Knowing how to increase female flowers in bitter gourd will help growers to have abundant harvest during the harvest season. This plant is producing fruits that are bitter in taste. Even though it is bitter, it contains nutrients which is good for the body. Having a strong immune system will base on that people eats. But what are the tips to increase flowers in bitter gourd?
How To Increase Female Flowers In Bitter Gourd?
Soil Type
Bitter gourd is growing well in tropical climate. This plant can grows in wide range of soil but it is best to grow in soil with pH of 5.5 to 6.7. Soil which is rich in compost and well-drained is great for the plant to grow and thrive well.
Having a good soil will make the plant to produce more flowers especially female. This is because the soil helps them to grow faster and bigger. Their vines, leaves and roots are growing excellent which help them to produce flowers when it reached its maturity stage.
The female flowers are growing late compare to male flowers. During the early stage of blooming you can not expect more female. You need to wait for atleast one otr two weeks before they will started to show on the plant. During those stage keep doing what is the best for the plant. Care for it so that the plant will becomes bigger in size.
Cultivating The Soil
To help the bitter gourd increase its female flowers, try cultivating the soil around its roots. When you cultivate the soil, the oxygen can goes to the roots which is a good help for the plant. Enough oxygen will help to the overall growth of the bitter gourd. Cultivating will break the soil which create holes in which the oxygen enters. More oxygen is good for the plant.
Nutrients can easily enters the roots when the soil is also cultivated. It has an easy access and the roots can find it well. You can use trowel or any tools to do it, sometimes a twig or branch of a tree can also be use. Just be careful in doing it so that roots will not be damage. It has a good benefits for the plant.
Making the soil cultivated, can help the small roots to grow. Compacted soil makes hard for the roots to spread. You are making it easy for them when doing it and help them establish. Young plant is not yet establish but when their roots spread well it make them strong. So its good to do it sometimes to help on how to increase female flowers in bitter gourd.
Watering
Water will helps the bitter gourd to increase female flowers. Enough watering will help the plant thrive and grow well. They need a regular watering to be establish, grow more leaves, longer vines and sooner more flowers and fruits. It is important for them to get water on daily basis. They can be water by the grower or get from the rainfall.
Since tropical climate has a warm weather, the watering for the bitter gourd should be everyday. When the soil is dry, water is needed so that the plant will not stop growing. Summer season has a high temperature and more water is needed by the plant. If the plant gets enough water on daily basis for the long run until maturity it will produce more flowers.
During the rainy season, there is abundant source of water. Rainwater is good for the bitter gourd. You don’t need to water it anymore because if you do, it will cause yellowing of leaves and wilting. You need also improve the drainage so that water will not stack. Right amount of water is good for the plant to produce more flowers.
Sunlight
Sunlight is the major food of the bitter gourd. When it gets enough sunshine daily it will increase production of female flowers. Sunlight is abundant in tropical country everyday. Its great for the plant to have more foods to consume to grow well. Finding a perfect spot to grow this plant is needed.
During the early stage of planning where to grow bitter gourd, you need to find a place where there are no big trees near the area. Big trees have a wide branches and lots of leaves. They can block the sunlight and which will make your plants to grow poorer. Try to plant bitter gourd in an open area where it can get lots of sunshine. It will grow really fast if it gets atleast six hours of sunlight daily.
When the sunlight hits the leaves of bitter gourd, it will be converted into sugar. The sugar is what the leaves consume. The leaves process the sunlight under the photosynthesis. It will increase flower when it gets its daily needs. So its important to grow it in a great spot. It will help on how to increase female flowers in bitter gourd.
Control Pests And Diseases
Sometimes pests and diseases might attack the bitter gourd in no time. No one can know when it happen and controlling them will help to save the plant. When there is no pest and diseases on the bitter gourd, it can produce more flowers and eventually fruits. But if there are pests and diseases then the plant will be affected which it will makes hard to produce lots of flower.
One of the most destructive pest of bitter gourd is the cucurbit fruit fly. It destroy the fruit and lay their eggs inside. It damage the crop which cannot be consume anymore especially when lots of damage have done. Some fruits also may drop prematurely which is not good for the grower. The best way to do is grow bitter gourd that are tolerant to fruit fly or apply insecticide to get rid of them.
Some of the diseases that might attack the bitter gourd are Anthracnose, downy mildew, powdery mildew, angular leaf spot, etc. Commonly it is cause by fungi and the treatment is fungicides. Sometimes diseases have common characteristics but you need to do specific treatment for them. You need to control them as early as possible so that it will not cause any further damage.
Fertilization
Fertilizer will help to improve the quality of the soil. It will help also the plant to produce more flowers and fruits. There are synthetic and organic fertilizers that can be use. Either of the two it will help the bitter gourd on its growth. And will lead to abundant harvest.
Compost is organic which is made up from decay leaves, grasses, etc. Its eco-friendly and it will no cause harm to the environment. Compost is good to use to increase female flowers.
Those are some informations about how to increase female flowers in bitter gourd. There are ways that will help the plant to produce more flowers during the blooming season. When it produce more, lots of fruits will also be produce.