Luffas are probably here a bit too difficult to direct sow outdoors, but I’d like to see it myself. Based on what I have read there are some to timewise might make it, but temperatura lack of heat might be too much. Common wisdom says they have to be started in january and grown in a greenhouse, but it wouldn’t be the first time I have proven those wrong. A few dozen seeds would be enough to test, but could be more if someone has excess.
Pepinos shouldn’t be that difficult. Only problem is that there isn’t really different varieties available or at least they don’t go by different names. Also I have some experience that they might be daylight sensitive so having diverse mix to start with might be helpful.
I got about 3 or 4 strains of luffas yes👍. Of luffa acutangula and cylindrica species. Can send you some of each to you. They are heat demanding yes, more than all cucurbita, lagenaria, citrullus or cucumis, at least in my place in France.
Thanks. I didn’t go that far as to consider that there are different species. It might not be in this years plans to make crosses, but are those such that they cross between those species? Just for future reference.
I don’t know if they did intercross, but can tell you that they were interplanted in my field in 2022. About 4 plants of each on a 10m2 surface, then trelissed to a 2meters height.
The soil was covered with plastic. Grown from transplants started around 20th of March -1st of April, to be transplanted 20-25th of May.
Since I have only replanted an acutangula strain which :
is the better eaten young
make much bigger sponges
is earlier than the others, so more prolific in my place
Hi! Did you ever end up getting your hands on any diverse pepinos? Next year I’m planning to grow pepinos and try to diversify them, but so far i have only managed to get two varieties, one “columbian giant”, and one regular no name pepino type.
No, not that I tried that hard when there wasn’t no-one else interested and there isn’t really much that is available in the shops. I haven’t found any varieties sold as seeds so it might be that all those are same that are sold. Fresh fruits are sold in the shops sometimes and they might or might not be of different variety. Besides that, Tzimbalo is only source of diversity. I expect that it would cross with pepino. At least it’s thought to be progenitor of the cultivated species. The problem for me is that it seems like there might be some daylight sensitivity in flowering based on my previous experiences and so getting crosses might be hard. Last summer also would have been hard temperature wise for pepinos. Best for me would be that there would be ready F2s with wide diversity and try to grow out from them to see if some make seeds. Or at least have several distinct varieties to try to make crosses with. I would expect that there is good change that at least some will fail. I don’t want to put too much effort in something that is almost certain to fail on the first place. At least something where I have to grow transplants to try. There must be quite a bit of diversity even inside EU in colections of individuals, but it’s quite the problem to find said people. If you get crosses, I could trial when you have F2s.
Yeah, its completely understandable. I’ve been on the hunt for pepino varieties for what feels like an eternity (actually about a week). From what I’ve read, it seems like most pepino varieties are being bred and sold in new zeeland. I found a Russian website with about 8 or 9 different pepino varieties, so I’m trying to convince a friend in Russia to order them and ship them over here. If i succeed, a pepino grex might be possible after all
Update: the website that i found was too sketchy, and likely a scam, according to my Russian contact. Anyways, the hunt continues and i think the only feasible way would be to cross with tzimbalo (Solanum canense) like you said, and pepino Lloron (Solanum caripense) which both are compatible with the pepino (solanum muricatum). At least thats my current understanding.
