How to Grow a Bath Sponge
- 1). Locate a sunny area in your garden. Luffa plants are native to subtropical regions and require warmth and light.
- 2). Build a planting hill, a common method of growing squashes and melons. Planting hills create a large area the roots can draw moisture and nutrients from. Use a mixture of topsoil and organic matter (compost, manure, etc.) to create the planting area. Each hill accommodates about four seeds. Separate more than one hill by 3 feet. Rows need to be 4 feet from one another.
- 3). Dig holes on the hills that are twice the size of the luffa seeds.
- 4). Sow the seeds and cover with topsoil.
- 5). Irrigate the soil completely. Keep the seeds moist through germination and the seedlings watered through the growing season.
- 6). Install a trellis close to the seeds. As the luffa germinates and begins to spread, tie the vine branches to the support.
- 7). Harvest luffa about 130 days from planting. By then, the gourd will have passed its ripe stage, when it was suitable for eating, and begun to dry. It will be lighter and paler than it was one month earlier.
- 8). Peel the luffa. If it seems difficult, soak it in water first.
- 9). Wash the peeled luffa and squeeze the excess water out.
- 10
Hang the luffa out in the sun to dry. Hanging allows for all sides to dry thoroughly. Another option is to lay the luffa in the sun and turn it every so often for the sponge to dry evenly. - 11
Remove the seeds; otherwise, they will rot inside the luffa as you use it as a sponge. Shake the dried luffa. If the seeds don't fall out, cut it in sections close to where the seeds are. Take them out with your fingers. The luffa is ready for use as a bath sponge.