The planting of okra seeds is an integral part of okra farming. Without the planting of okra seeds, you cannot practise okro farming.
You need to buy your okra seeds and plant them by burying them for the okra plants to emerge. This is the basic way of planting okra seeds.
Okra seeds can be planted in a nursery before transplanting. They can also be directly seeded in the field.
How to plant okro seed in Nigeria
The following are the steps to take to plant okro seeds in Nigeria:
Buy the Okro Seeds
The first step to plant okro seed in Nigeria is to buy okra seeds from a reputable seeds dealer like Veggie Concept.
You are advised to buy hybrid okra seeds as this type of seeds produces high yields and is resistant to pests and diseases.
You should also check the expiry dates of the okra seeds before buying. Do not buy expired seeds.
Some of the best hybrid okra seeds are Maha F1 and Kirikou F1 okra seeds.
Get a farmland site
You need a farmland to plant your okro seed. You should get a farmland with accessible roads so that the produce of the farm can be easily evacuated to the market.
The farmland should also have a fertile soil. If the soil is not fertile, it can be amended with manure, compost, lime and fertilizers.
Land Preparation
The farmland should be cleared of weeds, bush, trees and stumps, Ploughing, harrowing and riding may also be done.
Several rounds of ploughing may be done so that the soil will be loose enough for the planting of okra seeds.
Planting of the Seeds
Holes of 2-5cm depth should be dug; one okra seed should be dropped in every hole. The hole should be covered with soil afterwards.
The intra-row spacing of okra plants is 30 – 50 cm. The inter-row spacing of okra plants is 50 – 100 cm.
The seeds may be treated with microbial innoculants and pesticides before planting. Fertilizers and manure may also be added to the soil before the planting of okro seeds.
Okro seeds can also be planted in the nursery before transplantation to the field.
Application of manure and fertilizers
After the planting of the okra seeds, manure and fertilizers should be continuously applied to the okra plants so that they can grow well and have good yields.
A soil test should be done before you apply fertilizers to your okra plants. The right type of fertilizers should also be applied.
Application of pesticides
Pesticides like insecticides, bactericides, fungicides and nematicides should be used after the planting of the okro seeds.
The right type of pesticides should be used.
Weeding
Weeds should be removed from the okro farm from time to time. Weeds can prevent the emergence of the okra plants after the planting of the seeds.
Weeds can be removed by hand or with the use of cutlasses and hoes. Tools like weeders and tillers can also be used to remove the weeds.
Do you need more information on the planting of okra seeds in Nigeria? If yes, kindly contact us through sales@veggieconcept.ng.
Read our article on okra farming in Nigeria.