On 8/29/2009 11:35 AM, OhioGuy wrote:
Hey, I put bone meal around the plants a few days ago (phosphorus), and
also trimmed off the ends of the vines. I read that both can stimulate
female fruit production, and guess what? I finally have a female fruit that
is large - nearly 2" long - and ready to flower! Yay!

This is so cool. I hope I can get at least a half dozen mature 'sponges'.
If so, then I'm going to use them as Christmas gifts for people.



Bone meal on the ground will do no good. The primary nutrient is
phosphorus, which does not dissolve and leach through the soil.

Bone meal should have been dug into the bottom of the planting hole
where roots could find it. Since the plant is already in the ground,
the best way to provide phosphorus would be to poke holes 1-2 feet deep
in a circle around the plant, about 1-2 feet from the base. (I use a
piece of 1/4-inch steel rebar.) Mix the bone meal with an equal amount
of sand and fill the holes with the mixture. (For shrubs and trees,
omit the sand.)

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary