Hi all,
One of my okra plants is now showing signs of what I think may be disease. Can anyone tell me if they have had similar issues with okra before or know what this is? I noticed cracks/splitting in the stem recently and it looks quite a bit worse now. Also my lower leaves are starting to yellow around the veins of the lower leaves. The lowest completely turned yellow and fell off. This is in a container but is somewhat in close proximity to my other okra plant, I want to make sure this isn't going to spread to the other plant. I have attached some photos. I appreciate any info!

Okra is susceptible to Nematodes, Fusarium Wilt, and Southern Blight all are soil borne and should not be available in container plants Unless one uses garden soil. White flies transmit Okra Enation Leaf Curl Virus and Bhendi Yellow Vein Virus. I can't tell from the photos but if you have or have had an infestation of white flies that may well be the source of your concern.

https://plantvillage.psu.edu/t...

Those cracks in the stem are healed. They could have been caused by beetles feeding or other mechanical damages to the plant (strong wind to say another one) as it was growing. Unless you see weird-looking beetles around (cucumber beetles will feed on okra given the occasion) it's probably just cosmetic now.

Now those leaves: those are symptoms of watering stress. It's relatively common in container-grown plants. This doesn't just mean too much water or too little water but may also mean irregular watering and/or uneven moisture in the container: typical problem is the top few inches are bone dry while the bottom is soaking wet. Malvaceae (the family to which okra belongs to) tend to behave exactly like that when water-stressed: the bottom leaves turn yellow and then fall off. Adjust your watering schedule and check if you haven't got water trapped at the bottom of the vase.

Dill, I've only used store bought miracle grow potting soil for vegetables. I have seen a white fly here or there but I squish em quick and I've never seen more than one or two at a time so I never had an infestation of them for sure (I've had them before on morning glories and it was bad!). So unless my store bought soil was bad I shouldn't have those issues. Thank u for your reply!

El Pollo, if those cracks are healed that great to know I just wasn't sure why I hadn't noticed them being that they're so dark and seem a bit deep. We have had some high winds here and there with some bad afternoon storms so that is possible.

The watering has been an issue at times because those fabric pots tend to dry very quickly-if I don't catch it and water them often on really sunny hot days the soil will go dry. Other days we will get loads of afternoon rains and they might get too much water on those days.. so I suppose it could be watering fluctuation issues here and there.

Thank you for your help!

StillPlayingInDirt said:El Pollo, if those cracks are healed that great to know I just wasn't sure why I hadn't noticed them being that they're so dark and seem a bit deep. We have had some high winds here and there with some bad afternoon storms so that is possible.

The watering has been an issue at times because those fabric pots tend to dry very quickly-if I don't catch it and water them often on really sunny hot days the soil will go dry. Other days we will get loads of afternoon rains and they might get too much water on those days.. so I suppose it could be watering fluctuation issues here and there.

Thank you for your help!

Yes, definetely typical Malvaceae watering issues: having grown up with a mother who still cannot get enough hibis and being a hollyhock lover myself I can definetely relate.

ElPolloDiablo said:

Yes, definetely typical Malvaceae watering issues: having grown up with a mother who still cannot get enough hibis and being a hollyhock lover myself I can definetely relate.

Do you think the watering fluctuation could also be the cause of my lack of pod production..? I posted the question here
https://garden.org/thread/view...

I appreciate your help!

It could be the fabric containers, I don't do containers but know others whos are successful with plastic or ceramic pots.

StillPlayingInDirt said:

Do you think the watering fluctuation could also be the cause of my lack of pod production..? I posted the question here
https://garden.org/thread/view...

I appreciate your help!

If the plants bloom like in the picture but flowers don't set fruit, most likely it's a nutrient deficiency. Okra self-pollinate like crazy so lack of pollinators is not an issue.

Try a liquid fertilizer. Literally anything will do, but if the plants are already well developed you should favor a PK (no nitrogen) fertilizer to avoid favoring too much green growth. Give the liquid fertilizer every fortnight or, if you water very often (twice a day or so) every week: now dual purpose fertilizers are freely available that can be both sprayed on the leaves and added to the irrigation water. Just remember if you choose to spray to do it in the evening to avoid leaf burn.

ElPolloDiablo said:

If the plants bloom like in the picture but flowers don't set fruit, most likely it's a nutrient deficiency. Okra self-pollinate like crazy so lack of pollinators is not an issue.

Try a liquid fertilizer. Literally anything will do, but if the plants are already well developed you should favor a PK (no nitrogen) fertilizer to avoid favoring too much green growth. Give the liquid fertilizer every fortnight or, if you water very often (twice a day or so) every week: now dual purpose fertilizers are freely available that can be both sprayed on the leaves and added to the irrigation water. Just remember if you choose to spray to do it in the evening to avoid leaf burn.

I will try that, thank you again so much for your help!!