Hey Fellow Martiners, i grew some great gourds in 05 and have had them drying since September, it seems as if they just don't want to dry. Some of them have the Spotting on them and are in the Process and some look like they did like i just picked them.
Any Idea's?
Drying Gourds?
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Emil Pampell-Tx
- Posts: 6743
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:26 pm
- Location: Tx, Richmond (SW of Houston)
- Martin Colony History: First started in Gretna, La in 1969 with a small homemade house, have had martins ever since at 2 different homes in Texas
How fast they dry depends upon the humidity. Usually, after the vine dies, it takes about 2 to 3 months for them to dry...If you want them to dry quicker, put them in a very dry place (examples: near the hot water heater, near a stove, near hot vents, etc)
My gourds usually are picked in Sept, I put them on black plastic on the hot driveway on sunny days, and put them back into the garage at night...they dry using this method in about 3 weeks.
If you want them to dry fast, hang them in the garage, using bird netting, and they dry quickly. Again, if it is rainy weather, they dry very slowly, it its dry, they dry quicker.
My gourds usually are picked in Sept, I put them on black plastic on the hot driveway on sunny days, and put them back into the garage at night...they dry using this method in about 3 weeks.
If you want them to dry fast, hang them in the garage, using bird netting, and they dry quickly. Again, if it is rainy weather, they dry very slowly, it its dry, they dry quicker.
PMCA Member, 250 gourds, 6 poles, 2traps
I still have a few gourds that have not dried as well. Most are fine and I have already hung them. I was surprised at how well they did this year after being under 2 feet of salt water August 29! Luckily the water came and went quickly. Vines had already started to die. Needless to say they went totally down after that. This crop will not be the thickest shelled that I have grown but they should last several years. Good luck everyone!
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Guest
Thanks Emil that will certainly help, in Oklahoma we have had no rain for months now. I Have had them in the Garage and that seems to have not helped.
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Emil Pampell-Tx
- Posts: 6743
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:26 pm
- Location: Tx, Richmond (SW of Houston)
- Martin Colony History: First started in Gretna, La in 1969 with a small homemade house, have had martins ever since at 2 different homes in Texas
Benson, I thought of another way to make the gourd dry quicker...If you add a 4in access hole, maybe you could cut out about a 3in hole in the area where you may want the access hole. This also would allow the gourd to dry quicker...Then when it was dry, you could enlarge the hole to fit the access threads. This would greatly decrease the drying time....
You may also have some nice thick gourds. The more dense the shell is, the longer it takes it to dry...A thick dense gourd will naturally dry much slower than a soft thin gourd.
You may also have some nice thick gourds. The more dense the shell is, the longer it takes it to dry...A thick dense gourd will naturally dry much slower than a soft thin gourd.
PMCA Member, 250 gourds, 6 poles, 2traps
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CUL Lou~Mich
Benson. The thing I feel helped mine was to drill five 1/4 inch drainage holes in the bottom. I then hung them up with some binder twine in the basement. A person could also use thin rope, and hang them. When I cut mine, I left about a six or eight inch piece of the vine attached. I then used that for hanging them. CUL Lou