How to Make Healthy Okra Plants Produce

Increasing the yield on healthy okra plants is not difficult if they are fertilized correctly and the pods are harvested on a regular basis. This long, green vegetable is tasty when boiled, steamed or fried. It is one of the basic ingredients in gumbo. Whether it is grown in a home garden or as a cash crop, the plant tolerates environmental stress well and produces pods until autumn if cut back.

Nitrogen fertilizer
Gardening gloves
Weed trimmer

Instructions

- 1
  Fertilize each acre with 25 to 30 lbs. nitrogen before planting okra. Apply a side dressing of 25 lbs. when the plants grow to a height of 6 to 8 inches and again about two weeks later. Test the soil if okra production has been low in the past. Too much nitrogen enables the plants to grow healthy and at a fast pace, yet yields little harvest.
- 2
  Harvest okra every other day for the best yield. Pick the pods when they are about 5 inches long. Removing the pods allows the plants to continue producing. Fruit set and flowering reduces if mature pods are left on the plant. Wear gloves when picking the pods; they are prickly and may cause skin irritations.
- 3
  Cut back healthy okra plants to ensure a crop in the fall. Mow them down to a height of 6 to 8 inches with a weed trimmer, leaving 8 to 10 nodes. Fertilize the cut-back plants with 15-0-14 or a 13-0-44 fertilizer according to the directions on the label.
- 4
  Irrigate the soil well every 10 days. Water the plants to a depth of 1-1/2 inches to ensure the best yield.

How to Calibrate a Crop Sprayer

Why Are Your Potato Plants So Tall?

Vegetable Garden