Angled Loofah

 

Angled Loofah


ANGLED LOOFAH (Luffa acutangula)

       Picture

PLANTING

Land Preparation

  • Plough and loosen the soils at 20 - 30 cm deep to enable good grow of roots.
  • Loosen the soils can be used manually or mechanically

MAINTENANCE

Manuring

  • Organic fertilizer or chicken dung (2 tan / 0.4 ha)
  • Compound fertilizer NPK - 12:12:17:2
  • Manuring schedule:
Time

Rate
(kg/0.4 ha)

Method
3 weeks after planting
100
apply around the plant
5 weeks after planting
200
apply between the plant
7 weeks after planting
200
apply between the plant

Watering

  • Water twice a day if too hot

To prune shoots and spread the creeper

  • Allow only two main lateral branches to grow till fruiting.

  • Buds of branches 30 cm below the main branch must be pruned. The idea is to prevent over-flowering and to yield bigger fruits than fruits of unpruned plants.

  • The creeper produces well when it creeps up and spread over a support framework.

  • Setting small fruits slipped in between leaves must be adjusted to hang so as to allow no hindrance to their growth.

Wrapping

  • Fruit wrapping may done at fruit set.

  • Growing fruits may be wrapped with paper bags to protect them from fruit fly attack.

HARVESTING

  • The fruit may be harvest when it is around 45 days old.

  • Fruits which are still soft and non-fibrous, may be picked daily using a sharp knife. The fruits may be picked over 60 intervals.

  • Petola plant productive life: 105 - 110 days.

  • Average yield on stake support system is 5,200 kg/0.4 ha and on trellis support system
    is 9,000-15,000 kg/0.4 ha.

| Top |

 
Sumber: Panduan Menanam Petola Segi, Jabatan Pertanian Semenanjung Malaysia