Solanum melongena

Eggplant

Perennial herb or shrub to 1m (3 feet) usually grown as an annual for its edible fruit. Leaves ovate and angled or lobed. Solitary violet flowers and black-purple fruit up to 15cm (6 inches) long.

Uses

Harvest when fruit is begins to become soft. Cut from the plant, do not pull. Store at low humidity between 7-10 degrees C. Lower temperatures can damage fruit. Can be fried or baked.

Culture

Requires warm conditions and low humidity. Frost tender. It has a long growing season, so plant as soon as the risk of frost has passed. Provide well-drained and aerated soil and constant moisture for optimum growth. Apply liquid fertiliser while plants are developing, but stop feeding as soon as fruit develop. To promote a second crop, recommence feeding after harvest. Prefers a soil pH of 6.0 Prone to verticillium wilt and blossom end rot. Pinch out the side shoots on developing plants as for tomatoes. http://osu.orst.edu/Dept/NWREC/eggplant.html http://agrolink.moa.my/comoditi/vegetable/brinja.html

Propagation

No information available at this time...

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