pepperhead212
Executive Chef
Larry, I always start them indoors in Jiffy pellets, about 4 weeks before putting them in the ground; they are supposedly not good for transplanting, but there isn't much disturbing of the roots with this method, and I don't grow them very large, like with the tomatoes and peppers. This time I had 3 varieties, one of which (cowhorn, which I got in a trade, and they were supposedly saved, new seeds) did not sprout one seed! So I tried a bunch of those, plus some more of the other two, soaking in GA-3 (this definitely helps with okra, though I only use it at times like this), then putting them in a seed sprouter - the kind used for spouting mung beans and the like, where they are rinsed several times a day - and, again, not one cowhorn sprouted, though all of the other two sprouted, so those went into the empty jiffy pellets, and soon became plants. Here's a photo, 28 days after the original planting, showing the smaller ones, as well as the larger ones. Normally, I would have planted them about this stage, if it hadn't been for the cold forecast. I took a chance starting them early, since April was so warm.Hey Pepper, do you start your Okra indoors ? or plant the seeds directly in mid May outside ?
Okra, ready to plant. Smaller plants were re-planted, where seeds didn't germinate. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
And here's a photo from tonight, 3 days later, showing the roots coming out of the jiffy pellets. The smaller plants are catching up, as well:
Okra, started in jiffy pellets, about 4 weeks ago. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
Okra supposedly won't germinate at temps below 70º, so it's got to be done quite late up here, or started early indoors. I do that on a heat mat, like the peppers. A trick some people use (though I have never done it) is to freeze the seeds in an ice cube tray - this supposedly helps crack that hard shell on the seeds - then they plant the cube. Still, the soil has to be warm, so I'll stick with soaking, then sprouting, if I want to speed things up.
When I was experimenting with GA-3, to see what seeds it would speed up, or not, okra was one type that it definitely speeded up, along with cucurbits, parsley, and basil. Tomatoes and peppers were slowed up, if anything, and most others I tried it didn't affect one way or the other. So if I have something that would not germinate, I soak in that, then put in the sprouter - if none sprout then, they go in the trash!
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