Okra is undoubtedly a staple in many homes, especially if you find yourself living in the south. So it’s only natural to want to grow this delicious plant in your very own garden. As with most plants, fertilization can significantly help increase your okra plants’ yield, and so you might be wondering if chicken manure is a good fertilizer option.
Chicken manure is good for fertilizing okra because it is high in nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and calcium. This type of fertilizer is also highly nutrient-dense, and several studies have concluded that plants produce bigger and better pods when chicken manure is used sparingly.
In the rest of this article, I will discuss and compare some of the many fertilization options for okra and how often you should be prepared to reapply fertilizer. So if you would like to learn more about fertilizing okra, especially with chicken manure, let’s get started.
Benefits of Using Chicken Manure To Fertilize Okra
There are many benefits of using chicken manure to fertilize your okra plants compared to some other popular fertilizers. So let’s go over some of the many reasons you should consider using chicken manure as a fertilizer.
Benefits of fertilizing your okra with chicken manure:
- It’s organic. One of the main benefits of using chicken manure is the fact that it’s completely natural and free of harmful chemicals.
- It’s high in nitrogen. Due to the levels of nitrogen found in chicken dung, it makes an excellent fertilizer, especially for okra which responds so well to nitrogen. However, too much nitrogen can end up killing your plants, so proceed cautiously.
- It’s full of organic material. This organic material provides much-needed nutrients to your plants resulting in increased plant growth.
- It’s free. If you play your cards right, this form of fertilizer can be acquired for free. If you have chickens, then you are all set. If not, you can easily get some from a friend or neighbor, as most people don’t tend to hoard their chickens’ poop.
Okra doesn’t actually need to be fertilized in order for it to grow; however, several studies show that these plants produce bigger and better pods when regularly fertilized. So it’s honestly worth it to put in the extra effort to fertilize the plants.
Is Chicken Manure Better Than Cow Manure?
Obviously, there are a few different manure options when it comes to fertilizing. The two most popular are chicken and cow manure. But how exactly do they compare? Which of the two is better?
Chicken manure is better than cow manure since chicken dung is over twice as nutrient-rich. In addition, chicken manure contains high nitrogen levels, which okra seems to respond positively to. However, you should always be careful when adding manure, as too much can kill your plants.
If you have easier access to cow manure, it can still be used to fertilize your okra plants; just keep in mind that it will not be nearly as effective as chicken dung. Cow manure is also much messier to collect and has different nutrient levels to consider.
Can You Use Too Much Chicken Manure?
Now that you understand which manure type makes the best okra fertilizer, you might be wondering how much is safe to use. How well will your okra plants tolerate it? Can you give your okra plants too much chicken manure?
You can use too much chicken manure. Since chicken manure contains high levels of ammonia, your plants can easily become burned and die as a result. Therefore, it’s much better to mix your chicken dung into your compost rather than applying a concentrated dose to your okra’s garden bed.
How much chicken manure you should add to your okra’s soil can vary based on the soil quality used and the nutrients already found in the dirt. However, there is a sure way to test your soils health.
If you are worried about overdoing the nitrogen in your okra plants’ soil, I recommend using a soil testing kit. Luster Leaf makes the Rapitest Soil Test Kit (available on Amazon). This test is awesome because it works quickly and has the ability to test for soil pH, nitrogen, and phosphorus.
What Is the Best Fertilizer for Growing Okra?
Though chicken manure is pretty great as far as fertilizers go, it’s actually not the best available. It does a pretty good job, though, as far as free fertilizers go. There is, however, one fertilizer that is recommended above all others.
Miracle-Gro is the best fertilizer for growing okra since it comes premade and has been carefully cultivated to promote growth in plants like okra. It’s also the easiest method of fertilization as you will not have to worry about nutrient levels like you would have to in a homemade fertilizer.
However, if you aren’t looking to purchase a premade fertilizer such as the Miracle-Gro Shake ‘N Feed Fruit & Vegetable Plant Food (available on Amazon.com), chicken manure is still the best free organic option for boosting your okra’s growth. But, not everyone will have access to a healthy supply of chicken dung, so do what makes sense for you.
Organic Fertilizer Options for Okra
Chicken manure is a pretty excellent fertilizer option, and the fact that it can easily be acquired for free is part of the reason it’s so widely used. But, I would still like to take a look at some of the most popular organic fertilizers you can use for your okra plants.
Alternative okra fertilizers:
- Compost. Of course, compost is the perfect option for those who already enjoy composting. Mixing your very own compost into the soil can help boost the nutrient levels, which will allow for your okra to grow bigger and healthier.
- Compost tea. Another method of adding compost is creating compost tea with which you can water your okra. This tea is supposed to contain all the same nutrients as regular compost without having to add more dirt to your garden beds.
- Eggshells. A great way to add calcium to your okra plants’ soil is by crushing or blending egg shells and mixing them into the soil. Generally, your compost will also already contain eggshells, but adding some directly can add some much-needed nutrients.
- Coffee grounds. You can add coffee grounds to the soil to help boost your okras pod production. Coffee grounds are another item that can also be added to your compost or directly used.
So as you can see, there are a few different organic fertilizer options, all of which you can acquire in your own home. You also can always purchase a premade fertilizer if that suits you better. Ultimately, use what makes sense for you and your garden. Using Epsom Salts can also help increase the magnesium in your okra plants’ soil.
How Often Should Okra Be Fertilized?
Last but not least, I figure we should go over how often you should worry about fertilizing your okra plants. Okra are resilient plants and incredibly tolerant to stress. They also don’t actually need to be fertilized to grow. But, if you want to fertilize your plants, how often should you do it?
Okra should be fertilized every four to six weeks after the plants have had time to grow about six inches (15 cm). How often you fertilize will be dependent on the health of your plants and the weather where you live. It’s also important not to over-fertilize as this can also kill your plants.
You can adjust how often you fertilize your okra plants based on how well they respond to the fertilization. However, about every six weeks should be perfect for ensuring that your okra grows large healthy pods.
Just make sure your plants have grown about a half a foot before fertilizing. This would be about the same time you should start staking your okra for better stability.
Conclusion
In conclusion, chicken manure is an excellent fertilizing option for your okra plants. It provides several much-needed nutrients such as:
- Nitrogen
- Phosphorous
- Potassium
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Sulfur
This is just to name a few of the many nutrients that can be found in chicken manure. Ultimately, okra doesn’t have to be fertilized in order for it to grow, but a good fertilizer can amplify the size and taste of your pods.
