Luffa (sponge) gourd - lacking female flowers

 

  I've planted some luffa gourds next to my back porch.  Over the past few
weeks, they have really taken off - some of them growing close to a foot a
day.

  I have noticed some female flowers and small fruit as the vines grow, but
then when I look for them later, I don't seem to find them.  Today I found a
few, still rather tiny looking, and mostly yellow, slightly wrinkled.  I
think this is what happens when they "abort".  I've never seen a single
female fruit actually flower to this point.

  There are PLENTY of yellow male flowers.  In fact, these plants seem to be
producing an amazing amount of male flowers - extremely prolific.  However,
I didn't grow these for a flower display - I'm actually wanting the gourds,
so that I can have some luffa sponges later this year.

  Do most of the female flowers only show up later in the season, or is
something going on here that shouldn't be?

 

I had the same problem, but then they started producing fruit in
abundance?