The loofah sponge (also called luffa or loofa) is related to squash and watermelon, which are both trailing vines. People use the fruit�s fibrous interior for exfoliating the skin in a shower or bath. Rather than spend a bunch of money on a loofah sponge from the store, why not grow one, make it yourself and save money?
The loofah plant has a long
growing season. It needs full sunlight and is best suited for hardiness zone 7
or higher, so you will need to know your hardiness zone before choosing try
planting them. If you live north of Kentucky, you may not have the success you
would like.
You can increase the plants'
growing cycle for northern states by starting them indoors at least a month
before the last expected frost. You can germinate the seeds by placing them
between two damp and warm paper towels.
When you are ready to plant them
in the ground, plant them 8 to 12 inches apart. You can also create hills, 4 to
6 feet apart, in which you have planted four seeds 1/2-inch deep. If possible,
plant the loofah near a trellis or fence to give the vines a place to grow.
Once the plants have come up, thin them out to only one plant per hill. The
best time to thin them out is when they have grown an inch or two.
Adding nutrients to the soil is
also important for loofah plants. After adding compost, you will also want to
mulch around the plants to help keep the soil moist and warm. Train the vines
along the trellis or fence. Wrap the end around the trellis to get them to grow
there.
Pay attention to the plant. When
the plant first flowers, pluck the first flowers and cut the first four lateral
branches back. This will allow the better fruits to grow.
At the end of the growing season,
remove the gourds from the vine. Leave them on the vine as long as you can to
ensure they are ripe. The skin should begin to turn brown, they will weigh less
than when they were unripe and the skin may have opened slightly. If the
weather turns cold and it frosts, you will want to harvest the gourds whether
they are ripe or not.
If the skin of the loofah has not
begun to open on its own, you may want to slam the gourd on the ground. Roll it
back and forth to loosen the skin, or puncture it with a knife so you can
remove the fruit from the skin. Allow the seeds to dry out completely and then
freeze them so they are ready to plant next year.
To make the loofah sponge, spray
off the loofah to remove any remaining seeds and wash away the sap. Then place
the loofah in a bucket of bleach water � one cup of bleach for the entire
bucket � and soak it to remove all black spots. This may take a while. Then
remove the loofah and rinse it well; allow it to air dry in the sun. Be sure to
turn the loofah occasionally as it dries.
You have several options at this
point. You can leave the loofah in its original shape, cut it to a shape you
like, or cut it into slices and place them in homemade soap. You can place a
string through the fibers of the loofah so it is easy to hang and dry between
uses.
Article by: Clem C, Benton, Jr.
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