African okra trials-plus okra breeding project

[heavyhitterokra]

Glen, can you eat Malabar Spinach, raw, as a salad green?

[glen]

Ron, I have never tried it. If you googled it you could probably find out. I don't know why you couldn't. It is a real pretty green leaf.
I am actually just now learning about it by experimenting with it. In the US you have many options for veggy's to grow for the kitchen so we don't see malabar spinach often. It just happens to grow so well here in Panama in the tropics that I had to take notice. Real spinach is a cool weather lover. I recommend malabar spinach for your hot summers. My vines are now going to seed so I have to pay attention and pick the seeds when they are ready this year. I do plan to buy some more plants however I want to start some with seed as well. It grows so well in my heat and it tastes so good that I plan to grow a lot of it. I can't tell the difference between real spinach and what Bercy makes using Malabar spinach. It would probably be good used raw in a salad too.

[heavyhitterokra]

Bon,

I'll bet dinner time is a real treat around your place! Thank you, for sharing so many interesting insights. By the way, Lamb's Quarter is one of my favorite wild, greens. I can hardly wait until Spring harvest of things like poke salet, purslane, wild onions, and Lamb's Quarter.

I really appreciate everyone's unique perspective and respected input on these forums. Keep it coming!

[glen]

Bon, thanx for telling us about the Egyptian spinach. Now, about the Malabar spinach. I noticed that you said it was rubbery tasting. That was raw. I have never eaten it raw and probably never will. You have to try it washed, and steamed in water. Season it like you would season your spinach. If cooked like this you have a fabulous veggy. I cannot for the life of me tell the difference between Malabar spinach and regular spinach if cooked steamed. It tastes the same as canned spinach does and probably much better than that. I still buy canned spinach here in Panama because we cannot get it any other way. I will take Malabar spinach any day of the week. I still have plants in the yard now producing Malabar spinach that came from the original plant I bought and planted last April. Malabar spinach grows readily from cuttings. Just cut two or 3 cuttings off a big plant and bury them in the ground somewhere. They like soil rich in organic material but will grow anywhere. They like lots of water. Absolutely love water. The seeds don't stay viable all that long so I mostly just grow new plants from cuttings. I do have some seed now though. Malabar spinach loves the heat. And, loves water. I just let them sprawl. Anywhere that a vine touches the ground it might put down roots. Anytime the plants look full of green its time to pick leaves. Bercy enjoys preparing Malabar spinach and this season I have to grow a much larger row. Good greens are so hard to come by in the tropics. Malabar spinach will thrive in the harsh heat of the summer at the same time you are growing black eyed pea's. I mean, they are tough as nails and grow fast and provide good eating. This year I will buy a single plant from the fair. I will plant that plant in a nice pot. It will take off quickly. Then I will begin taking cuttings. During the rainy season, it roots from a cutting very easily. It never fails me. You can trellis Malabar spinach if you want to. I usually just let it crawl around in the yard and move the pots to cut the grass when it is time for that. For me, Malabar spinach is a life saver since we can't grow the cool weather greens that you guys have up in the US of A.

[glen]

Just remember that Malabar spinach likes heat, water, and organic material in the soil. Without any of these 3 items, it doesn't do so well. Also, the seeds need to be planted if you have some. They don't have a long shelf life. I am looking forward to planting Malabar spinach now. I miss it. Two months to wait. I have also been saving tomato seeds. They are now curing on top of the fridge along with the jalepeno and okra seeds.

[glen]

Oh, another thing I noticed about Malabar spinach here in Panama. It can take shade. So, keep this in mind when selecting a location. Obviously it does need sun. However, it can take filtered sunlight and can also be planted in a location that does not get sun the entire day. During my rainy season, we are under constant over-cast sky's which means filtered sun. Malabar spinach loves this condition. So does my okra.

[macmex]

Guys, I created a leafy greens board and started a Malabar spinach thread. You're welcome to talk about it here. (I'm always happy to see the activity But if you post more there, that's where people looking for info will land.  

You talked me into planting Malabar spinach this year!

[glen]

Ok, I have posted experience with malabar spinach on the new greens thread. I have also got tomato seed saved in the house from the Heidi tomato project. I encourage you to grow more Heidi tomato's George. They love the heat! I will be growing that also. I have never successfully grown tomato's before I got the Heidi tomato seeds. Thats another project coming up. I will also be growing a round version of heidi tomato's that somehow got mixed in with the seed. They are super heat resistant also. Plus, I have the almighty Tam Jalepeno pepper project growing also. The tastiest jalepeno's on the planet! These items plus the AfricanX okra will keep me occupied this year.

[heavyhitterokra]

Awesome, Glen. Keep it coming; any gardening news, is good news, this time of year! We enjoy your progress.

