Loofah help

[Clt49er]

I have been having fun growing loofah the last few years. This year my 3-4 plants produced a total of about 70 loofahs. But only a handful fully ripened and dried. Seeking help to have more success next year. Processing these in their green form is wildly labor intensive.

200+ growing days. Planted late April and harvested 11/20.

Ideas I have but I am only guessing:
-Thin them out to reduce the amount of fruit they are producing.
-plant growth regulator? I am not eating these.
- go with more balanced fertilizer. I started off with a 10-10-10 but ran out fast and used a soluble 12-4-8.

I’m in 7b Charlotte NC area. Full sun all day long. Drip irrigation 3x per week. Stopped water in September.

 

[Clt49er]

 

[Clt49er]

Some cucumbers mixed in here. Think pic was from around August.

 

[PGB1]

Hi Clt49er,
I don't know anything about loofah, but by coincidence I just read an article about loofah that you might find interesting:

Question of the Week – Luffa Gourd

What crop is this? This is a luffa gourd (Luffa aegyptiaca). A similar species (Luffa acutangula) is sometimes also called Chinese okra because of its...

hgic.clemson.edu

Paul
PS: From your photos, you sure have a Green Thumb! I should be so skilled.