Loofah Plant Profile

Loofah Plant Profile

Loofah (Luffa sp.) is a gourd that is dried and used to make a sponge. It is an annual vine that is part of the cucumber and squash family. It is hardy from USDA Zones 7 to 13.

There are two main kinds of Loofah -- the Luffa aegyptiaca also known as the angled luffa, ridged luffa, Chinese okra, or vegetable gourd, and the Luffa acutangular or L. cyclindrica also known as the smooth luffa, Egyptian luffa, dishrag gourd, or gourd loofa. 

Plant them from seed in late spring in a full sun location with good draining soil that is amended with compost or aged manure. The vines can grow up to 30 feet, so a large trellis or fence is required to support them.

The bright yellow flowers of the Loofah vine are quite attractive. When pollinated, they grow into a long, green gourd. Leave them on the vine until they start to turn yellow or brown. Then peel them to reveal the fibrous sponge inside. Shake out the seeds and save a few to plant next year. Then wash off any sticky sap in a bucket of soapy water. Dry them in the sun.

The young fruits and flowers of the Loofah vine are all edible as well.

Loofah vine can be attacked by the cucumber beetle and it can get touched by powdery mildew during hot, humid weather. Otherwise, it is relatively disease- and pest-free.

The vines will die after they are hit with a frost and can then be composted.

Loofah: You Can Grow That!

Also spelled Loofa or Luffa

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners.

Audio and text by Kathy Jentz

Video and editing by Christine Folivi

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Win a Copy of The Garden Journal* by Linda Vater in our November 2023 Washington Gardener Reader Contest

For our November 2023 Washington Gardener Reader Contest, we are giving away The Garden Journal* by Linda Vater ($30.00 prize value) from Cool Springs Press.

   Compiled by gardener, author, and QVC host Linda Vater, The Garden Journal is an essential record-keeping tool for every gardener, no matter what you grow. From daily happenings and garden successes to plant lists, variety names, and seasonal to-dos, you’ll be able to stay organized and keep a carefully curated record of current activities and future tasks. This gorgeous journal acts as a logbook and guide through five years of your garden’s life. Keeping track of success and failures, wishes and wants, has never been more beautiful! 

   To enter, send an email to WashingtonGardenerMagazine@gmail.com by 5:00pm on November 30 with “The Garden Journal” in the Subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us what your favorite article was in the November 2023 issue and why. Include your full name and mailing address. Winners will be announced and notified on or shortly after December 1. 

*https://amzn.to/3uvZcen = Amazon affiliate link. We may earn a few pennies from their sales, but this does not impact your purchase price.

UPDATE:
Our winner is Melissa Varga of Washington, DC.
Congratulations, Melissa, and thank you to all who entered this month's reader contest.

GardenDC Podcast on Thanksgiving Holiday Break

GardenDC: The award-winning podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening is taking a break for the Thanksgiving holiday week and will be back shortly with new episodes. While there is no new episode today, we recommend you re-listen to a past favorite or catch up on some that you might have missed. We also have the following suggestions of past episodes that we think you will enjoy:

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 84: Thanksgiving from the Garden

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/11/gardendc-podcast-episode-84.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 85: Camellias

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/12/gardendc-podcast-episode-85-camellias.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 75: Versatile Viburnums

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/09/gardendc-podcast-episode-75-versatile.html

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November 2023 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine –Sweetgum Tree, Growing Collards, Dark-eyed Juncos, and much more…

 

The November 2023 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine 

Inside this issue:

• Messy and Marvelous SweetgumTree
• USDA Unveils New Plant Hardiness Zone Map
• Attracting Dark-eyed Juncos
• Meet Miss Floribunda
• Butterfly Pea Cocktail
• Collards: A Cold-hardy Green
• Plant Properly to Prevent Ambrosia Beetles
• A Visit to Paxson Hill Farm
• Great Gardening Books Reviewed
• Fragrant Desert Orchid: A New Native Hybrid

and much more…

 

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GardenDC Podcast Episode 174: Wildscaping

In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we chat with Nancy Lawson, author of Wildscape* and The Human Gardener*. The plant profile is on Mock Orange and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on Visiting the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum by Christy Page at the Food Gardening Network.

If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 47: Pollinator Victory Gardens

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/02/gardendc-podcast-episode-47-pollinator.html

~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 36: Gardening for Wildlife

https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2020/11/gardendc-podcast-episode-36-gardening.html

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Show Notes: 00:00:40 Nancy Lawson, author of Wildscape and The Humane Gardener. 00:01:58 Was she born with a green thumb? 00:02:08 Gardening with native plants is important. 00:04:05 Where she resides now: Sykesville, MD, in Howard County 00:07:39 Nancy Lawson career choices - Was it a green career path? 00:10:33 Using plants to coexist with wildlife 00:13:23 Native plants protect against deer 00:14:38 Advice for people who stop planting because of deer 00:16:57 Larry Wiener's book 00:18:32 Not just Deer munching around 00:19:51 Trap crop 00:23:09 Consider animals' senses in gardening 00:27:55 Animals use scent for survival 00:29:54 Research by Martha Weiss at Georgetown 00:33:02 Interactions between plants and animals 00:34:00 Breaking down more and more wood 00:39:40 Importance of expanding perception 00:52:52. Promote native plants for wildlife 00:53:10 Mock orange is a fragrant shrub that can be propagated by taking cuttings in the summer 01:00:17 Explore the beauty of urban gardening and find inspiration for transforming your own space 01:04:49 A visit to the impressive Minneapolis Landscape Arboretum

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We welcome your questions and comments! You can leave a voice mail message for us at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/message Note that we may use these messages on a future episode.

And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!

Episode Credits:

Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz

Interview Edit and Show Notes: Christine Folivi

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*You can order Wildscape by Nancy Lawson at https://amzn.to/3umhrTq and The Humane Gardener at https://amzn.to/3QLrOHW. These links are to our Amazon affiliate accounts and we may earn a few pennies from their sales, but this does not impact your purchase price.