12/12/2023 0 Comments Eggplant seed startingLeave about 1 inch of the stem when you harvest your eggplant to prevent premature rot.1) Light Seed starting requires full spectrum grow lights at this time of the year. So you’re better off harvesting sooner rather than later.Įggplants have a slightly spiny stem, so it’s a good idea to use a sharp knife or pruning shears to cut the fruit free. Overripe eggplant can be bitter, very seedy, and have a tough texture. You could wait a little longer if you want a larger fruit, but be careful. There are some miniature varieties out there that only get a few inches in diameter or length, but most of the standard varieties should be harvested when they’re 4-6 inches in length. Your eggplants are ready for harvest when it has a deep color that’s appropriate for the variety and smooth, shiny skin surface. That’s a pretty wide timeframe, so I recommend carefully looking at the seed package to find out how long the variety you’re growing should take. The time between planting seeds and harvesting eggplants varies based on their variety and growing conditions, typically taking 70-120 days. Make sure your plants get 1-2 inches of water a week, and give a balanced vegetable fertilizer every two weeks. Now that the plant has turned its attention to producing fruit, it needs more water and fertilizer than ever. If you’ll be assisting in the pollination process, do it during the morning hours-the earlier, the better-when flowers are starting to open.Īfter pollination has taken place, the fruit will start developing from those flowers. You can do some pollinating yourself by gently shaking or brushing over each eggplant flower to spread pollen. Choosing the right companion plants for eggplant can be really helpful here- growing other flowering plants nearby can draw in those pollinators! Insects like bees and butterflies can take care of this for you. However, the pollen in an eggplant flower needs to move from the central stamen to the inner ovary. This is different than plants like pumpkins or cucumbers which typically have pollen-producing male flowers and fruit-bearing female ones. Eggplant flowers are self-pollinating, meaning that every flower contains both pollen and immature fruit. This signals that you’ve reached the eggplant flowering stage.Įggplant fruits develop from flowers, with each blossom being capable of producing fruit. Once the plant has several sets of large, healthy leaves and strong central and lateral stems, you’ll see purple or white blossoms appear. This will help retain moisture, prevent weeds from sprouting, and keep the soil cool. It’s also a good idea to apply a 2-inch layer of mulch around your eggplants. Give a dose of organic vegetable fertilizer every 3-4 weeks at this stage. Properly weeding the garden and avoiding getting the leaves wet while watering are two key ways to keep your eggplants healthy.Įnsure your eggplants get at least 1 inch of water weekly a soaker hose is a great way to do this easily. Keep a sharp eye out for yellow leaves on eggplant plants or signs of pests or disease. This is known as the “vegetative stage.” While different varieties take shorter or longer times to mature, your eggplant plants will likely be in the leaf-producing maturing stage for 6-10 weeks.Įvery part of the plant contributes to its overall health and fruit production, so you want the healthiest leaves possible for the best harvest. If you plan to stake your eggplant for support, this is the time to do it. True Leaves AppearĪfter those first true leaves appear, your eggplant will keep on producing more and more of them, and the stem will gain length and strength. This keeps the leaves from getting wet while still being a gentle stream of water that won’t disturb the new plants. I like to switch to a small squirt bottle right about now- I’ve found that a plastic condiment bottle works wonderfully. Give regular water to keep the soil moist. Your eggplants will do best in an area that’s about 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you see your eggplant plants breaking the soil surface, remove the humidity dome and place your baby eggplants under a grow light or in a bright window that gets at least 8 hours of direct sunlight daily. In my experience, they usually sprout 7-14 days after planting. The germination time for eggplant seeds depends on several factors, such as soil temperature and moisture levels. Cotyledons are the baby plant’s source of nourishment until they develop mature leaves that can photosynthesize food. The first leaves you see are called cotyledons, or seed leaves. So even though it seems like your seeds aren’t doing anything, something important is going on under the surface. The root comes first, which you can’t see. Germination is the process of a seed opening up and sending a root shoot downward and a stem with seed leaves upward.
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