DATE:     10/24/02
CONTACT:  Bob Polomski, (864) 656-2604
EDITOR:   Susan Bedingfield, (864) 656-3876;sbeding@Clemson.edu

Gords--natural decorators 

                        By Bob Polomski
           Clemson Extension Consumer Horticulturist
               State Master Gardener Coordinator
                        David Bradshaw,
               Clemson University Horticulturist.
           
     
	CLEMSON -- Q:  I have a bumper crop of bottle gourds. How do I 
dry them so I can eventually use them to decorate my home?
	A:  There are a number of different species referred to as 
gourds that are grown for their hard outer shell or fiber rather than 
food.  
	Two common ornamental gourds have given rise to many 
horticultural varieties are the yellow-flowered Cucurbita and the 
white-flowered Lagenaria gourds.
	Small brightly colored and patterned ornamental gourds are all
Cucurbita, such as Aladdin and Crown of Thorns (C. pepo), and Turk's 
Turban (C. maxima). The Curcurbita gourds are subject to frost damage 
and should be harvested before cold weather arrives. Gourds grown for 
their internal fiber and sold as vegetable sponges are Luffa.  
	Other gourds have historical importance because their dried and
hollowed-out shells have been used as kitchen utensils, musical 
instruments, and decorative objects are Lagenaria spp. or bottle 
gourds.
	The white-flowered Lagenaria siceraria gourds include the 
calabash or bottle, powder horn, club, and dolphin types.  Tolerant of 
light frosts, they should be left on the vine as long as possible to 
allow their woody shells to mature.
	Pick the ripe fruit when the shell feels hard, and the stem has 
begun to turn brown or harvest them when a hard frost threatens.  Leave 
three to four inches of stem and handle them gently.  Using a soft 
brush or cloth, wash each one with a 10 percent bleach solution -- nine
 parts water mixed with one part bleach.  
 	Then, place them in a single layer on top of newspaper or
cardboard in a dry place and out of direct sunlight; but where there is 
good air movement. 
	Lagenaria gourds require a long curing period, which can run 
from several months to a year in the case of largest ones.  Turn them
periodically to allow all of the surfaces to dry.  
	Don't worry about the moldy growth that may appear. These 
surface blemishes will not rot the wall of the gourd itself. 
	The gourds are dry once the seeds inside rattle freely when the 
gourd is shaken.  At this time, you can cut open, drill, sand, paint or 
fashion the gourds into anything you wish.
	For more information about growing gourds, contact the American 
Gourd Society, 317 Maple Court, Kokomo, IN 46902-3633 or visit their 
website http://americangourdsociety.org/public.html.

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     If you have gardening questions, search our website at
www.clemson.edu/psamedia or write to PSA Media Relations, A-101 Poole
Agricultural Center, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C. 29634-0129.
                              END