F1 Hybrid Bottle Gourd: New Star 99
An F1 hybrid bottle gourd for tender, mild-flavoured fruit used in soups and stir-fries.
- CropBottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria)
- Seed typeF1 hybrid
- Typical crop cycleFirst harvest about 45–55 days after sowing
Overview
New Star 99 is an F1 hybrid bottle gourd in Zinbioseed's vegetable seed range. As an F1 hybrid it grows vigorously and uniformly, giving an even, dependable crop.
Bottle gourd is a mild, tender vegetable cooked in soups and stir-fries. It grows vigorously on a trellis and keeps producing for weeks, giving growers a steady supply for local markets.
Key features
- Tender, mild fruit for soups and stir-fries
- Vigorous vines and a long harvest
- F1 hybrid vigour: strong, uniform plants and consistent produce
Growing guide
- BedsMake raised, well-drained beds, work in well-rotted manure (and lime on acidic soils) and lay plastic mulch to keep weeds down and moisture in.
- SowingSoak the seed for 4–6 hours, then sow 1–2 seeds per hole about 2 cm deep, or raise seedlings in trays and transplant them at the first true leaf.
- TrellisPut up a sturdy trellis or overhead frame about 1.8–2 m high before the vines start to run, so the fruit hangs straight and clean.
- PollinationBottle gourd flowers open in the evening: hand-pollinate in the late afternoon or evening if fruit set is poor.
- HarvestPick young fruit while the skin is still soft enough to mark with a fingernail, usually 10–15 days after pollination.
