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1. Small Arch Structure
1.1 Nursery Shed
Starting in mid-February, small sheds are prepared for seedling cultivation. The structure of the shed is 2 meters high, 7 meters wide, and 8 meters long. The north-south framework is made from bamboo, wood, and PVC pipes, providing a sturdy and lightweight support system.
1.2 Cultivation Shed
During the cultivation phase, small arch sheds are used. These structures are covered with a thin plastic film (0.014 mm thick) and have an arch height of about 30 cm, with a width ranging from 40 to 50 cm. A cotton sash, which is a local shrub found on hills, is often placed along the base to help retain moisture and provide additional insulation.
2. Choosing the Right Species
Two specific bitter gourd varieties are recommended: Shenyang Lisheng Green Bitter Gourd and Guangzhou Penang Long Oil Bitter Gourd. These varieties are selected based on their adaptability, yield, and quality.
The Shenyang Lisheng Green Bitter Gourd is a medium-early maturing variety known for its vigorous growth, strong branching, and multiple female flowers. The fruits are spindle-shaped, smooth, and slightly rough, with a green, shiny skin. Each fruit measures approximately 35 cm in length, 7 cm in diameter, and weighs around 500 grams. It has a crisp texture, moderate bitterness, and excellent marketability. This variety is also highly resistant to stress, cold, heat, and diseases, making it ideal for commercial farming.
The Guangzhou Penang Long Oil Bitter Gourd is another high-yielding variety, typically growing between 25 to 30 cm long. Its fruits are yellow-green in color, shiny, and have a high number of female flowers. It is heat-tolerant, fertilizer-efficient, and produces multiple fruits per plant, making it suitable for warm climates.
3. Cultivation Techniques
3.1 Soil Preparation
Before and after March 20th, the nursery shed is prepared by mixing half of the fermented organic manure with garden soil, then sieving it to ensure a fine texture. For each cubic meter of nutrient soil, 10 kg of superphosphate, 2 g of diammonium phosphate, 1 kg of potassium, and 10 g of carbendazim are added. The mixture is then filled into pots (10 cm in diameter and height) for seedling planting.
3.2 Seedlings
For every 667 square meters, 0.25 kg of seeds are used. The seeds are soaked in warm water for 3 hours, then germinated on taro. To promote germination, the seeds are wrapped in a damp cloth and placed in a basin with a wet towel underneath to maintain a temperature between 28°C and 30°C. The seeds are watered with warm water 1–2 times daily, and sprouts appear within 3 days. Once sprouted, the seeds are sown into the nutrient soil, with one seed per pot. Sowing should be done on a sunny morning. After sowing, the temperature inside the arch shed should be kept around 28°C during the day and 4°C to 16°C at night. If the temperature drops below 10°C, the seedlings may suffer from cold damage, so straw mats should be used for insulation at night.
3.3 Soil Fertilization
Bitter gourds are relatively tolerant of fertilization and drought. To avoid problems caused by continuous cropping, it's important to choose fields that haven’t been planted with similar crops recently. Two weeks before planting, the soil should be tilled and enriched with decomposed pig manure, chicken manure, or cow dung, with 5,000 to 8,000 kg applied per 667 square meters, along with 40 kg of compound fertilizer. The field is then ridged for planting.
3.4 Planting Seedlings
After 40 days of growth, when the plants have 4–5 true leaves, they are transplanted into the small arch sheds before May 1st. The planting area is divided into 1-meter-wide beds with two ridges and 2-meter gaps alternately. Plants are spaced 0.6–0.7 meters apart, resulting in approximately 700 plants per 667 square meters. The vine ends are tied using iron wire and supported by bamboo frames.
3.5 Post-Planting Management
Once the seedlings are established, the plastic film is gradually removed based on weather conditions. The seedlings are taken out of the film, and the film is laid on the ground and pressed with soil. As the vines grow, they are trained onto the trellis, and unnecessary side shoots, leaf buds, or lateral branches less than 1 meter tall are pruned. Some thick vines can be left to encourage flowering. In the middle stage, the plants grow vigorously, and no further pruning is needed. In the later stages, older, weak, or yellow leaves are removed to improve air circulation and extend the harvest period.
Fertilizer and irrigation management begins once the fruits start to develop. Watering is done every 7–10 days if there is no rain. Fertilizer is applied every 15–20 days, combined with watering. Compound fertilizer and potassium sulfate can be alternated, with 20 kg applied per 667 square meters. In the middle and late season, 1–2 applications of manure can also be used.
Pest and disease control should be done promptly to prevent downy mildew, powdery mildew, leaf miners, and aphids.
4. Harvesting
When the fruits are fully matured, they are harvested in the early morning when dew is still present. The fruits are cut from the base using scissors to ensure a clean cut and minimize damage.