How to Grow Brinjal at Home - Home Gardening
How to plant Brinjals:
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Brinjal grows best in a well-drained sandy loam or loam soil that is good in organic matter
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Select a well drained pot with drainage holes so that they would help to drain out excess water present in the soil so as to reduce the risk of root rot.
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Fill the pot with two parts potting soil and one part sand. Mix organic fertilizer to the soil balanced ratio of 20-20-20 of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium
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Sow the brinjal seeds over the potting mix and cover them with thin layer of soil
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Water regularly and the seeds generally germinate within 2-3 weeks
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After 30 days, sapling would have grown by 3 to 4 inches and will be ready for transplanting.
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During Transplanting you may need to carefully slide a gardening trowel into the side of the pot and remove the saplings and plant them in individual pots
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How to Fertilize Brinjal plants:
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Apply a balanced fertilizer like cattle compost every month during the growing season.
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Fertilizer to be applied through side dressing, a process of digging a 6-inch trench around each plant and applying a fertilizer to it to keep nutrients available to the plant on an as-needed basis.
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Side dress again in after one month.
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You can also fertilize your seedlings with vermicompost
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As brinjal grow, it will need regular replenishment of nutrients in the soil.
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A good-quality organic NPK fertilizer can also be used for this purpose, which contains high nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium
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Liquid fertilizer like Fish emulsion can be applied to increase the immunity and promote plant growth.
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Epsom salts can also be provided to aid flowering and healthy plant growth as they are rich in magnesium.
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Brinjal - Pest and Diseases
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Flea Beetles is the most common pest, but a healthy eggplant will be able to withstand damage. Grow plants under row covers until they are large enough to tolerate leaf damage.
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Powdery Mildew can affect eggplant. This appears as white, powdery spots on the leaves which may turn yellow and die. Planting resistant varieties when available, planting in full sun, and provide good air circulation.
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Tomato Hornworms are sometimes an issue as are potato beetles, lace bugs, and mites. If the flowers on your eggplants form but then fall off, or if fruit does not develop these are symptoms of pests in the plants
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Most pests and diseases can be controlled organically with Insecticidal soap and Neem oil mix spray.
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Harvesting Brinjal
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Harvest 65 to 80 days after transplanting, depending on the variety.
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The skin of the fruit is shiny and unwrinkled and a uniform color when it is ready for harvest
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As soon as the skin does not rebound to gentle pressure from your finger, it’s ripe.
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Japanese eggplant may be ready to harvest when the size of a finger or hot dog
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Cut the fruit with a sharp knife or pruning shears close to the stem, leaving about an inch of it attached.
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Once ready, eggplants are harvested at least once per week, preferably twice a week.
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