Vegetables - Okra
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  (July) I planted some okra earlier in late April, the Emerald variety. I don't understand why it is not producing much okra. To enhance the production, I have been cutting or removing the big leaves. Am I right in doing this or I am making it worse? In previous years, I planted the Clemson Spineless and they were fine. I was also removing the big leaves to produce more okra, but, this year, I tried this Emerald kind and they are not doing as well. I need your advice.

  Plants use their leaves to manufacture food, so I would not remove any leaves. Okra produces best during warm weather, so it should be in its prime, now that the temperatures have really begun to heat up. Okra needs at least 6-8 hours of sunlight a day. Quit removing leaves, mulch the plants to conserve moisture, and see if you don't begin producing flowers and okra.

  My okra plants are about five feet tall and seem to be healthy. I have around thirty plants. Only two have any okra on them. I have never had this happen before. I planted like I always do. Could you tell me what I could do to cause them to begin producing? The soil has been tested and they said it needed lime. I put out lime and 13-13-13 fertilizer.

  There are two possible causes for your okra not producing. One is sunlight. They must get at least six to eight hours of sunlight a day to produce. The other possible cause is an extremely rich soil with lots of organic matter and/or nitrogen. Occasionally, a plant will get to growing too well and will put all of its energy into vegetative growth and not reproductive growth. Try topping the plants, let them get a little on the dry side (which should be easy to do now) and see if they don’t start producing. If sunlight is the cause, move to a sunnier garden spot.

  The last three years I have planted okra in raised beds (three different varieties). The seeds sprout, grow very well and about the time they start bearing pods, the leaves turn yellow on the bottom of the stalk, and the okra stops blooming. Within two or three weeks, there is only a bare stalk. Other produce, such as Irish potatoes, purple hull peas, kale, etc do very well in the same beds. There appears to be nothing wrong with the roots and no insects seem to be harming the okra. I would appreciate any advice. 

  First, rotate your crops. Find a new bed for the okra this season. Diseases, specific to one or two plants can build up in the soil and hit you sooner each year. Try not to plant in the same soil for three years. Usually, we have very few problems with okra. It is susceptible to several diseases, but they aren’t common. Cercospora leaf spot can work quickly once it takes off, especially in association with hot weather. This may be the culprit. Rotate, then see if it hits again. If so, spray with a fungicide such as Daconil. Also, take a sample to your county extension office for diagnosis, to be sure that is what you have.

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