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Post by chrysanthemum on Jun 21, 2022 6:57:11 GMT -6
I'm hoping to start some luffa today. I hope you were able to get some started. I tried to take a picture of mine through the window to share my view of the plants, but the picture didn’t turn out too well because of reflections. I’ll post it anyway because it does give an idea of how the foliage has climbed over my tall trellises and is tangling together in the corner. I’m wondering if it will climb the stucco or spread out or what. The two blossoms that I hand pollinated seem to have taken, though one is growing better than the other. There are new male flowers opening every day, and I’m trying to watch for more female flowers. They really are pretty, and I’m enjoying having them outside my windows in the morning. (By the afternoon we close the shades against the sun and heat. The luffa does wilt down but perks up again once the sun goes behind the trees.)
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Post by macmex on Jun 28, 2022 14:15:21 GMT -6
I started some Loufa/Luffa seed in a damp paper towel, on June 15, planning to plant the sprouting seeds in my little 4X8' garden at work. For several years I've grown beans here. So this year I'll grow luffa.
I also planted a couple sprouted seeds along a fence in the front yard of our home.
Here's a photo of the bed just after the little luffa plants came up.
They grow incredibly fast. Here's closeup only two days after they emerged!
I misplaced the luffa seed I meant to plant and planted some that Lorreta Bower, one of our local Green Country Seed Savers had given me a few years ago. I had it in frozen storage. Don't know which strain it is.
Jerreth and I look forward to harvesting a lot of good back scratchers and pot scrubbers.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Jun 30, 2022 6:43:10 GMT -6
Those are looking off to a great start, macmex. Will they just sprawl on the ground, or will you put up some sort of support the way you did for the beans?
My luffa vines are still growing strong, and I saw another female flower finally. There was no way I could hand pollinate it way up at the top of my trellises in my raised beds, so I hope the bees found it before our rainstorms moved in. Right now I have only one good fruit growing, and I’d really like some more. Nevertheless, even just one good fruit should yield plenty of seeds to save and try again.
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Post by macmex on Jun 30, 2022 13:31:35 GMT -6
I plan on putting up a trellis, just haven't gotten to it yet. I think that moths probably pollinate loufa more than do honeybees. Wasps might even do some of it. As I recall loufa flowers in late afternoon and on into the night. It will be good to make observations on this crop. When I last grew it I just depended mainly on my memory, which now... is not a good idea.
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Post by macmex on Jul 8, 2022 11:45:07 GMT -6
I really need to get going on that trellis. These plants are already to start climbing!
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Post by woodeye on Jul 8, 2022 14:36:19 GMT -6
WoW! Those look great!
Boy it looks like the only way is up for those guys...
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Post by chrysanthemum on Jul 9, 2022 6:45:58 GMT -6
Those do look lovely, Macmex. Good job.
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Post by john on Jul 11, 2022 4:06:20 GMT -6
I have grown it twice and have had good success. You get enough production for many years worth of sponges with just a few plants. It's highly productive, I got my seeds from Willhite. I had so many seeds I grew some to use as a fusarium resistant rootstock for my watermelons which it did quite well.
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Post by macmex on Jul 14, 2022 8:24:27 GMT -6
That's amazing! Great thing to know!
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Post by macmex on Jul 14, 2022 8:28:40 GMT -6
Here's photo of one hill of Luffa, on July 10. The plants were really taking off.
Last night I put the materials for a trellis in my truck, to take to work. I set it up early this morning. I had luffa vines running off through the lawn. If I'd have waited another week the university grounds crew would have mowed them.
Here's the trellis I put up.
And here's a picture showing how I lifted the vines and started them on the trellis. I suspect by Monday they'll be going crazy on that trellis. This is one of the things I like about this plant. It grows like a weed!
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Post by woodeye on Jul 14, 2022 8:50:47 GMT -6
It's off to the races for those! Good job!!
I haven't grown any luffas since the 80's, now you got me thinking about trying them again.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Jul 14, 2022 14:14:49 GMT -6
It's always cool to see those familiar buildings in the background. Back when I worked on the Grounds crew there, that would have been a much-welcomed sight. I wish more landscaped places were done practically, rather than just ornamentally. My hat's off to you for doing the wonderful things you do.
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Post by macmex on Jul 22, 2022 7:05:02 GMT -6
Just a month and a week after planting the seed and look at these plants! They are growing like crazy!
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Post by woodeye on Jul 22, 2022 7:13:40 GMT -6
WoW!! Those are growing at warp speed. Looking great, they're leaving Jack and the Beanstalk behind in the dust...
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Post by chrysanthemum on Jul 30, 2022 14:23:32 GMT -6
I took a picture of my first luffa (of only two fruits) the other day when I noticed that it was starting to dry down. I thought I posted it here then, but apparently not successfully. My luffa fruit has been smooth all summer, but I noticed recently that it was starting to show more angles. I think that was the first stage of drying down. Then it turned more yellowish. Then brown patches started. That’s when I snapped the picture the other day. It wasn’t feeling dry, so I worried that it might rot, but it has continued to turn pretty uniformly brown without decaying. I’m waiting for the seeds to start rattling before I harvest it. (If there were rain in the forecast I might choose to bring it in before that, but I don’t think any rain is coming for a while sadly.) This has been a fun growing experiment. It was a little disappointing in that I only grew two plants successfully, and those two have given me only one fruit each. Nevertheless, that should yield a few good sponges and lots of seed. I’m excited about increasing my seed supply and planting more in the future.
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