Okra Fertilization Methods and Key Technical Points

Throughout the entire growth process of okra, the fertilization method is especially important. Generally speaking, if you want a high yield of okra, then the fertilizer must be applied well. So during the growth period of okra, exactly when should fertilizer be applied, how should it be applied, and what kind of fertilizer should be used? Let Qinnong Web tell you below.

1. Base fertilizer

Base fertilizer, also called bottom fertilizer, is generally applied well when preparing the land. Base fertilizer plays the most basic role in the growth of okra, that is, it gives the soil the most basic nutrients suitable for okra growth, so that okra can take root and sprout. Generally, to plant one mu of okra, we need 100 kg of farmyard manure plus 100 kg of plant ash and 50 kg of compound fertilizer as well as 50 kg of nitrogen fertilizer, evenly scattered across the field.

2. Full-stand seedling fertilizer

Full-stand seedling fertilizer is generally applied when seedlings have grown after sowing, because seeds germinate at different speeds, so the field looks very uneven, with a bumpy appearance, giving people a feeling of somewhat poor development. Therefore, the first topdressing is generally carried out three days after emergence. This fertilization is mainly to make the seedlings look uniformly neat. We usually use urea to promote the growth of okra seedlings. On average, about 100 kg of urea is needed per mu, applied by spraying.

3. Seedling-lifting fertilizer

Seedling-lifting fertilizer can only be applied about ten days after planting. Because some okra is transplanted at planting time, it still needs to adapt to the new plot and grow new roots so that it can survive. Therefore, we fertilize for two purposes: first, to increase the survival rate of okra; second, to shorten the growth time of okra, promote the growth speed of okra, make okra seedlings grow faster, and enable them to flower and bear fruit earlier. For seedling-lifting fertilizer, we generally use compound fertilizer, about 250 kg per mu on average, mainly scattered near the okra roots about five cm away, and at the same time it needs to be covered with soil to prevent loss of fertility.

4. Flower and fruit fertilizer

Flower and fruit fertilizer, as the name suggests, is a fertilization carried out during the period when okra is flowering and fruiting. The purpose of fertilization is to provide sufficient nutrients for okra, and at the same time it can play a role in promoting flowers and protecting fruits. The amount required for this topdressing is somewhat large, more than ten times the usual topdressing amount. Flower and fruit fertilizer is mainly based on irrigation with human excrement and urine water, supplemented by nitrogen fertilizer, phosphate fertilizer, potassium fertilizer and compound fertilizer. Human excrement and urine water requires 4,000 kg, and nitrogen fertilizer, phosphate fertilizer, potassium fertilizer and compound fertilizer total 400 kg, mixed and scattered in the field.

5. Maintenance fertilizer

Maintenance fertilizer is generally the fertilizer applied after okra harvesting. Generally, after each harvest, a moderate amount of fertilizer needs to be applied once to prevent the plants from aging. If the plants age, it means that what could originally be harvested five or six times will be gone after two or three harvests, and the yield will be seriously reduced. Maintenance fertilizer is generally just a moderate amount of potassium fertilizer or phosphate fertilizer.