Grnhouse Okra "cuttings"

[Martinhouse]

I just cut the tops off of all the okra plants growing in my greenhouse, as they were nearly to the top. I cut them right above where little side shoots were starting to grow out of the main stem. Unless we get extra cold weather before the middle of November, I should get a fair amount more okra from these side shoots.


Anyway, I saved the tops of ten or twelve of these plants that had buds, flowers and little baby pods on them and these tops are about a foot high with at least the last six new leaves on them. I have them like a bouquet in a two-quart pitcher of water and I'm gonna see if they will keep developing.

I'm wondering if anyone here knows if there is anything I can add to the water to help these cuttings survive and actually grow? I'm talking just regular household stuff like sugar, since I do not have gardening chemicals of any kind. I could also make small amounts of rabbit poop tea to add when I change the water every couple of days, but beyond that, I'm clueless. I'd sure appreciate any knowledge or even educated guesses about making this work.

Thanks

 

[summerthyme]

I just cut the tops off of all the okra plants growing in my greenhouse, as they were nearly to the top. I cut them right above where little side shoots were starting to grow out of the main stem. Unless we get extra cold weather before the middle of November, I should get a fair amount more okra from these side shoots.


Anyway, I saved the tops of ten or twelve of these plants that had buds, flowers and little baby pods on them and these tops are about a foot high with at least the last six new leaves on them. I have them like a bouquet in a two-quart pitcher of water and I'm gonna see if they will keep developing.

I'm wondering if anyone here knows if there is anything I can add to the water to help these cuttings survive and actually grow? I'm talking just regular household stuff like sugar, since I do not have gardening chemicals of any kind. I could also make small amounts of rabbit poop tea to add when I change the water every couple of days, but beyond that, I'm clueless. I'd sure appreciate any knowledge or even educated guesses about making this work.

Thanks

Unfortunately, I don't know of anything that mightblet these both develop roots and still mature and ripen the immature fruits. When you take cuttings, you take young shoots and remove any blossoms, etc, as well as most of the leaves, to reduce the demands on tiny rootlets trying to form. I dont think this will work.

Summerthyme

 

[Martinhouse]

I'm not trying to root these cuttings, I'd just like to give them a chance to mature what's already started at the tips of them. Sort of like just picking a bouquet of rose buds and just keeping it's vase of water fresh until all the buds have bloomed.

I don't think okra plants root easily along the stalk. I've never seen it happen to any stalks that have been knocked flat and lain on the ground for any length of time.

Well, I'll just keep the pitcher of water fresh and see what happens. Rooting anything in water out in the greenhouse needs close attention, since I'll just be breeding mosquitoes if I forget and let it sit untended for more than a few days.

 

[Martinhouse]

I spent a lot of my day in the greenhouse and that included keeping an eye on my okra cuttings. Three buds opened into flowers and I hand pollinated them. And it could be my imagination, but I'd swear that one of the little existing pods grew just a tiny bit. Nothing like a normal plant grows overnight, but If I can get all those little pods up to two inches long, it will still be a nice little handful of okra.

I cleaned up all the mess from taking out the okra plants and the diseased tomato plants, then hosed the whole floor down to get rid of all the leaf chips and dirt, then watered every container and flower pot. It looks nice out there again. It's nearly all flowers out there now and I don't think I'm going to plant kale and broccoli this year. This can be a fallow winter in the food planters and maybe the white flies will freeze off somewhat if we get a few extra cold nights. I can cover the flowers with the zillion and a half mattress pads I bought over time, just for greenhouse frost protection.

 

[Martinhouse]

My "bouquet" of okra plant tops is definitely growing! I admit I forgot to see if the stalks were growing roots, but I cut a couple of little pods off today and there are several more that I'm hoping will continue to grow.

Okra doesn't grow real well once the nights get below 65 degrees, but since it's in my greenhouse, it should be fine, even though the sides are open right now. Guess it's almost time to think about getting the new plastic up on the sides, but right now the ten day forecast looks pretty good for late September.

 

[summerthyme]

That's pretty cool! I hope you get a harvest!

Summerthyme (I wonder if adding a bit of sugar and a plain aspirin to the water would help or hurt? I hesitate to suggest it ...)

 

[Martinhouse]

Tomorrow I'm going to totally change the water instead of just adding to it. If the cut ends look bad, I'll re-cut at an angle with some good sharp scissors or the new pruner.

I'm kinda half-hoping I find roots on the stalks, if I do, it will be tempting to put them in the ground. Only thing that would stop me doing that is the lateness of the season when I'd be cutting all the tips off of the plant for the transplanting. Most of the okra containers are against the outer wall of the greenhouse, which get the coldest. Okra would not like that at all!!!!

I hesitate to put anything at all in the water. Since I'd planted them with a thick (3"?) layer of Miracle-Gro in the containers, they might be able to take that again and I might put just a little bit, maybe an inch, in the bottom of the pitcher when I change the water.

You wouldn't believe how much growth I"m getting on the original stalks of the plants! Most of the stalks are shaped like Lombardy Poplars right now and I think a few of those side shoots are getting buds already. Another thing to remember to check tomorrow! If these things keep growing, I'll sure have lots of hand pollinating to to every morning around ten or eleven o'clock!

 

[Martinhouse]

Well, my okra "harvest from that bouquet of 14 cut stalks was seven not-very-large okra pods. But, still, it is food and will just be sliced and added to one of the little bags of the same that are already in the freezer. Today I bought a couple of the little pie pumpkins to fine dice and fry with the okra and some fine-chopped onion. No breading on this dish...the flavor comes from slow-cooking the onions in the oil before adding the okra to the pan. Then add the pumpkin last, as it cooks faster and would turn to mush if added at the same time as the okra.

I just hope it will cook soft enough that I can mash it all up enough to eat it without choking. If it doesn't, my sister and/or nephew will be getting a few little bags of okra from me.

Dozens of the little side shoots on the main okra stalks are already getting bud and even a few flowers are about ready to open. The present cooler weather has slowed them down, but it will be warm again this coming week. I need to find time to get this year's plastic on the sides of the greenhouse...then that okra will really take off in the heat in there!