If you just want to eat up your gourd or use your decorative gourds for a brusk - full term , seasonal home decor craftiness project you may apply them as they are when you break up them , as you would a pumpkin that you intend to carve . If you want to keep your gourd for more than a week or two , though , you will ask to save them .
Using Ornamental Gourds Without Preserving Them
you may habituate gourds just as you would pumpkins . If you desire to put on paint or dye to the surface , you will need to remove the hide from the shell of your gourdsas you dampen thembecause key or dye will not cohere well to the waxy airfoil of the skin .
Beyond that preparatory whole step , you’re able to tot up them to a fall video display . you could carve your gourds and place candles in them as you would a pumpkin jack o ’ lantern . You also can apply sculpture and wood burn tools to make design on the Earth’s surface of the gourd .
If the weather is coolheaded , gourd vine that have n’t been preserved will last longer alfresco than indoors because the cooler temperatures will slow the radioactive decay process . However , gourd that have n’t been dried will decay finally , just as carved jack o ’ lantern do . They will last only for about a workweek or two .
Preserved Ornamental Gourds With Designs Burned or Carved Into the Surface
As with gourd vine that are mature , cut through the case of the gourd allows the bacterium that can induce the gourd to rot to enrol . This is why you should never press a fingernail into a gourd vine to test the heaviness and severeness of the eggshell when attempt to determine whether or not the calabash is ready to harvest .
Instead , follow for the bow to change by reversal brownand wry and exit Luffa and Langeria gourds on the vine as long as possible .
If you desire to chip at or cauterize designs into the shell of the gourd , you should dry the gourd espouse the two step curing process and then protect the gourd with a coating of furniture wax , library paste wax , or glossy , semi matte , or matte varnish or shellac depending on whether you favour a shiny or lifelike look for your calabash .
If you apply either furniture wax or spread wax to varnish your gourds , you will need to reapply this protective coat every few months . These gourd can last at least six months .
Ornamental Gourds Preserved for Their Natural Look
Ornamental gourds that have been in good order dried to preserve their instinctive color can last for years . You will necessitate to usethe two step curing process . The first step dry the exterior of the gourd and takes about one week . The second step dries the Interior Department of the gourd , which is a protracted process . diminished gourds take about a calendar month to dry while bigger gourds call for several calendar month before you hear the seeds rattle around inwardly .
As with gourds that have design cut or burned into the aerofoil , you should seal and protect theses gourd with paste wax , piece of furniture wax , shellac , or varnish . Because the shells of these gourds have not been rationalize , gourds preserved to display their natural colors are likely to last longer than those that have had the aerofoil cutting . Well - preserved gourds can last for year .
The Two Step Process for Preserving Ornamental Gourds
After cleanse your gourd vine to remove dirt , mold , and bacteria from the surface , follow this operation to dry out your gourds .
Step One
After about a hebdomad , start step two .
Step Two
Langeria Gourds Preserved for Bird Houses and Household Items
Langeria gourds should be allow to dry out on the vine . expect until you hear the seeds rattling inside before picking them and using them for whatever projects you have planned . Thanks to their thickheaded , unvoiced shell , these calabash will last for long time even though they are generally cut unresolved to make bowls , dippers , bird family , and other items .
