Your Ultimate Guide To Growing Organic Brinjals Is Here !
May 29, 2020One of the popular grilling vegetables! Brinjals also known as eggplants (Solanum melongena) are warm-season vegetables that are treated by most gardeners as annuals.
Given their tropical and subtropical division, eggplants do require relatively high temperatures, similar to tomatoes and peppers.
They grow fastest when temperatures are between 23 and 30 degrees Celcius and very slowly during cooler weather.
Read about how to plant, grow, harvest, and cook these delightful deep-purple vegetables-
Brinjal has different varieties and is usually a beautiful dark purple color, and varied size and shapes. Eggplants usually grow and hang from the branches of a plant that can reach several feet in height. Because they need sunny soil, plants are usually bought as 6- to 8-week-old transplants started indoors about two months in advance to get it started.
Elevated gardens improved with composted fertilizer are an ideal growing place for eggplants because the soil warms easily. Brinjal plants are also excellent for containers and make beautiful ornamental borders. There are quite a few ornamental eggplant varieties available today.
When To Grow Brinjal Seeds -
- Seeds grow fastest when temperatures are between 23 and 30 degrees. Begin seeds indoors in flats or peat pots 8-9 weeks before the last spring frost date.
- Seeds germinate quickly at warm temperature, if you are buying the seedlings from nursery transplants just before in large pots.
- Buy high-quality specimens. Do not purchase tall, weak plants or young plants that have blossoms or you will have a less yield.
- Choose a very spot with direct sunlight for the best results.
- Brinjal plant grows best in a well-drained sandy loam or loam soil, high in organic constituents.
- The pH of the soil should be between 5.8 and 6.5 for best germination.
- Eggplant requires moderate amounts of fertilizer.
- Mix 1 inch or so of organic manure throughout the planting bed about a week before planting.
- If you are growing brinjal seeds in pots, using a dark-colored container is advised to absorb for added sunlight.
- Each plant needs large planters or pots and should be placed in full sun and outdoors so it can be pollinated.
- Use a potting soil mix to avoid pest attacks and healthy growth.
How to plant Brinjals-
- If transplanting, set 3- to 4-inch tall seedlings 2 to 2 and a half feet apart in rows that are 3 to 4 feet apart.
- After planting, water well. Add a layer of mulch to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
- Provide support as brinjal plants climb and to avoid displacing the soil later.
Tips for best growth of brinjal plants-
- Brinjal plant will fall over once loaded with fruits! Make sure to stake tall plants or use a cage to support plants and keep them upright.
- If growing eggplant in pots or containers, stake the stems before the fruit forms.
- Take out the terminal growing tips for a bushier plant.
- Water adequately to moisten the soil to a depth of at least 6 inches so the soil is moist but not much wet. Consistent watering is best, and a soaker pipe or drip system at ground level is perfect.
The crucial period for moisture is during fruit set and fruit development. Mulching can help to store uniform moisture, maintaining water, and reducing weeds.
Use a well-balanced compost twice during the growing season. Once when the first fruits are about the size of a quarter, using 3 measures of calcium nitrate per 10 feet of row. Again in about two to three weeks.