How to grow Luffa

Luffa aegyptiaca · loofah, sponge gourd, smooth luffa

Luffa (Luffa aegyptiaca) — a fast-growing tropical climbing gourd of the cucumber family. Young fruits under about 18 cm are eaten like courgettes or cucumbers; left on the vine, they turn into the fibrous bath sponge. It needs at least four warm, frost-free months, so in cool climates it is grown from transplants.

Checked against sources: October 3, 2026

Quick facts

Type	Vegetable
Family	Cucurbitaceae
Light	Full sun
Soil pH	5.5–6.5
Frost	does not tolerate frost
Soil for sowing	from 18 °C
Germination	14 days
Seedlings ready	28 days
Sowing to harvest	150 days
Where it grows	Greenhouse, Open ground

When to plant

Sow for seedlings about 6 weeks before planting out.

Plant out in open ground about a week after your last spring frost, once the soil is warm.

In an unheated greenhouse everything moves about three weeks earlier.

The first harvest comes about 150 days after the shoots appear.

Frost dates · When to plant

Care

Greenhouse

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 3 days	18…21 °C	—
Growth	every 4 days	23…27 °C	nitrogen, 14 days into the stage
Flowering	every 3 days	23…27 °C	nitrogen, at the start of the stage
Fruiting	every 3 days	23…27 °C	nitrogen, 14 days into the stage

Open ground

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Growth	every 5 days	23…27 °C	nitrogen, 14 days into the stage
Flowering	every 4 days	23…27 °C	nitrogen, at the start of the stage
Fruiting	every 4 days	23…27 °C	nitrogen, 14 days into the stage

Growing notes

Light

Full sun, at least 6 hours a day, with good air movement around the vines.

Soil

Rich, well-drained, evenly moist loam high in organic matter, pH 5.5–6.5. It tolerates poor soil but crops best in fertile ground.

Care

Soak the seeds in warm water for 24 hours and sow 2–3 per pot; germination is slow and patchy, so keep only the strongest seedling. Grow the seedlings at 18–21 °C for 4–6 weeks and plant out after the last frost, once the soil has warmed to about 18 °C; black plastic mulch helps warm it. Build a very sturdy trellis — vines reach 9–15 m, and fruit lying on the ground rots. Space plants 30–45 cm apart and remove the first four side shoots. Keep the soil evenly moist (drip watering is best) and side-dress with nitrogen two or three times during the season. Pick fruits for eating while young. For sponges, leave them until they turn brown, light and dry and the seeds rattle inside, and gather the rest after the first frost. Soak a dry gourd in warm water for 5–20 minutes and the skin peels off.

Pests and diseases of Luffa

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.