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South Dakota

My first year with long gourds. When you support the hanging gourd, are we worried about the stem popping off right at the attachment to the gourd, or are we mostly concerned with the stem breaking where it crosses the trellis? Or both?

7/21/2022 10:15:39 PM

Jericho Vermont

I have been growing long gourds since 2009 and have only supported one at the top of the trellis as it was vary fat and heavy and I questioned even if I needed to do that. As the lg gets long I do set up a support system 5-6 feet off the ground and use plastic construction tape so the gourd won't swing in the wind or with a strong storm.
It is important to pay attention to where the stem comes through the top of the trellis as most of us use wire fencing and the stem can kink as the length and the weight of the long gourd increases. I will clip the wire to make sure the stem will not bend at a 90 degree angle and kink or use foam board to do my best to protect it.
A good long gourd will grow 5-7 inches in length at the middle of its bell curve and can be just as fun to grow as an AG in my opinion. Good luck and have fun with it.

7/23/2022 6:45:25 AM

South Dakota

Thanks John. Another question I have is do you cull the naturally occurring pollinations? I have several gourds set by nature on the vertical of the trellis. I didn't think mother nature was supposed to be too good at pollinating long gourds. Mine starts flowering about 9 PM and must be moths or something doing the deed. 124.5 Harnica

7/23/2022 8:28:55 AM

Jericho Vermont

There are a few moths that will do the work for you but that never seems to happen here. I hand pollinate in the evening and tie a different color ribbon on the trellis fence and record it in my paper diary. That way, similar to pumpkins I can record growth and see which is growing the best and cull the ones that are not up to par. I grow a big plant and only keep 2-3 long gourds on it to finish.

7/23/2022 9:18:59 AM

South Dakota

John, what is your record keeping system? When do you start measuring, and how often do you measure. What do you consider a good length/DAP goal by a certain day? Do I need to snip off all the unpollinated females that come out of the vertical part of the trellis, or can I just let them wither away? Thanks so much.

7/28/2022 11:39:29 AM

South Dakota

Also, for how long is a female long gourd flower pollinatable. Just a few hours like AG, or more extended time?

7/28/2022 11:42:38 AM

Jericho Vermont

I am a big fan of measuring daily and keep a record every year for everything I grow. I start with long gourds around day 8ish. At the height of the bell curve of growth I like to see 6-7 inches. I just let all of the unpollinated wither away. In our cooler climate I usually see 43-45 days of growth.

Like AG's, I feel the female is ready as soon as the males open and typically pollinate around 7pm. The flowers do stay open all night but am guessing there are higher probability times within the first couple of hours.

7/31/2022 3:57:08 PM