[glen]

To everyone. The AfricanX okra breeding project isn't over. However, this thread is getting long in the tooth and tired. I have asked George what he thinks about me starting a new thread. I want to call it-AfricanX Okra-2019 season. It will be a blog about the progress of my AfricanX planting for the 2019 season. We have created a new variety of okra. Now, I just want to relax and grow it out. Very few people are growing this okra. So far, George has grown the most beautiful row of AfricanX okra I have seen outside of my own yard. That is a testament to George's green thumb. George proved that this okra can be grown successfully outside of Panama. I have seen quite a bit of foto's of sub-quality trials that won't win anyone any awards. So there is still quite a bit to learn about this okra. An important bit of information I learned about this variety of okra here in Panama is that it must be planted in Mid-April or May. AfricanX okra grows poorly during the dry season. Just like Panamanian coffee okra does. And, when I send seed to people around the world I tell them to plant right before their rainy season. Then, I get foto's of very sickly plants. AfricanX okra does not adapt and grow everywhere it is sent. I can only guess why. If you are someone outside of Panama that I send seed to I would appreciate feedback. The more feed back I get the more I learn about this new okra. Like I said, George has successfully grown AfricanX okra in Oklahoma. So I know it can be grown in different climates. His row of AfricanX okra was gorgious and hopefully George will continue to grow a few plants every year.

[glen]

As far as AfricanX okra not performing in different climates many people may say that it is because AfricanX okra is photoperiod sensitive. Well, I am confused about this issue. My day-length here in Panama is almost the same for every month of the year. However, it does not grow well during the dry season.  During the dry season it doesn't matter how much I irrigate or care for a plant. Plants do bloom and produce okra. However, the plants stay short and small like runts and produce only about 12 pods. Since the plant blooms and produces okra, can we say that the plant is photoperiod neutral? I don't know. Here is a definition of photoperiodism I found online.

Photoperiodism

Definition - What does Photoperiodism mean?
Photoperiodism refers to the response of plants to the lengths of dark and light periods. Many angiosperms, or flowering plants, have a protein that can sense seasonal changes in light. A plant will flower depending on these changes in light levels.
Each plant has a different photoperiod that it requires to flower and propagate. Plants generally fall into three photoperiod categories: long-day plants, short-day plants, and day-neutral plants.


MaximumYield explains Photoperiodism
The effect of photoperiodism in plants is not limited to when they will flower. Photoperiodism can also effect the growth of roots and stems. Additionally, photoperiodism affects the loss of leaves in some plants during different seasons.
Although the three photoperiod categories seem to suggest that plants depend on the amount of daylight they receive, modern biologists believe the amount of darkness that plants receive is what causes them to flower.
Long-day plants generally flower during the summer months when nights are short and days go longer. Examples of long-day plants are carnations and oats. On the other hand, short-day plants flower during seasons that have longer periods of night. They require a continuous amount of darkness before flower development can begin. Some examples of short-day plants are cotton, soybeans, and rice. However, some plants referred to as day-neutral plants do not flower based on a particular photoperiod.
Gardeners can take advantage of the knowledge of a plant’s photoperiod by manipulating a plant into flowering before it would naturally do so. Manipulating a plant into a flowering stage can provide several benefits, particularly to commercial growers. For example, plants can be forced to flower by exposing or restricting its access to light. Plants can then be manipulated to produce fruit or seeds outside of their usual season.

[glen]

Oklahoma has a much different climate than Panama and definitely a different daylength. Yet, AfricanX okra loves Georges climate and garden.

For whatever reason, conditions are just right in Oklahoma.

Now, the definition does say though, that photo-periodism can affect the growth of roots and stems. Not just whether the plant flowers and makes fruits or pods.

Something is causing AfricanX okra to perform poorly in my dry season conditions so it does sound like it falls in the category of photo-periodism after all.

[glen]

Ok, I will be starting a new thread towards the end of May called-AfricanX okra-2019 season. This thread needs to be put to bed as it has become a dead soldier. Feel free to post here if you would like though. Maybe George will move this thread to the archive.

[glen]

Bon, when did you plant your AfricanX okra? At the same time as the Heavyhitter okra?

Ok, good job. Thanx for trialing AfricanX okra Bon.

[heavyhitterokra]

Glen,

You have done more work with cross pollinating okra than anyone I know. You've given me a great deal of information and have had ideas that I never would have thoght of, like the way you planted HH on a different date to get it bloom at the same time as AX even though they are two different breeds of okra having almost nothing in common and both have way different days to maturity. Not to mention the work you did to get them to bloom the same time of day. HH opens at 7:00 am, just as soon as light hits it and is toast by noon. Ax opens at about 11:00 am and goes in the afternoon, yet you even found a way to work around that too. We owe you a debt of gratitude for all the research you've done, posting the results for the rest of us to read.

I for one, really enjoyed this thread.