Comments on: Loofah – Grow Your Own Sponges https://arealgreenlife.com/loofah-grow-your-own-sponges/ Making healthier choices. For you, your family and community, and our Earth. Fri, 03 Oct 2025 05:15:34 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 By: Antje https://arealgreenlife.com/loofah-grow-your-own-sponges/#comments/385 https://arealgreenlife.com/?p=14106#comment-385 In reply to Kate.

We are on coral, little soil and soap berry trees do well once established. They grow tall, but respond well to pruning. From the pictures you post it looks like you have some soil! So your tree(s) should grow easily and much faster! I planted my first tree six years ago on the way to our chickens, and this year it gave us enough fruits to last us an entire year. This includes washing clothes. The berries have such a great smell, too, and are hyperallergenic. Unfortunately, germination rate drops quickly a few months after harvesting. I wish I could give you some of our seedlings. Good luck!

]]> By: Kate https://arealgreenlife.com/loofah-grow-your-own-sponges/#comments/384 https://arealgreenlife.com/?p=14106#comment-384 In reply to Antje.

Thanks so much for your comment, Antje! Now you have me wondering if we could grow soap berries 🙂

]]> By: Antje https://arealgreenlife.com/loofah-grow-your-own-sponges/#comments/383 https://arealgreenlife.com/?p=14106#comment-383 Thanks for sharing! We are in Zanzibar, growing loofahs for food and sponge, and I stuff the latter with a few soap berries (Sapindus sp which we also grow) for washing dishes. It is good to dry the loofah in the sun after use so it doesn’t get moldy. When the soap berries have not enough saponin left after a few rounds of dishes, I stuff in more and so forth until the loofah is worn out. It then becomes mulch in the kitchen garden.

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