Snake Gourd Short
Trichosanthes cucumerina (short variety)

Snake Gourd Short Plant

Annual vine to 6 m, Short Snake Gourd yields compact, edible fruit in summer. South Asian native, thrives in sunny conditions. Edible/medicinal, it’s ideal for small trellis gardens.


Picture illustrating Snake Gourd Short plant

Habit

Annual vine

Height

3-6 m

Growth

Fast

Soil

Well-drained, fertile

Shade

Full Sun

Moisture

Moderate

Edible

Yes (young fruit)

Medicinal

Yes (anti-diabetic)

Origin

South Asia

Climatic Condition

Tropical

Temperature (°)

22-35

Humidity (%)

50-70

Potting media

Loam+Compost+Sand

Fertilizers

NPK(5:10:10)

Watering

Every 3-5 days, soil moist

Plant Weight 

~1-3 kg

Flowering Time

Summer

Soil Ph level

6.0-7.5

Water Ph level

6.0-7.0

Soil EC

0.5-1.5 mS/cm

Yield Per Plant 

~1-2 kg fruit

NPK ratio 

5:10:10

life Span

3-5 months

Health Benefits

Blood sugar regulation

Suggested Grow Media or Potting Mix ?

50% loam, 30% compost, 20% sand


Suggested Fertigation/Fertilizers

5:10:10 biweekly during fruiting

Common Diseases and Remedies

Powdery mildew, downy mildew, mosaic virus, Fusarium wilt, Alternaria blight, phytoplasma (witches' broom).

 White powdery spots on leaves/stems, yellow angular spots with gray mold on leaf undersides, mottled/distorted leaves with small deformed fruits, wilting with brown vascular discoloration, brown-black concentric leaf/fruit spots, small leaves with yellowing, phyllody, and witches' broom growth.

 Spray neem oil (2 ml/L) or Trichoderma viride (500 g/acre), apply Pseudomonas fluorescens (2 L/acre drench), remove infected plants, use copper-based fungicides (e.g., Bordeaux mixture), practice crop rotation (2-3 years) and trellising, use insecticidal soap to control aphid/whitefly vectors.

  Apply carbendazim (0.1%, 2 g/L), mancozeb (0.25%), thiamethoxam (100 g/acre) for vectors, metalaxyl (0.5 g/L), chlorothalonil (0.2%), rotate chemicals to prevent resistance.

Snake Gourd
Trichosanthes cucumerina