Germination temperature
Optimum about 29 °C (85 °F); good range 24-32 °C (75-90 °F); minimum about 16 °C (60 °F).
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Eggplant needs real warmth to sprout and grow. Raise seedlings in a nursery bed or trays, transplant them after about a month, and pick the fruits young and glossy.
Optimum about 29 °C (85 °F); good range 24-32 °C (75-90 °F); minimum about 16 °C (60 °F).
About 0.6 cm (1/4 in).
Quick in a warm mix; slow and patchy below about 21 °C (70 °F).
Bright light as soon as seedlings appear; full sun in the field.
None needed.
Transplant: 30-35-day-old seedlings in India, 6-8 weeks in cool climates.
Sow the seed as it is. In Indian nurseries TNAU coats seed with the beneficial fungus Trichoderma viride (4 g per kg of seed) or Pseudomonas fluorescens (10 g per kg) before sowing to reduce damping-off.
Not needed. Eggplant seed takes up water readily.
Not needed. It is a warm-season crop; cold only delays germination.
Not needed. Warmth of the sowing mix matters far more than pre-soaking.
Keep the mix at 24-29 °C (75-85 °F). In temperate climates use a heating mat or warm room; on the Indian plains open nursery beds are warm enough in the TNAU sowing seasons of December-January and May-June.
About 0.6 cm (1/4 in). In nursery beds sow in lines 10 cm (4 in) apart and cover with fine sand; in trays sow one seed per cell and cover with cocopeat.
Sterile seed mix or cocopeat in trays, or raised nursery beds 1 m wide in well-drained soil. TNAU needs about 100 m2 of nursery (400 g seed of open-pollinated varieties, 200 g of hybrids) to plant one hectare.
Keep the mix evenly moist but not soggy. Heating mats dry trays quickly, so check daily. Avoid waterlogged beds, which encourage damping-off.
No light is needed under the cover. Give strong light as soon as shoots appear, or seedlings stretch and lean.
Seed comes up quickly in a warm mix and slowly or unevenly when it is cool.
If you sowed in a flat, move seedlings to cells or pots 5-7.5 cm (2-3 in) apart once true leaves appear, and keep them under bright light.
Plant out 30-35-day-old seedlings (TNAU) or 6-8-week-old transplants in cool climates, after nights stay above 10 °C (50 °F). Harden plants off for one to two weeks first. TNAU spaces open-pollinated varieties 60 x 60 cm (24 x 24 in) and hybrids 90 x 60 cm (36 x 24 in).
Water after planting and then about weekly. TNAU applies well-rotted manure and a balanced NPK dose at planting and a nitrogen top dressing about 30 days later.
Cause: brinjal shoot and fruit borer caterpillars. Fix: cut out and destroy affected shoots and fruits regularly; TNAU sprays neem seed kernel extract 5% at 15-day intervals from one month after planting and advises against synthetic pyrethroids.
Cause: damping-off in wet, cold or unsterile mix. Fix: use clean mix, treat seed with Trichoderma, avoid waterlogging and do not overcrowd.
Cause: flea beetles. Fix: cover young plants with fine row cover early in the season.
Cause: little leaf, a disease spread by leafhoppers. Fix: pull out affected plants early and control the vector, as TNAU advises.
Cause: soil-borne wilts such as bacterial or Verticillium wilt. Fix: rotate away from tomato, potato and pepper beds and remove affected plants.
Harvest when fruits reach full size for the variety but are still shiny and firm; dull, spongy fruits are overripe and may be bitter. Cut the stalk with shears instead of pulling.
TNAU starts picking 55-60 days after transplanting and harvests every 4-5 days; regular picking keeps the plant setting fruit.
TNAU lists varieties CO 2, MDU 1, PKM 1 and KKM 1 and hybrids COBH 1 and COBH 2 for Tamil Nadu. Long, round and cluster types are all grown the same way.
Compact and small-fruited types do well in large containers in full sun; water steadily so fruit does not drop.
Start eggplant seeds in warmth and transplant young plants into full sun for a long harvest.
Usually the mix is too cold. Eggplant needs at least about 16 °C (60 °F) and germinates best at 24-32 °C (75-90 °F). Use a heating mat or wait for warm weather.
It is normally raised as seedlings and transplanted after about a month in the nursery. This gives the young plants warmth and protection and saves seed.
TNAU sows in December-January and May-June in Tamil Nadu and transplants the seedlings 30-35 days later.