Ran into a really strange problem with our okra this year and don't have a clue on the cause. Planted clemson spineless just like always and the plants are stunted only about a foot to two foot tall and the leaf stems are curling back around on themselves. Most of the okra pods are curved also and pod production is minimal.
I pulled up a couple of plants and checked for nematodes but don't see any signs of them on the roots. Anyone else ever run into this problem and if so what was the cause of the problem?
Sounds like you planted behind a residual herbicide , some of those take a full year to dissipate . thats my best guess . other than that has it been getting enough water . Okra doesnt do well in sandy ground it likes a heavy clay .
My okra are as prolific as I have ever had, but my plants are getting tired. A few leaves and stems have died. Today I cut a few pods that were curled, as you describe. I assume the aging and eventual demise of the plants as Fall approaches is to blame. The herbicide suggestion above, might also result is stress.
Yes I water regularly. The okra is planted in an 8 inch raised with a mix of potting soil, shale and mulch. I have used roundup in the garden for weeds but not in the raised beds several weeks before I planted and made sure it was just plain old roundup(glyphosate) without any other chemicals in it and from what I understand has no residual effects.
This is the first time I've seen okra do this and it sure has me scratching my head. If it is an herbicide problem it might have been in the mulch I mixed in with the other stuff. That's about the only way I could imagine it being there.
Granted Roundup would not be the problem , The mulch could be the culprit , I been jogging my memory over the years of planting okra cant remember ever having that problem . Pull up a plant and split the stem longways and see if you see any insect or worm damage .Ill still be studying on the matter.
I am not familiar with shale , and have never used the transplant pot & mulch method for okra . we just drill the seed in rows along with the fertilizer , with a tractor & cultivator /planter in prepared soil . Next , what fertilizer was used . okra like corn needs a lot of nitrogen ,we used a granular like 13/13/13 . and more recently switched to a pelletized chicken manure . Some herbicide labels warn against using cow manure where the cattle have grazed on hay from fields treated with certain weed killers . Maybe you just need some good ole Georgia clay .
Okra being in the tobacco family I think that might be a place to look but it likes hot dry weather. take a plant to the ag service and see what they say may be a problem with over watering I did that once and drown my whole garden
I get two soil test per year. Good piece of mind and they tell me what I need.
Once composted 75 pounds of pecan hulls. After using the compost, my raised bed tested high for zinc. Same results every year. Pecan growers use a fertilizer made with extra zinc. My test footnote mentioned other sources.
my plants are near the end of their productive lives. About one in four pods is curved and stunted.
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