Can okra be moved?

habitat_gardener · May 22, 2020

I planted the first batch of okra about 3 inches apart. I had a dozen varieties, with some new seed and some seed as old as 2003, intending to plant accordingly, but on the way to the garden the seeds got mixed together. The ones that germinated are mostly at the ends of a 4x8 bed. They are all about an inch high.

Can I transplant some of them so that they will be 1-2 feet apart? Or will that be a waste of time?

PaulF · May 22, 2020

It just so happens I am the first to answer this serious question with my kind of answer: yes, out of the garden and into the compost pile. Now wait for the real replies.

GoDawgs · May 22, 2020

Can't hurt to try as you'd have to pull them to thin the row anyway. Just get a nice chunk of soil with it.

Paul, I guess you won't be wanting any of the okra and tomatoes we're having with lunch today, eh?

brownrexx · May 22, 2020

I would give it a try. I start mine indoors in pots and transplant it to the garden with no ill effects.

PaulF · May 22, 2020

I would love the tomatoes but forego the okra.

brownrexx · May 22, 2020

I make stewed tomatoes with sliced okra added and it acts as a natural thickener. Honestly I can't taste the okra but DH can and he loves it.

b54red · May 23, 2020

Quote:

Originally Posted by habitat_gardener

I planted the first batch of okra about 3 inches apart. I had a dozen varieties, with some new seed and some seed as old as 2003, intending to plant accordingly, but on the way to the garden the seeds got mixed together. The ones that germinated are mostly at the ends of a 4x8 bed. They are all about an inch high.

Can I transplant some of them so that they will be 1-2 feet apart? Or will that be a waste of time?

I have done it successfully before. It is best to do it late in the day and for even better results on a day when rain is in the forecast. Like someone said make sure to get a good chunk of dirt with it and set it in a hole already scooped out and then water with a dilute fertilizer and keep them watered for a few days.

I used to have to do the same thing almost every time I planted them directly in the soil. I have been starting them in cups for years to eliminate that problem and they transplant with no problem especially if they are over six inches tall with a good root ball. I now grow mostly Cowhorn types and they are so large that I try to give them a couple of feet between them.

Bill

habitat_gardener · May 24, 2020

I did a test run a couple days ago, digging up 3 into prepared holes and the tossing a handful of compost around them before I watered. So far so good. The inferno is coming this week, two days 105F and two more days 100F+, so I’m letting them be for a few days.

In the meantime, I’m germinating a new batch so that I will be able to know who’s who.

One more question: do I need to bag blossoms if I want to save seeds?

Zeedman · May 25, 2020

Quote:

Originally Posted by habitat_gardener

I did a test run a couple days ago, digging up 3 into prepared holes and the tossing a handful of compost around them before I watered. So far so good. The inferno is coming this week, two days 105F and two more days 100F+, so I’m letting them be for a few days.

In the meantime, I’m germinating a new batch so that I will be able to know who’s who.

One more question: do I need to bag blossoms if I want to save seeds?

Yes, you would need to bag blossoms if saving seed from more than one variety. Okra is a rich pollen source, so bees will most likely be working the flowers. Supposedly okra self-pollinates, so it may set pods on its own if bagged... never tried it myself. If not, you may need to open the bags long enough to hand pollinate, using a clean brush for each variety.

BTW if saving seed, it has been my observation that provided the plants are not crowded, letting one pod per plant go for seed has little to no effect on yield. The plants I allowed to do that last year bore all season.

habitat_gardener · June 30, 2020

All of the okra plants I moved have done well. I also moved 11 of them to a different bed in mid-June, and covered the bed loosely with shadecloth and newspaper. Some of them looked like they might not make it -- wilting, lost leaves, etc. I watered every day, since the edges of the bed were in full sun, and we had a 100F+ heat wave for several days. Two weeks later, during a break in the inferno (80s-90s), I uncovered them and mulched, and all are thriving.

ddsack · May 24, 2020

Yes, if you are growing more than one variety and want to keep seed pure. One source claimed it was possible to cross pollinate up to 1/4 mile, though I imagine you'd have to have no obstructions and perfect wind conditions. Or maybe the bees did it!

zendog · July 1, 2020

Good job! Someone at my community garden sowed all his okra in a clump and then moved them to rows when they were a couple inches tall. Good thing he had a ton of seedlings, since only about 20% made it. They definitely don't like being transplanted, but with the care you gave them it can work.

