A Detailed Guide to the Key Points of the Latest Okra Planting Techniques and Methods
Okra is a very popular vegetable in recent years. Okra has extremely high nutritional value and is very beneficial to human health. Therefore, China's planting area has been continuously expanding, and more and more people are growing it. However, many novice growers do not know how to grow it. In fact, growing okra is relatively simple. You just need to control the planting density well and do a good job with water and fertilizer management. Below, let the editor introduce some key points of okra planting techniques!
1. Planting density
Okra prefers warmth and fears low temperatures. It will die in less than a day when encountering frosty weather. It has a relatively high demand for light and is not suitable for planting in shaded environments. Therefore, when planting, we must control the planting density well. If planted too densely, okra plants will block each other's sunlight, affecting photosynthesis and leading to poor growth. So when planting, we must not plant too densely. Ensure that each okra plant has sufficient growing space and receives adequate sunlight. Enhance the photosynthetic capacity of okra and increase the accumulation of photosynthetic substances in the plants.
2. Water and fertilizer management
The root system of okra plants has relatively strong growth capacity and strong nutrient absorption capacity, so its demand for fertilizer and water is also relatively high. When okra plants grow to about 45 cm, appropriate topdressing should be applied, using the ring application method to fertilize evenly around the plants. When topdressing, combine it with intertillage and weeding, and then apply topdressing again when harvesting the first batch of fruits. In the later growth stage, appropriately spray foliar fertilizer to improve leaf growth capacity and prevent premature senescence. Okra has relatively strong drought tolerance. During the seedling stage, it can be watered less, but in summer, the soil must be kept moist, watering about once a week. Do not water during the high-temperature period to avoid damaging the roots. In rainy weather, pay attention to drainage to avoid root rot and dead seedlings.
3. Adjusting the plants
Before the okra plants close their rows, carry out one intertillage and earthing-up operation to stabilize the soil and improve the lodging resistance of the okra plants. You can choose a bamboo pole about 1 m long and insert it vertically near the plant, then tie the plant and the bamboo pole together to prevent lodging. The branches and leaves of okra plants are relatively luxuriant. If not pruned in time, the plants will become too closed, affecting the growth of okra. In addition, okra fruiting is mainly based on the main vine, so pruning must be done well to avoid consuming too many nutrients and to concentrate nutrients on the main vine, improving the fruiting rate. Remove side branches in time. After harvesting begins, remove the old and weak leaves at the base of the plants and leaves damaged by pests and diseases to promote ventilation and reduce the incidence of disease.
4. Timely harvesting
There are certain requirements for the harvest time of okra. It must not be harvested too early or too late. Harvesting too early will reduce the yield of okra and affect planting benefits. Harvesting too late will increase the fibrous substances in okra, causing the flesh to age, lowering quality, and losing commercial value. Usually, the best harvest time is about one week after the flowers fade. It is best to harvest when the pods grow to about 9 cm. At this time, the quality of okra is the best. When harvesting, scissors should be used to cut rather than snapping off by hand, to prevent injuring the plant branches,
When harvesting, in order to ensure yield, we should use the pods from the lower part of the plant for seed saving. For those to be stored after harvest, place them in a low-temperature environment. If the temperature is too high, it is easy to cause various types of aging inside the pods and affect commercial value. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only. Thank you all for reading and supporting.