Growing cotton for multiple seasons.

[MiryokutekiKame]

I am going to be starting my first cotton plant soon. And I was wodering if anyone here had any experience that they would wouldn't mind sharring.
I have a few questions:
When growing cotton as a house plant do you put it in a dormant state like you would a hibiscus? Does it need this dormant state in order to rebloom?
I live on the edge of zones 4 and 5 so it will go outside when weather is permitting.
Is there anyone out there who has sucessfully grown a cotton plant for multiple harvest seasons? Does the amount harvested increase in subsequent years?
I tried doing some research but no one seems to talk about anything but the first year of production because cotton is normally grown as an annual here in th USA.
I did find a small blip of information saying that the plant can be sucessfully grown for several years if care is taken not to let the frost get to it.
How many sucessful harvest seasons have you gotten out of your cotton plant?
How old is your cotton plant and is it still alive?
With hibiscus, which I understand is similar in natue to the cotton plant, I understand that it is necessary to put it in a dormant stage for two months and then prune before starting a new growing season. Prunning increases blooms on a hibiscus, so would it increase the yeild on a cotton plant?
I can't think of any more questions right now. However, I think that might be enough for now.
Thank-you for taking the time to read this.

[Ozark Lady]

I started some cotton seeds. I had them out on the porch, and animals (I assume a squirrel) kept knocking over all my plants out there.

It started good and had the first leaves, was looking good, and then, all the plants there died from all the times they got knocked over.

I was sort of hardening them off, the porch has dappled sunlight, I was toughening them to go into the garden.

I don't think that many people have grown cotton beyond that first year. It is a pretty plant with lovely blooms. You might also research okra and whether it has been grown over multiple seasons, they are the same family of plants.

I have more seeds this year, so I will be making more attempts at it.
I was severely limited in the amount of seeds that I had back when I grew it last.

I do think that cotton might (?) need a period of dormancy, like hardwood trees and poinsettias do. I am only guessing and far from an expert on this.

I guess: We try and then we can establish our own information!

[MiryokutekiKame]

Thank-you for taking the time to reply.

I'm sorry to here about your plants. I am no stranger to the pest that are called squirrels. They eat my popcorn and my baby chesnut trees! Both of which I am trying again this year too!

I hope those dastardly squirrels don't get your cotton pant this year.

Thank-you for your tip on Okra. I will look into that plant species and see if I can find any good information. A pecursery check didn't come up with anything. I will do a more in depth search when I have a couple of hours to spare.

Right now I have to go and deal with some freshly falling snow.

Thanks again for sharing your experiance!

MiryokutekiKame

[applestar]

I finally had the chance to peek in this thread.

OH, NO! are you saying cotton can be OVERWINTERED!!!?
(people who know me are chuckling now.... )

I grew cotton as an annual one year. I was focused on getting them to make cotton and never considered the possibility. I bought heirloom cotton varieties that ripen one by one rather than ripen all at once, so it was kind of excruciating near the end of the season to watch the pods harden, then develop a crack, then split open, depending on the weather while the fall rains loomed and then began, sporadic hot dry days when they would burst open and rush to pick them, and then the looming average last frost.....

Last harvest were picked "green" and barely split -- some opened up while they dried inside, others developed mold.

But in the end, after carding them, we had nice fluffy colored cotton. I'll see if I can find a picture.

Ozark Lady already got me thinking I want to try growing some cotton again this year even though I hardly have any space left in my garden plan. Now, I'll be thinking about the possibility of overwintering the plants at the end of the season when I already have a major overwintering project going.

Thanks for the new info.... I think

[applestar]

Here's the thread in which I talked about it:
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/v ... p?p=166474

Here's a picture from the same thread:

Carded Cotton "wool":

(Brown mass is about football sized, Green mass is about coconut sized)

That was first carding, and there was about equal amount of uncarded bolls remaining, which my daughter eventually carded and used for a craft project.

[Ozark Lady]

Wow, awesome colors!

Anyone who knows that I am learning to spin, should know that my brain is reeling with possibilities...

The green cotton that I was given was much, much lighter in color than that, it was also tighter held together, not carded yet... and looked like possibly not ripened in the sun.

The idea of perennial plants has my brain spinning also... if I could just treat it as a poinsettia, and when end of dormancy have a full sized plant instead of a tiny seedling, how far would that get me? Larger plant, and more, more, more bolls of cotton.

I think that cotton particularly, has not been grown as a perennial due to the bollweevil infestation. The bollweevil likes to overwinter in debris around fields and gardens, so clean cultivation was vital. And when dealing with acres of infested cotton, there is just no way, that cotton would fair better to be held over, than would fresh new plants with the bugs dead!

That said, overwintering the cotton is also overwintering the pests... I wonder if there is anything non-toxic that dormant cotton plants could be sprayed with or dipped in to kill any pest eggs? What if you puffed on diatomaceous earth, so the minute the eggs hatch the baby is destroyed?

Any ideas especially organic controls?

[MiryokutekiKame]

Loos lik you had a nice harvest applstar. I hope I am as successful as you.

I found a few references that vaugely said that it could be overwintered. But nothing on how the cotton plant would produce in its second year or any years after that. Or for how many years it would live.

I am looking forward to planting my first cotton plant. I am currently waiting for the seeds to come. I am so excited! I'm not sure were I'm going to put the plants, but I'll figure out something.

I ordered 25 seed so I think I will try to grow it as both outside as an annual and as an house plant/porch plant and see what comes of it.

I was actually thinking that I might treat the cotton like a hibiscus, in terms of letting it rest.

Ozark Lady, have you ever tried pyrethrin? It is a natural oil from the Chrysanthemum plant. I understand it works on bollweevils.

Thank-you both for your wonderful responses. It is nice to know that I am not alone. I hope that this experiment goes well.

[Ozark Lady]

One more point:

Research your state laws. There is a bollweevil eradication program going. And some states are still not allowing individuals to grow cotton plants.

I found out a lot about other plants but nothing about cotton in Arkansas.
I did get a note from the government, who sent me my first cotton seeds, that if a bollweevil is seen in the cotton, I must totally destroy the crop.

Bollweevils also live in/on okra, so wonder why okra is allowed?

I think that it is mostly the eastern states that are still not allowing cotton growing by individuals.

[MiryokutekiKame]

I found an interesting factiod that I think is worth sharing:

"In the plant world, cotton is the most prominent member of the Mallow Family which includes okra, marsh mallow, rose mallow, the hibiscus, and an old friend, the hollyhock."

I was trying to determine if I was allowed to grow cotton. Still haven't figured that out. I live in the northern part of Illinois, far away from any cotton farms. So I think I might be fine. But I will continue my research until I find some relevant information.