How to manage spring early-maturing eggplant during the fruiting period? Practical technical key points
For eggplants grown in spring under plastic film low tunnel cover, from flowering to fruit harvest, under suitable conditions it takes about 18-25 days, and the initial harvest period of the first fruit (door eggplant) is in early to mid-May. During fruit growth, the weather has already turned warm, so the film can be fully uncovered during the day to give the plants plenty of light, but it must be covered well again in the evening. If the nighttime temperature...
For eggplants grown in spring under plastic film low tunnel cover, from flowering to fruit harvest, under suitable conditions it takes about 18-25 days, and the initial harvest period of the first fruit (door eggplant) is in early to mid-May. During fruit growth, the weather has already turned warm, so the film can be fully uncovered during the day to give the plants plenty of light, but it must be covered well again in the evening. If the nighttime temperature stays steadily above 20°C, covering can be discontinued.
When using the dense planting and pruning cultivation method, when the "four mother fruits" flower buds appear, leave 2 leaves above the "four mother fruits" flower and pinch off the growing tip, and remove the side shoots on the main stem and the first and second branches. In this way, each plant keeps only 7 fruits in total: the door eggplant, the opposite eggplant, and the four mother half fruits. When the planting density is low, you can pinch off the growing tip leaving leaves above the "eight-direction wind" flower buds, and each plant can keep more than 10 fruits.
During the fruiting period, eggplants need more fertilizer. After harvesting the door eggplant and after harvesting the opposite eggplant, apply topdressing once each time; for each standard plot, apply 0.5-1 kg of ammonium sulfate each time, or apply 40-50 kg of decomposed human manure liquid as a flush application, and water promptly after topdressing.
About 20 days after flowering, when the fruit has fully grown, if there is no white part on the fruit surface near the sepals, it indicates that the fruit has fully grown, and harvesting can begin when the gloss on the fruit surface has not yet faded. Because the flowering and fruiting habit of eggplant is to bloom in batches and set fruit in batches, harvesting is also carried out in batches. The batch of eggplant fruits is harvested completely in 2-3 pickings. When harvesting the door eggplant, the old leaves at the base can be appropriately removed. For early-maturing eggplant cultivation under plastic film low tunnel cover, after harvesting 3-4 batches of fruit, the vines can be pulled up.