Green curtains are how to grow bitter gourd.

It is a vine plant such as bitter gourd and morning glory that covers the window on the south side of the building like a curtain, so to speak, is a natural curtain.
The wind that passes through between the leaves is like a natural air conditioner, and the use of the air conditioner can be suppressed even in the hot summer sunshine by attracting a cool breeze from the leaves to the room.
It is effective as a power-saving measure in heat islands and global warming.

・Seed or seedling
　The purchase of bitter gourd seedlings is recommended around Golden Week, which is lined up in stores.
・Planter
　Vegetables such as bitter gourd have roots, so deep ones are suitable.
・Soil, fertilizer
　If you do not make soil, purchase "culture soil for vegetables" and "chemical fertilizer" for topdressing.
・Stole
　It is necessary when there is no place to connect the net. Use a strong stick such as a tight stick for drying clothes.
　It is useful to have a short stick to make the vine grow easily.
・Net
　The standard size is 10cm square. Green and transparent horticultural nets are on sale.
・Weight
　In places where the wind is strong, weigh them so that the net and planters do not move.

About 2 weeks before planting
<Basic Percentage>
Red soil 6-7: Humus 3-4 + 1 bite of bitter lime, 1 grab of chemical fertilizer
At the bottom of the planter, red clay, pot bottom stone, etc.
・Point
Bitter gourd doesn't like acidic soil, so add bitter soil lime to neutralize the soil.
When adding compost or kitchen garbage fertilizer, use a well-aged one.
For cucumbers such as bitter gourd, replace the soil every year to prevent continuous crop failure.

①Mix the wet kitchen garbage chopped into 2-3cm with dry soil.
②The best amount of water (50%) is enough to feel moisture in your hand.
③A mixture of kitchen garbage and soil is arranged side by side for a day.
④Cover kitchen garbage with enough soil to hide. This cuts insects and odors.
⑤When the planter is full, stir the whole.
⑥Completed in 2-3 weeks!

・Seeding (when growing from seeds)
　From mid-April to mid-May
・Planting (when growing from seedlings)
　From early May to late May
・Net beam
　June (if the seedlings grow up)
・Harvest
　From mid-July to mid-September

・Cut the pointed tip of the seed with a nail clipper, etc., and soak the seed in water overnight.
※There is also a way to arrange seeds on a tissue or cotton soaked in water, place them in a warm room for about 10 days to 2 weeks, germinate, and sow them in the soil.
・Sprinkle 2-3 seeds on a pot and cover it with about 1 cm of soil.
　When it reaches the appropriate germination temperature of 25°C, it germinates in 2-3 weeks.
・When the main leaves are 2-3, leave one that grows well and cut from the base.
・(If you grow from seedlings, here)
　When the leaves are 4 to 5 leaves, plant them in the planter.
　If you put up a short stick, the vine will grow well.
・Point
　Bitter gourd seeds are hard, so cutting the tip of the seeds makes it easier to contain water.
　Seeds taken at home and floating in water are hard to germinate.
　(It's okay to use a commercially available seed that does not sink into the water because it seems that the seeds are not plucking the water and soaking inside.)

Take care of your safety and make sure that you don't come off by a typhoon or block evacuation route.
・Connect the upper part of the net to the balcony handrail on the second floor.
・If you pass through a stick, you will be able to work easily and the net will not be defunct.
・If there is no place to fix it, place a strut.
　You can also use a stick for drying clothes!
・The bottom of the net is tied or weighted somewhere.

The point to do it regularly is to grow leaves throughout the net!
When the leaves are 6 to 7, pick the buds at the tip of the parenting.
☆It's easier to get flowers than to get parents!
At first, we invite the child to the side and keep it on the net.
☆It is covered with leaves to the end of the net, creating a beautiful curtain!
When the leaves are mixed, pick the leaves moderately to improve ventilation.

Morning is the best. When the surface of the soil is dry, give plenty of water.
In midsummer, if the leaves haven't recovered in the evening, give them in the evening.

It is effective to spread straw or wood chips on the surface of the soil. (mulching)
Even withered turf or humus is OK.
Spread bricks to improve ventilation, or spread insulation materials such as styrofoam (with drainage holes) to improve the ventilation.
Prevents heat from being transmitted from strong veranda.

