Plant PulseWhen to plant Luffa in Colombo
When to plant Luffa in Colombo. Stored windows: Year round (Year round). Ranges from different sources are not averaged.
Unverified — based on HORDI Crop - Luffa, Department of Agriculture Sri Lanka, accessed 2026-10-20: https://doa.gov.lk/hordi-crop-luffa/; confirm for your microclimate.
Stored planting windows
Year round: Year round
Direct sow
Using 60–70 stored days. First harvest is about 60–70 days after planting. Calculated from the stored day count and the planting month. It is not a separate harvest calendar.
HORDI: wet zone can be cultivated throughout the year. Dry zone is mainly Maha, and Yala under irrigation; those seasons are not given as months here. Elevation on the page is up to 500 m. First harvest around 60-70 days after planting.
Unverified — based on HORDI Crop - Luffa, Department of Agriculture Sri Lanka, accessed 2026-10-20: https://doa.gov.lk/hordi-crop-luffa/; confirm for your microclimate.
Season ranges
Two or more season ranges are stored. They are not joined. A month is marked only when it falls inside a stored range.
- Yala is stored from more than one source, and the months do not match. Yala (FAO) is Mar–Aug. Yala (National Drought Plan) is Apr–Sep. Both ranges are shown. They are not averaged.
- Maha is stored from more than one source, and the months do not match. Maha (FAO) is Sep–Feb. Maha (National Drought Plan) is Oct–Mar. Both ranges are shown. They are not averaged.
Rainfall seasons
- First inter-monsoon: Mar–Apr (Rainfall)
Climate of Sri Lanka, Department of Meteorology, accessed 2026-10-20: https://meteo.gov.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=94&Itemid=310&lang=en
- Southwest monsoon: May–Sep (Rainfall)
Climate of Sri Lanka, Department of Meteorology, accessed 2026-10-20: https://meteo.gov.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=94&Itemid=310&lang=en
- Second inter-monsoon: Oct–Nov (Rainfall)
Climate of Sri Lanka, Department of Meteorology, accessed 2026-10-20: https://meteo.gov.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=94&Itemid=310&lang=en
- Northeast monsoon: Dec–Feb (Rainfall)
Climate of Sri Lanka, Department of Meteorology, accessed 2026-10-20: https://meteo.gov.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=94&Itemid=310&lang=en
Agricultural seasons
- Yala (FAO): Mar–Aug (Agricultural)
Improvement of plant nutrient management for better farmer livelihood, food security and environment in Sri Lanka, J.D.H. Wijewardena, Department of Agriculture, hosted by FAO, accessed 2026-10-20: https://www.fao.org/4/ag120e/AG120E12.htm
- Maha (FAO): Sep–Feb (Agricultural)
Improvement of plant nutrient management for better farmer livelihood, food security and environment in Sri Lanka, J.D.H. Wijewardena, Department of Agriculture, hosted by FAO, accessed 2026-10-20: https://www.fao.org/4/ag120e/AG120E12.htm
- Yala (National Drought Plan): Apr–Sep (Agricultural)
National Drought Plan for Sri Lanka, Ministry of Environment, September 2020, accessed 2026-10-20: https://www.unccd.int/sites/default/files/country_profile_documents/NDP%20of%20Sri%20Lanka-Final%20Report-Sept%202020.pdf
- Maha (National Drought Plan): Oct–Mar (Agricultural)
National Drought Plan for Sri Lanka, Ministry of Environment, September 2020, accessed 2026-10-20: https://www.unccd.int/sites/default/files/country_profile_documents/NDP%20of%20Sri%20Lanka-Final%20Report-Sept%202020.pdf
Methodology
- Where do these planting months come from?
- Each range is a stored planting window for this crop and climate. A month that is not listed has no stored window. It is not a recommendation to skip planting.
- Why can the same season appear more than once?
- When two sources give different months for the same season, both ranges are listed. They are not averaged, and the gap between them is not filled in.
- How are grower notes different from official windows?
- Farmer field notes are labelled Farmer field experience, with the month they were noted. They are not official department windows, and they are not yet verified against official sources.