Hi everyone,
I'm going to grow some heritage Luffa seeds this year. I've never grown Luffa before. What sort of trellis would be best for it? Will string from the ground up to the top of a stockade fence be enough or does it need its own sort of trellis? What's the best way to do it?
Will the seeds sprout well if sown outside or do they need an inside start?
Thanks!
I am so mad at myself. I just typed a HUGE response to
this post only to mess it up and lose it by hitting the wrong
keys.
Sigh. Okay, starting over.
First of all, Luffa need time. Warmth. And water. So if
you don't have patience, you won't have much luck. I say
this because we've been growing them for many years now,
and patience is the key.
When you first plant them, if the soil is not warm enough, the
seeds will sit there. If the soil is cold, the seeds may even rot.
Even though the air temperature might be warm, if the soil is
not warm enough, you may be disappointed.
If you have a bottom heat germination tray / mat, they work
wonders. A waterbed heater, a warm spot on top of the refrigerator,
any warm spot will do. Those handy little peat pellet things work
wonders. Don't start them indoors too early, as they will be leggy
and resent transplanting.
Once the soil temp is warm enough and the seedling have made
an appearance, they will seem to be sitting there, as if that were
their only job, just to sit there. Then one day they seem to be growing,
a bit more, and then like a rocket they take off and don't stop growing.
We've grown them on everything from a steel pole reinforced bamboo
pole (which broke with the weight of the luffa and the vines) to a four
foot tall chain link (have to keep picking the vines up to put them back
on the fence) to a heavy duty tough as nails arbor made with landscape
timbers and more.
And get this, the luffa were on the chain link on the NORTH side of the yard.
Yep. Here in Oklahoma we even tried the full sun, but found that unless we
dragged the hose out to the A-frame every day, they did not perform well.
You have to be able to keep them watered well during the high heat of the
summer, which is when the vines really want to do their thing. The thing about
growing them in part sun instead of full sun is that they take a bit longer to
take off, so in many shorter zoned areas, they seem to be getting going full
throttle about the time the first frost comes along.
Also, with regard to your seeds, if you can spare them, cut a few of them
in half with scissors. The meat inside should be nice and white. The seeds
themselves should be nice and black. Brown will grow, too, but the blacker
the seed, the better.
Hope this helps.
:-) Karen Marie
Thanks, Karen, that was a lot of info! Thanks for typing it all twice. I really don't have any seeds to spare since I only have a packet of heritage seeds and they are dearly priced for not too many seeds. We don't have outside water here (due to the price of our water) so I will try to plant the vines in lower areas that collect more water naturally or, perhaps, close enough to my neighbor's well so three hoses strung end-to-end can reach them if we have an unusual dry spell. :)
With all your info, I'm sure I can find a good spot for them. How long ahead of transplanting do you think I should start them indoors? Last frost date for this region in 5/9.
Thanks again!
Giselle
Hello Giselle,
May 9th, ah yes, your zone must be around 5. My brother lives in zone
5 and they report Mother's Day as the day everyone in the area runs
outdoors to hurry up and plant.
You can start them indoors, but they may become leggy and resent
being transplanted. If you can, try to plant them with a little stick or something
they can cling to as they grow, instead of scrambling loose, as the vines
are very tender when grown indoors.
Given your zone, I would put them in the full sun and keep them watered.
I hope I didn't give you the impression they must be wet at all times, I
suppose I'm speaking more for our area, which is very hot and dry in the
summer.
You are most welcome.
Karen Marie
I also started some loofa seeds on Sunday. Although, I don't think mine are heritage, since I've got so many seeds. I've got them on a heat mat - just waiting for them to sprout!
As for fencing - the backyard has chicken wire all around the fence in back. Is that going to be ok for the vines/loofa, or do I need to work on getting the heavy wire rolled fence stuff put up?
Thank you,
Nichole
Hi Nicole,
I would think that if the chicken wire if firmly attached to the fencing that it would be pretty stable but now I think about it, I'm not sure how the vines grow. Do they have little tendrils that wrap around stuff or does the whole vine weave in and out of whatever it is climbing on? If it's a weaver, chicken wire might be too fine for it to utilize.
You know, Giselle, I don't know anything about the vines. This will be a learning experience for me! I'm starting a bunch of new seeds for me. I think the first step is to get the seeds to sprout, and the seeds were planted just this past weekend. I will be sure to post once things get going!
Nichole
Hey ScotDeerie, I first saw that very distinctive deerhound face and thought, hmmmmm, could it be? Then saw your name and decided to check the pets forum for more pictures. Your Ellie is a gorgeous girl. I wouldn't be surprised if she's descended from some of our breeding stock. What kennel name? Don't want to hijack the thread hear but this is the first deerhound that's popped up on DG and it's exciting to me. Please post her story and more pictures in the pets forum if you have a minute. Stella (our family had Cheltenham Kennels in the 50-70s).......edited to say this was in Northern Ohio.
This message was edited Mar 22, 2007 4:15 PM
Hi folks,
Yes, luffa put off little tendrils that wrap around things, so it will try to
climb what it can get a grip on.
Chicken wire, well, depends on the support. Just chicken wire is
sort of wimpy, and those fruits can be quite heavy, especially if you
get a good crop going with chicken droppings. LOL.
Something sturdy is a good thing.
:-) KM
IF I had chickens! The chicken wire was there when we moved in . . . I think the previous occupants wanted to keep their dog in the yard, hence the wire nailed to the fence. We'll see what happens . . . especially now that I've got some sprouts come up yesterday . . .
Hi Stella,
Check your D-mail!
Thanks everyone for the great discussion. I planted the luffa seeds yesterday in their little starter packs. They should be moving outside in five or six weeks or so. I hope-a, I hope-a I can get some luffas this year! :D
