How much does the "king of vegetables" okra cost per jin on the market? Can it be grown in pots? When to plant? When to harvest? How to grow?

Okra, also known as Vietnamese sesame (Hunan), goat's horn bean (Guangdong), paste hemp, and kidney-tonifying vegetable, is a common vegetable in China. Because it is cultivated in Hunan, Hubei, Guangdong and other provinces in China, it is called the king of vegetables. Sohow much does okra cost per jin on the market? Can it be grown in pots? When to plant? When to harvest? How to grow?

Latest market price:

The price of fresh okra is about 5-10 yuan per jin, but prices vary greatly depending on the quality, market, and sales season of the okra. Among these, season has the most obvious effect on okra prices. Generally, greenhouse-grown okra comes to market around March, when wholesale prices in some places reach about 10 yuan per jin. But when ordinary field-grown okra comes to market in large quantities in June and July, prices fall to the bottom, with the cheapest selling for about 2 yuan per jin.

Planting time:

South of the Yangtze River, it can be cultivated in both spring and summer, but spring sowing is the main method. Spring sowing time is March to April, and harvesting can begin in late May and continue to the end of October.

Harvest time:

Okra begins flowering and fruiting node by node from the 4th to 8th node. Under suitable temperature conditions, tender fruits can be harvested 2-4d after the flowers fade. Generally, tender fruits can be harvested when they grow to 10-15cm long and about 25g. Harvesting too early gives low yield, while harvesting too late makes them prone to fibrosis, lower quality, and unsuitability for eating. In the early harvest period, harvest once every 2-3d; in the middle and late periods, harvest once every 3-4d. Harvesting should be done in the morning or evening, cutting at the fruit stalk to avoid damaging the branches. Okra stems, leaves, and fruits all have bristles or spines, so gloves should be worn when harvesting; otherwise the skin will be stung and itch unbearably.

Pot cultivation techniques:

1. Preparation of flower pots and selection of placement site

For courtyard cultivation of okra, flower pots with a diameter of 40em and a height of more than 50cm are needed. The wider and larger the pot, the more it helps the plant roots spread. Okra is especially sensitive to light conditions and requires long illumination time and sufficient light. Therefore, a sunny location should be chosen, ventilation should be strengthened, and the density of flower pot placement should be reasonably arranged to avoid mutual shading and affect ventilation and light transmission.

2. Soil selection

Choose loam or sandy loam with relatively good soil texture.

3. Preparation of base fertilizer for pot soil

To make the plants grow well, base fertilizer is very important. Before potting, fully compost chicken manure, silkworm droppings, or other livestock and poultry manure until decomposed. You can spray 200 times diluted EM stock solution or VT-1 000 bacterial solution onto the manure, mix well until the water content reaches about 50%, so that when squeezed by hand it just does not drip. The composting time should be more than 15d.

4. Preparation of potting substrate

Mix soil and base fertilizer at a ratio of 3:1 and put it into the flower pot. Fill the pot with soil to 3/4, then spread a layer of soil 5-8cm thick on top. Then spray 500 times diluted EM stock solution. Leave it for later use once the soil is just moistened.

5. Fertilizer management

Okra plants are tall and bear many fruits, so sufficient fertilizer and water are key to obtaining high yield. In addition to applying sufficient base fertilizer, okra should also receive multiple topdressings during the growing period. After okra seedlings emerge, apply a complete seedling fertilizer in time, 10g urea per pot; for the second application, apply a seedling-promoting fertilizer by opening holes after thinning or transplanting, 30g compound fertilizer per pot; when the seedlings are 30cm tall and enter the fruiting stage, apply a heavy topdressing, 40g compound fertilizer per pot or one ladle of dilute manure water; in the middle and late growth stages, apply multiple light topdressings as appropriate, and after fruit harvest, drench with dilute manure water once every 10d to prevent premature aging of the plant.

6. Weeding and hilling

After okra seedlings emerge or are transplanted, avoid competition between seedlings and weeds for fertilizer and water, and weed in time. Do this once every 7-10d. After flowering and fruiting, the plants grow faster. After each watering and topdressing, use a small spoon to loosen and hill the soil evenly to prevent the plants from lodging. In areas with many summer rainstorms and wind, it is best to insert bamboo poles or branches about 1m long near the plants, then tie them with rope in a “8” shape to prevent lodging.

7. Plant adjustment

In the early growth stage of okra plants, side branches should be removed in time, which is beneficial for the main stem to bear fruit earlier and increase yield. If vegetative growth is too vigorous in the early growth stage, the method of twisting leaf stalks can also be used, twisting the leaf stalks into a curved and drooping shape to control vegetative growth; in the middle and late growth stages, timely remove old leaves from each node below the harvested tender fruits, which can improve ventilation and light conditions, reduce nutrient consumption, and prevent the spread of pests and diseases; when harvesting seed fruits, pinch the growing tips in time to promote ripening of the seed fruits, help the seeds become plump, and improve seed quality.

8. Watering

Okra is drought-tolerant and moisture-tolerant, but not waterlogging-tolerant. If soil moisture is too high during germination, it easily induces damping-off in seedlings. If drought occurs during the fruiting period, the plants grow poorly and quality is inferior, so the soil should always be kept moist. Potted okra loses water quickly, so observe carefully and water at least once a day (preferably in the morning and evening) to prevent the potting soil from drying out. The hot summer season is the peak harvest period for okra, and the soil surface temperature is high, so water before 9 a.m. and after sunset in the afternoon, avoiding watering under high temperatures to prevent root damage.

9. Measures to promote flowering and fruit setting

When okra has grown 10-15cm tall, begin spraying the leaves with 200-300 times diluted EM stock solution, then spray with water once more before flowering, and afterward spray once every 10-15d after each fruit harvest. When spraying, use 200 times diluted EM stock solution plus 0.1% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution (the two can be mixed and sprayed together). Through such measures, okra has more flowers and fruit set, fruits are strong and large, fruit mucilage is abundant, quality is sweet and tender, and the harvest period is prolonged, with a large increase in yield.