Aubergine in flower

[chris]

If all else fails, it's a little bit of nitrogen for the compost heap - tiny light at the end of the looooooooooong tunnel

[FionaH]

I visited my mate the other day. She is new to gardening, does everything the way you shouldn't. Her aubergines are in tiny pots, crammed in etc. She has fruit on every single one of them! I despair sometimes I really do

[Florence Fennel]

Ahh the pot-bound theory seems to be making some sense, bit like orchids perhaps. Well that's too late for mine, but I'll not pot them on again and we'll see.

[jacob]

I've got (a) fruit set on two or three, most of the rest are flowering or about to flower.

Aubergines don't appear to root quickly and I'm fairly happy forcing them to flower in small pots before putting them into bigs ones. That said, the first plant I potted on has got a fruit and several more flowers and is about twice the size of all the others...

[Bren In Pots]

Just been out and inspected my 3 plants and no sign of fruits but they were covered in greenfly so I've squished lots of them and sprayed the plants with garlic and soap mix.

[Thelma Sanders]

I've tried for three years with Aubs in pots with not much reward for my labour
This year I stuck them in the greenhouse border, near the door........and I have fruit it's giving them a lot of space - so we'll see how they do.
Next year I think I'll just buy what I need and use the gap for someting more productive....I've given the same warning to the peppers as well this year

[smallblueplanet]

Ahh the pot-bound theory seems to be making some sense, bit like orchids perhaps. Well that's too late for mine, but I'll not pot them on again and we'll see.

I'd have thought that rather than it to do with being 'pot bound' its to do with the plants roots being stuck in the middle of a pot of cold, damp compost? Aubergines like hot weather.

Ours are in Morrisons flower buckets, the ones in the border have the bottoms removed and lined with chicken wire to try and stop the moles digging them up!

[salilah]

Nice ideas! Mine started in modules then went straight into Morrisons Buckets - they've lots of leaves, but few flowers and no fruit yet :-(

Out of interest, do you cut off the top of hte leading stem to make them bush out, or do you just let them grow? Also chillis (sorry different plant) - are they best with leading shoots picked off, to bush out, or again let grow?

thanks!
S

[smallblueplanet]

The weather hasn't really been good enough for aubs round here - they really do want hot weather to flourish. There's lots of time yet though and ours are starting to flower well, no set yet I don't think. I prune our aubs (and chillies occasionally) if they get to big or overcrowded leaf-wise. Otherwise I let them grow big. Others will no doubt do different.

[jacob]

Nice ideas! Mine started in modules then went straight into Morrisons Buckets - they've lots of leaves, but few flowers and no fruit yet :-(

Out of interest, do you cut off the top of hte leading stem to make them bush out, or do you just let them grow? Also chillis (sorry different plant) - are they best with leading shoots picked off, to bush out, or again let grow?

thanks!
S

My experience is that aubergines and chilis bush naturally, no need to help.

[Bren In Pots]

Finally I've spotted a tiny fruit on my Aubergine Ophelia plant, really chuffed

[horticultural_hobbit]

Am stupidly jealous.

[Florence Fennel]

Percy Verance must be the chap here. Manda your plants look brilliant. Glad to hear you've got fruit Bren.

[jacob]

So far I've got an early long purple, a diamond (which though small could be eaten), several moneymakers and possibly, possibly one di Firenza. Lots more flowers, and one of the moneymakers is huge, so it ought to have the oomph to produce a good crop.

[jacob]

Mind you, it would help if the sun came out -- max temp in the greenhouse yesterday was 18.