For vegetable garderners just, please!? As the okra plants get taller, should the lower leaves be cut...
As the okra plants get taller, should the lower leaves be cut off? Any links would be greatly appreciated.
I would only remove them if they look bad, i.e. brown, sickly, or spotted. Otherwise just leave them nearby. It couldn't hurt. I've always done that for my tomatoes, removed the "suckers." so the plant doesn't waste verve growing non-fruit bearing branches.
I can't imagine why. leaves crease energy. They more energy, the more fruits it can sort.
Also, I'm a lazy gardener. That is.I grow SO MUCH stuff...any work I can save myself is fitting. Any garden "chore" that I do - better be a darned good reason for it.
My okra grows a short time ago fine being virtually ignored. Which is piece of why I love the stuff.
Answers: We grow okra contained by our small garden and we cut the bottom leaves off and the plants make okra surrounded by the top. They seem to produce just as much okra but bear up a lot less space than allowing them to grown untrimmed since they tend to grasp really, really bushy. The only problem I have next to trimming the bottom leaves is that I'm short and it doesn't take the plants long to outgrow my reach. But I lately gently bend them over and follow them to the top and cut the okra. Another plus to trimming is that the leaves don't rub all over you while you are adjectives and make you itchy. I actually turn out in sleeveless shirts and harvest the okra. No itch! Yeah. Either bearing, trimmed or untrimmed, enjoy your okra.
You can remove them to allow better air circulation if they are too crowded.