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How to Grow Cotton From a Seed

By MD White, eHow Contributor
updated: May 6, 2010

Instructions Difficulty: Moderate

1. Clear the ground where you will be planting the cotton, making sure it is free of any debris before fertilizing Things You'll Need:
the soil with manure or compost. Once you are done, rake the soil so that it is level.
Cotton seeds
2. Dig into the ground 6 to 8 inches in preparation for planting the seeds. Your rows should be 1 to 1.5 feet
wide and be somewhere around 2 feet apart. Make a little furrow about 1 inch deep in the middle of each of Fertilized soil
the rows. To help you make straight rows, you can fasten a piece of string that is as long as your row to a
couple of sticks to mark the line for you. Water

3. Place a couple of cotton seeds about 4 inches apart in the furrow you have dug. Then cover them with the
soil you previously dug up. (http://ad.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh%3Dv8
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4. Wait a few weeks until the seeds sprout before watering your cotton seedlings. Then you will need to water /t%3B233233594%3B0-0%3B1%3B45421481%3B37789-249
them every week. You will also have to fertilize your cotton plants every couple of weeks with a fertilizer that /77%3B39409104/39426891/1%3B%3B
has lots of potassium and nitrogen. %7Eaopt%3D2/1/25/0%3B%7Esscs
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5. Stop watering your cotton plants when they bloom (after about 16 weeks) so that you give the plants a /273386824/direct/01/)
chance to dry and lose their leaves. In general, you can start picking your cotton when the bolls open and the
fibers are dry and fluffy, a process that can take anywhere from four to seven months. Get what you need for every
project at HomeDepot.com
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Tips & Warnings

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Cotton thrives in places that have a hot and humid climate with good amounts of rainfall. However, it also requires a great deal of sun. Cotton can
be grown in a greenhouse as long the soil is fertile, and the temperature is warm. /direct/01/)

In general, you will need between an acre and an acre-and-a-half for each bale of cotton you want to produce.

You can grow cotton in large pots, but you should limit the seed to three per container. As they germinate, eliminate all but the hardiest seedling,
leaving it to grow by itself in the pot.

You can eat the petals of cotton flowers; they taste sort of like okra.

Growing cotton takes a great deal of land, water, and pesticides.

Cotton plants tend to blow over quite easily, so you may need to provide them with some sort of support.

Cotton plants are susceptible to red spider mites. You can treat these pests by frequently misting the plants with water or spraying them with
insecticidal soap.

References
MRC Seeds: Cotton Production

Go Self Sufficient: Grow Your Own Cotton

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Plant Cultures: Cotton--Grow it

Resources
Cotton.org: The Story of Cotton

Georgia Cotton Commission: Growing Cotton

Jamie L. Whitten Plant Materials Center: How To Grow No-till Cotton

Photo Credit
cotton field in contrast with blue sky image by lulu from Fotolia.com

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