Key management techniques for loofah

According to different fruiting periods of loofah, it can be divided into plum melon, volt melon and autumn melon. Luffa generally begins to blossom and bear fruit in the middle and late June. From flowering and fruiting to mature picking, plum melon 45~50 days, Fu melon 35~40 days, autumn melon about 50 days. In order to achieve the three melons, early melons, and high-quality loofah, the following links should be emphasized in cultivation:

1, to male flower melon vine shelf after continuous pruning and removal of the appropriate number of male flowers, loofah generally leave only one main vine per plant, the other branches and buds should be removed at any time. Luffa is male and female flowers in the same node, the number of male flowers, in order to reduce the consumption of nutrients, more than 70% of the male buds can be picked in time, to take the male bud to be careful of bruising the female bud on the same node.

? 2. Leave excellent melons to inferior melons. Only 1~2 excellent melons shall be selected for each stage of loofah in different melon periods. The young melons selected for high-quality melons shall be symmetrical from top to bottom, straight in strip shape, thick and not slender in stalk. At the same time, a young melon shall be temporarily reserved at several nodes in front of the selected small melons to compete for nutrients. Select the good melon to keep until it does not break and then remove the small melon in front. The melon under the knot can not be allowed to be placed on the top of the frame, should be put down in time, if the melon type bow, must be manually straightened (available small stones hanging on the flower pedicle).

3. Rational application of topdressing fertilizer plays an important role in fruit setting and filling expansion of loofah. The application time, frequency and amount of topdressing depend on the growth and fruit yield of loofah. When the diameter of the first stage of young melon grows to more than 4 cm, the first topdressing must be applied. Pure nitrogen is applied about 3 kg per mu.(equivalent to about 7 kg urea); after 10 days, apply 4~5 kg pure nitrogen (equivalent to about 10 kg urea) to promote the expansion and enrichment of loofah; after that, apply it every 15 days or so, and use 4~5 kg pure nitrogen (equivalent to about 10 kg urea) per mu each time.

Note: Fertilization method should be based on irrigation, in the stem base 50cm away from the rotation of application, in order to prevent near root fertilizer damage.