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Tropical Fruit => Tropical Fruit Discussion => Topic started by: Eekler81 tropical trail on July 29, 2012, 03:03:13 AM

Title: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: Eekler81 tropical trail on July 29, 2012, 03:03:13 AM
Hi all I have a good friend that is growing these plants that look a whole lot like a cucumber, and I was hoping that someone in this forum had advice for growing theses I'm central FL (viera). Any info would be great????....




Thx
Eekus
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: fruitlovers on July 29, 2012, 03:12:30 AM
Luffas are super easy to grow. Give them full sun, periodic fert., maybe a trellis or fence to climb up on.
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: Mike T on July 29, 2012, 03:40:26 AM
I have been growing luffahs for many years at first the angle ones and then the giant mekong 6ft ones that taste better.
(http://s11.postimage.org/qb31rfeb3/DSCF4978.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/qb31rfeb3/)
They can be very vigorous and this volunteer is taking over a ladder.Let them climb as Oscar said an treat them like a tough cucumber.
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: Soren on July 29, 2012, 12:24:31 PM
I have been growing luffahs for many years at first the angle ones and then the giant mekong 6ft ones that taste better.
(http://s11.postimage.org/qb31rfeb3/DSCF4978.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/qb31rfeb3/)
They can be very vigorous and this volunteer is taking over a ladder.Let them climb as Oscar said an treat them like a tough cucumber.

Mike; here the luffas are only edible as very young, I have a feeling that is not the case with your variety?
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: Eekler81 tropical trail on July 29, 2012, 01:45:03 PM
Thx for the info guys,   Im growing these in order to make a sponge/luffa for showers and so on...... not to eat
anymore info would be great if anyone is growing these for the reason I am





THX!!!!!!
Eekler
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: Mike T on July 29, 2012, 02:01:38 PM
Sorry I was only talking about the smoother fleshed cooking types,Sponge ones are less common here.
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: Soren on July 29, 2012, 02:16:33 PM
Sorry I was only talking about the smoother fleshed cooking types,Sponge ones are less common here.

A slight derail is permitted :-) That said Uganda is a luffa sponge-loving country; grows everywhere to the limit where it can be considered a weed...
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: fruitlovers on July 29, 2012, 05:52:48 PM
Whether edible, not edible, growing technique is the same. As Soren said they can be a weed. I had one volunteer and did fine with total neglect. Got some nice luffa sponges out of it that i'm still using to these date! They last a very long time. Great for scrubbing down.
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: Hollywood on July 29, 2012, 09:16:24 PM
I am going to plant luffa seeds in a few weeks for my Fall garden. I've heard they are a decent substitute for zucchini, which is prone to powdery mildew here on South Florida.

My seed packet is from Evergreem Y.H. Enterprises. Luffa augptica/cylindrica "Smooth Beauty." Harvest young to eat, let them mature if you want sponges. As other pictures show, they are vines.
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: fruitlovers on July 29, 2012, 09:41:42 PM
As a result of this thread i just got a small luffa sponge plant to grow. They're kind of fun to watch because they grow so fast and are so proudctive. Also time to renew the luffa scrubs at the bathtub. I've never tried eating them, but at green stage supposed to be decent.
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: Soren on July 30, 2012, 04:15:20 AM
Sorry I was only talking about the smoother fleshed cooking types,Sponge ones are less common here.

Okay - call me a derailer though the topic still sticks; Mike - do you cook and eat the older fruits of that variety?
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: Mike T on July 30, 2012, 04:25:21 AM
Soren up to a point before the skin hardens when they could be 1m or nearly 2m.This is about the same size as the NG long bean (squash).The giant eating luffah is like a big zucchini an in australia I have been a johnny appleseed.I accidently didn't empty a pocket when coming back from the lower mekong.
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: Jackfruitwhisperer69 on July 30, 2012, 09:45:33 AM
My mom lived in Brazil for couple of year and my mom said, that when she was in Brazil, the markets were full of Bucha/luffa for sale and people use them for washing dishes and also for bathing. which is awesome and eco-friendly, than using sponges for the same purpose.

What I don't agree with, is using bleach to clean and process the luffa to make them ''snow white'' >:( Bleach is such a toxic chemical and using the bleach processed luffa to bath ones self and get this chemical on our body :o No thanks...even if it's for free ;)

I have never grown luffa before :'( but, i have seen a trellis full of Buchas here...I will ask for some seeds and grow some in my orchard :)
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: lkailburn on July 30, 2012, 11:23:58 AM
My mom lived in Brazil for couple of year and my mom said, that when she was in Brazil, the markets were full of Bucha/luffa for sale and people use them for washing dishes and also for bathing. which is awesome and eco-friendly, than using sponges for the same purpose.

What I don't agree with, is using bleach to clean and process the luffa to make them ''snow white'' >:( Bleach is such a toxic chemical and using the bleach processed luffa to bath ones self and get this chemical on our body :o No thanks...even if it's for free ;)

I have never grown luffa before :'( but, i have seen a trellis full of Buchas here...I will ask for some seeds and grow some in my orchard :)

Couldn't agree more. Bleaching the sponge just for visual appeal is a waste and unnecessary use of bleach. No thanks! If I had more room to spare I would grow these for sponges! So cool, so resourceful.

