Buy 5 or more items and receive a 25% discount use coupon code: 25PERCENTOFF Luffa is a fast-growing, long-season, warm-climate vine plant that can climb up to 15 feet high. The fruit is edible only when immature and is cooked like zucchini. The fruit setting may be relatively sensitive to the day length. The matured fruit forms sponge-like fibers inside. After the fruit matured, dried, skin and seeds removed/cleaned, fibers are often used as scrubbers, cleaning pads or bath sponges. Thus, this vegetable is also called Dish Cloth Luffa ( Loofah). Angled Luffa fruits are also often called Chinese Okra, but not related to Okra at all. Luffa seeds, particularly Ridged Skin varieties, have hard skin and may take a long time to germinate. They need warm/moist soil conditions for germinating. For improving the seeed germination, it is suggested to break slightly the seed at the non-seed-eye area/edge by clipping or sanding. This treatment will allow water entering the seed inside core to trigger the germination process. NOTE: Luffa needs insects to carry out the pollinating process for setting fruits. If the insects or bees are not available in your area, the pollinating process can be done manually, by picking up male flowers and transferring pollens to femal flowers (by face-to-face touching the center part of flowers). This process should be carried out when flowering is active during the daytime. If the pollination is sucess, the fat portion of the femal flower will grow into full size fruit.