Should You Prune or 'Whoop' Your Okra Plants?

On this week's Two-Minute Tip, we talk about pruning and "whooping" okra? Does it work? Is it worth the time?

#hosstools
#growyourownfood
#pruneokraplants
#vegetablegarden

Check our our other pages:

[karthik_sivakumar]

I like it how your tips are only two minutes and not rambling

[cavalryscout]

Okra is self pollinating.. whooping helps ensure each bloom gets pollinated..
When I was a kid we took a stick and knocked off the bottom tiers of leaves.. like he said that makes it easier to see and reach the Okra pods.. but it also served to shake the plant and help pollinate the open blooms

[DeepSouthHomestead]

I always cut the leaf off when i cut the okra pod above it. My dad always said let the growth go to the next pod of okra that leaf serves no purpose anymore so dont let it rob the next pod of vital nutrition.

[eric]

I like to pruning if nothing else but for the ease of harvest. The less I have to touch of the plant to harvest the better. Makes me itch like made!

[joelhenderson]

Travis when my pop whooped me I seemed to do better!

[berri]

These are so tall! This is our first year growing okra and we based it off another video about growing it in pots. We planted ours in rows in the ground so it will probably grow big like yours! We are based in Los Angeles 👍

[mohammedrehman]

I am first time home Gardner ( trying to be) I live in Waterford CT. Your video very informative. Thanks for making this video. Respect from CT.❤

[bashirahmad]

I did in the same way and got good results

[bonzotalonzo]

I live in Philippines, never before had a okra plant until I moved into this house. It yields very well and I like the tip on removing leaves as they seem to be giving me a skin rash when I bump into them as the plant is right up next to a papaya & a little crowded. I have many allergies and NOW discovering that okra leaves may be giving me the itchies. BTW- nice

[ThatGardener]

Love how much can learn from your two minute videos

[karenwest]

When we lived in Belize I was told to “shame” my Mango tree so it would produce. I was to take a stick and beat it on June 17th. I did that but we moved before I could see if it worked.

[steveplatt]

Never heard of such until this year. I will try next year

[billp]

Thanks for this video.
I originally posted this as a reply to George Baker's helpful reply, but I thought I should put it here too:

Other plants bush out and produce more side shoots and flowers when the top is removed. (Thinking of basil, broccoli, peppers etc, along with many decorative plants and flowers)

I wondered if okra would do the same. I wish I had thought of this a couple months ago and tried it on some of my plants. I'll have to wait till next year.

I only remove leaves when they look bad. The more photosynthesis the more energy (food) to the plant. Each leaf is a solar panel. Okra likes lots of sun for a reason. Removing leaves seems counterproductive. Though harvesting would be a little less itchy with a few less leaves. Long sleeves solve that problem as another commenter mentioned.

Whooping sounds like an old wive's tale. I believe some types of plants do tend to bloom more when stressed, but by heat and letting the soil dry out more between waterings. Spanking the plant seems to miss the mark.

I've read that there is a hormone released when young plants sway in the breeze or are moved in a way that stimulates wind. The hormone produces stockier stems and trunks, so they are less leggy and hold up to rough weather better later. Supposedly works on tomato seedlings, peppers, small trees and so on. For this reason some plant specialists say not to stake young trees. I'd rather do that than just "whoop" the plants.

Next year I'll probably nip off the central tip of some plants before they start to produce flower buds rather than cut the plants in half as another helpful commenter mentioned, which I think would work too, but might stunt growth temporarily that late in the season. Nipping the tips earlier in the growth cycle might accomplish the same thing but with less stunting.

By the way, I also appreciate your shorter, get-to-point videos, as others have already noted. You ramble less than I do 😂
Thanks again

[owlsongmagic]

When you prune the okra as shown and drought strikes, you'll wish you hadn't pruned it! Those limbs and leaves your ripping off are water storage that's used to sustain the plants during drought. I don't irrigate so I don't prune!

[dirtdiggerjerry]

Can you save the seed? I know you can't save hybrids from other plants, but I was wondering about the Jumbalya verity.

[cosmyccowboy]

Another question, have I not read where ingenious cultures mixed peas in with their okra? It would help to keep the peas out of the mud

[charlescoker]

A grower in Singapore prune the growing tip at 6 inches tall. To make the plant make more limbs. You considered doing that?

[LauraG]

@hoss tools should the tops be cut off once they reach a particular height to encourage growth at the bottom? Also curious if I grow in a small grow bag, will the roots make its way into the soil underneath (which is fine for me) I just didn’t really want to invest in larger bags and more potting mix but wanted a “raised bed” effect without building one. Would love your thoughts!

[carolsteele]

I wear long sleeves and gloves because one touch of the plant causes much itching, even after washing.

[eydiewimberly]

Is it ok wi have two stalks of Clemson Spineless grown together in each hill? they are over 18" tall now but touch each other. Should I cut one back to one stalk or will it be OK?