-Luke
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: fruitlovers on July 30, 2012, 06:36:58 PM
My mom lived in Brazil for couple of year and my mom said, that when she was in Brazil, the markets were full of Bucha/luffa for sale and people use them for washing dishes and also for bathing. which is awesome and eco-friendly, than using sponges for the same purpose.

What I don't agree with, is using bleach to clean and process the luffa to make them ''snow white'' >:( Bleach is such a toxic chemical and using the bleach processed luffa to bath ones self and get this chemical on our body :o No thanks...even if it's for free ;)

I have never grown luffa before :'( but, i have seen a trellis full of Buchas here...I will ask for some seeds and grow some in my orchard :)

Hi Steven, i saw luffa sponges also being sold in Sikkim, a remote part of NE India. So this plant is very well dispersed now thru whole planet. It's a very useful plant, easy to grow, and fun to grow. I'm training one on my fence right now.
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: Eekler81 tropical trail on July 31, 2012, 04:39:23 PM
Thx for all ur great info guys      Keep it coming........!!




Thx
Eekler81
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: fyliu on July 31, 2012, 09:56:07 PM
I grow the angular luffa for food. Some call it Chinese okra but it's definitely luffa. Mature ones can be sponges too but they're not as good as the rounder kind.

In my experience luffa sponges last longer and are easier on surfaces than the synthetic sponge pads. They also don't seem to grow as much bacteria between uses.

My relatives in Toronto grow angular luffa every year and they get 1m+ long ones. Squashes love the summer heat and grow super fast. Here in SoCal I think the cool nights slow them down a little.
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: Mike T on July 31, 2012, 11:20:39 PM
I have seen the utility luffahs and they are not as good to eat or as good for 'sponges'.The good eating ones never quite provide a sponge as they have too little and sparse fiber.The sponge ones are pretty ordinary to eat even when young and it is a narrow window of opportunity for eating.I suggest sponge specialist types for sponges and good eating ones for the kitchen.Dragon gourd,snake gourd and giant long squash also called New Guinea bean can be used the same way (my picture signature with the Bob Marley salute is a section of one of these).
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: fruitlovers on July 31, 2012, 11:38:27 PM
I have seen the utility luffahs and they are not as good to eat or as good for 'sponges'.The good eating ones never quite provide a sponge as they have too little and sparse fiber.The sponge ones are pretty ordinary to eat even when young and it is a narrow window of opportunity for eating.I suggest sponge specialist types for sponges and good eating ones for the kitchen.Dragon gourd,snake gourd and giant long squash also called New Guinea bean can be used the same way (my picture signature with the Bob Marley salute is a section of one of these).

Oh darned! So you can't have your sponge and eat it too?  ;)
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: Soren on August 01, 2012, 09:51:44 AM
Mike - are they good enough to compare with a cucumber...
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: Mike T on August 01, 2012, 10:01:43 AM
I am not a cucumber fan Soren and reckon it taste like watermelon skin.Luffa is for cooking,like squash,zucchini or eating gourds.If you have a soft spot for vegies that go a little slimey when cooked but taste pretty good in stir fries with mushies,bacon and garlic then it is for you.Zucchini doesn't have the troops stampeding to the dinner table either but also is a bit of a filler.It is not something you would tank up on at every meal.
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: Mike T on September 04, 2012, 05:17:39 AM

(http://s8.postimage.org/j80bkam8x/DSCF5132.jpg) (http://postimage.org/image/j80bkam8x/)

This is what a dry giant eating luffa looks like.A fine net of the 'luffa sponge' can be seen and it has no substance in the eating types.This type is a little sweeter than the angled luffa and is best eaten at 3/4 mature size.This thai variety reputedly has the largest fruit of any luffa.   
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: Soren on September 04, 2012, 05:42:21 AM
That is surely one long luffa  :o
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: BMc on September 04, 2012, 06:44:08 PM
Nice serpent luffah Mike! The sponge doesnt look too bad. I'm guessing the Black Sapote is a Maher, with that star shape.
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: Jackfruitwhisperer69 on September 04, 2012, 06:57:00 PM
Hey Mike,
Is that a King Brown you have on the table ??? Sure does look like one ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: Mike T on September 04, 2012, 07:06:49 PM
Steven, It does look like that and it is striking at the corn that is it's competition for garden space.It curled over the trellis.They are the same size as the NG long bean (squash) and produce loads of food.It is a maher, BMc but not glamorous enough to get the seeds from.That is my retired fish filleting cutting board that is now a garage seed processing board, ie seed purgatory.You can see it is a bit empty and I will not bother with the sapodillas and UD hog plums.
Title: Re: Organic luff seeds. Help!!???
Post by: Hollywood on November 30, 2012, 09:38:40 AM
I planted the smooth luffa vine this growing season and I have to say it is a bit of a disappointment. It looks similar to zucchini, grows well and other than some fruit-splitting issues, it is impervious to insects and disease here in South Florida (unlike zucchini). So there's that.

It tastes like a cross between cucumber and zucchini. I like cucumber and zucchini, and this would be a good trait if it tasted like zucchini when cooked and cucumber when raw. Unfortunately, it tastes like zucchini (without the pleasant nutty overtones) when raw and it tastes like cooked cucumber when cooked.

It could have value as a filler vegetable in casseroles, blended and heavily seasoned/sauced.

The other negative is that you have a narrow window to harvest luffa for eating. It quickly gets oversized and spongy.