Long Bottle Gourd Plant
Annual vine to 9 m, Long Bottle Gourd yields elongated, edible fruit in summer. African origin, thrives in sunny, warm conditions. Edible/medicinal, it’s ideal for culinary trellis gardens.
Habit
Annual vine
Height
3-6 m
Growth
Fast
Soil
Well-drained, fertile
Shade
Full Sun
Moisture
Moderate
Edible
Yes (young fruit)
Medicinal
Yes (anti-inflammatory)
Origin
Africa
Climatic Condition
Tropical/Subtropical
Temperature (°)
22-35
Humidity (%)
50-70
Potting media
Loam+Compost+Sand
Fertilizers
NPK(5:10:10)
Watering
Every 3-5 days, soil moist
Plant Weight
~2-5 kg
Flowering Time
Summer
Soil Ph level
6.0-7.5
Water Ph level
6.0-7.0
Soil EC
0.5-1.5 mS/cm
Yield Per Plant
~2-4 kg fruit
NPK ratio
5:10:10
life Span
3-5 months
Health Benefits
Hydration, weight loss
Suggested Grow Media or Potting Mix ?
50% loam, 30% compost, 20% sand
Suggested Fertigation/Fertilizers
5:10:10 biweekly during fruiting
Common Diseases and Remedies
Powdery mildew, downy mildew, mosaic virus, Fusarium wilt, Alternaria blight, anthracnose.
White powdery spots on leaves/stems, yellow angular spots with gray mold on leaf undersides, mottled/distorted leaves with stunted fruits, wilting with brown vascular discoloration, brown-black concentric leaf/fruit spots, dark water-soaked lesions with gummy exudate.
Spray neem oil (2 ml/L) or Trichoderma viride (500 g/acre), use Pseudomonas fluorescens (2 L/acre drench), remove infected plants, apply copper-based fungicides (e.g., Bordeaux mixture), practice crop rotation (2-3 years) and trellising.
Apply carbendazim (0.1%), mancozeb (0.25%), thiamethoxam (100 g/acre) for vectors, metalaxyl (0.5 g/L), chlorothalonil (0.2%), rotate chemicals to prevent resistance.