- 1). Install a 4 to 6 foot trellis behind the gourds within a day or two of planting. Drive the trellis stakes at least 1 foot into the ground so the trellis does not fall over under the weight of the gourds. Installing later than a day or two after planting may cause damage to the developed roots of the gourd plants.
- 2). Guide the young plants onto the trellis with your hands by winding the growing tip of the vine clockwise around the trellis support.
- 3). Tie the main vine of each Chinese bottle gourd plant to the trellis at 8 to 10-inch intervals. Wrap a cloth plant tie loosely around the vine and the trellis in a figure eight pattern. Place the crossover point of the figure eight between the vine and the trellis to cushion the vine.
- 4). Cut 12 inch by 6 inch strips from old pantyhose. Tie the ends of the strips to the trellis to form a sling where the gourd fruit is forming. Set the fruit in the sling so that the gourds are supported as they grow.
previous post