When is the best time to sow okra?
Okra is a nutrient-rich health vegetable, also known as kidney-tonifying grass, yellow okra, goat horn bean, etc. It originated in tropical regions such as Africa, the Middle East, India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. It has now been introduced and cultivated in places such as Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, Hubei, Yunnan and Guangdong in China. Let us take a look below at when it is best to sow okra!
When is okra sown?
Yellow okra likes warmth and fears frost. The entire growth period should be arranged within the frost-free period, and the flowering and fruiting period should fall in the warm and humid season of each region. In open-field cultivation, north and south regions mostly sow from April to June and harvest from July to October. In North China, sowing is generally from mid-to-late April to May. In cold northern regions, solar greenhouses and plastic tunnels are often used for centralized seedling raising, and planting in the field is done after the late spring frost has passed. From sowing to the formation of the first tender pod, okra needs about 60 days; afterward the entire harvest period lasts as long as 60 to 70 days, and the whole growth period can reach about 120 days.
Growing conditions for okra
1. Temperature: Okra likes warmth and fears severe cold, and has strong heat tolerance. Seeds can germinate when the air temperature is 13°C and the soil temperature is about 15°C. When the monthly average temperature is below 17°C, flowering and fruiting are affected; when the night temperature is below 14°C, growth is slow, plants are short, flowering is reduced and more flowers drop.
2. Water: Okra is drought-tolerant and moisture-tolerant, but not waterlogging-tolerant. Excessive soil moisture during the germination period can easily induce damping-off in seedlings. During the fruiting period, drought leads to poor plant growth and inferior quality, so the soil should always be kept moist.
3. Light: Okra is especially sensitive to light conditions and requires a long photoperiod and sufficient light. A sunny plot should be chosen, ventilation should be strengthened, and reasonable close planting should be observed to avoid mutual shading that affects ventilation and light penetration.
4. Soil: Okra has a relatively wide adaptability to soil and is not choosy about soil fertility. Loam or sandy loam with deep soil, loose fertility and good drainage is more suitable. Nitrogen is mainly needed in the early growth stage, while more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer are needed in the middle and late stages.
How to grow okra
1. Land preparation and fertilization: After the previous crop is harvested, the okra planting plot should be deeply plowed in autumn and winter in a timely manner. Before planting, the land should be prepared into fine, level, loose and soft soil, and 5000 kg of decomposed barnyard manure and 20 kg of compound fertilizer should be broadcast per mu, then trenches should be opened and beds made.
2. Sowing method: Okra is mostly propagated by seed in production, and can be raised as seedlings for transplanting or directly sown. For seedling transplanting, about 0.6 jin of seed is used per mu, and for direct sowing, about 2 jin of seed is used per mu.
① Direct sowing in the field: Spring sowing is best for okra. Before sowing, soak the seeds for 12 hours and then place them at 25 to 30°C to germinate. Sow when 60 to 70% of the seeds have “broken mouth”. Hole sowing is suitable, with 3 plants per hole and a hole depth of 2 to 3 cm. Water first, then sow, and then cover with about 2 cm of soil.
② Seedling transplanting: In early to mid-March, raise seedlings for okra in cold frames and solar greenhouses. Soak the seeds to promote germination, sow by dibbling at a plant and row spacing of 10 cm, and cover with soil about 2 cm thick. After sowing, keep the seedbed soil temperature at 25°C; seedlings will sprout and emerge in 4 to 5 days, and can be planted out when the seedling age is 30 to 40 days.
4. Thinning and intertillage: After okra seedlings emerge, intertill and weed in a timely manner, about once every 10 days. Before the first flower opens, intertillage should be strengthened and seedlings should be properly restrained to promote root development. Before the rows close, intertill and earth up to prevent plants from lodging.
5. Fertilizer and water management: During the growth period, okra requires relatively high air and soil humidity, especially during the flowering and fruiting period when sufficient water is needed. At the same time, on the basis of applying sufficient base fertilizer, topdressing should be applied appropriately. The first topdressing is carried out after emergence, with 6 to 7 kg of urea applied per mu.
6. Setting up supports and removing leaves: In summer, supports should be set up for okra to prevent lodging. In the early growth stage, excessive vegetative growth should be prevented to avoid spindling. In the middle and late stages, old leaves on the nodes below the harvested tender pods should be removed in a timely manner. For fruits kept for seed, the growing tips should be removed in a timely manner, which can promote the seed fruits to mature.
7. Timely harvest: From sowing to a plant height of about 30 cm and 7 to 9 true leaves, okra begins to flower and set pods. The first tender pod takes about 55 days to form; afterward the entire harvest period lasts as long as 90 to 120 days, and the whole growth period can reach about 150 days or even longer.