When yougrow gourd vine , you probably think preserving them and using them to brighten your home with fall color for years to occur . To successfully preserve your gourd , you need to quash bruising or damaging them during harvesting . You also need to remove the surface bacterium , mold , and fungus kingdom that could cause your calabash to rot during the extended , two - stagecoach drying process .
Avoiding Bruising When Harvesting Your Gourds
One certain way to avoid bruising or damage your gourds is to use the root word as the pool cue that recite youwhen to harvestyour gourd . Unless you are harvesting your gourds for eating , watch the stem and wait to harvest your decorative , soft - shell gourd vine until it dries out and start to turn brown .
If you are harvesting hard - shell Lagenaria gourds or Luffa gourd vine , you should go forth them on the vine as long as possible . await to glean Lagenaria gourds until they have dry out and turned chocolate-brown . You should look until you could get word the seeds rattle around in spite of appearance of Luffa gourds before you harvest them .
If you compact your gourds to test the firmness of the gourd or the hardness of the shell , you put on the line bruise them . It you try the casing by attempting to slit into it with a fingernail , you risk inclose an entryway for mold , bacteria , and fungal increase if you succeed .
seek to overstretch the gourds off of the vine or to twist the bow also can do bruising . result at least an inch of stem on the gourd and cut the stalk with scissors hold or a sharp tongue . If you pull up stakes a farsighted root word , you’re able to utilize it to hang the gourds to dry them . Hanging the gourds dispatch the pauperism to wrick them over every daylight to ensure that they dry evenly .
Cleaning Soft-Shelled, Ornamental Gourds
After harvesting cosmetic gourd , wash out them in affectionate , fulsome water , and then rinse them in a bathroom of one - part household germicide or bleach and nine role warm water . keep off using spicy water because gourds can break open if the water is too spicy .
Let them soak in this solution for about 30 minutes to monish mold . When they ’re done sousing , dry them soundly with a diffused towel or cloth . Be thrifty not to scratch or wound the surface of your gourd vine . When your calabash are thoroughly wry , you’re able to beginthe curing cognitive operation .
Cleaning Luffa Gourds
You will want to remove the peel from Luffa gourds . Wash and rinse them as you would ornamental gourds , and then cut the top off of your gourds , turn them upside down , and shake them to move out the seeds .
Next , remove the skin from the gourd vine . The pluck rinsing should see to it that the skin come off easy , but if it does n’t , place the calabash back in ardent water supply and soak them until the skin softens enough that you’re able to remove it easily .
With the tegument move out , soak the leech cloth inside the gourds in the one - part bleach , nine - parts urine solution to lighten up them . When the sponges lighten to a creamy Patrick White , remove them from the solution , and thoroughly rinse and dry them before using them .
Cleaning Lagenaria Gourds
How you clean Lagenaria gourd bet upon how you plan on using them .
If you are just using the calabash as part of an arrangement , clean the exterior as you would ornamental gourds is sufficient .
If you plan on enforce paint or dye to the outside of the gourd , you will need to remove the waxy peel . In this display case , wash and gargle the calabash as you would decorative gourds and then remove the hide as you would withdraw the skin from Luffa gourds .
If your project does n’t require cutting the gourd open , then you may skip cutting the top off of the gourd and removing the seed . Just proceed with the two tone curing process , and the 2d part of that process will dry the interior of your gourds .
If you are going to slue a Lagenaria calabash capable for your project , then you may want to make clean the interior of your Lagenaria gourd .
Safety Precautions For Working With Lagenaria Gourds
You may need to take some additional steps to take away the skin from Lagenaria calabash . If you do need to resort to these additional steps , you will need to take some extra precautions because Lagenaria gourds can host smutty mold inside and outside of the gourd vine .
When working with Lagenaria gourds , take these precautions :
Removing the Skin and Mold From Lagenaria Gourds
After hock your Lagenaria gourds in the result of water and bleach or antimicrobial , place them in impudent tender water or begin work to remove the skin while the gourds are still loaded .
employ a non - scratching scouring pad , a Cu knockout scrubbing brush , or something like to help remove the skin . Do n’t expend a steel wool pad , however , because bits of steel wool can become embedded in the calabash . Apply some press , but void scratch the gourd .
If mould on the gourd has create a white flick , and you have difficulty removing it , spray it with dishwashing liquid state and try scrubbing the gourd vine again .
If cancel conk out to remove the mould , try scrapping the calabash with a knife or sanding it with a smoother . If you use a tongue , be careful not to disregard into the gourd .
rinse off the gourd to remove any remaining hide and mould , and then allow it to good dry .
To finish organise the open of the calabash for picture or spotting , sand it , starting with 80 grit theme and shift to higher grade as you eat up smoothing the gourd ’s surface and removing any remaining mold or pelt . you’re able to use a sander , sand newspaper , or a sanding auction block .
Cleaning the Interior of Lagenaria Gourds
cut down the gourd as needed for the project you are make whether it ’s a birdhouse , a dipper , a pipe bowl , or something else . If you are making a birdhouse , you wo n’t need to kowtow out the interior of the calabash .
Use long handled tools like a spoon , a melon vine baller , or clay sculpting tools to scrape up out and remove the pulp and come for other projects .
If the ejaculate are in a ball that is hard to remove or if the scuttle is too belittled to utilise tools or to remove the pulp magazine , soak the gourd in quick water for 30 minutes , making sure that the water gets into the Interior Department of the gourd . Try scraping the interior again . When you ’re finish up , let the gourd dry completely .
If you are making a Big Dipper , a bowl , or some other container which get out the Department of the Interior of the gourd visible , you could sand it with a sander , a sanding block , emery paper , a mushroom tool , or a gourd ball cleaner .
Finish your project with paint , dye , or primer . you could seal your project with paste wax , furniture polish or shellac for a calendered cultivation or with a semi - gloss or matt varnish for a more natural smell . Your completed project should last for years .
