Irrigation

• During the initial stages of growth, irrigate at 3-4 days interval
• Irrigate at alternate days during flowering / fruiting.

Weeding

• Conduct weeding and raking of the soil at the time of fertilizer application.

Aftercare

• Erect pandals for trailing snake gourd.

Staking and Trellising

• Staking and trellising increase fruit yield and size, reduce fruit rot, and make spraying and harvesting easier.
• Pandals are the most common trellising system used in Kerala.
• Pandals should be erected when plants start vining, at 1.5 m height, using bamboo poles, wooden stakes, GI pipes, or other sturdy materials.
• Rust-proof steel wires/strings (plastic-coated) connect the stakes, with coir/plastic ropes tied in a crisscross manner to form a net.
• Bamboo stakes support vines, helping them climb and reach the top.

Pruning

• Snake gourd develops many non-productive side branches.
• To improve yield, remove lateral branches until the runner reaches the top of the trellis.
• Leave 4-6 laterals and cut the tip of the main runner to induce early cropping.
• Removing laterals in the first 10 nodes increases total yield.
• Most female flowers appear between the 10th and 40th nodes, at a height of 0.5–2.0 m.
• For straight fruits, tie a pebble at the flower end with a long string to prevent curling.

Pollination

• Insects, mainly bees, pollinate snake gourd.
• Pollination issues occur during the wet season due to reduced bee activity.
• Manual pollination: Transfer pollen from male flowers to female flowers (face-to-face touching of the flower centers).
• Introducing beehives can eliminate the need for hand pollination.

Hormone Application

• Spraying vines with flowering hormones after they develop 6-8 true leaves increases the number of female flowers and doubles fruit production.
• Gibberellic acid (GA3) at 25–100 ppm increases female flowers by 50% and remains effective for up to 80 days.
• Ethrel (ethylene-releasing compound) enhances femaleness in snake gourd.