by Lance Hill | Mar 14, 2026 | How To, Mirliton
Cold-damaged mirliton leaf.
Freezes and frosts are not the only cold temperatures that can damage mirliton leaves. While not as damaging as frosts, Cold Damage can occur when temperatures drop below 50℉.
Cold damage symptoms often appear several days later and include limp, wilted, or yellowing leaves, and subsequent slowed growth. Light cold damage can generally be outgrown by an established vine, but young, newly transplanted plants are more vulnerable. So protect them by covering them with tarps or buckets and even adding a heating element.
by Lance Hill | Mar 8, 2026 | How To, Mirliton, Uncategorized
Many people have asked if there is a danger of interbreeding (cross-pollination) if they grow mirlitons with other squash, like Cucuzza and luffa. That’s understandable because the vines look and flower similarly. The short answer is no, mirlitons and other squash species can’t cross-pollinate.
Mirlitons can only pollinate other mirlitons, and other squash can’t pollinate mirlitons.
But here’s an easy way to determine the danger of interbreeding with any combination of plants.
We usually use common names for plants, but the key to knowing whether they can interbreed is the scientific name, called the “binomial name,” which consists of two words: genus and species. It is analogous to your personal name; your last name is your genus (family name), and your first name is specifically who you are in the family (specie).
To determine the possibility of interbreeding, simply Google the common name followed by “binomial.” For example, if you Google “mirliton binomial,” your first result is Sechium edule, the binomial name you are looking for. Then Google “Cucuzza binomial” and it will return Lagenaria siceraria. Now you know the genus and species of both.
Mirliton: The Genus: Sechium. The Specie: edule
Cucuzza: The Genus; Lagenaria. The Specie: siceraria
The two vines are in different genus (genera is the plural), and different genera seldom interbreed.
What if you have two plants in the same genus? Then look at the second name, the species. If they are the same species, they can generally cross-pollinate-that’s how botanists define species- any plants that are capable of interbreeding. There are exceptions, but to be safe, don’t plant them together until you contact a plant expert for advice.
Now, practice the method on another plant:
Find the scientific names (binomial names) for mirliton and cucumber. Compare them. Are they the same genus? If not, then it’s safe to plant them together.
( Special thanks to Dr. Joe Willis of the LSU AgCenter for his indispensable contribution to this article)
by Lance Hill | Feb 15, 2026 | How To, Mirliton, Uncategorized
1. Vineguard double-arched cattle panel trellis. This can be built using two 16′ panels, with the inside panel cut shorter to provide the canopy space between the upper and lower panels.
The same vineguard double-arched cattle panel trellis with plastic added to the top arch to prevent excessive rainfall from saturating the bed soil.
Here’s an idea. Design an arched trellis structure to protect mirlitons from excessive rain, solar radiation, and cold. I call it a Vineguard. It can be used to shunt rain away from the beds, shield the vine from intense heat, and protect it from frost.
One structure–three purposes.
We invite you to design and test the concept. (post your ideas and results on the Facebook group)
The concept is simple: An arching structure that you mount above the trellis, similar to the shade cloth structure that many of you already use–but sloped. During periods of heavy rainfall, place a single sheet of clear 6-mil plastic on top to divert the water away from the bed and prevent waterlogging. The single clear sheet will allow sunlight through and air circulation through the sides. In the summertime, replace it with a shade cloth to protect from the sun. In winter, you cover the entire trellis with plastic and enclose the vine to prevent frost damage.
The Vineguard can be built several ways. If you are already using an arched cattle panel, arch another one a few feet above it. If you’re using a horizontal cattle panel trellis, install a PVC pipe arch overhead that slopes to direct rainfall away from the bed (see photo). Or you can construct a similar pitched wooden frame with a pitched roof.
The Vineguard will work for both raised-bed and ground plantings, but it works especially well against waterlogging in tall raised beds. That’s because raised beds provide more control over soil moisture. Tall raised beds are less likely to wick moisture from the rest of the rest of the yard when its saturated.
(When you use the clear plastic rain guard, be careful to leave it up no more than two or three consecutive days, and make sure the enclosure is well-ventilated. It can generate additional heat that might harm the vine.)
We will be experimenting with Vineguards this year, and I invite all you Mirliton Wizards out there to create designs that provide the simplest, most effective, and least expensive model.
Special thanks to R. Ranjith at the Nesamony Memorial Christian College for his advice on soil hydrology and managing intense rainfall.
Thanks to Buster Avera for the photo of his shade-cloth arch, which can also serve as a rain guard.
2. Buster Avera’s arched shade cloth structure could also easily double as a rain guard.
3. Corner view of Buster Avera’s arched shade cloth structure.
by Lance Hill | Feb 10, 2026 | How To, Mirliton
Although we recommend trellising mirliton vines while they are in 3-gallon containers, some people prefer to prune them back. Pruning is safe and will result in a compact, bushy plant.
The most important point is that when you prune, leave at least three plant nodes above the soil line. Nodes are the small protrusions at the joint of the vine stem that produce branches, tendrils, leaves, and flowers. If you eliminate too many nodes, you can hurt vine growth.
Follow the nodes up the stem and prune anywhere above the third node. A “branching node” is a node where a branch has emerged. Try to leave as many of these branching nodes as possible because they will produce a stronger, bushier plant.
Every part of the plant that you prune is edible. Many people use the shoots and leaves in stir-frys.
Nodes will appear every few inches. Leave at least three nodes when pruning back.
Mimi Noug Prejean demonstrates how to prune a mirliton plant in this 90-second video here.
by Lance Hill | Nov 16, 2025 | How To, Mirliton
Mirlitons are being overwintered in 3-gallon containers.
How can you get a spring harvest from a newly planted mirliton?
Try a little Wizardry–trick the sprout!
We learned last year that people who plant fall sprouts in containers can get a crop as early as the next spring. How did they do that? They made the sprout think it had been planted in the ground for several months.
Here’s how it works:
The reproduction clock on a mirliton starts the day it senses that it’s in soil. Then it will flower and fruit 110 days later.
Do the math.
If you container-plant a sprout in November and then transplant it into the ground in March, it has been in soil for 110 days by the following May. That’s why so many people who container-planted their fall sprouts last year got a small spring crop.
That won’t happen if you use the old method of overwintering your sprouts in paper bags underneath your sink. No soil, no reproductive clock.
An academic scientist did not discover this trick. Mirliton growers discovered it.
Congratulations!
Normally, newly planted mirlitons don’t flower and fruit until the following fall. But if you overwinter them in a container, they will develop a strong rootball, helping them thrive once transplanted.
So, plant that sprout in a 3-gallon plastic or cloth container now and get ready for a spring crop as well as one next fall!
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