Trim Okra When They Fall Over
Spring, TX
When Okra grow too tall and topple over, cut them to a height that will allow them to stand tall.
Okra can grow and grow in the summer heat down here in the Houston area. And usually toward the end of summer they will start to fall over because they are so tall. Often they are standing fine one day and then a large storm comes through (Harvey), and the wet soil loosens the roots and the rain and wind beat down and when the sun comes out the plants are lying on the ground. If this happens to you, do not worry. It was time to trim the plants anyway. Cut them back to four to six big leaves. These resilient plants will begin to put forth flowering shoots from the leaf axils.
Now, Okra can also grow along the ground looking for sun. This happened to me this year when I planted too close to the crepe myrtle. I love the mature trees in my yard but it does mean that finding full sun can be a challenge. If the spot is not sunny, you will have a hard time getting the plants to thrive. Trimming will not make a sun seeking okra grow up into the shade.
My conservatory bed has an altogether different and interesting phenomenon. In that bed on the north side of my house the shade is provided by the house so if the plants get tall enough they get into the sun. The sun gets high in Houston. My okra plants in that bed this summer experienced a big burst in the leave size and growth rate once they were about two feet tall and getting much more direct sunlight every day.
Overall I don’t think that I planted my Okra in the best place this year. I think next year I am going to line the driveway.
Link: I could have done a better job at “Preparing For Okra”. Unfortunately I did not have a plan for harvesting while we were traveling and so a hearty crop will go uneaten. Seeds maybe? Anyhow, these are the plants that I trimmed, you can see the brick below the conservatory window.