Teasel Gourd
Momordica dioica
Teasel gourd, or kakrol, is a perennial climber with small, soft-spined green fruit cooked as a monsoon vegetable in Bengal and eastern India. Plants are male or female, so both are needed for fruit.
Photo: Sivahari · CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Essential Care Requirements
Light
Full sun, Partial sun
Watering
Moderate
Keep the soil moist through the monsoon season; reduce watering when the vine dies back in winter.
Soil
Loose, well-drained loam with plenty of organic matter; pH 6.0–7.0.
Temperature and humidity
15–38 °C · High humidity
Feeding
Feed monthly with compost or vermicompost during the growing season.
Pruning and propagation
Propagate by division, stem cuttings, seed
Cut vines back in winter; new growth comes from the tuberous root in spring.
The young fruit is safe when cooked.
Top Cultivation Tips
Plant root tubers from known female plants, with a few males.
Hand-pollinate early in the morning.
Pick fruit young, before seeds harden.
Keep tubers in the pot over winter.
Common problems
Downy mildew
A water-mould disease that causes yellow patches on top of leaves and grey-purple fuzz underneath, spreading fast in cool, wet weather.
How to treat it →PestFruit flies
Flies that lay eggs inside ripening fruit; the maggots rot the fruit from within.
How to treat it →PestRed pumpkin beetle
Bright orange beetles that chew holes in the leaves and flowers of gourds, pumpkins and cucumbers, especially young plants.
How to treat it →
