Stages of Eggplant Growth | From Seed to Harvest

If you want to grow eggplant but don’t know its growth process then don’t worry; I’ve got you covered.

The stages of eggplant growth are the same as other plants, which include germination, seedling, vegetable growth, fruit growth, and harvesting. Each stage requires its own care and safety, which will automatically help you get healthy plants and fruits.

Below, we listed and explained all the eggplant growth stages, so let’s get to it.

Stages of Eggplant Growth:

There are different eggplant growing stages that you should know if you planning to grow egg plants. Knowing these eggplant stages will your planting process.

Seed Selection and Planting:

The growth actually starts from the germination, but before that, you need to select your seeds and properly plant them. You can choose from different types of eggplant verities like Diamond, Waimanalo, and Udumalapet, etc, any why you can choose at here. After selecting, start planting them in the prepared soil. You should plant them ½ inch deep with 2 to 3 inches apart. Now give them very little water to just keep the moist.

Seed Germination:

Well, it is obvious that seed germination is the first step in eggplant production. In the process of seed germination, the plant seed swells by absorbing water, and then a small seedling grows by breaking the outer shell of the seedling. This first step required proper care, which includes,

• Temperature: In the stage of germination, the eggplant requires 70 to 95 F (21 to 35 C).
• Moisture: The eggplants required moisture for germination, not water. So you need to avoid adding too much water to it. You should know that too much water and moisture slow down the process of germination.
• Light: Normally, plant seeds need light for germination, but not eggplants. It needs a proper warm and clean environment.

Related: Carrots Growing Stages.

Seedling Stage:

The next stage of the eggplant is called the seedling stage. In this stage, the germinated sprout starts to develop tiny leaves and roots. A seedling is actually a sporophyte which developed from the embryo of a seed. There are a couple of things that you need to follow to keep the seedling healthy.

Light:

Unlike Germination, the seedling stage needs light for about 8 to 12 hours of sunlight as soon as it sprout form the seed. So you need to provide proper sunlight to your eggplant.

Watering:

For watering, the eggplant seedlings need moisture in the soil. So avoid watering the seedlings too much.

Thinning:

Thinning the seedling is one of the most important steps that you need to take. You need to thinning the seedling the remove seedling and leave about 1 to 2 inches of space in between.

Transplanting Eggplant Seedlings:

If you planted the eggplants in pots and want to transfer them, then it’s the right time to do it. Transferring eggplants in the seeding stage is one of the best times to do it. Once the seedling has 3 to 4 leaves then you can remove it and transfer it into container or garden.

Vegetable Growth:

After the seedling stage comes the vegetable stage, in which the eggplant produces more leaves, grows more branches, and becomes a proper plant. In this stage, the eggplant becomes a proper plant that is ready for flower and fruit. You also need to start fertilizing in this stage. You should get a balanced fertilizer with higher nitrogen content during fertilization to increase vigorous vegetative growth.

Flowering Stage:

In the flowering stage, the eggplant produces blossom, obviously. Each of the flowers has the ability to become a fruit if pollinated. The process of pollination is usually done by self-pollination, but if you plant eggplant in a garden, then it can be done by pollinators. During the pollination stage, you need to keep the temperature of the eggplant around 70 to 90F (21 to 29C) for better pollination.

If you notice any flower dropped flower, then it is due to environmental stress, like over or underwater, not getting proper sunlight, etc. So, try to control the environmental stress of eggplants; otherwise, it will also affect their fruits.

Fruit Development Stage:

After the flower gets pollinated, it then transfers into the fruit stage. During the fruit stage, you need to constantly take care of its fruit and protect it from pest attacks. You also need to give them proper watering and avoid waterlogging.

During this stage, you should add phosphorus-rich fertilizer, which helps the plant in fruit development. The phosphorus rich fertilizer help the fruit in its growth.

Harvesting Stage:

After the fruit starts changing its color to deep purple, while then it’s time for harvesting, you know that eggplants are ready to harvest when they have a glossy and firm look. So you need to start harvesting those fruits which become dull and develop sort spots. For harvesting you need to a knife or any thing sharp to cut the stem of plant.

Decline Stage:

After you harvest the eggplants, then leave the plant to decline naturally. The plant start reducing its growth and eventually dormancy.

below we have a video time lapse video of eggplant that has all of its growing stages.

Problems During Eggplant Stages of Growth:

Just like every other plant, eggplant is also attacked by different diseases and pests throughout its growing stages. These attacks do not just happen in one stage but will attack your eggplant throughout its growth.

Pest Attack:

In Pest attacks, spider mites and aphids are some of the common ones for which you should use a proper pesticide or introduce healthy insects that will help you against these pest attacks.

Diseases:

In diseases, root rot and fungal diseases are the common one, for which you need to improve air circulation and overwatering eggplant.

(Source)

Final Thoughts:

As for my final thoughts, you need to understand the growth cycles of eggplants for better fruit production. Because each of the growth stage oppose and create a challenge, so knowing the process will help you overcome those challenges.

I hope you understand the process, but if you still have some questions, ask them in the comment section.