Update on my luffa
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my gorgeous luffa seedling, complete with stylish soil hat
You remember I said I was growing a luffa?
Well I am indeed the owner of the cutest luffa seedling you ever did see.
According to the knowledgeable people over at “Luffa info“, these creatures are a bit fussy.
Too cold? They’ll die.
Sudden drop in temperature? Call the Luffa paramedics.
Over watered? You’re officially a Luffa murderer.
And did I mention they need 180 or more frost free days, lots of sunshine, warmth, water and good root nutrients? Oh, and they are sensitive to transplant shock too.
Apparently luffa germination can take weeks, so imagine how excited I was when my pot developed a big bump in the soil. I did wonder if there was a worm in there about to poke out his head and wave, but then I saw a greenish, whitish hue as the lump grew larger. Every day I watched on with fascination and a tad more excitement than you might expect. It was a bit like watching an alien hatch in a sci-fi movie until after just 2 1/2 weeks I was proud Mother to the dearest little luffa seedling you have ever set eyes on.
She came into the world still wearing her soil hat, which, after convincing LMG we must NOT pick off; she shed by herself to reveal her glossy leaves.
She is now holding her hands up to the sky, not out flat like the ones I’ve seen photos of, so I hope it’s a happy seedling and we’ll spend a long and happy life together.
The other pot is not showing any signs of life, but I shall continue to water, play music to and whisper sweet nothings for a bit longer.
What about you? Some of you mentioned you might give this a go – any news to share?
luffa seedling - 3 weeks old
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Oh, I know how you feel! It’s so exciting to see seedlings pop up. I hope your luffa lives a long and happy life! lol
How exciting!
I have ordered my seeds! I’m a bit worried about how sensitive they are since I’ll be away a lot of the summer, and my roommates will have to take over the gardening. But I’m also planning on sharing seeds with my brother and Mom, so one of the three of us should manage to grow something.
No luffa, but I’m fascinated by the speed at which my courgette babies are growing! I’m sure I could see it if I had the time to sit and stare at them!
My pumpkins are doing that, and the beans. Suddenly way more laves than yesterday and so much bigger…..
I spent some time puttint some of my seedlings into bigger pots so they’re bigger before I offer them to the slugs..
Congratulations! It’s a sponge!
Yey for the Luffa! I love her soil afro! I’d love to try this!
I have seeds on the way!
@Sarah: And now you’re going to get one! Good luck with the seeds.
@[email protected]: Thanks Kristen; I remember staying tuned to your basil plant updates last year LOL!
@Jen CleanBin: brilliant idea Jen – maybe I could share them with friends too, to see what we can manage between us. I have one friend who only needs to look at a seed and it grows into a beautiful plant. I need to work a bit harder than that for results 😉
@Poppy: These are the same family, so I’m hoping for success as courgettes grow like weeds here.
@Condo Blues: Oh My 😀 PMSL!! You’re good!
@Sooz: Soil afro!! Why not have a go, join in with the challenge …
Seeds are here and sown, really looking forward to seeing if they grow here.
We have Loofahs! We germinated 5 from 6 seeds and all are healthy plants so we’ll keep some and pass some on to a friend and see what happens.
@Sarah: Great blog post, sarah – thanks so much and best of luck with your continuing luffa success!