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| Welcome to the luffa.info loofah sponge
growing page! Here are photos with step by step descriptions of luffa sponge
gourds being planted and grown in the home garden. Growing luffa requires
a certain amount of patience. It grows slower than most gourds. The seeds
sometimes take weeks to germinate. The plants remain small for a long time
while the roots are developing. Luffa is a hot weather plant and growth
slows in cool weather. The flowers appear over an extended period of time,
blooming as the vine progresses. Once the fruits form it may take a long
time to develop fiber and dry out for harvest. Then the work of harvesting,
peeling, and cleaning happens late in the year. Luffa requires about 130
to 150 or more frost free days, lots of sunshine, warmth, water, good root
nutrients, and a large strong trellis. |
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| The first step is to select seeds for planting. Good
mature seeds are typically dark, hard, and dense. Immature seeds are a light
color and are soft. Save the seeds from your best sponges in the fall for
the next year. Seeds can be obtained from the suppliers on our sources
page. Luffa can be grown by directly planting into the ground in warmer
climates, USDA zones 7 and higher. Zone 6 is borderline for direct to earth
seed planting but can work. It's just that some of the later sponges might
be lost to frost. Plant 2 to 4 seeds per location about 1/2 inch deep in
small hills of soil. Space hills a minimum of 3 feet(1m) apart. 6 feet(2m)
is much better. |
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| For areas where the growing season time is marginal,
starting the seeds in pots well ahead of the last frost date is a better
choice. The plants develop large roots and should be planted in containers
that are big enough for the time needed. Plant one or two seeds about 1/2
to 3/4 inch deep in some potting soil. Germination and growth is dependent
on the soil temperature so place the pots in a warm place. Keep the soil
moist but not too wet. Germination time varies widely. It could take three
weeks or longer. Usually it is less than two weeks. Luffa seed germination
rates are about 60 to 70% for normal planting conditions. Some seeds may
take much longer than others from the same batch. |
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| Thin plants to one per pot or planting location. The seedlings grow slowly
while the roots develop. Provide lots of sun and don't let the soil get
too dry. Small pots may need some water every day, just don't over do it.
The plants can't survive muddy waterlogged soil. We reuse our plastic pots
but peat pots are a great environmentally friendly way to start plants.
Plantable peat pots minimize root damage and transplant shock. Tearing the
bottom and side when planting will help the roots get out faster. |
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| Once the plants send out the first normal leaf or two, the luffa are big
enough to transplant. The roots by this time may be 6 inches (15 cm) long
or longer. Wait until all danger of frost is passed and the soil is reasonably
warm. Luffa are somewhat sensitive to transplant shock so be careful when
planting. Leaving the plants outside for a few days before planting helps
them to adapt. Dig a hole about a foot deep and mix in some compost, peat
moss, potting soil, organic soil mix, or other nutrient rich material. Feeding
the roots will have a positive effect on the quality and size of the luffa
vines. Luffa can be grown in fairly poor soils by utilizing this technique.
For very bad soil areas, fill the entire hole with a ready to grow medium.
Good top soil or a blend of organic garden mix and potting soil works. |
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| While the luffa are small they are vulnerable to weeds and pests. It is
important to keep the weeds off them. Shade from weeds will stunt the plants
at this point. Slugs can damage the small stems. Birds may snip off pieces.
Once the vines begin to bolt and grow larger, the luffa are tough enough
to mostly fend for themselves. The vines will climb over most obstacles. |
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| The luffa vines must have a strong trellis system to climb. We grow most
of ours on chain link fence because it is already there. The vines prefer
to grow much taller and will do better on a 6 to 10 foot(2-3 m) high trellis.
The vine length can exceed 20 feet(6m). Typically ours reach about 15 ft(4-5m).
The loofah sponges can get heavy, so the more places the vine tendrils can
hold on to the better. They won't grow as well on a single cable as they
do growing into lattice or fence links with many support points. Luffa will
circle and climb wooden poles if the surface is not too smooth. |
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| After the vines bloom, pollination has to occur before a fruit forms.
Bees of all types are attracted to the big yellow flowers and perform most
of the work. The blooms will fall off and the pollinated ones will form
the start of a loofah sponge at the base of the former flower. If pollinating
insects are in short supply, the flowers can be hand pollinated. |
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| Ready to pick your luffa? Visit
the luffa harvest page. |
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