Flowers
Loofah (Grow Your Own Sponge)
Luffa cylindrica
Grow-your-own natural sponge! This unique gourd produces large cucumber like fruits with fibrous cores. Once dried the skin and seeds can be removed leaving you with a completely natural sponge.
- Plant type
- Annual
- Position
- Full Sun
- Height
- 3m
- Spread
- 1m
Growing calendar
Sowing & growing
Sow indoors between Feb-May. Just like other squash/gourd place seeds on their sides rather than lying flat, 10mm deep in good quality seed compost. Keep at 20-25°C until germinated then keep at ~15°C and grown on until large enough to transplant. These are large plants, one per large pot or two per growbag is sufficient. Train plants up netting. Keep well watered and feed every two weeks.
Aftercare
Pinch out after first 4 sets of leaves to encourage sideshoots and more fruits. Harvest and dry fruits after skin has turned light brown. Peel skin and remove seeds.
Gallery
Ref. SEL031