What's Eating Your Okra?

Hand-pick into soapy water at dawn, daily for 2 weeks

Pyrethrin spray on the upper stem at dusk, every 5 days

Spray pyrethrin (PyGanic, ~$25) on the upper third of the stem and on developing pods at dusk. The spray breaks down quickly so it spares pollinators that visit okra flowers in the morning. Repeat every 5 days through pod set, which lasts 8 to 12 weeks in Southern gardens.

Trap crop sunflowers or sorghum 6 to 10 feet from the okra

Stink bugs prefer sunflowers and sorghum to okra. Plant a single row 6 to 10 feet from the okra patch and check the trap crop every morning. Hand-pick or vacuum bugs off the trap before they move to the okra. The trap crop also keeps the bugs out of nearby tomatoes and beans.

Hose-blast the leaf undersides every 3 days for 2 weeks

Hold a hose nozzle 12 inches from the underside of every lobed leaf and spray at high pressure. Mites can't reattach quickly when knocked off, and the rinse humidity slows the survivors. Repeat every 3 days for 2 weeks. Best done at dawn so the leaves dry before the afternoon heat.

Insecticidal soap spray, every 5 days for 3 rounds

Deep-water once a week to break the drought-stress trigger

Soak the okra row to a depth of 6 inches once a week instead of shallow daily watering. Okra has deep taproots and pulls moisture from below, and a well-watered plant resists mite buildup far better than a drought-stressed one. Mulch 2 inches deep with straw to hold the soil moisture through hot afternoons.

Strong water blast every 2 to 3 days for 2 weeks

Hold a hose nozzle 12 inches from each colony and spray at high pressure. Most aphids dislodge and don't make it back to the plant. Aim under the curled new leaves and around the flower buds where they hide. Repeat every 2 to 3 days for 2 weeks. The fastest, cheapest fix.

Neem oil spray at dusk, every 5 days for 3 rounds

Plant alyssum or dill within 3 feet of the okra row

Sweet alyssum and dill flower for months and attract ladybugs and lacewings, which eat aphids. Plant a 3-foot strip along the okra row at transplant time. Established beneficials keep aphid pressure low for the rest of the season without spraying.

Hand-pick into soapy water in the morning, daily for 2 weeks

Neem oil spray at dusk, weekly through July and August

Mix 2 tablespoons cold-pressed neem oil with 1 teaspoon dish soap per gallon and spray the upper canopy at dusk. Neem doesn't kill beetles on contact but makes the leaves less appetizing within a few days, and feeding pressure drops sharply. Repeat weekly through peak beetle season.

Skip pheromone bag traps near the okra

Pheromone traps (the yellow-and-green hanging bags) draw far more beetles than they catch and concentrate them on whatever plant is nearby. If a neighbor sets one out, ask them to hang it at least 50 feet from your okra row.

Floating row cover from transplant until plants reach 18 inches

Drape lightweight floating row cover (Agribon AG-19, ~$20 for a 10x25 ft roll) over the okra row at transplant. Pin the edges with soil or landscape staples. Remove once the plants reach 18 inches and are tall enough to outgrow flea beetle damage. The cover is the single most effective fix because okra is wind-pollinated and doesn't need bee access until flowering.

Spinosad spray at dusk, every 7 days for 3 weeks

Mulch with straw 2 inches deep around seedlings

Flea beetles overwinter in soil debris and emerge from the ground around your seedlings. A 2-inch straw mulch breaks up the bare-soil surface they need and slows their reach to the young leaves. Mulch also helps okra hold soil moisture through hot Southern summers.