Okra is a very nutritious vegetable, rich in protein, vitamins, mineral salts, and trace elements. Moreover, eating okra also has the functions of beauty, lowering blood sugar, and nourishing the kidney, so it appears more and more frequently on the public table. The resulting market has also encouraged farmers to expand the acreage of okra. So what are the cultivation steps of okra? So today, the editor will give you a general explanation of the cultivation techniques of okra, as well as the techniques and methods of field management.

1. Seedling raising time and soil treatment

The planting time of traditional okra is generally after April, because okra likes temperature and heat resistance, but with the popularity of greenhouses, households in many places plant it in advance, especially in the warm southern regions, which can be in January and February. Seedlings started. It can be harvested from April to May, and the harvest time can continue until the end of October. Treat the soil of the nursery bed before planting. The soil needs to be fully mixed with mature soil and fertilizer, and then disinfected, and the disinfectant is evenly sprayed on the soil. The soil moisture needs to be maintained at about 50%. Then you can start planting.

2. Sprouting seeding

Because the seeds of okra are inherently hard, in order to speed up the germination speed, the seeds need to be soaked before sowing. First soak the seeds in clean water for 24 hours, and then place them in a place where the ambient temperature is 25°C-30°C for accelerating germination. White buds will appear in about three or four days, and sowing can be carried out at this time. When sowing seeds, dig small holes at a distance of about 10cm between rows, and then 2 to 3 seeds can be placed in each hole, and the thickness of the covering soil is about 2-4 cm. Then the soil temperature of the nursery bed should be maintained at 25°C, which can speed up the emergence of seedlings, and usually the seedlings can emerge in about 5 days.

3. Thinning planting

Within 30-40 days after emergence, when the okra seedlings grow 2-3 true leaves, they can be planted. What needs to be done before planting is to thin out some diseased and residual seedlings. When the okra seedlings grow 3-4 leaves and the height is almost 10cm, pull out the excess plants in each pit, leaving the strongest seedlings, and then transplant and plant them. When seedlings are unearthed, seedlings should be thinned to remove all diseased and weak seedlings. When the okra grows to three or four leaves and the seedling height is about 10 cm, there is only one strong body left for the plants planted in each pit. Pull out all to complete the transplantation work. Before transplanting, be sure to apply foot fertilizer on the planting field, and then spray root water to improve the survival rate of okra rhizomes.

4. Field management

After planting okra, pay attention to the management of the field and weeds in time to avoid excessive consumption of nutrients. Moreover, after the seedlings are planted, the temperature is relatively low, and two consecutive cultivations are required to increase the ground temperature, which can promote the slowing of the seedlings. Then when the okra plant grows its first flower, cultivating should also be strengthened, which is conducive to squatting the seedlings and promoting the development of the root system. After the okra blooms and bears fruit, the growth rate will be faster, and it needs to be watered and fertilized in time. There may be rainy weather at this time, so in order to avoid lodging, you need to build a support for the okra. You can use bamboo poles and branches of about 1 meter to tie near the plant, or tie the crossed paper strips into a figure eight with a rope.

5. Fertilizer and water management

Okra has relatively high requirements for air and soil moisture during its growth period. Therefore, manual sprinkler irrigation is required in the morning and evening within 20 days after sowing. When the seedlings grow up a bit, mechanical sprinkler irrigation or furrow irrigation can be used. Then in the summer, the okra is harvesting, the demand for water is relatively large, and the ground temperature is high, so watering before 9 in the morning and after sunset is the most suitable, so as to avoid watering at high temperature and damage the roots. Then, on the basis of applying sufficient basal fertilizer, topdressing should be done appropriately, and nitrogen fertilizer should not be applied. After emergence, 90-120 kg of urea needs to be applied per hectare. After planting, ditching and spreading are carried out, and compound fertilizer can be applied at 225-300 kg per hectare. Then apply fertilizer again during the flowering and fruiting period, and you can apply 300-450 kg of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compound fertilizer.

6. Pruning branches and leaves

In addition, okra needs timely removal of side branches during the growth process to promote the growth of the main stem and increase fruit yield. If the early stage of growth is too vigorous, twist the petiole into a drooping state, which can control the excessive consumption of nutrients, and it will work for the okra in the middle and late stages of growth. Then when it bears fruit, it is necessary to topping and topping, so that nutrients can be transported to the fruit to promote the ripening of the okra.