When to Plant Cotton Seeds
- Sow cotton seed in spring after any danger of frost and the soil has warmed to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Seed germination is best if soil is over 65 degrees. Once wet, the seed doesn't remain viable for long. The garden soil needs to be moist enough to support germination but not so dry as to inhibit it or cause soil temperatures to become too hot. In the American South, cotton is sown in April or May; whereas in California or the irrigated fields of the Desert Southwest, planting happens from late February to late April.
- For cotton to grow to a mature size, produce flowers, develop seed capsules and then split open to harvest the fibers, the growing season must be at least 135 days. In regions with short or cool summers, a cotton plant may germinate and produce leaves but not flower and fruit. Going from germination to flowering takes approximately 80 to 110 days. An additional 50 to 80 days after flowering is needed for the capsule to open. Therefore, in different areas of the United States, cotton plants may only reach certain developmental stages before the fatal fall frost.
- Prepare a garden area that is located in at least 10 hours of daily sunlight, removing all weeds and debris. Cultivate the soil, pulverizing any soil clumps, to a depth of 12 inches before the planting date. Sow cotton seeds about 1 inch deep in the crumbly soil that is moist and well-drained. Space rows or hills of planted seeds about 3 feet apart. This allows for ample growing space for the plants that mature 4 to 5 feet tall and wide.
- Cotton plants are not aggressive enough to compete with weeds and promptly removing weeds helps the cotton grow in good health. In commercial fields, herbicides are used, often applied at the time of seed sowing. Numerous insect pests threaten cotton, too. Thrips, cotton aphids, borers, spider mites, stink bugs, corn earworms, beet armyworms, cabbage loopers and boll weevils affect plant health, vitality, flowering and fiber production. Numerous soil fungi can kill seedlings if seeds are sown in soil that's too cool or wet.
