Okra Germination
Okra germination is a common concern for many folks. The hull of the okra seed is quite thick, and so can cause some issues with speedy germination, especially in dry conditions. As a result, lots of people have experimented with different ways to improve okra germination, or perhaps just speed it up!
Tricks to Germinate Okra Seed
To better explore the plethora of suggestions when it comes to improving okra seed germination, I set up multiple germination tests with the following preparations. Each preparation had 40 seeds counted from packets of Sow True Seed Clemson Spineless and Red Burgundy okra seeds. The seeds had been stored at 50% humidity and 50°F. Once the preparation had been applied, the seeds were placed in a ziplock bag with a wet paper towel. I checked the seeds every 8 hours.
Freeze: The National Gardening Association published a book on Eggplant, Okra, and Peppers in 1987 and advised freezing the seeds overnight for best germination.
Bleach: Felder Rushing shared his foolproof method of soaking the seeds in bleach for 5 minutes, then rinsing and allowing to pre-sprout before planting.
Soaking: Soak seeds in water overnight. Soak seeds in water for 24 hours. Soak seeds in warm water for 8 hours. [And many iterations in between].
Germination Bag: Ron Cook, Heavy Hitter okra breeder, told me to wet a paper towel and place it in a ziplock bag and then keep it warm to pre-sprout. Ron places the bag in an inside pocket and gets rapid germination. Note: in my trial, all seeds ended up in a germination bag and were left on the kitchen counter. Ron’s trick of using body heat would be certain to speed germination.
RESULTS
| Hours to First Emergence | Hours to 50% Emergence | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clemson Spineless | Red Burgundy | Clemson Spineless | Red Burgundy | |
| Freeze Overnight | 24hrs | 24hrs | 48hrs | 48hrs |
| Bleach 5 Minutes | 24hrs | 12hrs | 30hrs | 24hrs |
| Soak 24 Hours - Cold | 24hrs | 24hrs | 36hrs | 30hrs |
| Soak 8 Hours - Cold | 24hrs | 12hrs | 24hrs | 24hrs |
| Soak 8 Hours - 88F | 12hrs | 8hrs | 24hrs | 24hrs |
| Germination Bag | 30hrs | 30hrs | 48hrs | 48hrs |
Table: Scarification Methods to Assess Germination Time in Okra Seed
One thing to note is that everything germinated pretty rapidly; even the dry seeds placed on a wet paper towel resulted in 50% germination within two days. However, seeing the vigor and speed of the seeds that were soaked for 8 hours, both warm and cold, I would certainly proceed on the recommendation of soaking overnight. The bleach was as effective as 8 hours of soaking, but not more so. It would be interesting to replicate this with more varieties, but I’d need a bigger kitchen!
Determining in Okra Seed is Viable
Sometimes, especially with old seed or mixed seed, it’s useful to establish if okra seeds are still viable ahead of planting. Water winnowing is a method that can separate seeds based on their density. Denser seeds sink and are assumed to be viable, while lighter seeds float and are assumed to be non-viable.
Here’s what we know:
Soaking okra seeds speeds up germination.
When seeds are first soaked, the ones that sink generally have really good germination.
The ones that float have mixed germination. Sometimes they are all duds, but I’ve also experienced good germination from the floaters.
Part of this is due to a tendency for some seeds to float after 12 hours of soaking; some seeds that first sank will now float, and these generally still have good germination.
If not sowing soaked seeds immediately, or if sharing seeds, then seeds can be briefly float tested to separate less viable seeds (floaters), and the sinking seeds can be rapidly dried (I use the fan only setting, no heat, of my dehydrator).
The conclusion is that sinking seeds are good and floating seeds are mixed. We have used water winnowing to improve a seed lots from mid 60s germination rate to mid 90s.
Left side: seeds which at first sank but after 12 hrs soaking were found floating. Right side: seeds that sank and stayed sunk. Seeds that floated in the beginning were poured off and discarded.
