Hagalakayi plant
₹299.00
Yields A pick every 2–3 days for 6–8 weeks
Live bitter gourd from a local small-fruited line. Properly bitter, unlike the hybrids that have had it bred out.
Momordica charantia
Hagalakayi / ಹಾಗಲಕಾಯಿ (Bitter gourd)
- Grow bag12 in wide x 18 in tall
- Ships at2 true leaves, vining, 3 weeks old
- First harvestFirst gourds in 8-9 weeks
- Sunlight6+ hours direct
- Best plantedFebruary-September
Grown to order — delivered in about 15 days
We start it when you order and hand it over once it is established and hardened off. That is what makes the olla work from day one: the roots have already grown down to it before it reaches you.
SKU HAG-NAT
Water it through the olla. That is the only instruction.
A buried terracotta olla releases water at exactly the rate the soil draws it, over a base of well-rotted wood that holds moisture through a hot week. You cannot overwater it and it will not dry out on you. The roots reach the olla before the plant leaves us, so it works from the day it arrives.
Details
Small dark ridged fruit from a local line, properly bitter — the hybrids sold in nurseries have had much of that bred out, which rather defeats the point.
Needs a trellis at least six feet tall. It is a lighter vine than ridge gourd and works on a balcony railing if the railing gets enough sun.
Fruit fly is the main problem: it lays in the young fruit and you find it only when you cut the gourd open. Bagging individual young fruits in newspaper sleeves sounds fussy and is the only method that reliably works on a terrace.
Same pollination note as the other gourds — male flowers first, hand-pollinate in the early morning if fruit keeps shrivelling.
Specifications
| Botanical name | Momordica charantia |
|---|---|
| Grow bag | 12 in wide x 18 in tall, filled |
| Ships at | 2 true leaves, about 3 weeks old |
| First harvest | 8-9 weeks from delivery |
| Sunlight | 6+ hours direct |
| Support | Trellis or railing, 6 ft minimum |
| Season | February-September |