# Good source for loofah sponges?



## dixiedragon (Feb 1, 2019)

I mean the natural ones, from a gourd. 

I want to buy at least 100 of them.


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## BattleGnome (Feb 1, 2019)

Brambleberry used to advertise that their loofahs were all natural and to watch out for seeds. I bought one a few months ago in hopes of getting some seeds to start a garden but I didn’t get any - don’t know if this means they changed their supplier or if I was just unlucky. 

The price was ok for buying 1-2 for personal use I don’t know if that will translate to a bulk order


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## Zany_in_CO (Feb 1, 2019)

The one time I used them, I grew my own. Easy to grow. This link might help:

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=natural+loofah+sponge


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## SaltedFig (Feb 1, 2019)

@dixiedragon 

Supplier List:
Texan grown (supplies retail and wholesale): http://www.loofahsponge.net/aboutus.php
Texan seed supplier: https://www.localharvest.org/luffaseeds-com-M44953
Texan grown (pieces and seeds): https://diablodayranching.com/luffa-products
Californian grown (retail and wholesale): https://www.theluffafarm.com/
Californian grown (free shipping over $35): https://luffagardens.com/collections

Growing:
Growing them is easy - if you have the space, the food, the water, the time and the season (they like growing in full summer, when the ground is warm).
Loofah grow like pumpkins or gourds - they are in the same plant family - and are best grown up over a trellis or fence or similar (but they will grow sprawled over the ground too).

You could even do a three-sisters planting with them (corn, beans and ... loofah! ).


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## dixiedragon (Feb 4, 2019)

i've got some seeds and I'm going to try again this year. The ones I grew before were tiny!


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## Misschief (Feb 4, 2019)

SaltedFig said:


> @dixiedragon
> 
> Growing them is easy - if you have the space, the food, the water, the time and the season (they like growing in full summer, when the ground is warm).
> Loofah grow like pumpkins or gourds - they are in the same plant family - and are best grown up over a trellis or fence or similar (but they will grow sprawled over the ground too).


They're easy to grow, yes.... unless you have a neighbour (upstairs) who thinks they're weeds and pulls them out. I was not impressed. Good thing I still have some seeds.


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## SaltedFig (Feb 4, 2019)

Misschief said:


> They're easy to grow, yes.... unless you have a neighbour (upstairs) who thinks they're weeds and pulls them out. I was not impressed. Good thing I still have some seeds.


Oh no! A cute little hand-painted garden sign on a stake might fix that (although that depends on the neighbour ) ... (good news on the seeds!)



dixiedragon said:


> i've got some seeds and I'm going to try again this year. The ones I grew before were tiny!


That could partly be the variety (if you have a different batch of seeds, that won't matter), but it can also be to do with how much water and nutrients the loofah gets as it grows - if they are grown in a very rich bed and the water (drip irrigation if you grow them on the ground - they are prone to mildew a bit if the leaves stay wet), they will grow fast and large. They also like warm soil, so a nice sunny spot (even a hot spot) in the garden will suit them too.
I hope you get some growing ... I'd love to see some photo's!


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## Teri Collins (Feb 20, 2019)

I tried to shred one of mine...they don't shred very easy....any ideas?


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## SaltedFig (Feb 21, 2019)

Teri Collins said:


> I tried to shred one of mine...they don't shred very easy....any ideas?


Nope. Pretty tough when they are dry ... I agree, they don't shred easily!
Teasing them apart by hand (wear gloves) can work, to get separate the string pieces surrounding the seeds - to do this mechanically you need something with a bit of ooomph and teeth that pull in opposite directions - any method that catches and pulls them to pieces (they tend to bounce off blades in a blender ).

If you are growing them yourself, you get a chance to hand shred them while they are still a bit fresh (with a bit of moisture in them), and setting them to dry after. Pick them when they are large and yellow, remove the skin and flesh, shred the fibers (with forks or fingers) and dry.

This lady has an excellent video on harvesting loofahs (I like them when they are slightly more yellow, as the seeds are plump and viable, but as long as they are big and plump, and most importantly, sound hollow when you rap your knuckles on the loofah, they're good to go )


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## hungryhawaiian (Feb 21, 2019)

BattleGnome said:


> Brambleberry used to advertise that their loofahs were all natural and to watch out for seeds. I bought one a few months ago in hopes of getting some seeds to start a garden but I didn’t get any - don’t know if this means they changed their supplier or if I was just unlucky.
> 
> The price was ok for buying 1-2 for personal use I don’t know if that will translate to a bulk order



You can buy loofah seeds on amazon for cheap. I bought loofah seeds and large bottle gourd seeds a couple weeks ago. I still haven’t planted them and it may be a little late in the season but I’m still gonna try.  

FYI, loofah and bottle gourds are in the same family of plants, so I got them both. Loofah for sponges/soap ideas, and the bottle gourd for Hawaiian ipu making.


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## earlene (Feb 21, 2019)

Are they difficult to cut with sharp scissors?  If not, then you could cut them rather than shredding them.


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## SaltedFig (Feb 21, 2019)

earlene said:


> Are they difficult to cut with sharp scissors?  If not, then you could cut them rather than shredding them.


Large, sharp scissors can be used to cut freshly dried loofah (the loofah needs to be compressed a little to get the scissors around them).

If you are cutting them instead of shredding them, a serated bread knife gets through them pretty easily.


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## Jane Jacobsen (Feb 22, 2019)

I cut mine using an old electric knife.  Works like a charm.  I hold the loofa in the modified miter box my son made me.  The slot for the saw is a little wider to accommodate the thick bkade of the knife


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## soapmaker (Feb 23, 2019)

My husband slices mine with his band saw. Very evenly sliced and minimal ragged edges.


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