Among the many popular and healthy annual vegetables, bottle gourd is one of the most popular. The vine is long and has white flowers and larger leaves. There are a lot of nutritional and medicinal properties in its fruit. Gourds come in many shapes and sizes, and their cultivation is abundant in India. It is shaped like a bottle and called a bottle gourd. This popular vegetable has been cultivated for thousands of years in Asia, Europe, and America. India also grows large quantities of it, and greenhouses store its fruits throughout the year.
How to Grow Bottle Gourd/Lauki in Greenhouse
Ideal Climate for Growing Bottle Gourd in Greenhouse
Tropical climates are ideal for growing bottle gourds. They cannot tolerate frost or cold weather. They can take a bit of cold, but continuous cold weather is not recommended. It is usually most feasible when the temperature is between 18 and 30°C. The tropical climate allows them to grow in summer, monsoons, and even winter. Monsoon crops are sown in June and July, summer crops in February and March, and winter crops in November and December.
Soil Requirements for Growing Bottle Gourd in Greenhouse
Ideally, the soil should be sandy loam; however, bottle gourd does well in almost any soil, with small adjustments. Clay soil is not recommended for most crops, but bottle gourd does quite well in clay soil. With clay soil, adding manure and compost can make a big difference. A soil pH of 6.5 to 7.5 is recommended
How to Grow Bottle Gourd in Greenhouse
- Ensure the site receives full sun to partial shade and till the soil to an 8-inch depth in a straight row.
- Compost, manure, leaf mold, and sphagnum peat are all organic materials that add nutrients, increase drainage, and improve soil structure.
- Make 12-inch tall mounds of soil spaced 9 feet apart along the row. When using a trellis, vines can be spaced closer, but 9 feet is recommended to prevent them from tangling.
- The bottle gourd row should be trellised with sturdy hog wire. Install 8-foot metal T-posts two feet into the ground, 16 feet apart, and attach 4-by-16-foot hog wire panels with 16-gauge wire to the posts.
- Cover the 8-foot fence posts with two panels stacked on top of each other. Depending on your preference, you can install the trellis before planting or after the plants reach about 6 inches in height.
- Four to five seeds should be planted evenly spaced in the mounds, and the soil should be covered with about one and a half inches of soil.
- Keeping the soil moist and encouraging germination requires frequent watering of the mound.
- When seedlings develop two sets of leaves, thin them so that only the healthiest plant remains in each mound.
- It is best to wait until the vine is long enough to easily reach the trellis without pulling on it. When the vines have grown and can reach the trellis, tie the ends loosely to the trellis using old nylon pantyhose or T-shirt strips.
Watering Requirements for Growing Bottle Gourds in Greenhouse
At planting time, water your gourd seeds to increase their survival rate. Ensure your bottle gourd plants receive constant water and water the soil deeply four to five times a month. Keeping the soil moist is important to ensure the gourds grow quickly. You should water your gourds early in the morning so they can dry completely by evening.
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Drip irrigation is the best way to water gourds; avoid watering systems that sputter or splash. A watering method that splashes or sprays water on the vine or leaves will invite fungus and mildew. Water a dry patch of soil with a watering wand and direct the water to the roots.
Fertilizing Requirements to Grow Bottle Gourd in Greenhouse
Before planting the bottle gourd, you should test the soil to ensure it has all the nutrients it needs. The vines should be fertilized with a balanced fertilizer, such as 10-10-10, when planted and as soon as they have begun to grow. Composted mulch and animal manure are recommended if you are growing organic gourds. The gourd plant can be fertilized with grass clippings, fish emulsion, and even sprayed with fish emulsion.
The bottle gourd won’t fruit well unless the soil contains enough phosphorus. Add 500 grams of phosphorus per 1,000 square feet of soil using rock phosphate or bone meal. Each hill amounts to about 1–2 tablespoons of each organic fertilizer. Without the soil being rich in potassium, bottle gourd plants will not produce as many gourds as possible. Potassium should be added to the soil in 900 grams per 1,000 square feet. Potash, potassium nitrate, or potassium magnesium sulfate are all options.
Training and Pruning Bottle Gourd Vines
The practice of pruning will result in better growth and a higher yield. Vine tips are cut off when the vine reaches 12 feet. There is a trimming procedure for all lateral branches below the fifth leaf. Female flowers are more likely to grow this way, while male flowers are more likely to grow this way.
Additionally, cutting off the tip signals to the plant that it’s time to produce flowers and fruits and ensures it branches out more. Once the plant has reached a sufficient height, pruning or pinching the tip can often result in early fruiting. Pruning can increase fruit production by 40%, but it is extremely labor-intensive, especially when cultivating an acre.
Pests and Diseases in Bottle Gourd Growing in Greenhouse
Bottle squashes are susceptible to many pests, and steady care is your best defense. Cucumber beetles, orange and black, are most notorious for damaging gourds. Seedlings of gourds can be decimated overnight by this organism that overwinters in the soil. Aphids, stinkbugs, and corn earworms are also notorious for attacking gourds. Gourds can be temporarily protected from nibblers by spraying a weak bleach solution.
Cool, wet weather can cause water to accumulate on bunched-up leaves, causing diseases to develop. When these diseases appear, they are nearly impossible to cure, but ask the vendor for guidance. The best way to prevent this is to space out the gourd plants so that air can circulate. A trellis or arbor can keep a gourd plant healthy and dry.
Harvesting Bottle Gourds Grown in Greenhouse
After the stem turns brown and before the first frost, you can harvest a bottle gourd. When the frost hits, gourds on the stem could rot and spread the rot to other gourds. However, if you harvest them too soon, they will retain too much moisture and may rot in storage. A gourd skin is perfect when it sounds like a tapping rock or glass when you tap it with your fingernail.
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Harvest gourds with sharp gardening shears that have been disinfected with rubbing alcohol. The gourd will dry instead of rotting if you leave a few inches of the stem intact. After harvesting gourds, wash them with soapy water, let them dry, and wipe their skin with rubbing alcohol.
Conclusion
There are certain temperature requirements, soil conditions, and irrigation requirements for bottle gourds. They cannot tolerate frost or waterlogging. The yield of greenhouse plants is almost always the same throughout the year. Y yields may be slightly lower during the monsoons, but the difference isn’t significant. Market prices and yield determine profitability.
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