If you're trying to grow Japanese eggplant at home, several tricks can ensure your success.
- Nip the Bud. The larger a Japanese eggplant bush, and the more branches it has, the more fruit the plant will produce. ...
- Fertilize Constantly. Japanese eggplant plants are hungry bushes. ...
- Spread Mulch. ...
- Harvest Quickly.
The Secrets to Growing Japanese EggplantRelated Articles
Japanese eggplant is exactly like standard eggplant with the exception of its fruit's shape: it has a longer and more slender appearance compared to the rounder shape of the traditional eggplant. Japanese eggplant grows in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 10, working well as an annual in all zones but thriving as a perennial in frost-free areas. If you're trying to grow Japanese eggplant at home, several tricks can ensure your success.
Nip the BudThe larger a Japanese eggplant bush, and the more branches it has, the more fruit the plant will produce. To encourage branch production, gardeners should cut off the top growing tip of the juvenile eggplant bush once the plant reaches 6 inches tall. This forces the plant to grow more side branches, thus increasing the future fruit production.
Fertilize ConstantlyJapanese eggplant plants are hungry bushes. Constant soil fertilization helps support fast growth and optimal eggplant fruit production while helping the plant fight off stress and disease. At the time of planting, spread 3 pounds of standard 5-10-10 garden fertilizer for every 100 square feet of garden soil. The eggplant bush should get followup fertilization twice more, once when the first eggplant fruit measures the size of a quarter and a second time three weeks after that. During these secondary applications, gardeners should use 1 1/2 ounces of calcium nitrate for every 5 feet of the vegetable bed. Avoid traditional nitrogen-based fertilizer, as this encourages the Japanese eggplant bush to produce more leaves at the expense of fruit.
Spread Mulch
Mulching helps Japanese eggplant for several reasons. It helps minimize weeds, which would otherwise compete with the eggplant bush for soil nutrients and water. Mulch also helps keep the plant's roots cool and conserves soil moisture while slowly adding nutrients to the soil as the mulch decomposes. For the best results, Japanese eggplant bushes respond well to straw, grass or compost as mulch.
Harvest QuicklyIf mature fruit are left on the Japanese eggplant bush, the plant will slow down its fruit production. This results in an overall smaller fruit harvest. Instead, plants should be constantly monitored and fruit should be cut off the plant as soon as each is ready for harvesting. To check whether a fruit is ready, press the fruit gently; if an indentation remains, the fruit should be immediately cut off the bush with a knife.
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Japanese eggplant is exactly like standard eggplant with the exception of its fruit's shape: it has a longer and more slender appearance compared to the rounder shape of the traditional eggplant. Japanese eggplant grows in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 10, working well as an annual in all zones but thriving as a perennial in frost-free areas. If you're trying to grow Japanese eggplant at home, several tricks can ensure your success.
Nip the BudThe larger a Japanese eggplant bush, and the more branches it has, the more fruit the plant will produce. To encourage branch production, gardeners should cut off the top growing tip of the juvenile eggplant bush once the plant reaches 6 inches tall. This forces the plant to grow more side branches, thus increasing the future fruit production.
Fertilize ConstantlyJapanese eggplant plants are hungry bushes. Constant soil fertilization helps support fast growth and optimal eggplant fruit production while helping the plant fight off stress and disease. At the time of planting, spread 3 pounds of standard 5-10-10 garden fertilizer for every 100 square feet of garden soil. The eggplant bush should get followup fertilization twice more, once when the first eggplant fruit measures the size of a quarter and a second time three weeks after that. During these secondary applications, gardeners should use 1 1/2 ounces of calcium nitrate for every 5 feet of the vegetable bed. Avoid traditional nitrogen-based fertilizer, as this encourages the Japanese eggplant bush to produce more leaves at the expense of fruit.
Spread Mulch
Mulching helps Japanese eggplant for several reasons. It helps minimize weeds, which would otherwise compete with the eggplant bush for soil nutrients and water. Mulch also helps keep the plant's roots cool and conserves soil moisture while slowly adding nutrients to the soil as the mulch decomposes. For the best results, Japanese eggplant bushes respond well to straw, grass or compost as mulch.
Harvest QuicklyIf mature fruit are left on the Japanese eggplant bush, the plant will slow down its fruit production. This results in an overall smaller fruit harvest. Instead, plants should be constantly monitored and fruit should be cut off the plant as soon as each is ready for harvesting. To check whether a fruit is ready, press the fruit gently; if an indentation remains, the fruit should be immediately cut off the bush with a knife.