Germination temperature
Optimum about 35 °C (95 °F); good range 21-35 °C (70-95 °F); minimum about 16 °C (60 °F).
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Okra loves heat. Soak the seed overnight, sow it directly into warm soil and pick the pods every day or two while they are small and tender.
Optimum about 35 °C (95 °F); good range 21-35 °C (70-95 °F); minimum about 16 °C (60 °F).
About 2.5 cm (1 in).
Quick in warm soil; slow and patchy in cool soil.
Full sun.
Soak seed in water overnight.
Direct sow.
Use fresh, plump seed. In Indian fields TNAU treats seed with Trichoderma viride (4 g per kg) or Pseudomonas fluorescens (10 g per kg), then Azospirillum, and dries it in shade for 20 minutes before sowing.
Not needed. An overnight soak softens the seed coat enough.
Not needed. Okra is a hot-season crop; cold only harms it.
Soak seed in water for several hours or overnight, or keep it in a moist paper towel, to speed up germination. Sow soaked seed straight away into moist soil.
Wait until the soil is at least 18 °C (65 °F) at 10 cm (4 in) depth; in temperate climates that is one to two weeks after the last frost. Okra germinates best at 21-35 °C (70-95 °F). TNAU sows in June-August and February on the Indian plains.
About 2.5 cm (1 in) deep. TNAU sows three seeds per hill, hills 30 cm (12 in) apart in rows 45 cm (18 in) apart.
Fertile, well-drained soil worked with well-rotted manure. Avoid heavy doses of nitrogen, which give leafy plants with few pods.
Keep the soil moist until seedlings emerge, then water about weekly, more in dry heat.
Choose the sunniest bed; okra does poorly in shade.
Seedlings appear quickly in warm soil. In cool soil the seed is slow and may rot, so do not sow early.
Not usual: sow direct. TNAU thins to two plants per hill 10 days after sowing; home gardeners often keep the single strongest plant, with plants 30-60 cm (12-24 in) apart.
Keep the bed weeded while plants are small. TNAU gives a nitrogen top dressing 30 days after sowing.
Cause: yellow vein mosaic virus, spread by whitefly. Fix: grow tolerant varieties (TNAU lists hybrids COBhH 1 and CO 3), pull out infected plants early and control whitefly.
Cause: fruit and shoot borer caterpillars. Fix: remove bored pods and shoots; TNAU uses pheromone traps, egg parasitoids (Trichogramma) and Bacillus thuringiensis sprays.
Cause: cold soil or old, unsoaked seed. Fix: wait for warm soil, soak seed overnight and resow.
Cause: root-knot nematodes. Fix: rotate crops and add organic matter; do not grow okra in the same bed each year.
Cause: pods left too long. Fix: pick every one to two days at 5-7.5 cm (2-3 in).
TNAU starts picking about 45 days after sowing and picks every one to two days; garden varieties are usually ready in 60-70 days. If the stalk is hard to cut, the pod is already too old.
Okra plants and pods carry short hairs that can irritate bare skin. Wear gloves and long sleeves when harvesting.
Pods bruise easily; cut them with a knife or shears and use them soon.
Arka Anamika, Parbhani Kranti and CO hybrids are common in India. Grow several plants for a steady supply.
Sow soaked okra seed into warm soil for tender pods all season.
Yes. Soaking for several hours or overnight speeds germination. Sow the soaked seed immediately into warm, moist soil.
Most often the soil was too cold. Okra needs at least about 18 °C (65 °F) in the soil and germinates best above 21 °C (70 °F).
When pods are 5-7.5 cm (2-3 in) long and still tender, every one to two days. Large pods become tough and fibrous.
Most modern varieties have spineless pods, but the plants and pods carry short hairs that can irritate the skin. Gloves and long sleeves make harvesting comfortable.