Description
Description For Bottlegourd Seeds (Long)
Bottle gourd can be used as a vegetable when it is young or can be used as bottle, utensil or pipe when it is completely dried. It is a fast growing annual climber that requires adequate sunlight for flowering and fruiting.
How To Grow Bottlegourd From Seeds
Introduction and Uses: Bottle Gourd also known as Lauki / Doodhi is one of the healthiest vegetables you can have in your vegetable garden. It contains about 92% of water and minerals that have the potential to keep your body hydrated. Not only this, the amazing veggie contains vitamins C, K and calcium. It also helps to maintain a healthy heart, bring down cholesterol, stabilise blood sugar and maintain blood pressure.
Botanical Name: Lagenaria siceraria.
Sowing Season: Monsoon & Summer
Sowing method: Seeds are sown directly in raised beds or containers.
Growing container: Use big circular pots or grow bag with 16” diameter and minimum depth of 8-10 inches.
Growing medium: 1 part Garden Soil + 1 part Coco Peat + 1 part Vermicompost Or 2 part Garden Soil + 1 part Organic Manure.
STEPS FOR SEED SOWING (SEED STARTING) IN A CONTAINER:
· Take a container of your choice with drainage holes at the bottom.
· Fill the container with proper potting layers & selected growing medium.
· Sow 2 seeds at the centre of a pot.
· Spacing: On raised beds, sow two seeds per spot in a spacing of 3 x 3 ft.
· Push the seeds a little in soil medium with your fingers & completely cover them with surrounding soil.
· Water the sown seed bed immediately by a light shower with a watering can.
GROWTH STAGES OF BOTTLEGOURD SEED:
· Sprouting stage: Seeds will germinate within first 6-8 days or so & tiny sprouts will be visible.
· Cotyledons: The first two leaves will emerge in the second week of germination. These are false leaves called as cotyledons.
· First leaves: First leaves will emerge above cotyledons at the end of the second week.
· Seedling stage: Second week onwards, seedlings will start growing into a small plant.
· Thinning: After the second week, keep only single seedling at one spot, Cut off the weak, small & lagging seedlings with a pair of scissors.
HOW TO TAKE CARE FOR BOTTLEGOURD PLANT:
Sunlight: Bottle Gourd plants require full sunlight. Therefore your raised bed should be made at a bright sunny spot. Keep the Bottle Gourd container under open sunlight.
Watering technique: Water your potted Bottle Gourd plant every day in summer. Water the soil near the plant. Use a watering can to make sure that the plants get water in the form of the shower & not by a single flow. You can also make provision for watering by drip irrigation system for your raised beds.
Trellis: Bottle Gourd is an aggressive climber & needs plenty of space to grow. So develop a strong trellis support up to height of 5-6 ft, by using locally available material like pipes, bamboo, ropes, wires etc. for your Bottle Gourd plant.
Manuring: As mentioned earlier, add good quality organic manure in the soil with 2:1 ratio before sowing seeds. Organic manure can be well rotten cow dung manure, farmyard manure, Compost or Vermicompost.
Top dressing: When your Bottle Gourd climber is more than 45 days old, Provide one tablespoon of 15:15:15 (NPK) Fertilizer per plant or mix handful of Vermicompost in the soil around each plant. Buy fertilizers online.
Plant care: Always look for the early signs of any insect/fungal/ any other infections. Spray appropriate medicines as soon as any symptoms of such diseases are spotted. Watch out for Powdery Mildew when plants are young.
Note: Bottle Gourds have separate Male & female flowers on same plant. Fruits will be formed on female flower after pollination.
Hand pollination of flowers: Take ‘pollens’ from male flowers on painting brush or cotton bud & dust them on ‘stigma’ of female flowers. This will increase overall production of Bitter Gourd. This step is not mandatory.
Harvesting: ( 50-60 days) Bottle gourd climber will start flowering at the end of second month. You can start harvesting raw Bottle Gourd fruits after 2 months of seed sowing. Harvesting season can continue for next 3 months.
