luffa seeds planting Smooth Luffa Seeds – Grow Natural Sponges at Home – Jerra's Garden

luffa seeds planting Smooth Luffa Seeds – Grow Natural Sponges at Home – Jerra's GardenSmooth Dishcloth Luffa Seeds Grow Your Own Natural Sponges Luffa aegyptica syn l. cylindrica Listing is for 1 packet of 10 seeds Watch my how to grow luffa from seeds YouTube video tutorial here: https: youtu. be UveaM3vyA54 This is a great variety of luffa to grow if you want to harvest sponges. Luffa aka Loofah aka dish rag gourd, is a tropical plant and thrives during the hot and rainy summers of Florida and the Southern United States. It is

Smooth Dishcloth Luffa Seeds - Grow Your Own Natural Sponges
Luffa aegyptica syn l. cylindrica
Listing is for 1 packet of 10 seeds

Watch my how to grow luffa from seeds YouTube video tutorial here: https://youtu.be/UveaM3vyA54

This is a great variety of luffa to grow if you want to harvest sponges. Luffa aka Loofah aka dish rag gourd, is a tropical plant and thrives during the hot and rainy summers of Florida and the Southern United States. It is sensitive to cold weather and frost can kill the entire vine. The vines are vigorous, grow quickly, and get very big. Some gardeners like to grow it up  a large tree for support. I grow mine on metal trellises because each luffa gets heavy. This is so much fun to grow. The bees and pollinators love the bright yellow flowers. I like to hand pollinate each flower to ensure they will produce a luffa gourd. It is easier to peel the luffa's to get the sponges inside just before it is completely dried out and brown, still at the end of the green stage. I recommend you watch some YouTube videos to see how it is done (video on my YouTube channel coming soon). This does require a long warm growing season to be able to harvest luffa gourds at the right stage for making into sponges, at least 90-120 days.

Ideal Growing Conditions

Sun: Full Sun

Water: Allow the soil to dry out a little bit in-between watering

Fertilizer: Not necessary, but is good to fertilize it every few months with some organic granular fertilizer, like Espoma Garden-Tone.

When & How To Sow Seeds: Soak seeds for 24 hours, and nick the seed shell with a nail clipper to let water in. They need warm soil (around 70°F). Direct sow when temps stay above 70°F or start indoors 4 weeks before your last spring frost date. If sowing indoors, use large containers (like solo cups) because they grow fast. A heat mat boosts germination. Place containers inside of another container with a lid to trap heat and humidity. Then uncover and move seedlings under grow lights once they sprout.

Germination: 14-21 days

Days To Maturity: 90-120 days

How & When To Harvest: Harvest when the outter skin has dried out and turned brown.

Common Diseases: Luffa can get some powdery mildew in very wet conditions. Improve airflow by growing it up a vertical trellis. Spray with 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide per gallon of water to clean and disinfect.

Common Pests: Luffa is susceptible to chewing insect damage by the same kinds of caterpillars/worms that chew squash. Spray with BT or spinosad if you notice chewed up leaves. 

Do I have a YouTube video tutorial on how to grow this? YES

How to grow luffa from seed to harvest: https://youtu.be/UveaM3vyA54

How to harvest & peel luffa: https://youtu.be/tc0p7JrPhlI

How to make exfoliating luffa soap bars: https://youtu.be/d0sewdlUPLU

Additional Tips/Information: N/A