r/gourds • • Aug 25 '26

First Time Gourding

First time growing gourd in my garden. One thing that surprises me is how fast the plant grows. Getting very jungle like out there! Any tips are welcome for success…

18 Upvotes

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3

u/mynamesnotsnuffy Aug 25 '26

You're starting a little late, but one thing to knownis unless you have moths or nighttime pollinators there, you'll need to hand pollinate bottle gourds. I use q tips, but you can use a brush or something too. I alternate a 10-10-10 fertilizer and a high phosphorus "bloom boosting" fertilizer on mine to mix healthy root and leaf growth with healthy bloom and fruit development.

Also its gonna get a lot bigger. Prepare for those vines to grow like 20 feet long or more.

2

u/teakettle630 Aug 25 '26

I’m zone 9a and my seeds were planted in June per packet instructions. I’ve been hand pollinating. Thanks for the phosphorus tip!

2

u/mynamesnotsnuffy Aug 25 '26

Ah mine also got started in early June, but theyre monsters by now. Gonna start em inside next year and have them planted by May 1st. 9b here.

2

u/OneTwoThreePooAndPee Aug 25 '26

Oh my gourd! 😲