Eggplant starts

[catjac1975]

I started my eggplant seeds the 2nd week or so of February. This is usual for me as I like mature plants for eggplant and peppers. I used a new micronutrient solution and my greenhouse was very warm multiple days in the last few weeks. The result is giant plants close to a foot tall. I just up potted them to 1 gallon grow pots, and I am 2 months from being able to put them outdoors. What should I do? I should toss them and start over but I cannot imagine destroying such lovely plants. So I will stick it out and I hope they will be useable. But, they sure are pretty.

 

[digitS']

They sure are!

Keep the bugs off them. I don't know what it is about eggplants but so many bugs must think that they are delicious!

I hope those nice plants don't crowd out any of your other ideas for the season.

Steve

 

[catjac1975]

They sure are!

Keep the bugs off them. I don't know what it is about eggplants but so many bugs must think that they are delicious!

I hope those nice plants don't crowd out any of your other ideas for the season.

Steve

There are 10 plants so some with go to family and friends. They are now in a kitchen greenhouse window to make room for more favorite crops in my greenhouse. But they really are so lovely. I'm not worried about indoor pests, and do not get too many outdoor either.

 

[catjac1975]

There are 10 plants so some with go to family and friends. They are now in a kitchen greenhouse window to make room for more favorite crops in my greenhouse. But they really are so lovely. I'm not worried about indoor pests, and do not get too many outdoor either.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

They are gorgeous! It takes months here to get to that size. Good job! You could sell them - I've bought mature ones at a nursery for $10 before.

 

[catjac1975]

They are gorgeous! It takes months here to get to that size. Good job! You could sell them - I've bought mature ones at a nursery for $10 before.

I have enough for myself and a few friends and family. But they are perfect specimens. I think it was the micronutrients.

 

[Zeedman]

In one gallon pots, they shouldn't become root bound. I would just suggest pruning them back until a couple weeks before transplant. That will result in bushier, healthier transplants that will start bearing quickly.

 

[Dirtmechanic]

You could also grab some bigger lights and expand your enjoyable hobby!

 

[Ridgerunner]

In one gallon pots, they shouldn't become root bound. I would just suggest pruning them back until a couple weeks before transplant. That will result in bushier, healthier transplants that will start bearing quickly.

I've never pruned eggplant but I have pruned indeterminate tomatoes in starting pots that got too big before I set them out. Just cut the stem off above a leaf bud and it will send out a sucker that becomes the main stem. With tomatoes I think about things like determinate and indeterminate before I do something like that. So I did a little research.

Most of what I read about pruning eggplant talked about removing suckers and leaving the center stems. Not exactly what I was looking for. There was an article in Mother Earth News that said you could cut off the top half of a mature eggplant if production is dropping. To me that says you can cut off a main stem to shorten it a sucker will become the new main stem. Supposedly eggplant should have two main stems and one sucker below that.

So yeah, if they get too big for you to manage I think you would be OK to cut them down to size so you can keep them longer. If you really wanted to you could probably root the cuttings.

 

[digitS']

I have thought about replacing the deck with a sunroom. It would only receive sunlight beginning in late morning and early afternoon. Perhaps it would not cost very much to heat in March and April. The greenhouse is a different heating expense story altho it receives much more daily sunlight. If it ain't cloudy ...

My first thought on pruning eggplant (or any annual garden plant) is, Oh no, what if you set them back a week!!?

Gardening in a near-alpine climate makes some things simpler . It isn't really an Alpine climate. In fact, the meteorologists list it as Continental - but that is taking into account the winter months. Growing season, it's really a Mediterranean, like near neighbors to the south. Doing a little research on growing season climates, it seems similar to the mountains in northern Spain (not the Pyrenees) and the higher elevations in northern Italy (not into the Alps). So, not so bad .

Steve