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| I'm having trouble with my Okra plant -- it's the first time I've planted Okra in my 4" raised bed on top of a double dug area. Nearly everything else in the garden is growing great, but my Okra plant is showing a leaf that was yellow yesterday and has now very wilted. I've also seen little growth (while some Tomato plants have doubled in size in the same time). The top few inches of soil is moist from being watered yesterday. Is the yellow a sign of nutrient deficiencies + overwatering? If so, does that mean I should water less, fertilize with something to offset deficiencies, or both? thanks! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Oops, forgot a picture! Note: I also realized I may have done some overhead watering (I am in the process of setting up drip/soaker irrigation). Maybe that's an issue too? |
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- Posted by farmerdill 8a GA (My Page) on Tue, Apr 8, 14 at 19:01
| Don't know your climate, but okra is a hot weather vegetable. It sulks when nightime temps fall below 70. They don't get going good until late June - July here. |
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| It's 86 degrees today and full sun, and it looks worse now than when I took the picture. Top few inches of soil are dry. Makes me think it's underwatered... |
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| But what is the soil temp? Makes a BIG difference when it comes to okra and I'm betting even your soil isn't warm enough (80 degrees) yet for okra. That one might recover if the soil warms enough soon enough. As mentioned, okra isn't a spring crop anywhere in the US. It thrives in mid-summer's heat - days 90+ and nights 75-80. Given the leaf turgor in the photo the odds are more likely too much water rather than too little. Dave |
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- Posted by tishtoshnm 6/NM (My Page) on Tue, Apr 8, 14 at 20:17
| You could try putting a milk jug cloche around it for a micro-climate. You do not say if you have more plants, but one thing that I learned the hard way was that one okra plant by itself will not give you very much okra at a time. If you are hoping for quite a bit, at least 6 plants would be more in line with producing enough for a side dish. The burgundy okra is quite delicious. Good luck. |
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- Posted by Slimy_Okra 2b (My Page) on Tue, Apr 8, 14 at 23:03
| I'm also leaning towards too much water. Okra really, really hates being over-watered, much more so than other veggies. Did you direct-seed or transplant? Is it cold at night? I would remove the bark mulch around the plant to help the soil aerate and warm up some more. |
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| To answers some questions This week, Day temp has been 80-86, night temp = 48-55 degrees. It was a transplant. I only have one plant because Okra is new to me. |
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- Posted by Slimy_Okra 2b (My Page) on Wed, Apr 9, 14 at 16:39
| Yep, nights are far, far too cold for okra. Okra sulks if the soil is not warm because it is easily attacked by soil pathogens. Personally, I would yank the plant out, grow something else for now and reseed okra at the appropriate time, which is when nights warm into the high 60s at least. Don't transplant okra - it really dislikes it. It's only recommended for growers with short summers. |
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| Agree. If your night time temps are that low then there is no way your soil temps are warm enough for okra. Soil temps rather than air temps are vital to planting things at the right time. Since your production from the one plant will be minimal anyway - if it survives - I'd pull it and plant something more appropriate to your current weather Dave |
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