Aubergine pollination

[Jill]

I've only grown aubergines once before and that was outside.  This year I have three very healthy plants growing in my conservatory.  So far I've had three flowers that have opened and in due course dropped off with no fruit growing.  My question is how to pollinate indoor aubs? 

[Squashman]

I grow money maker aubergines, usually 50+ plants in a polytunnel and glasshouse, polination has always been good, with plenty of large fruits. I have them on a drip system for watering and feed twice a week. What variety are you growing.

[Jill]

Black Beauty - seeds from Simpsons Seeds.  Instructions on packet: "Pinch out leader at 12" to encourage laterals.  Trim leaves to expose flowers.  Limit to 5 fruit at a time."  They're just getting to 12" and flowers have not been hidden behind leaves.  Nothing on the packet about pollination.  They've had plenty of water as I'm growing them with my chillies and peppers which I help manually to pollinate with no problems at all so any suggestions gladly received.

[Jeannine]

Reason for dropping flowers, too warm, not enough water, stress, not pollinated.

Often reason for poor pollination is humidity. The pollen gets sticky and can;t get to where it need to go, they don't need bees by the way the are wind or movement pollinated.

They abort flowers ver easily if under stress.

You can hand pollinate by using a fine hair paintbrush.

They need a good deep drink regularly..not wet though or use drip watering.

Outside they probably got sufficient movement from natural movement.

Anyway above should solve your problem, get back to me if you need more detail
XX Jeannine

[Alex133]

Have never pollinated aubergines, peppers etc grown under glass and seem to do okay -sometimes initial flowers don't set but later fine.

[shirlton]

Tickle em with a little brush

[Jill]

Thanks peeps.  Patience I think is the answer ....and a little brush

[knottygal]

I am following this thread with interest, never grown aubergines before and have 5 healthy Black Beauty plants growing in my polytunnel, have duly tickled the flowers with a little brush  

A flower on one plant is yellowing, think it hasn't set and will drop off shortly but the plant has more flowers on the way  
Can anyone tell me what the yellowing leaf margins indicate - I assume it is a deficiency of some sort - it is only this one plant. I have just started to feed them weekly with tomato food as the flowers appeared, any advice appreciated  

[1066]

am also going to follow this thread, particularly as I was going to ask about pollinating in a Ghouse. Thanks for starting and folks for answering

I'll get my tickling brush out then   

[tim]

A bit soon to feed?

Usually at first fruit set?

[BAK]

We grow them outside under cloches until about now when the plants are bursting to get out. The cloches are then removed and the plants are then on their own.

Early flowers (we have a few now) invariably come to nothing. It is usually late August or early September before we pick any fruits. The variety that we currently grow is Listada de Gandia which produces a reasonable number of small (up to 10cm) quite attractive fruits.

We dont tickle.

[Jill]

Second flush of flowers have just fallen off so I've moved them outside to let nature take its course hopefully with more success.  The chillies were crowding them out anyway. Fingers crossed...

[tim]

Pride before a fall??

So far, so good. In 50 years, never tickled them, but get good results. Fingers crossed - I'll update as & when.

For good measure, for the first time ever, I've pinched out 2 plants as advised by all the books to see how that affects them.

[Spudbash]

You were growing aubergines fifty years ago, Tim?    Not many people were, as I understand it.

I'm growing several varieties this year and so far, I've harvested one small one, a Baby Rosanna. I know this is unusual, but then, I started them early and this is a very unusual year, weather-wise. The rest are taking their time in the usual aubergine way.

 

[Debs]

I too am watching this thread with interest.

Its my first year growing Auberines & i have 4 healthy looking plants in greenhouse.

I shall not tickle them and will see how they progress. At the moment they are just starting to produce

flowers which have not opened as yet - one of which has dropped off, but the rest look healthy enough

so not unduly concerned.

What recipes will others be using for their fruits-to-come??   

Debs 

[chriscross1966]

Yellowing is most likely iron or magnesium deficiency, give ema  bit of rose food and/or epsom salts to work out which .....

[Jill]

Well, putting them outside seems to have worked.  I now have 3 baby aubergines growing .  I've brought them in again because I think they'll do better indoors.  Certainly the ones that have been outside all the time are a lot smaller and are not yet flowering.

[Debs]

The leaves on my plants have a slight yellowness to them - will tomato feed be ok?

Also, the tiny fruits seem to be shrivelling & dropping off

What am I doing wrong??

They are growing in the greenhouse. . .

Debs

[Vinlander]

You were growing aubergines fifty years ago, Tim?    Not many people were, as I understand it.

Many years ago I was surprised to find sections on aubergines in a couple of (otherwise) fairly ordinary books from the 1930s - even though at the time I read them (in the late 70s/early 80s) they were just being discussed as a 'new' enthusiasm among growers.

I suspect like many gourmet foods they were killed off by rationing during WWII - or rather squeezed out of the 'dig for victory' initiative by more reliable and productive veg.

It has to be said that in most years they don't justify the effort - that's why I grow varieties that look good in pots or beds where I'd otherwise be growing useless inedible ornamental flowers -  and occasionally I get a bonus of fruit!

Cheers.

[knottygal]

Still not got a flipping single one set , lost one plant but the remaining four are lush and look super healthy and I have chillies, cukes, toms and bell peppers coming out of my ears but alas no lil aubergine babies...