Okra lovers, New Bush Longhorn Okra - Page 2

GoDawgs · August 23, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rajun Gardener

That issue is because you plant to close together, try spacing it at least 2' apart and you'll see a big difference.

Do you think he has any seed left to sell? I'd love to try a couple of plants with my others next year.

JRinPA · August 24, 2018

I'd like to try that as well. That pod spacing is really something.

Rajun Gardener · August 24, 2018

I'll save seeds to spread around, remind me later and I'll send them out.

pmcgrady · August 24, 2018

My Clemson Spineless grows anymore, I'm going to need a stepladder to pick it... This looks Awsum!

b54red · August 25, 2018

Despite my plants now being really big most of them are still not blooming. I went out the other day and beat the heck out of them with a stick. A friend of mine told me it worked for him several summers ago when he had the same problem with his okra just not blooming. Of course it could be that the plants are so well watered and growing so well that they feel no stress to produce seed yet. I'm hoping that is the case and that is why I thrashed them in an effort to stress them a bit more.

Now that the plants are now five to six feet apart you would think that was plenty of room but it isn't. Some of them are already overlapping each other even with that huge spacing. I have never seen any okra spread like this stuff does. I'll be saving seed also if the rest of my plants start putting out like they should. Maybe I should go beat on them some more just to let them know what happens if you don't produce in my garden.

Bill

GoDawgs · August 25, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by b54red

Despite my plants now being really big most of them are still not blooming. I went out the other day and beat the heck out of them with a stick. A friend of mine told me it worked for him several summers ago when he had the same problem with his okra just not blooming. Bill

Long time ago, an old timer down the road from me (since departed for that Great Garden In The Sky) told me about whipping okra that was "being lazy" like yours. He got that from his father and said to just beat it good with a stick. I've never had to do it or seen it done but will be interested to see if old Linn was right.

JRinPA · August 25, 2018

LOL mine have been slow but I never considered beating them. Mine is clemson spineless. I am really curious about that new stuff.

I just figured it hasn't really been hot enough. Maybe not dry enough? The older plants are thinned out more - the leaves themselves have become skinnier- and are producing some for quite a while now. The later plantings have nice big leaves and bushed out some, but aren't putting out many pods yet. With so much rain this summer, I don't know what to think. The last couple years I have been picking more by now. About this time last year we had a cold snap and nights got down in the high 40s for a day or two and that shut them down completely, blackened all the flowers...then they came back and really put some pods out for a solid month after that. Maybe they were "scared straight"?

Does okra need bees to pollinate?

GoDawgs · August 27, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRinPA

Does okra need bees to pollinate?

Bees or any other critter that can move that pollen around.

Johnniemar · August 27, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rajun Gardener

I'll save seeds to spread around, remind me later and I'll send them out.

Hi

I would also love to try this okra if and when you send some out. I usually plant ckemson spineless but this variety is very interesting.

b54red · September 2, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnniemar

Hi

I would also love to try this okra if and when you send some out. I usually plant ckemson spineless but this variety is very interesting.

It is a lot better also. It isn't nearly as prone to getting pithy and it gets much larger. It does need a lot more space than any other variety I have ever grown.

Bill

JRinPA · September 2, 2018

My okra came on stronger this past week since it dried up some and got a little hotter. Getting some very nice 6-7" pods while still tender with clemson spineless, and not picking any until they are at least 4". Two years ago with less rain they had to be picked smaller before they got tough. The heaviest producers are the blocks of 4 5 6 plants that I filled in as space became available in mid-late spring. The big row that went in latest, mid-June has big plants, still with big full leaves, but they are not as yet putting out okra pods on every plant. Seems like too much shade in that continuous row and not enough flower exposure, but maybe they are just not old enough? That row is running ENE to WSW so I guess it shades itself some in the morning and evening. I love eating okra but I can't say I understand the plants.

My grandpop would grow okra back in 50 60 70s around here. It needed to be started under a board to germinate early enough and from what I understand good production was still hit or miss by the year. Next year I will devote some space to get it in earlier, and may well try blocks with spaces instead of continuous rows for more light. Last year my better patch was a big keyhole block, compared to two parallel double rows. It is also quicker to pick as there is less hide and seek.

I don't know how this new stuff would do up here, but it would be great to compare it with the old standby.

b54red · September 9, 2018

JR, I think if you plant this stuff in Pa. you will have to start it really early indoors in order for it to have time to get large enough to make good. It takes it a couple of months to grow and spread out before it starts blooming. It is almost mid September down here and some of mine are just now starting to bloom. Once they get going it is amazing how many pods are on a plant and need picking frequently. I think next year I will only plant five or six because with just me and the wife we can't eat it all each week now that it is finally producing good.

Bill

JRinPA · September 9, 2018

I imagine the years that would be best production for okra here would have a nasty hot may. I don't know how much they grow according to heat and versus how much to day length. Last night was fairly cool, maybe through tomorrow night, and will definitely cause a hiccup for the okra. Everything was putting out well. Next year I will do my best to get that to happen a solid month earlier.

Hey, general okra question, when saving seed, take from any plant, any pod that is well formed? Or only huge pods? Or only thicker stalked plant? Plants that put out the most pods? What is the criteria? I've missed a few pods that were close to getting a hard nose, but I picked them anyway, and they were still okay to eat. So, presently I have none left to harden. But soon it will be time to mark a few to leave for seed and I never really though about what to look for. Previous seasons I just kept some that I missed.

