Jute Mallow
Corchorus olitorius
Jute mallow is the young leafy shoot of the jute plant, cooked as pat shak in Bengal and as molokhia in the Middle East. It grows very quickly in hot, humid weather and has a slightly bitter or mucilaginous texture.
Photo: Prenn · CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Essential Care Requirements
Light
Full sun
Watering
Moderate
Keep the soil moist; it thrives in the monsoon.
Soil
Fertile, moist loam; pH 6.0–7.5.
Temperature and humidity
20–40 °C · High humidity
Feeding
Feed every two weeks with compost tea or a nitrogen-rich organic feed.
Pruning and propagation
Propagate by seed
Pinch or cut shoot tips regularly for a steady supply of tender leaves.
Leaves are safe when cooked. The seeds and seed pods should not be eaten.
Top Cultivation Tips
Soak seed in warm water before sowing.
Sow from March to July.
Harvest young tips, before stems get fibrous.
Fry dried leaves for a crisp side dish.
Common problems
Caterpillars
The larvae of moths and butterflies, which chew holes in leaves, flowers and fruit and can strip a plant in days.
How to treat it →PestJassids
Small, wedge-shaped green insects that run sideways and suck sap from leaf undersides, causing curled, yellow-edged and scorched leaves.
How to treat it →DiseaseLeaf spot
Fungal or bacterial infections that cause brown, black or purple spots on leaves, often with a yellow halo, leading to early leaf drop.
How to treat it →
