Vegetable Sponge Guard (Luffa Cylindrica) 5 seeds (#897)

Luffa cylindrica is a very fast growing climber. Its leaves are 7 - 20 cm across and have three lobes. Flowers are bright yellow. The fruits which grow to about 60 cm in length are oblong or cylindrical, smooth and contain many seeds. The fruit is brown when mature and dries on the vine to develop an inedible sponge-like structure.
It is occasionally grown as an ornamental.
Luffa aegyptiaca is best grown with a trellis support. It requires lots of heat and lots of water to thrive.
The young fruit is eaten as a vegetable and is commonly grown for that purpose in tropical Asia. Unlike the young fruit, the fully ripened fruit is strongly fibrous and inedible, and is used to make scrubbing bath sponges.
Due to the use as a scrubbing sponge, it is also known by the common names dishrag gourd, rag gourd, sponge gourd, and vegetable-sponge.
Growing luffa plants requires a certain amount of patience.
It's not a typical garden plant. It grows for a longer time than most gourds. Sometimes the seeds can be slow to germinate.
Luffa is a hot weather plant and growth slows in cool weather. The flowers appear over an extended period of time blooming sequentially as the vine progresses. The vines can grow 30 feet(10m) or more over the course of a growing season. Once the fruits form it may take a long time to fully develop fiber and dry for harvest. Then the work of picking, peeling, and cleaning happens late in the year.
Luffa requires about 150 to 200 or more warm frost free days, depending on the location and variety grown. It needs lots of sun, warmth, water, good root nutrients, and a large strong trellis.
The vines will grow on the ground on a well drained weed-free flat surface but tend to produce curved loofahs. Luffa can also be grown in containers around 5 gallon size. Containers must have good drainage and can't be moved once the vines attach tendrils to other objects. A small pot starter trellis can be used in the container until it is permanently located.
The ideal soil ph is neutral to slightly alkaline. Some lime may be needed for acid soils.
Approximately 5 seeds in 1 gram packet.

Genus - Luffa
Species - Cylindrica
Common name - Vegetable Sponge Guard
Pre-Treatment - Not-required
Hardiness zones - 5 - 11
Height - 6 - 9 m
Plant type - Annual climber
Exposure - Full Sun, partial sun
Growth rate - Fast
Soil PH - Neutral, alkaline
Soil type - High fertile, moist, well drained
Water requirements - Average, high
Landscape uses - Very fast growing ornamental vine
Leaf / Flower color - Green / Yellow

GERMINATION INSTRUCTIONS
Luffas require a long growing season of 120 to 150 days without frost to ripen fully, so start them from seeds indoors six to eight weeks before planting them outside.
1. Fill peat pots with commercial seed starter soil mix and mist the dirt with water from a spray bottle until it's wet. Plant the luffa seeds 1 inch deep in the soil. Keep the seeds moist and warm while they germinate, which can take up to 14 days. Then keep the seedlings moist and expose them to partial sun while they are growing inside.
2. Dig up the soil in the planting area with a shovel. Choose a location with full sun exposure. Spread a 5-10 cm layer of well-rotted compost over the soil and mix into the top 20-30 cm of soil. Do not work the soil while it is wet because this causes soil compaction.
3. Plant the seedlings in the prepared site 30 cm apart in rows or 2 m apart in hills. Keep the soil moist throughout the growing season. As the luffas grow, train the vines to go up a trellis or strong fence to keep the fruit off the ground.
4. Spread a 3 cm layer of well-rotted compost or grass clippings around the luffa plants halfway through the summer. Mulching saves soil moisture and reduces the growth of weeds.
5. Pick the luffa gourds when the skins turn dry and the stems change from green to yellow if you want to use them for sponges. Pick the fruit when it grows 15 cm long if you plan on eating the luffa gourds.
Information source: http://homeguides.sfgate.com.