ANSWER: An eggplant is a perrenial plant from nightshade family. An eggplant is an annual, thorny pubecent herb.
Is eggplant a tree?
Eggplants (Solanum melongena) grow wild in South Asia as a perennial plant, but these warm-season vegetables are treated by most North American gardeners as annuals.
Is eggplant a vine?
Is eggplant a bush or a vine? When eggplants get enough sun and their soil has plenty of drainage, they grow into plants that are tall and bushy. However, the heaviness of the fruits can cause the stems of the plant to lay along the ground, giving them the appearance of vines.
Is eggplant a herb or vine?
Brinjal is classified as a herb because of its non-woody stem. Its simple leaves are oblong to oval, slightly lobed, with its underside a paler green than the upper surface. Both leaves and stem are covered with fine hairs.
What kind of plant is eggplant?
eggplant, (Solanum melongena), also called aubergine or Guinea squash, tender perennial plant of the nightshade family (Solanaceae), grown for its edible fruits.
Is an eggplant a shrub?
Eggplant Overview
Solanum melongena is a branching shrub species that typically grows to around 2m high.
Do eggplants need a trellis?
Yes. Eggplants need support because of the weight of the fruit. A simple gardening stake is typically all you need. Staking keeps the fruit from touching the ground and keeps the branches from breaking.
How tall does eggplant get?
Whether you plant them in the vegetable garden or perennial garden, give eggplants plenty of space to mature. Plants can grow 2 to 4 feet tall and wide, which means they need to be staked.
Should I prune eggplant?
ANSWER: Eggplants, like fellow nightshade family member tomatoes benefit from staking and pruning. In fact, eggplant actually produces more fruit when pruned. Pruning eggplant can also improve the fruit quality of the plant, and decrease the plant’s susceptibility to disease.
How long do eggplant plants live?
three years
How long do eggplant plants live? Eggplant plants can live up to three years in very warm climates, like zones 10-12. But in most regions they’re grown as annuals, and only live for one season.
Is eggplant a climber?
Yes, it’s wise to create a support for eggplants. Staking eggplant keeps the fruit from touching the ground, which in turn, reduces the risk of disease and fosters fruit shape, especially for elongated eggplant varieties.
Do eggplants grow back every year?
Eggplant plants can come back every year but they usually won’t. Eggplants rarely survive long past the harvest months. A perennial plant eggplant is a rarity outside of tropical climates. Eggplants can come back every year in ideal, tropical conditions.
How long does eggplant take to grow?
around 70 to 80 days
Eggplants do not mature until around the 100-day mark, but you should not wait that long to harvest because young eggplants have the best taste. Prepare to harvest eggplants around 70 to 80 days after transplanting. If your eggplant is about six to nine inches and its skin is glossy, you can begin harvesting.
How much space does an eggplant plant need?
Space eggplants 18 inches apart, in rows 30 to 36 inches apart.
Why do they call it an eggplant?
Those plants flowered and grew small white and oval fruits that looked just like chicken eggs. British gardeners named these “egg-plants” for their attractive appearance on plants they entered in competitions.
How do I protect my eggplant in the winter?
Provide a Cover. Like most outdoor plants during the winter they require a cover to protect them from the frost. Frost can kill plants and can be detrimental to your eggplants. A simple mulch cover over the soil can help to protect your eggplant’s roots and help the soil retain its nutrients.
What family does eggplant belong to?
Nightshade is a family of plants that includes tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, and peppers. Tobacco is also in the nightshade family. Nightshades are unique because they contain small amounts of alkaloids.
How cold can eggplant tolerate?
Eggplant is generally more sensitive to cooler temperatures than its cousins, tomatoes and peppers. Flowers consistently set fruit down to 60 F nighttime temperatures. Eggplants begin to get chilling injury at temperatures below 50 F.
What should you not plant next to eggplant?
What Not To Plant With Eggplant. Do not plant fennel near your eggplant. Fennel inhibits growth in many plants, including eggplant. Geraniums can host diseases that also affect eggplant such as leaf blight and root rot, so it is best to avoid planting them with eggplant.
What is the best way to support eggplant?
Staking also makes harvesting easier. Eggplants can be staked like tomatoes, placing a wooden stake 1 inch thick and 48 to 60 inches long between every other plant in a row. String is placed along the plants and looped around each stake to support the growing stems and fruit (Figure 3).
Should I use a tomato cage with eggplant?
Like its close relative the tomato, eggplant requires the support of a tomato cage or similar structure. And you may need to prune your plants occasionally.