Sponge Gourd

🌿Plant Care Guide

📝 Description

It is also known as “luffa” sponge gourd. The vines of sponge gourd attain the height of 30 feet or more. The fruits of sponge gourd are cylindrical in shape and outer skin is smooth green. The fruit contains white inner flesh which is fibrous and have similar flavor to bitter melon. The fruit attains the height of 1-2 feet. Fully ripened sponge gourd contains high fiber content which is used as cleansing agent and for making table mats, shoe soles etc. It is a good source of vitamin a and c. It is used to cure jaundice, diabetes, to purify blood, and is used to cure skin diseases.This crop can be grown on a variety of soil types. Loamy soils are considered best if there is a good amount of organic matter and if it is well drained. Soil should have good moisture holding capacity especially in summer season. A well drained soil having ph 6.0- 7.5, Good fertility and high organic matter are ideal for cultivation of ridge gourd. It is well adapted to a fairly wide range of climatic conditions. It also grows best during the rainy season. Luffa requires a long warm season for best production.Optimum temperature requirement for these crops is 25°-27°C. Due to its hard seed coat, there is a problem with seed germination when the temperature is low. Excessive rainfall during the flowering and fruiting period reduces the yield considerably. Long day promotes femaleness.In small homestead gardens, ridge gourd is trailed over trelises arbours or pendals at 1.5-2.0M height. Commercial crop are trained on a kniffen system. The crop is trained when the seedlings are about 10-15cm tall. More details Visit