Approximately one month after planting, topdress chemical fertilizers is regularly (every two weeks).
※Sometimes, give magnesium (better lime).
If you see the roots from the surface, add the soil and loosen the hardened soil.
<Three Elements of Fertilizer>
I want to grow flowers and fruits → Phosphorus (P)
I want to grow the leaves → Chisso (N)
Keep the roots healthy → Potassium (K)

Seeds can be obtained from ripe fruits. After drying in the shade, put it in a paper bag and store it in a cool place.

①If you release more than 1m between the planter and the window glass, it will cool down with water vapor from the leaves.
②The wind can deflete the net or easily come off, so check the net knot regularly.
　Higher floors are windy, so special attention is required.
③Concrete verandas can be irreversible and damage leaves and roots, so take measures to dry the soil.

Q Can you use the same soil as last year?
A There may be cases where the actual cropping becomes worse and continuous cropping failure occurs.
　Use it for other plants and soil mixing methods.
Q Doesn't it grow well with shallow planters?
A Deep planters are easier to grow because they have better roots and increase the water retention capacity of the soil.

Q Do you grow well even if you sow seeds directly on planters and flower beds?
A It is okay when the ground temperature is high (after mid-May).
　In April, the ground temperature is low and it is difficult to germinate, so we recommend pot seedlings that are easy to control the temperature rather than direct sowing.
　The ground temperature will rise after mid-May, but if the leaves grow by summer and expect a shade effect as a green curtain, the point will be whether it will be in time.
Q How many seedlings do I need to make a curtain with a width of 180 cm?
A If you grow well, it will be 2-3 seedlings.

The leaves turn yellow.
A There is a shortage of sunshine, a shortage of fertilizer, and a shortage of soil.
　It is inevitable to some extent that the lower leaves turn yellow.
Q Only the veins of the leaves are dark green.
A There is a possibility of lack of nutrition. Let's do topdressing.
　Rice juice and diluted milk are also effective.
Q Small side buds also turn yellow.
A There is a possibility of root rot. Please refrain from watering for a while, and watering after the soil is almost dry.
　It's usually a lot after the soil drys.
The leaves do not grow.
A In addition to sufficient sunshine, fertilizer, and soil, at the beginning, pick male flowers and small fruits in some places to spread nutrients to leaves.
　Also, in order to spread the leaves, pinch the tip of the vine and extend the child and grandchildren.

Q Why does the fruit turn yellow soon?
A If it turns yellow while it is small, it is possible that bitter gourd "recognised" ripened to make seeds early if it does not grow further due to lack of nutrition or root clogging.
　The fruits at the beginning do not grow, so pick them up until the leaves grow to some extent.
Q Female flowers do not bloom.
A I think it will bloom in the meantime, but if you make enough phosphate fertilizer and refrain from tiringic fertilizer, female flowers will be easier to bloom.
　The cucumber family is low at low temperatures and makes it easier to produce female flowers, so it can be said that the conditions are poor in the years when intense heat and tropical nights continue.
How can I make a lot of fruit?
A In terms of nutrients, phosphate fertilizer is not enough, and if there is a lot of titron fertilizer, the fruit does not grow. Also, if you adjust all the fruits, the fruits will become smaller.
　It is a point that cucumbers that eat raw are harvested early, so those who do not grow too much will grow to the end and perform curtain functions.

<Udonko disease>
White powder floats on the surface of the leaves, turns yellow, and eventually withers brown.
If it suddenly clears after the rain, it will get steamed and easily come out, so be sure to ventilate well.
Measures: In the very early days, wipe the white powder with a soft cloth. After that, spray medicine on both sides of the leaves to prevent disease progression in the surrounding area.
<Insect damage>
I eat the leaves. Remove it by hand.
It eats leaves at night. Find it at night and remove it with the leaves.
Aphid sucks the tube solution. Suffocate by hand or spray the diluted milk with a spray.

Tentumshi ... Hoshi Nana and Nami Tento are beneficial insects that eat insects.

The video explains how to grow well from seeds in an easy-to-understand manner.
Check it out!

Video "Flowers and Green Curtains-Why don't you grow together? ～」

　※This video was created with the cooperation of students of "Iwasaki Gakuen College of Information Science"