Practical Tips for Clever Fertilization of Eggplant to Boost High Yields

Eggplant is a relatively popular vegetable, delicious in taste, soft and glutinous. In recent years, the economic returns from growing eggplant have improved, and more and more growers are adopting it as a crop. So when is eggplant generally planted?How can eggplant be cleverly fertilized to boost high yields?

1. When is eggplant generally planted?

For early spring cultivation of eggplant, whether in open fields or protected production, the seedling age is mostly 80-90 days. The seedling-raising time is determined by the planting time, and the planting time is determined by the growing environment and soil temperature.

Generally, for early spring cultivation, planting can only be done once the minimum soil temperature at a depth of 10 cm is stable above 13°C. For solar greenhouse production, planting can be done when the soil temperature reaches above 15°C and the air temperature reaches above 20°C. Once the planting time is determined, counting back about 80-90 days gives the sowing and seedling-raising time.

2. How can eggplant be cleverly fertilized to boost high yields?

Eggplant is a deep-rooted vegetable with a long growing period and fruiting period, and it requires a large amount of fertilizer over its lifetime. According to research, for every 1000 kg of eggplant produced, it needs to absorb 3.0-3.2 kg of nitrogen, 0.9-1.0 kg of phosphorus, and 4.0-5.0 kg of potassium. Looking at nutrient uptake across the growth stages of eggplant, at the seedling stage the uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium accounts for only 0.05%, 0.07%, and 0.09% of total uptake respectively. From the beginning of flowering, eggplant uptake accounts for about 7.0%, 7.0%, and 6% of total uptake respectively. From the full fruiting stage to the end of harvest, uptake accounts for more than 90%. Therefore, the full fruiting stage is the period when eggplant needs the most nutrients in its entire life.

Following the standard of applying a light seedling fertilizer, a steady flower fertilizer, and a heavy fruit fertilizer: after planting and seedling recovery, apply a thin application of manure or compound fertilizer of under 5 kg together with watering, then apply a thin application about every 10 days thereafter to meet the needs of seedling growth and development. Before flowering, and at the young fruit stage and the swelling stage, spray Caiguo Zhuangdiling once each time, which can activate the positive energy of plant ecological growth, broaden the plant's vessel pathways, enhance the plant's water and fertilizer absorption capacity, increase fruit yield and quality, reduce the fruit drop rate, and decrease the incidence of cracked fruit, stiff fruit, and deformed fruit. After the first harvest, a heavy topdressing is needed; fertilizer can be buried in the soil together with intertillage and earthing up, and thereafter topdressing is applied about every 10 days to meet the needs of continuous fruit development. The period of most vigorous fruit harvest is also the period of greatest fertilizer demand, so the amount of fertilizer applied needs to be increased. In the middle and late stages, as the plants age and their fertilizer absorption capacity decreases, foliar topdressing can be adopted; generally, spraying a photosynthetic nutrient film fertilizer and a foliar fertilizer on the leaves is sufficient.

To meet the requirements of eggplant's long growth period and large nutrient demand, the base fertilizer for eggplant should be mainly organic fertilizer, generally applying 5-7 tonnes of organic fertilizer per mu, appropriately combined with 10-15 kg of a 45% nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium compound fertilizer, so that nutrients are supplied in a coordinated way in both the early and late stages.

Generally, topdressing begins after eggplant is planted; at planting, a thin fertilizer application can be made together with watering for seedling recovery. When the “door eggplant” flower buds open and set fruit, apply a fruit-forcing fertilizer in time, using 2-3 kg of nitrogen fertilizer per mu; when the “door eggplant” has fully swollen and the “pair eggplant” begins to swell, eggplant enters its peak fertilizer demand period, and a heavy topdressing should be applied, adding 15-20 kg of 45% compound fertilizer per mu. Thereafter, as eggplant harvest increases, apply a supplementary nitrogen fertilizer once every 10 days depending on the plants, to extend the harvest period.