OKRA Problems!

Hi, my okra plant has suddenly developed white spots on the leaves, it's not a powder but rather a discoloration and I would love some advice on what to do, what it is, etc. It has yet to yield okra but I do see little pods and I don't want to jeopardize those. Many thanks for any help you can give.

Nothin much bothers okra except the leaf footed bug. If it is bright and part of the coloration of the leaf, it may be a characteristic of your partciular cultivar. I seldom have problems with mildew or mold but they are possible. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PI097

Thank you, Farmerdill. That's encouraging, sounds like they're pretty hardy plants. The white spots are not on every leaf and just started coming out but otherwise the plant does look healthy. One other question, are the pointed like pods going to bloom into flowers first or are they actually the beginning of the okra? Again, thanks very much.

Okra is related to the hibiscus. It has big showy blossoms which precede the okra. http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/59943/

Farmerdill,

How big do okra plants get? If you remember a month or so ago, I had a slug problem concerning my 'Cajun Delight' okra. I noticed the link above was Clemson Spineless. I was wondering if the cajun delight get about the same size. My cajun's are currently about 24 to maybe 30 inches tall. They have started producing pods though and appear to be healthy. I have gotten about 14, 3-4 inch pods thus far. That's off of 5 plants.As long as they keep producing I'm not much concerned about it, but was just curious.

Happy Gardening!

P.S. Thanks again on the slug advice.....I wouldn't be having this message if it weren't for your insight!

Cajun Delight seems to a much smaller plant than even the Clemson Spineless. Mine are just beginning to set pods, but are smaller than Emerald which is my main crop. That one gets to about 7-8 feet for me, Clemson Spineless about 4-5 feet.

Forgot the picture of Cajun delight. Current Status, only a little more than a foot tall.

OMG! Farmerdill...you're saying that my Clemson Spinless plants are going to be 4-5 feet tall??
I don't know what I was thinking but I was under the impression that they would get about 2 feet high, max. Holy cannoli !
And yours look a lot different than mine do. Yours looks a bit like a maple leaf that's been cut with pinking shears! I'll have to take a photo of mine tomorrow and show you the difference....lol. I do see one similarity though...mine has little, bitty holes in the leaves too!

I don't know if it's something peculiar to my soil but my Clemson Spineless grow to probably 7 feet tall by the end of the summer. They produce fine so I wouldn't say it was just too much nitrogen. I had just always assumed they always got so tall. lol

Wow! I can't wait til they're 7 feet tall! My little pups have a looooong way to go according this picture I'm attaching. This is my Clemson Spineless at 4 weeks old.
Ping

Hi all, another OKRA question: How do you know when they are ripe? My potted okra has finally started to flourish - clemson spineless - the pods are around 5-6" -- all very exciting but I realized I dont know when they are ready to be picked. They are still pretty hard...should they be really soft to be ripe? Many thanks for your help !

Okra is used in the immature stage. Clemson Spineless gets tough quick, I usually pick it at 2-3 inches by 5-6 inches they are usually tough and fibrous. If they are growing rapidly they may be ok. but okra only has a couple of days between flowering and picking or they will get as tough as an old shoe.

Farmerdill, Uh-oh... I guess I should have asked you sooner! They've been growing like that for weeks. I'll go pick them now and see what they look like, thank you so much. I might have ruined them. Live and learn....thanks again.

Just cut the pods and if they are tough ( you can't cut them with your fingernail) toss them. They will keep coming unless they have gotten to the seed stage. You normally have to pick okra every other day..

Farmerdill - just cut into an okra, pretty much fell apart, too old. So, question: when the seeds are black inside are they good for replanting?

Possibly they will dry, especially if you leave them in the pod to dry. I f I have some rare cultivar I let a plant or two go to seed, but like most things I let them finish completely on the plant.

Has anyone run into okra producing normal looking pods that are empty (seedless)? I'm growing a red variety and the pods have no seeds. I'm wondering if it's drought related? I thought okra self pollinated, but maybe insects aren't doing the task at hand?

What's going on?

--Tom