How big do natural gourds get? I know it depends on a lot of things (i.e. growing conditions, weather, water, etc). The reason I am asking the question is I thought about cutting my gourds off the vine when they reach a circumference of 31-32 inches. This should give the gourd a diameter of about 10 inches. Should I leave the gourd on the vine longer if it will get bigger than a diameter of 10 inches?
Appreciate any input!
How big do natural gourds get?
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sdsteil-IA
- Posts: 86
- Joined: Sat Nov 29, 2003 7:13 pm
- Location: Iowa/Keystone
- Martin Colony History: 2021 - 3 nesting pair; 15 eggs; 13 fledged.
2020 - 1 pair; 4 eggs; 3 fledged.
2002 - 2019 - Trying
2020 - 1 nesting pair
2012-2019 - 0 nesting pairs
2011 - Bought 18 acre farm with a 1 acre pond
2008-2010 – 0 nesting pairs
2007 – 1 nesting pair. Female died trying to lay 4th egg
2002 - 2006. 0 nesting pairs
2012-2019 - 0 nesting pairs
2011 - Bought 18 acre farm with a 1 acre pond
2008-2010 – 0 nesting pairs
2007 – 1 nesting pair. Female died trying to lay 4th egg
2002 - 2006. 0 nesting pairs
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starling shooter
- Posts: 461
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- Location: Central MO
my biggest last year were 16" in diameter. I made duplexs out of them. I had one gourd rack with 24 gourds, 25 compartments that was 25/25 occupancy.
I would recommend letting them grow. The bigger ones offer more protection from predators and weather.
Size depends on soil, rain, how many are allowed to grow on each vine and very importantly, genetics
I would recommend letting them grow. The bigger ones offer more protection from predators and weather.
Size depends on soil, rain, how many are allowed to grow on each vine and very importantly, genetics
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Thurman Seber~TN
- Posts: 416
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 2:02 pm
- Location: Alexandria , Tennessee
DO NOT cut them off before they are fully matured. They will rot on you for sure. In fact, it is probably best just to leave them alone until the vine dies completely. Some folks leave them on the vine until the gourd is fully dry.
You can get by with removing them after the vines die down, if you will store them where they can get plenty of air. If you cut them off before they stop growing, you are very likely to lose them.
You can get by with removing them after the vines die down, if you will store them where they can get plenty of air. If you cut them off before they stop growing, you are very likely to lose them.
Thurman Seber, Alexandria, Tennessee
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Emil Pampell-Tx
- Posts: 6743
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I agree with Thurman, and do NOT cut off the gourds when they reach a certain size.. Gourds must MATURE on the vine, they do not mature if you cut them off.
The best, most dense, thickest gourds are the ones that MATURE naturally on the vine. Leave them on the vine until the vine dies, or until the gourds are dry. If you cut them off before they are dry, then hang them in a dry place so they can dry. A good way to hang them is to use bird netting, then they can dry from all sides. If you set them on a countertop, they probably will rot at the bottom, depending upon how MATURE they are.
There is something about the maturing process that is hard to describe, and that is that the vine sends certain nutrients to the gourd to harden it. It should be allowed to do that, so that the gourd gets hard & dense. If this process is not allowed to happen, the gourd may be thick, but it may be very soft and is not suitable for bird housing.
I do agree that the best sized gourd is between 9-1/2 to 12 inches, as the martins don't seem to like gourds that are larger than about 11 to 12 inches.
You should not even attempt to control the size of the gourds. This is done naturally by the gourd plant. The only thing that you can do is this: Limit each individual gourd plant to 3 gourds, maybe a maximum of 5 gourds, and then they may get larger. All plants such as peaches, pears, apples, etc get larger if you limit the number of fruit on a plant.
Another good way to increase the size of a gourd is to plant them so that each individual stalk is not closer than 6 to 10 ft from the other nearest plant. Most people plant their plants much too close to each other. You will end up with more usable gourds if the spacing is far apart than you will if you plant them too close to each other.
The best, most dense, thickest gourds are the ones that MATURE naturally on the vine. Leave them on the vine until the vine dies, or until the gourds are dry. If you cut them off before they are dry, then hang them in a dry place so they can dry. A good way to hang them is to use bird netting, then they can dry from all sides. If you set them on a countertop, they probably will rot at the bottom, depending upon how MATURE they are.
There is something about the maturing process that is hard to describe, and that is that the vine sends certain nutrients to the gourd to harden it. It should be allowed to do that, so that the gourd gets hard & dense. If this process is not allowed to happen, the gourd may be thick, but it may be very soft and is not suitable for bird housing.
I do agree that the best sized gourd is between 9-1/2 to 12 inches, as the martins don't seem to like gourds that are larger than about 11 to 12 inches.
You should not even attempt to control the size of the gourds. This is done naturally by the gourd plant. The only thing that you can do is this: Limit each individual gourd plant to 3 gourds, maybe a maximum of 5 gourds, and then they may get larger. All plants such as peaches, pears, apples, etc get larger if you limit the number of fruit on a plant.
Another good way to increase the size of a gourd is to plant them so that each individual stalk is not closer than 6 to 10 ft from the other nearest plant. Most people plant their plants much too close to each other. You will end up with more usable gourds if the spacing is far apart than you will if you plant them too close to each other.
PMCA Member, 250 gourds, 6 poles, 2traps
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Guest
As usual Chuck Abare gives great advice when it comes to all things concerning Purple martins; growing gourds is one of them:
http://home.earthlink.net/~chuckabare/index00.htm
http://home.earthlink.net/~chuckabare/index00.htm