For okra, like a lot of things I direct sow, I've gone to soaking them and then keeping them in a lightly moist paper towel in a plastic bag until they sprout. Then I know when I sow them that close to 100% will come up so I can space them accordingly. I also find it helps get good germination if I'm starting them a little earlier when the soil isn't as warm as they might prefer.

It is interesting to see the different days to germinate each variety takes. A lot of the longer types (Burmese, Perkins Long Pod, Bowling Red, etc.) germinate in the paper towels in just a few days and mostly all at once, the the fat types (Eagle Pass, Star of David, etc.) take a week and sometimes longer to show any life and then germinate a few at a time each day. Perhaps it is my seed source, but I was really worried when I first tried Eagle Pass that all my seed was bad and then they finally started to germinate.

May 22, 2020	#1
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,543	Can okra be moved? I planted the first batch of okra about 3 inches apart. I had a dozen varieties, with some new seed and some seed as old as 2003, intending to plant accordingly, but on the way to the garden the seeds got mixed together. The ones that germinated are mostly at the ends of a 4x8 bed. They are all about an inch high. Can I transplant some of them so that they will be 1-2 feet apart? Or will that be a waste of time?

May 22, 2020	#2
PaulF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brownville, Ne Posts: 3,296	It just so happens I am the first to answer this serious question with my kind of answer: yes, out of the garden and into the compost pile. Now wait for the real replies. __________________ there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes.

May 22, 2020	#5
PaulF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brownville, Ne Posts: 3,296	I would love the tomatoes but forego the okra. __________________ there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes.

May 24, 2020	#11
ddsack Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3 Posts: 3,231	Yes, if you are growing more than one variety and want to keep seed pure. One source claimed it was possible to cross pollinate up to 1/4 mile, though I imagine you'd have to have no obstructions and perfect wind conditions. Or maybe the bees did it! __________________ Dee **************

May 22, 2020	#3
GoDawgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b Posts: 1,685	Can't hurt to try as you'd have to pull them to thin the row anyway. Just get a nice chunk of soil with it. Paul, I guess you won't be wanting any of the okra and tomatoes we're having with lunch today, eh?

May 22, 2020	#4
brownrexx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Southeastern PA Posts: 1,420	I would give it a try. I start mine indoors in pots and transplant it to the garden with no ill effects.

June 30, 2020	#10
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,543	All of the okra plants I moved have done well. I also moved 11 of them to a different bed in mid-June, and covered the bed loosely with shadecloth and newspaper. Some of them looked like they might not make it -- wilting, lost leaves, etc. I watered every day, since the edges of the bed were in full sun, and we had a 100F+ heat wave for several days. Two weeks later, during a break in the inferno (80s-90s), I uncovered them and mulched, and all are thriving.

July 1, 2020	#12
zendog Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: VA-7a Posts: 121	Good job! Someone at my community garden sowed all his okra in a clump and then moved them to rows when they were a couple inches tall. Good thing he had a ton of seedlings, since only about 20% made it. They definitely don't like being transplanted, but with the care you gave them it can work. For okra, like a lot of things I direct sow, I've gone to soaking them and then keeping them in a lightly moist paper towel in a plastic bag until they sprout. Then I know when I sow them that close to 100% will come up so I can space them accordingly. I also find it helps get good germination if I'm starting them a little earlier when the soil isn't as warm as they might prefer. It is interesting to see the different days to germinate each variety takes. A lot of the longer types (Burmese, Perkins Long Pod, Bowling Red, etc.) germinate in the paper towels in just a few days and mostly all at once, the the fat types (Eagle Pass, Star of David, etc.) take a week and sometimes longer to show any life and then germinate a few at a time each day. Perhaps it is my seed source, but I was really worried when I first tried Eagle Pass that all my seed was bad and then they finally started to germinate.