More fussing about aubergines

After a few false starts and self inflicted problems, my aubergines are now growing to a reasonable size (up to 10" or so) - but no flowers yet. Is there anything I can do? I haven't pricked them out yet, don't know if this would help, and haven't yet started feeding.

 

Hi Deserter, I haven't grown aubergines but would assume them to be similar to peppers which I have and are fruiting now. They seem to be behind growth wise and should be much bigger by now, they should have been pricked out when about 3ins high and after a couple of weeks of settling in given a nitrogen feed until buds are just visible then a potash (tomorite or similar) feed weekly to help the fruit production. It may be too late to separate them now without damaging the root system but you could try. You might get some late fruit but if it all fails, try next year but earlier.

 

i watered gh yesterday morning with no signs of any little nasties.i went to water gh about 6pm yesterday evening and aubergines, buds and flowers i mean,were covered in aphids. never had any trouble with these so far with toms and cucumbers and was quite shocked.i picked them off by hand and got scratched and jabbed for my trouble,as i dont really wanna spray anything that im gonna eat but maybe i ought to have gone over everything in there with the insecticide to be sure?

 

My granddad used soapy water to wash greenfly and aphids of his crops. Sorry I don't know how strong he mixed it but I'm sure that it was only washing up liquid. Could be worth trying on one plant to check the result.

regards

BigT

http://brassicabill.blogspot.com

 

thanks BigT.

 

Have just found this whilst looking for Rhubarb Tea insect repellent and thought you might be interested.
"Nettle Spray
The Spray can be used against powdery mildew. It is also effective against aphids. Take a container of nettles, cover with water and leave for three weeks or till the water is mid-brown. Spray undiluted".

Good luck
BigT

http://brassicabill.blogspot.com

 

thanks again BigT,looks like ill get gallons of the stuff then.the neetles growing among my taties alone will probably supply every plot holder around the whole allotments!

 

Hi deserter,pricking out your aubergines now could be hit and miss,i had the same problems last year,but if you split them, bearing in mind the roots will be a mass of tangles,pot them on in 3 litre pots plant them deep to the first couple of leaves and then they can be left to grow and fruit without any need to disturb the root system again,once the flowers appear and they can be late,use a small soft paint brush to cross pollunate the flowers this should help them catch up,also try a glove of garlic crushed in a pint of warm water to deter any greenfly,good luck keep us posted dosh......
p.s don't feed untill first flowers appear..

 

black prince is comming on strong

 

Thanks all!

Oops, got my terms wrong. I have already potted them on in 7 inch pots, when I said about pricking them out I meant pinching them, to stop them growing upwards? I've now done that to one, which is about 12" tall, although I'm not quite sure what I'm doing (I just pinch them at the junction of stem and sideshoot and pull the sideshoot off). I read somewhere that this means the plant will concentrate on its fruit rather than growing upwards. No flowers though!

I did the bit with the paintbrush last year when I had got no fruit by October and it did work, although at that stage of the year they weren't exactly prize winning aubergines. If they don't hurry up and flower this year though I might be doing even worse!

Oh well, I will get there one day.

 

Oh, by the way, I have found the aphid solution. Plants got eaten last year, but this year I have grown marigolds along side them and hey presto! No greenfly. I did try soapy water last year and that also worked, you need to make sure your leaves are coated either side I think.

 

I'm growing augergines for the first time ever.

I have a couple of plants in the green house and a couple of then out of the green hosue just to see which ones do better. I have plenty of flowers on the plants so an waiting to see the results.
Here's hoping.

 

Hi
I'm also growing aubergines for the first time this year. All seems to be going well thus far - flowers followed by fruits, but can anybody tell me when is the correct time to pick them? Can I expect them to grow to the same size as the shop bought varieties before I pick them? Or will they have a certain 'feel' to them?
Liz

 

Hi poppet,my book says,cut each fruit once it has reached a satisfactory size(usually 5-6inches long)but before the surface shine has gone.Dull fruit are usually over ripe and bitter.

 

sorry,i forgot to add,usually August-September. :rolleyes: