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Gourds - Growing Tips

Gourds require trellises or space to creep depending on the variety. They have a heavy root system and should be planted in pits filled with a nutrient-rich soil mixture. The pits should be watered for 3 days before sowing seeds. Once sprouted, the vines can be trained up trellises or allowed to grow 12-15 feet long. Gourds face pests like aphids and diseases but organic remedies like neem oil can help control them. They require full sun and regular watering to yield well over their 90-120 day lifecycle.

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Reshma Sharma
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86 views2 pages

Gourds - Growing Tips

Gourds require trellises or space to creep depending on the variety. They have a heavy root system and should be planted in pits filled with a nutrient-rich soil mixture. The pits should be watered for 3 days before sowing seeds. Once sprouted, the vines can be trained up trellises or allowed to grow 12-15 feet long. Gourds face pests like aphids and diseases but organic remedies like neem oil can help control them. They require full sun and regular watering to yield well over their 90-120 day lifecycle.

Uploaded by

Reshma Sharma
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Gourds – Growing tips

Gourds are fruits of weak stemmed annual plants. Depending on the type of fruits
we can decide if we have to make arrangements for climbing or creeping. Long
fruiting varieties like snake gourds bottle gourds, ridge gourds and bitter gourds
will needed trellis of its suitable heights. Other cucmbers watermelon and
pumpkins prefer to creep. If trellis is given to these, we have to ensure their
heavy fruits will be suitably supported from falling off prematurely due to its
weight.

Gourds have heavy root system and so need good growing space and nutrients. Pits
of 1x1x1 can be dug and filled with soil mix of topsoil, FYM, VC, in equal proportions
and topped with Neem cake powder, wood ash and rock phosphate. The pits have to
be watered for 3 days and seeds sown after other weeds sprout in those. 2 plants
to 5 plants can grow in this pit depending on the gourd. Bitter gourd can be 5 and
pumpkins 2. Once sprouted and grown up to the trellis, the terminal bud can be
pinched to promote branching and stimulating female flowers to form. If on
ground, these can be allowed to grow to a length of 12 to 15 feet before the
growing ends are pinched off.

Life depends on variety from 90 days to 120 days. On ground spacing can be 2
meters between pits.

Gourds need a good well lit spot and sufficient water to yield well.

One month after sprouting, these pits can be topped up with enriched soil mix as
mentioned above.

Pest attack is common for gourd:

Aphids, leaf eater beetles, caterpillars, stem borers, fruit flies and scales.

Use organic repellents and formulation discussed in file section of this group.

For Fruit flies, protection of new tender gourds with paper or cloth bags is best.
Pheromone traps also works well
Flying pests can be checked with yellow sticky traps.

Disease:

Fungal spots, blights, mildews and root wilts happen.

Remedies discussed already. Panchagavya and cow urine along with Neem oil
combination will help.

Nematodes attack roots and reduce the yield. Neem cake powder can help.

This is a brief note on growing gourd vegetables!

Anoop Kumar C P

16th September 2017

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