves and leaves should be appropriately removed. To reduce the resistance of the wind.
2. Tunnel type semicircular scaffolding cultivation
The temperature is 4-5 meters, and the principle of walking to the north and south is to set up a semi-circular scaffold on the surface of the raft. The highest point of the scaffold is about 1.8 meters from the ground. The loofah can grow in three dimensions. The shed area is larger than the horizontal shed, and the air permeability is good, which is beneficial to the development of loofah. Planted in 2 rows, planted on both sides of the ditch, the plant spacing is 0.4-0.5 meters, semi-circular scaffolding is more resistant to wind, in addition to suitable for autumn and winter, it is also suitable for spring and summer.
3. Cultivation in the field
The width is 5-6 meters, and 2 rows are planted on both sides of the trench. The plant spacing is 0.4-0.5 meters. This method is suitable for the cultivation of short fruit varieties of common loofah. The result period should be in the dry season, such as in the rainy season, when the fruit and the ground are in contact with each other, it is easy to rot. If the long-shaped variety and the angular loofah are cultivated by the sorghum, the fruit is easy to bend and lacks commercial value. When the soil is cultivated, it is easy to be covered by the leaves, and harvesting is more troublesome.
(4) Fertilizer and fertilization
The type and amount of fertilizer and the method of fertilization of loofah can be referred to in principle, bitter gourd or flat palm, that is, loofah has strong fertility, long growth period, growth and results are simultaneous, and the results are strong, so it is still advisable to continue fertilizing after the result. In order to maintain the continued growth of stems and leaves, in order to continue the results, the yield will increase, especially after continuous rainfall, some of the soil nutrients have been lost with the rain, so it is advisable to apply top dressing after the rain.
The base fertilizer is applied in the base fertilizer ditch, and the fertilizer is applied first, then the chemical fertilizer is mixed and applied to the piled manure, and then the small fertilizer is applied, and the silver black plastic cloth is applied. The method of applying top dressing every 3 weeks is the first step. Before the top dressing, the ditch is filled with water. After the water is infiltrated into the sputum, the top dressing is applied to both sides of the sulcus and the bottom of the sputum.
During the period of fertility, magnesium deficiency occurs (the loofah is more prone to magnesium deficiency), and the pesticide can be added to the pesticide by spraying with vanadium, once a week for 2-3 times, the concentration is 0.4% (250 times of water) ). When the loofah plants turn to weak and stagnant in the middle and late stages of the results, the leaves are sprayed with urea, and the temperature is also 0.4%. It can also be sprayed into the pesticide once a week.
(5) Site preparation, cultivation, planting
As a sorghum, when the soil is semi-dry and wet, first plow the open and shallow base fertilizer ditch according to the row spacing. After applying the base fertilizer, first make a small shovel, then apply a silver-black plastic cloth on the surface of the small glutinous rice noodle, such as using a machine. Operation, small work and plastic sheeting can be done at one time, so that the two sides of the plastic sheet are buried on both sides of the small file to avoid being blown away by the wind. In the future, with the growth of loofah, the soil will be cultivated again and the sorghum will be completed.
Before the cultivation of loofah, the planting holes were planted on the plastic cloth, and one plant was planted in each hole. The high temperature period should be relatively thin, and the low temperature period should be denser.
(6) Irrigation and drainage
The loofah has long leaves and large water evaporation. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to irrigation, and always maintain a moist state. The irrigation is irrigated with a ditch. Pay attention to drainage when raining, do not make the roots soaked in water, especially the edges and corners, especially the angular loofah is less durable and wet, the roots are soaked and perishable.
(7) Whole vine
The loofah is strong in branching. If the stems and leaves are too luxuriant, it is not only easy to grow, but also difficult to produce. When the hurricane is cultivated with scaffolding, the scaffolding is more easily blown by the wind, so it is appropriate to slash the vines and stalks. The vine should be cut early.
When planting in the field, the main vine grows and the ditch is at right angles. When the scaffolding is cultivated, if the stems are hanging under the shed, they should be led to the scaffold so that the vines are evenly distributed on the scaffolding.
(8) Covering the face
Loofah likes high temperature, and has a long growth period and a wide line spacing. Therefore, it is economical and effective to apply silver-black plastic cloth on the planting line. If it is covered with straw, it is not as effective as silver-black plastic cloth. When the short fruit varieties are cultivated with alfalfa, the whole alfalfa noodles should be applied to prevent the fruits from coming into contact with the ground and rot.
(9) Fruit bagging and fruit picking
In order to prevent the melons from spawning, the loofah usually packs the bags, and the bags are bagged after the flowering, and the bagging has the effect of preventing the leaves from scratching the skin and turning the skin into a light color. Prevent pesticide contamination. Loofah can be used in old newspaper bags or thicker paper bags.
After the female flower is awakened to the fruit development, the fruit of the deformed fruit, the cracked fruit, and the pests and diseases should be removed early to avoid wasting nutrients and reducing the growth potential of the plant.
Third, harvesting and packaging
The loofah eaten is preferably soft and delicate, so it is better to grow the fruit, the peel has not yet hardened, the fiber is not yet developed, and the flesh has not been harvested before the old, and it is better to harvest it according to the size of the variety. Avoid harvesting too late, affecting quality. However, such harvesting is too early, not only the production is reduced, but also easy to soften after harvesting, and is not resistant to storage and transportation.
Generally, the common loofah blooms during the low temperature period, and the harvesting period is about 10 days after flowering. The flowering person during high temperature period can be harvested 8-9 days after flowering. The angular loofah is easy to age after flowering, and the harvesting time is about 1-2 days earlier than the ordinary loofah.
The growth of loofah fruit is about twice as high as that during the daytime, so the harvesting time is the principle before the fruit temperature has risen in the morning. Harvesting knife cut, the stem is about 2 cm long, the incision should be flat, even the bag is harvested together, placed in the carrying box, transported to the packaging site for packaging. First remove the bag, and then wrap the wrapper with each wrap to avoid scratching and reducing evaporation of water, and then transport the bamboo basket or bamboo basket to the market. Try to keep the fruit powder during harvesting and packaging to show freshness.
For those who harvest loofah, only ordinary loofah is available, and angular loofah is not suitable for loofah. 50-60 days after flowering, the skin becomes brown, the fruit becomes lighter, the seeds turn black, and the whole fruit is fully cooked or even dried and harvested. If the harvest is too early, the fiber is not good.
After harvesting the old ripe fruit, if it is small, when it is fully dried, peel off the outer skin, knock out the seed, soak it in bleach for 1-2 hours, then wash it thoroughly with water. The fine loofah has the characteristics of being straight, white, compact, firm, elastic and elastic.
The above is the scientific and high-yield cultivation method of loofah, and I hope that it will help you in the future planting work of the farmers!
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