The root system of bottle gourd extends horizontally, distributed within 20 cm of topsoil, and is not drought-tolerant. Gourd vines are several meters long and have strong branching ability. Generally, the main vine bears female flowers late, and the female flowers can occur in the lateral vine1~ 2 nodes, so it is often picked up in cultivation. Tapping can promote the occurrence of lateral vines and achieve the purpose of early fruiting. The leaves are heart-shaped, with dense white fuzz, large and thin leaves, soft and large transpiration. The flower is big, white and has a long stalk. Most of the female and male flowers bloom at night and in the dim light in the morning and evening. Artificial pollination can be carried out in order to increase the fruiting rate.
Gourd likes temperature, but can't tolerate low temperature. Seeds germinate at 15℃, and germinate fastest at 30℃ ~ 35℃, and the most suitable growth result is 20℃ ~ 25℃. Cucurbita pepo has fewer diseases in sunny conditions, so it is beneficial to ventilation and light transmission to cultivate it with brackets in spring. Late roe deer grows in the summer and autumn, and the weather is sunny and dry, so it can be cultivated by crawling.
Gourd can be divided into five varieties according to its fruit shape and size: gourd, long-handled gourd, big gourd, slender waist gourd and ornamental gourd. Cylindrical roe deer is the main vegetable cultivation in the Yangtze River valley, and its excellent varieties include noodles roe deer in Nanjing, wooden stick roe deer, and night flowers in Shanghai.