GoDawgs · September 10, 2018

Bill, when did you start yours? Seed in the ground or sets? That's a really late okra but would fit in perfectly if it starts producing when the others are petering out.

I hear you about too much okra for two people to handle. Okra can sometimes be hard to give away.

Rajun Gardener · September 10, 2018

Maybe it's just me but I'm not impressed with production of this new type but to be fair I treated it like I do the older cowhorn seeds I usually grow but they don't like to be neglected. I usually just mow as close to the row as possible and let the weeds grow till they get shaded out by the okra but these grew so slow I had weeds 3' tall competing with the okra for sunshine. Maybe that didn't work because these are spaced at 3' and the other okra I use a seeder and plant them closer together then thin out as they grow.

So I cleaned up the weeds, pruned the older leaves and sidedressed with triple 13 last week and that seemed to help kick in production. These were planted the first week of May during a 3 week drought and I had to water daily to get them to sprout. I'm sure the weather didn't help either, we've been having almost daily showers or heavy cloud cover for the last two months. I have at least 2 more months of growing season so we'll see what happens.

Time will tell if these get planted again next year. Maybe I'll grow them scattered with the other cowhorn plants so they can cross and that might help with earlier production.

Here's a few pics I took this morning, you can see they are just now starting to throw buds and even some of the side shoots are flowering.

August 24, 2018	#18
Rajun Gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Tomato Cornhole Posts: 2,550	I'll save seeds to spread around, remind me later and I'll send them out. __________________ Rob

September 2, 2018	#26
JRinPA Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: SE PA Posts: 972	My okra came on stronger this past week since it dried up some and got a little hotter. Getting some very nice 6-7" pods while still tender with clemson spineless, and not picking any until they are at least 4". Two years ago with less rain they had to be picked smaller before they got tough. The heaviest producers are the blocks of 4 5 6 plants that I filled in as space became available in mid-late spring. The big row that went in latest, mid-June has big plants, still with big full leaves, but they are not as yet putting out okra pods on every plant. Seems like too much shade in that continuous row and not enough flower exposure, but maybe they are just not old enough? That row is running ENE to WSW so I guess it shades itself some in the morning and evening. I love eating okra but I can't say I understand the plants. My grandpop would grow okra back in 50 60 70s around here. It needed to be started under a board to germinate early enough and from what I understand good production was still hit or miss by the year. Next year I will devote some space to get it in earlier, and may well try blocks with spaces instead of continuous rows for more light. Last year my better patch was a big keyhole block, compared to two parallel double rows. It is also quicker to pick as there is less hide and seek. I don't know how this new stuff would do up here, but it would be great to compare it with the old standby. Last edited by JRinPA; September 2, 2018 at 02:42 PM.

September 10, 2018	#30
Rajun Gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Tomato Cornhole Posts: 2,550	Maybe it's just me but I'm not impressed with production of this new type but to be fair I treated it like I do the older cowhorn seeds I usually grow but they don't like to be neglected. I usually just mow as close to the row as possible and let the weeds grow till they get shaded out by the okra but these grew so slow I had weeds 3' tall competing with the okra for sunshine. Maybe that didn't work because these are spaced at 3' and the other okra I use a seeder and plant them closer together then thin out as they grow. So I cleaned up the weeds, pruned the older leaves and sidedressed with triple 13 last week and that seemed to help kick in production. These were planted the first week of May during a 3 week drought and I had to water daily to get them to sprout. I'm sure the weather didn't help either, we've been having almost daily showers or heavy cloud cover for the last two months. I have at least 2 more months of growing season so we'll see what happens. Time will tell if these get planted again next year. Maybe I'll grow them scattered with the other cowhorn plants so they can cross and that might help with earlier production. Here's a few pics I took this morning, you can see they are just now starting to throw buds and even some of the side shoots are flowering. __________________ Rob

August 24, 2018	#19
pmcgrady Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Central Illinois Posts: 1,836	My Clemson Spineless grows anymore, I'm going to need a stepladder to pick it... This looks Awsum!

August 25, 2018	#20
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Despite my plants now being really big most of them are still not blooming. I went out the other day and beat the heck out of them with a stick. A friend of mine told me it worked for him several summers ago when he had the same problem with his okra just not blooming. Of course it could be that the plants are so well watered and growing so well that they feel no stress to produce seed yet. I'm hoping that is the case and that is why I thrashed them in an effort to stress them a bit more. Now that the plants are now five to six feet apart you would think that was plenty of room but it isn't. Some of them are already overlapping each other even with that huge spacing. I have never seen any okra spread like this stuff does. I'll be saving seed also if the rest of my plants start putting out like they should. Maybe I should go beat on them some more just to let them know what happens if you don't produce in my garden. Bill

September 9, 2018	#27
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	JR, I think if you plant this stuff in Pa. you will have to start it really early indoors in order for it to have time to get large enough to make good. It takes it a couple of months to grow and spread out before it starts blooming. It is almost mid September down here and some of mine are just now starting to bloom. Once they get going it is amazing how many pods are on a plant and need picking frequently. I think next year I will only plant five or six because with just me and the wife we can't eat it all each week now that it is finally producing good. Bill

September 10, 2018	#29
GoDawgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b Posts: 1,685	Bill, when did you start yours? Seed in the ground or sets? That's a really late okra but would fit in perfectly if it starts producing when the others are petering out. I hear you about too much okra for two people to handle. Okra can sometimes be hard to give away.